#Workplace Retaliation | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

porterdavis · 2 months ago

Text

I'm going to post the entire dispatch in hopes more people will read it. It's a stylized version of how US media would cover events in America if they were happening in a foreign country. Chilling.

(Written by Garrett Graff)

-----

Musk Junta Seizes Key Governmental Offices February 1, 2025 By William Boot

WASHINGTON, D.C. — What started Thursday as a political purge of the internal security services accelerated Friday into a full-blown coup, as elite technical units aligned with media oligarch Elon Musk moved to seize key systems at the national treasury, block outside access to federal personnel records, and take offline governmental communication networks.

With rapidity that has stunned even longtime political observers, forces loyal to Musk’s junta have established him as the all-but undisputed unelected head of government in just a matter of days, unwinding the longtime democracy’s constitutional system and its proud nearly 250-year-old tradition of the rule of law. Having secured themselves in key ministries and in a building adjacent to the presidential office complex, Musk’s forces have begun issuing directives to civil service workers and forcing the resignation of officials deemed insufficiently loyal, like the head of the country’s aviation authority.

The G-7 country’s newly installed president, a mid-level oligarch named Donald Trump, appeared amid Musk’s moves to be increasingly merely a figurehead head of state. Trump is a convicted felon with a long record of family corruption and returned in power in late January after a four-year interlude promising retribution and retaliation against foreign opponents and a domestic “Deep State.” He had been charged with attempting to overthrow the peaceful transition of power that had previously removed him from office in 2021, but loyalist elements in the judiciary successfully blocked his prosecution and incarceration, easing his return to power.

Over the last two weeks, loyalist presidential factions and Musk-backed teams have launched sweeping, illegal Stalin-esque purges of the national police forces and prosecutors, as well as offices known as inspectors-general, who are typically responsible for investigating government corruption. While official numbers of the unprecedented ousters were kept secret, rumors swirled in the capital that the scores of career officials affected by the initial purges could rise into the thousands as political commissars continued to assess the backgrounds of members of the police forces.

The mentally declining and aging head of state, who has long embraced conspiracist thinking, spent much of the week railing in bizarre public remarks against the country’s oppressed racial and ethnic minorities, whom he blamed without evidence for causing a deadly plane crash across the river from the presidential mansion. Unfounded racist attacks on those minorities have been a key foundation of Trump’s unpredicted rise to political power from a career as a real estate magnate and reality TV host and date back to his first announcement that he would seek the presidency in 2015, when he railed against “rapists” being sent into the country from its southern neighbor.

In one of his first moves upon returning to the presidency, he mobilized far-right paramilitary security forces to begin raids at churches, schools, and workplaces to identify and remove racial minorities, including those who had long lived in harmony with the country’s white Christian majority. He also immediately moved to release from prison some 1,500 supporters who had participated in his unsuccessful 2021 insurrection, including members of violent far-right militias who promptly upon release swore fealty to him in any future civil unrest. Elsewhere, even as he released violent criminals onto the streets, Trump by fiat pulled longstanding government security protection from former military and health officials he felt had betrayed him.

Underscoring his apparent disconnection from reality, reports surfaced that the president had ordered military forces to unleash an environmental catastrophe and flood regions of a separatist province known as California that is led by a high-profile political opponent. The order underscored how the military, which had resisted Trump’s unconstitutional power grabs in his first administration, was now led by a subservient defense minister, a favored TV personality with no experience in management who faced an embarrassing series of allegations about his drunken behavior in the workplace.

Foreign allies who had long aligned themselves with the United States on the international stage were unsettled by increasingly destabilizing nationalistic and imperialist rhetoric coming from the president’s social media accounts—largely posted to a network owned and run by Trump himself—and worried in private conversations in capital embassies that he would mobilize the compliant military to fulfill heretofore unimaginable territorial ambitions that included seizing the country’s northern neighbor, which shares the world’s longest undefended border, and potentially colonizing Panama and Greenland.

