When the employee e #305998, Nadia Rodríguez, went to the Human Resources Office of Public Housing & Community Development (PHCD) of Miami Dade County on January 9, 2013 to investigate why she was been fire (see letter of dismissal) form her employment, the Human Resource Manager – Michael Anderson – replayed: “If your supervisor does not like the color of your hair, the necklace you wear or your nail polish, she can through you out on the street. Also you’re on probation”.
That degrading treatment took place in the presence of the Director of PHCD, Jeannie Mendoza, who keep silent and therefore became complicit in it.
The human rights of Ms. Rodriguez, a Cuban immigrant and an American citizen, who held the position of Assistant Manager in PHCD, were violated by the officer Anderson in the same ways that are violated in undemocratic countries such as Cuba.
Rodriguez’s supervisor, who’s named Leshia E. Elie, was the manager of Centralized Maintenance Crew (CMC), for PHCD Department in charge of the repairs and maintenance more than 9,000 homes for low-income residents. CMC operates with a mix of federal funds and properties taxes funds. After Rodriguez reported her unfair dismissal, Elie was quickly retired and received a final check for more than $ 30,000 dollars (see the last payment proof).
On the other hand, the supposed experts’ specialists (plumbers, electricians and air conditioning technicians) that the Manager Elie managed were relocated in the county three regions of public housing.
Why I say “supposed experts” referring to those county’s employees? Because Rodriguez found that most (14 of 16) do not possess the required licenses by state law to practice these specialties of the construction sector, but contradictorily they receive salaries above the national average according to information obtained on the website of the US Labor Department.
Rodriguez reported and disagreed with the double standards contained in the legislation regulating those professions because it establishes that the government workers (both at the state and county levels) are exempt from possessing the above-mentioned licenses to exercise these professions. However, the construction technicians eventually hired by the county (called vendors) are requiring having these licenses by the Ordinance of the Commissioners of Miami Dade. Also, in the private sector have to own specialists licensing and corporations who do not work for the government are under penalty of arrest, fine and lifetime invalidation of those licenses from the State.
The definitions for these laws are found in popular saying: “Do what I say and not what I do”. State legislators should correct this law inequality to do justice for the goddess of the sword and the balance before embarrassed by so much arbitration, flee from Florida in a raft.
But the case of Nadia Rodríguez worsened when – after been fire from her employment- Managers Elie and Anderson joined with Jerrod Neal a county specialist in the labor administration, and the three lashed out against Rodriguez to take the little money that the government assist her until she gets another job (the unemployment). To make this act of cruelty and abuse of power, officials appealed (read the appeal) to the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO for its acronym in English). The alleged reason to economically ruin Rodriguez was that she supposedly didn’t do the required work by her employer as it reads on the appeal.
The officials Elie, Anderson and Neal did not taken into account that in the State of Florida are still efficient and free of corruption entities like the DEO, whose main office are in Tallahassee.
Luckily for Rodriguez the DEO has legal procedures that give to the parties on dispute the possibility of presenting their evidence to then make an oral hearing (hearing) by phone during which statements are recorded, then processed the information obtained in this procedure to finally issue a decision on which the DEO confers a right of appeal for those who are not in accordance with the same.
The decision that the DEO issued concerning Rodriguez’s case, reads: “The claimant (Ms. Rodriguez) attempted to perform her job duties as required… The claimant acted reasonably as an assistant manager… The claimant was trying to perform the job efficiently and properly… the claimant was discharged for reasons that do not meet the statutory definition of misconduct”. DEO gave Rodriguez justice (read decision to DEO pg1 / pag2 / pag3) and didn’t remove her monetary assistance by law.
Although, the law gives 20 days to appeal in writing the decision of the DEO, PHCD corrupt officials did not dare to use that right because they do not have what or how to refute the evidence and testimony presented by the former county employee.
But a singular incident took place during the oral hearing by phone with the DEO. When the State Official Terry Shine was listing to Nadia Rodriguez’ testimony, she received 17 anonymous calls (with blocked identity) in the cell from which speaking with the officer of the state. Obviously, the reason for those 17 calls was sabotaging Rodriguez’s statements trying to distract her, and at the same time trying to vitiate the official recording with the ringer of the incoming calls.
Days later, Ms. Rodriguez asked her telephone provider service (Metro PCS) a report of the calls and see who anonymously harassed her ,during the oral hearing with the DEO, couldn’t hide the number from Metro PCS from which made 17 calls (see report of calls pg1 / pag2 / pag3). The phone from where those harassments against Nadia Rodríguez occurred is 305-905-4774. Then, Rodriguez searched for the owner of that phone on 411.com services, and surprise! The cell number belongs to the CMC Manager Leshia E. Elie (see evidential document), the officer who unfairly fire Rodriguez in collaboration with Anderson, Neal and the complicity of Mendoza.
In the second part of this research work we will proof how Rodriguez was discriminated for her national origin and race, among other revelations of corruption in Miami Dade. We will also reveal how Rodriguez was reporting serious working problems in CMC to her supervisors and other irregularities that caused really fire from her employment.
Before concluding, I should mention the impunity in which officials’ abuse of power like Leshia E. Elie, Michael Anderson, Jerrod Neal and Jeannie Mendoza; they receive extraordinary benefits for their bad work. For example, wages in 2012 of Elie, Anderson and Neal exceed the fifth part of a million dollars (exactly: $202,926.61) and in 2013 them three wages $202,979.15 according to the transparency of the Miami Dade County website. The wages given to Jeannie Mendoza I could not confirm because according to that website in the same position appears the name Arlina I. Mendoza with an annual salary exceeding one hundred thousand dollars in 2013. Could Jeannie and Arlina be the same person?
Called the attention that Rodriguez has asked for justice from the PHCD director Gregory (Gregg) Fortner (see request), the County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, the Miami Dade General Inspector and to the Office of Human Rights and Fair Employment of the county but neither officials nor entities have done absolutely nothing for Nadia Rodriguez, as of now.
Therefore, in this case the slogan of the county “Delivering Excellence Every Day” is incongruent with reality, is like a look of horror in the face of a clown who acts at a children parties.
lazarofreelance 