District fires two whistle-blowers
By Michael Neibauer
Examiner Staff Writer 10/2/08
Alexandria Jones and Yolanda Geter said they both feared retribution when they twice told the council’s public safety committee that the communications office was understaffed and that the switch to a 911-311 system would endanger the public. Asked by the council in January whether the employees would suffer retaliation, Janice Quintana, the office’s director, responded, “Absolutely not.”
Both Jones and Geter have since been terminated.
“Everyone knew she was targeting me because I did speak out,” Jones, a 10-year agency veteran, said of Quintana. “This is the way she operates.”
Geter, who is currently on administrative leave pending the closure of her case, received her termination letter on Aug. 18, four days after Jones received hers.
“This time it’s just gone too far,” Geter said.
A spokeswoman for Mayor Adrian Fenty said Wednesday that the administration could not comment on personnel matters.
Jones warned the council committee in January that OUC employees were overwhelmed and that many call takers — those who used to answer calls for government services under the former three-number system — were not trained to handle requests for emergency assistance. Geter offered similar commentary during a February hearing.
Jones was fired because she was unwilling to work a full 10-hour shift, Athena Plummer, Quintana’s deputy director of emergency operations, wrote in an Aug. 14 letter to the terminated employee.
“Your complete and continued disregard for management instruction is unacceptable and shows you have no intent to follow the direct orders issued by OUC management,” Plummer wrote. “Clearly, your actions and behavior are insubordinate and disruptive to OUC operations.”
Jones had sought to work an eight-hour shift, claiming stress-related medical disability. Every time she worked only eight hours, she was marked as absent without leave.
Fiscal 2009 budget documents prepared by the public safety committee slammed Quintana for being “antagonistic toward employees” and for “retaliating against employees.”
“There have been persistent complaints expressed to me and the council alleging retaliation by Janice Quintana,” said Councilman Phil Mendelson, the committee’s chairman. “The council is in a difficult position to prove the truth. But the persistence of the complaint is very troubling and I hear it from no other agency, and I can’t help but wonder if where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
9 Comments
Reader Comments:
POSTED Oct 2, 2008
: "Janice Quintana first of all should have not been appointed Director for lack of experience, second Ms. Quintana has total disregard for employees rights. I am a DC resident and watch the Council hearings on TV and these employees showed a great concern for the welfare of DC residents and made me aware the actions of this director could place the officers at MPD in dangerous situations and compromise security by having untrained calltakers. The agency should give these two employees thier jobs back and fire the OUC staff starting with the Director."POSTED Oct 2, 2008
: "The director of this agency is a joke. Another follower of Fenty. That is why the city is so screwed up. Their motto is "it my way or the highway". She has no public safety background, she is a JOKE......she only cares about the mayor's citywide call center."POSTED Oct 2, 2008
Riggs: "Quintana has to go. She is unqualified and she is a liability to the citizens of the District of Columbia. Her tyrant and intimidation tactics are only endangering everyone's lives. She is a embarassment and she is only going to humilliate the Nations Capitol."POSTED Oct 2, 2008
: "The OUC is a lawsuit waiting to happen. The computers malfunction and freeze on a day to day basis. Ms. Quintana has encouraged her management staff to harass employees and threathen them on a daily basis. They are people employed who are just like Quintana unqualified. Background checks have not been thoroughly counducted. Employees are afraid to come forward for fear of termination and retaliation. Employess are singled out and harassed whenever they attend the City Council Hearings. Manmagement and the Union openly threathen employees by reminding them that Ms. Quintana or Ms. Plummer are not playing and if you don't comply then you will end up like the two whistle blowers in your acticle. Now if two whistle blowers can be terminated, what does that say about the District of Columbia Government? I guess the objective of the Fenty Administration is to quickly fire the good and keep the bad."POSTED Oct 2, 2008
: "this director needs to be investigated. if there are serious problems and concerns that the employees have and the director not trying to solve the problem but wants to terminate employees that have concern for the saftey of the city something is wrong."POSTED Oct 2, 2008
: "I have first hand knowledge of how this agency works and I appreciate the fact that these two employees that (unfortunately lost their jobs) stood up and are trying to inform the citizens of the District of Columbia that when they call 911 they will have to wait if they have an emergency while the calltaker are assisting with a traffic complaint or giving police numbers. I left this agency because it is being manage correctly and you are definitely overworked. The Director is already over 2009 budget and she likes to fire people so she can try to keep some control of her money. Councilman Mendelson you need to have another hearing so all of Janice Quintana dirty work can be exposed and lets get back to the business of PUBLIC SAFETY and away from this Director lies and deceit!!!!"POSTED Oct 3, 2008
KEEP EYES OPEN: "I GUESS FLAVOR FLAV WAS RIGHT 911 IS A JOKE? ITS SAD WHEN TO EMPLOYEE PUT THERE LIVELY HOOD ON THE LINE FOR THE CITIZENS AND TAXPAYERS AND NO ONE STANDS UP FOR THEM. WE WONDERED WHY NO ONE SPOKE UP AT FAMILY AND CHILD SERVICES SOONER. WE ALL NO WHY THIS IS THE 2ND TIMES IN 2008 THAT I HAVE READ AN ARTICLE ABOUT WHISTLE BLOWERS BEING FIRED IN DC GOVERNMENT AND NOTHER WAS DONE. THE EMPLOYEES ULTIMATELY WERE FIRED OR WORK ENVIRONMENT WAS HOSTILE WHICHED FORCED THEM TO RESIGN. I THANK THOSE TWO EMPLOYEES AND SO SHOULD THE TAX PAYERS,MAYOR AND DC CITY COUNCIL"POSTED Oct 3, 2008
DC CITIZEN: "THE CITIZEN SHOULD BE OUTRAGED AND REQUEST FOR AN EMERGENCY HEARING TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON AT THIS AGENCY AND IF THE EMPLOYEES RIGHTS ARE BEING VIOLATED WHICH IT SEEMS IS THE CASE. AS A TAXPAYER WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THE SYSTEM AT ALL TIMES. AND SHOULD HAVE FULLY TRAINED 911 OPERATOR. IT APPEARS MS. QUINTANA HAS NO MORALS AND PRINCIPALS."POSTED Oct 5, 2008
DESPRATELY SEEKING ANWERS!!!!: "I HOPE MAYOR FENTY READ THE EXAMINER. IN FACT, I HOPE HE READ THE COMMENTS POSTED.I HOPE HE'S SMART ENOUGH TO SEE THERE'S A REAL PROBLEM AT THIS AGENCY. SHOULD IT TAKE ANOTHER CATASTROPHE TO SEE THAT SOMETHINGS NOT RIGHT. I HOPE UR AS ARROGANT AS I THINK AND GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS. U ARE A MAN WHO'S SUPPOSE TO MAKE SURE THE CITY IS RAN PROPERLY AND THE CITIZENS!!! ALL THE CITIZENS OF DC INCLUDING DC WORKERS WHEN THEY'RE HERE ARE TREATED WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT...I DARE U BE SO BOLD TO HOLD A PETTY GRUDGE WITH AN EMPLOYEE AND TAKE AWAY THEIR VERY LIVELY HOOD. TIMES ARE BAD VERY BAD. IF YOU ARE NOT DOING UR JOB AS WELL MAYBE YOU SHOULD STEP DOWN ALONG WITH THE DIRECTORY @COMMUNICATIONS. REMEMBER ACCOUNTABILITY!!!! TAKE SOME!!!!!!"