Both the country’s defense minister, who has previously said he does not believe women should be allowed to serve in combat roles, and Trump’s new interior minister, who appeared on national TV wearing the paramilitary uniform of the border security force central to Trump’s political rise, spent much of their first days echoing and amplifying the president’s hysteria about racial and ethnic minorities. They and other government officials also immediately canceled all official observances of religious and ethnic minority holidays and launched efforts to scrub official websites and prohibit educating workers or schoolchildren about those minorities’ long, proud history in the country. Overnight Friday, hours after journalists had gone home, the defense minister’s office announced it would bar establishment independent media outlets from working out of the country’s military headquarters and replace them with friendly right-wing media organs.

Share the newsletter

The administration’s propaganda minister also announced Friday, apparently with little preparation, that it would initiate an immediate, unexpected, and seemingly ill-considered trade war with the country’s two primary economic partners, a move that if implemented would upend the national economy, disrupt supply chains, and accelerate the return of an inflationary crisis that has roiled domestic politics over the last five years and had just seemed to be returning to normal. Ironically, it was that very inflationary crisis and Trump’s promises on the campaign trail to lower the price of eggs that paved the way for his unforeseen election victory in November.

The country’s other business oligarchs have watched Musk’s unexpected and rapid rise to power with trepidation, and leading media and technology companies who compete with Musk’s extensive business empire—like Meta, Amazon, Disney, Paramount, Apple, and OpenAI—have quickly lined up to negotiate and pay bribes to the president that would allow their companies to operate unimpeded; initial payment terms ranged from million-dollar gifts to the presidential inauguration to $15 million and $25 million payments, made by Disney and Meta, to fund the construction of a presidential shrine. The highest known payment was $40 million from Amazon, which was structured as a gift to the president’s wife in exchange for the media company having the opportunity to film a hagiographic biopic.

It was unclear, exactly, what deal terms any of those bribes and payments unlocked and when subsequent tribute payments would be expected, although on Saturday Trump moved to fire and neuter government watchdogs that had long bedeviled the country’s financial elite.

Throughout the week’s fast-moving seizure of power—one that seems increasingly irreversible by the hour—neither loyalist nor opposition parliamentary leaders raised meaningful objection to the new regime or the unraveling of the country’s constitutional system of checks and balances. A few members of the geriatric legislature body offered scattered social media posts condemning the move, but parliament — where both houses are controlled by so-called “MAGA” members handpicked for their loyalty to the president — went home early for the weekend even as Musk’s forces spread through the capital streets.

It was unclear what role, if any, Musk’s forces would allow parliament to have in the new governmental structure by the time it next returned to the national assembly known as Capitol Hill.

878 notes · View notes

justinspoliticalcorner · 4 months ago

Text

Keith Edwards at No Lies Detected:

Fascism doesn’t come for every generation, but it has come for ours. This is not a fight on the beaches of Normandy, but in our own country. This article begins a series on what opposing Donald Trump and his movement can look like. I hope you will join me as these progress.

[...]

Do not leave. Faced with the might of the United States government aligned against you, you might consider resigning preemptively to avoid the humiliation of inevitable termination. This is counterproductive for at least two reasons: If you leave, you save Trump Administration officials the time and effort of identifying you, which otherwise could have taken months or years. Second, your principled stand would likely only result in your replacement by an unprincipled Trump loyalist. By staying on, you may find yourself helping to implement policies you find hateful, but by refusing to leave, you can ensure that you have some influence on those policies, because then you can...

Delay. Delay. Delay. Waiting out the enemy until he moves on, gives up, or forgets is a time-honored strategy not just among civil servants but also history’s best generals. That email about a proposed rule change to healthcare protections? Bury it in everyone’s inbox by sending it late. A meeting on reviewing the U.S. government’s foreign aid commitments to a region you oversee? Oops, you’ll be out that day! That agency conference your political-appointee boss requested you arrange? Next month didn’t fit everyone’s schedule, so you had to push it to after the new year! Slow-walking is the classic tool in any bureaucrat’s toolbox, and in the next Trump Administration, you can use it in defense of the Constitution.

Be intentionally incompetent. As a career employee, you likely have always had the advantage of knowing your workplace better than your politically appointed overlords. This is perhaps your most potent weapon against Trump. Draft rules unlikely to survive judicial review. Favor lengthy rulemaking or review processes over expedited ones. Complete tasks sequentially rather than in parallel to draw out timelines. Add complexity, stakeholders, and process wherever possible. In short, exploit the knowledge gap you hold over your bosses to diminish, defuse, and defeat their plans.

