Black federal jobholders’ instant path to riches: discrimination suits

I sent a New York Times article, “City Settles Lawsuit That Claimed Bias and Retaliation,” to E. in Florida, because he had been the target of a similar suit. He replies:

These folks are a dime a dozen. The one who filed a grievance against me did maybe one quarter of her job well, and she just didn’t seem to understand that there were other duties that she was supposed to be on top of. She ignored those parts of her duties that she didn’t do well. Try to explain that to a system designed to find racial discrimination. These people have all been advanced well beyond their abilities. They really don’t seem to understand that standards outside their hermetically-sealed worlds are higher. Why would they?

I am happy to report that mine only got $5,000, less than her legal fees. She filed her next grievance with a different lawyer in tow. She had filed at least one previous grievance with a different employer. I wasn’t supposed to know that, but someone told me on the QT. They make a nice living doing this.

I replied:

You wrote:

“She ignored those parts of her duties that she didn’t do well. Try to explain that to a system designed to find racial discrimination.”

Her inability to do her job, if you point it out, is your fault. And the more incapable she is, the more it is your fault. (Auster’s First Law.)

E. replies:

Actually, you have a point. In the fed system, you, the supervisor, are required to define, in writing, every aspect of every subordinate’s job. If you don’t define it, to the minutiae, it’s “not in my job description.” Can you imagine how anyone could possibly do this for a job that is managerial and for which the job holder is supposed to be bright and figure out what it is they are supposed to do?

Posted by Lawrence Auster at April 18, 2012 12:28 PM | Send