Leak. Federal employees have the right to report what they believe to be illegal or abusive of authority to their agency’s inspector general (IG) without fear of retaliation. Trump however has singled out IGs for replacement after one played a pivotal role in his first impeachment, so the availability of this option may depend on how politically prominent your agency is. Fortunately, you can anonymously tip prominent news outlets like the New York Times and Washington Post, which boast extensive investigative units and employ rigorous safeguards to protect sources’ identities. You can also seek out sympathetic elected officials, such as Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee, whose main function is investigation of the federal government. (If you choose disclosure, be sure that the information is not classified, the unauthorized disclosure of which carries stiff federal penalties.)

Disregard and refuse. When you have exhausted all other options, you may want selectively to resort to riskier behaviors. These include going behind political appointees’ backs to subvert their activities, say by picking up the phone and countermanding their directions. In extreme cases, you may have outright to refuse direct orders to the appointee’s face. Though such actions seem like a fasttrack to termination, you may still be protected by the fact that overwhelmed political appointees might hesitate to go through the onerous process of finding a politically reliable replacement. Remember, the longer you stay in, the harder you make it for Trump to do what he wants. Know your rights. If the worst happens and your agency moves to terminate you, you can still fight back. There are multiple avenues an employee designated for dismissal can pursue to delay, reduce, or reverse agency penalties against them.1 The beauty of these options is that they can take months or even years to resolve and may be appealed to higher bodies, further extending the process. All the while, you are collecting a salary and occupying a full-time equivalent (FTE) position that your agency can’t fill until you finally depart. (This is not legal advice. If you find yourself in this situation, please seek a lawyer.)

Keith Edwards writes in his No Lies Detected Substack on how civil servants can show resistance to the tyrannical Trump 2.0 Regime from within.

#Donald Trump #Trump Administration II #Kash Patel #Robert F. Kennedy Jr.#Tulsi Gabbard #Elon Musk #Keith Edwards #Civil Service #Civil Servants

557 notes · View notes

iww-gnv · 2 years ago

Text

Trouble is brewing in America's strip club capital, where dancers from one bar have been on strike for nearly four months as they attempt to become the second unionized strip club in the country. Most of the 33 strippers employed by Portland's Magic Tavern launched their strike on April 4, citing "dangerous working conditions," Willamette Week reported. "We’re fighting for basic safety and respect in the workplace, just like any other industry expects," Nyx, one of the dancers on strike, told the outlet. The dancers say a slew of safety concerns spurred the strike, ranging from a lack of security cameras, an unstable pole, unmarked and uneven stage flooring, the scent of gas and more. They accuse management of retaliating against dancers who complained, and naming an official club group chat "Anus Tarts."

#news

4K notes · View notes

tierra-paldeana · 10 months ago

Text

☠🌏– Gosh darn what is she doing? Perrin's words give her thoughts that bring all sorts of sensations in her body. At some point she notices what she's doing with her own hair and lets it go, trying to stay cool. But it's too late, she's already shakey in the knees for that, adoring the feeling of being cornered.

So the next logical step is to walk over to Perrin and corner her herself against the tree they were standing under, kabedon style. Mind you, even while she's doing that she looks super flustered, her face a deep hue of red. Usually she's great at concealing her own thoughts and emotions but this was Perrin she's dealing with. Of course she's gonna let a bit loose with such a cutie.

''Y- Yer mean, nena... Real mean. Y'know what yer doin' to me, don't ya?'' She leans down to bring herself face to face with the shorter girl, almost rubbing noses with her. ''I know I said I don't bite but... keep teasin' me n' you might get some~ Grr.''

Rika was usually so smooth and charming. She was the one that would practically sweep Perrin off her feet with her words. To be the one more in control of the situation was kind of exhilarating. And that flustered expression was... really cute actually.

She'd never seen Rika hug her hair like that either.

"Yeah? Well, if that's the case why not come out with me?" Perrin hummed, arms behind her back. "I'm sure we can find something to do let all that energy out."

Yes, she was being very deliberate with her words right now. She'd let Rika fill in the blanks on this one.

#( ic );#v: ( the workplace );#destinybcnds #( and here we get rika trying to retaliate-- )#( mind you she loves being teased HAHAHA brings out some playfulness in her- )#( nsfwish );

8 notes · View notes

mesrianilawgroup · 1 year ago

Text

What Are the Types of OSHA Violations?

In 2019, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that over five thousand people were killed due to injuries they obtained while working. Their Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries that same year reported that fatalities had risen five percent in the private construction industry since 2018 and the number was the highest than it had been since 2007.

For 2020, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a report of their top 10 violations of the fiscal year. This report included the types of safety violations that most often resulted in injuries and even fatalities at workplaces.

What Are OSHA Violations

OSHA violations happen when a company or one of their employees does not adhere to the proper safety procedures or safety hazards are not addressed. A violation presents a risk for an accident or injury but does not necessarily mean this has happened yet. OSHA will administer inspections that may detect such violations before an incident. In some cases, OSHA may issue the company a fine or citation for the violation. If there is a willful violation and an employee is killed, there may also be criminal charges and penalties involved.

OSHA Violations vs OSHA Citations

Citations are often issued when a company commits a violation that does not necessarily present a danger to their employees. A citation is like a warning that serves to alert the company to the violation and let them know that they need to address it. A citation only becomes part of a company’s safety record if they receive it more than once. If the citation is issued two or more times within three years, it is considered a repeat offense.

Degrees of OSHA Violations

OSHA violations are identified by different degrees of severity. The following designations help determine the amount penalized.

Serious Violations

When a violation is too serious for just a citation, OSHA will also administer fines. According to the OSHA Act Section 17(k), violations are considered serious if they can cause severe injuries or death and should have been reasonably prevented by the employer. OSHA classifies the penalties for these violations on a gravity-based scale categorizing them by their severity with corresponding fines.

High-gravity violations are the most severe and carry fines of $14,502.

Moderate-gravity violations are of middling severity and can carry fines anywhere from $8,287 to $12,431.

Low-gravity violations are lower severity and carry fines for $6,215.

Many companies will hire workplace risk assessment consultants to help them identify these violations before they come to OSHA’s attention.

Other Than Serious Violations

OSHA considers violations that may pose a real risk to the health and safety of the employees, but will not result in injury or death, to be other-than-serious. These violations may incur the same fines as serious violations depending on the situation. In some cases, OSHA may decide to give a citation or reduce the amount of the penalty.

Violations that are considered other than serious are categorized as lesser and greater minimal-only violations. Lesser violations are generally met with a citation and no monetary fine. Greater violations may be met with a fine anywhere up to $14,502.

Willful or Repeated

Repeated violations within a three-year period can be met with fines up to a maximum penalty of $145,027 per violation. For serious repeated violations, the minimum penalty imposed is $10,360. If the violation is other than serious and did not initially warrant a monetary fine then the first repeated violation may be met with a $414 fine, the second with a $1,036 fine, and the third with a $2,072 fine.

A willful violation occurs when the employer is aware of the danger to their employees and ignores it. Fines for willful violations range from $10,360 to $145,027. If a willful violation results in a fatality, the penalty may be a hefty fine, prison time of up to six months, or both. When these fatalities result in criminal convictions, the fines may be as high as $250,000 for individual employers and $500,000 for corporations.

Penalties for serious willful violations may be reduced based on the size of the business and the number of employees.

10 or fewer employees result in an 80% penalty reduction

11-20 employees result in a 60% penalty reduction

21-30 employees result in a 50% penalty reduction

31-40 employees result in a 40% penalty reduction

41-50 employees result in a 30% penalty reduction

51-100 employees result in a 20% penalty reduction

101-250 employees result in a 10% penalty reduction

251 or more employees result in a 0% penalty reduction

Posting Requirements

When OSHA issues a citation or notice of violation to an employer, it must be posted in the area where the violation occurred. The posting must be in full view for all employees for at least three days or until the issue is resolved. These notices are also accompanied by a pamphlet that describes the issue, suggests solutions, and provides the date by which it must be remedied.

Failure to Abate

If an employer does not resolve the issue of the violation by the date provided with the notice, they may be fined for each day past that date that the issue goes unresolved. If the issue was never resolved, it is considered a failure to abate. If the issue was resolved and occurs again, it is considered a repeat violation.

De Minimus Violation

A de minimus violation refers to an issue that is technically a violation in that it does not comply with OSHA standards, but it does not necessarily pose a genuine risk to anyone’s health or safety. Rather than issue a citation or a penalty, OSHA will often provide a verbal warning to the employer and simply note the issue in the company safety file.

OSHA Fines & Penalties

As of January 2022, the following penalties are imposed for OSHA violations:

Serious violations – $1,036 to $14,502

Other than serious violations – $0 to $14,502

Willful or repeated violations – $10,360 to $145,027

Posting requirement violations – $0 to $14,502

Failure to abate violations – $14,502 per day past the abatement date up to 30 days

Can OSHA Fine Employees?

Individual employees are not fined by OSHA for safety violations. The employers are the ones responsible for maintaining the health and safety of their employees and keeping the workplace in compliance with OSHA standards.

Most Common Examples of OSHA Violations

The top ten most frequently fined OSHA violation examples of 2020 are:

Fall Protection with 5,424 violations

Hazard Communication with 3,199 violations

Respiratory Protection with 2,649 violations

Scaffolding with 2,538 violations

Ladders with 2,129 violations

Control of Hazardous Energy with 2,065 violations

Powered Industrial Trucks with 1,932 violations

Fall Protection Training with 1,621 violations

Eye and Face Protection with 1,369 violations

Machinery and Machine Guiding with 1,313 violations

The number one recommended way to prevent workplace incidents is though comprehensive training in OSHA safety standards. OSHA provides 10-hour online safety training courses for both construction and general industry workers. This course helps keep employees informed of the precautions necessary to keep themselves and each other safe.

OSHA also provides an annual report of the most common violations they find in order to give people additional information that can help them maintain safe and healthy work areas.

In 2020 the most common violations were found evenly in both construction and general industry. The list does not change too much from year to year, though the order of the categories may fluctuate.

Fall Protection

Fall protection has been the most commonly cited OSHA violation for ten years. Additionally, falling injuries are also the number one cause of fatalities in the construction industry. There are many ways in which a company might violate the fall protection standard set out by OSHA. Common fall protection violations involve incorrect methods of fall protections being used and the lack of or improper installation of safety features. OSHA mandates fall protection for workers when at a height of six feet or more. It is not enough that the protection be present, however. It must also be in good condition and working order.

Hazard Communication

Some jobs call for the use of chemicals and other hazardous substances. When handling or storing these materials, it is important to know the proper way to do so safely. This is why all hazardous substances must be labeled clearly and accompanied by emergency procedures. OSHA updated and revised their hazard communication standard in 2012 with new criteria and formatting for safety data sheets.

Respiratory Protection

OSHA’s respiratory protection standard serves to protect workers from substances in the air such as dust, smoke, toxic fumes, and other contaminants. Employers are required to ensure that the workplace has proper ventilation and that the employees are outfitted with the correct personal protective equipment.

In the wake of COVID-19, respiratory protection became a major factor with stricter guidelines. So many employers were failing to meet the standards in place that respiratory protection rose to the third most common OSHA violation from its spot at fifth place the previous year.

Scaffolding

OSHA’s data states that approximately 65 percent of construction industry employees work with scaffolding. When handling scaffolding, it is important to adhere to all safety precautions for the safety of those navigating the scaffolding as well as everyone below. The risk of people falling or getting hit by falling objects is a very real danger. Failure to comply with OSHA’s scaffolding standard causes over 4,500 injuries and over 60 deaths annually.

Ladders

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that almost 60 percent of ladder related fatalities happen within the construction industry. Construction industry ladder violations are generally due to employers not providing the right safety training. Another large issue is when workers use a type of ladder that is inappropriate for the task at hand. OSHA’s Ladders standard provides comprehensive guidelines for ladder safety such as staying within the ladder’s weight restrictions, maintaining proper clearance around the ladder, and ensuring the ladder is steady and secure on the ground.

Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout / Tagout)

According to data compiled by OSHA, approximately 9 percent of fatalities in the construction industry are related to electrocution, often due to improper energy control during maintenance procedures. Non-fatal electrocution injuries are still serious and can result in burns and even broken bones. The control of hazardous energy standard laid out by OSHA is a guideline for workers to protect themselves from the energy stored in their equipment. OSHA requires that all energy be discharged from machinery properly or controlled by a lockout tagout device.

Powered Industrial Trucks

Powered industrial trucks are heavy machinery such as tractors and forklifts. They are specialized equipment that must be used properly and kept well maintained. OSHA’s powered industrial truck standard forbids anyone from operating these vehicles without proper training. This training includes how to identify and avoid hazards as well as dos and don’ts like not using a phone while driving.

Fall Protection Training

It is not enough that fall protection measures be put in place, OSHA’s training requirements for fall protection standard dictates that any workers who are at risk of falling hazards go through the proper training.

Workers must be properly trained in knowledge of when and where that protection is needed and taught to identify and avoid potential hazards. They must also be taught proper maintenance and operational procedures for all necessary equipment including assembly, disassembly, and safety inspection.

Eye and Face Protection

There are many hazards found in the workplace that leave thousands of people blinded each year. These hazards can be related to debris in the air, toxic substances, and in some professions such as welding, even intense light. The standard for eye and face protection set forth by OSHA provides regulations necessary for preventing injuries to the face and eyes. These regulations pertain to things like eye wash stations and their operational instructions, safety measures applied to machinery, and equipment such as goggles and other protective face coverings.

Machinery and Machine Guarding

Many industries involve the use of dangerous machinery. Proper operation procedures and safety measures are necessary to avoid injury. OSHA’s machine guarding standard provides information to help workers protect themselves from moving parts and apply safeguards where needed.

Avoiding OSHA Violations

Adhering to OSHA standards is not just about avoiding punishment, it is about keeping yourself and everyone around you safe and healthy. Entry level workers are highly encouraged to take OSHA’s ten-hour outreach course in order to learn the information they need to maintain workplace safety. There is also a thirty-hour course that provides more extensive information and training for workers in supervisory or safety-based positions.

One way companies work to prevent OSHA violations is by having a third party come in and perform their own inspection to catch issues right away. It is also good practice for managers and employees to be aware of their surroundings and be on the lookout for any potential violations themselves.

Proactive vs Reactive Approach

Many companies have a reactive approach to health and safety. This means that they only address issues when the issue becomes a problem, or someone forces their hand. This approach can have many negative effects on their workers and even the success of the company itself.

Companies are encouraged to take a proactive approach to health and safety. This means being aware of the rules and regulations set forth by OSHA, keeping management and employees fully trained, and always taking steps to catch and prevent potential violations.

If You Have Been Injured Due to OSHA Violations Contact Mesriani Law Group

It is management’s responsibility to ensure that a workplace or jobsite is conducive to the health and safety of their workers and to prevent injuries. OSHA has rules and regulations in place for a reason and when those rules are violated, people get hurt. Being injured in a workplace accident can be a trying time. Being injured because your boss failed in their duty to protect you can make things much worse. Oftentimes, employers will try to shift the responsibility onto the employee and say they are liable for their own injuries. Having a workman’s compensation attorney can help you navigate the entire process. If you have been injured at work as the result of an OSHA violation, call Mesriani Law Group today for a free consultation.

OSHA Violation FAQs

What are the most common OSHA violations?

Fall protection has been the number one OSHA violation for the past decade. A lack of fall protection means a higher risk of workers falling from dangerous heights. In the construction industry, injuries caused by falling are the most common cause of workplace deaths. Hazard communication has held the second place spot for nearly as long from 2012 through 2020. OSHA dictates strict guidelines for the labeling of dangerous substances and the availability of material safety data sheets containing all relevant product and safety information. Coming in at number three and reportedly stealing the number two spot for 2021 is respiratory protection. Workers must be provided the proper ventilation and PPE to keep them safe from contaminants in the air. A proposed reason for the rise in respiratory protection violations is the rise in regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What are types of violations?

There are a few different types of OSHA violations. Serious violations are ones that pose an immediate threat of injury or death to the workers. Other-than-serious violations are ones that pose a threat to health and safety but may not cause injury or death. De minimus violations are ones that technically violate OSHA standards and regulations but do not pose a direct threat to the workers.

What are the two types of violations?

When a company commits an OSHA violation that is a hazard to the health and safety of their workers, they may be penalized and, depending on the seriousness of the violation, they could end up paying thousands of dollars in fines. If a violation is found that is not necessarily a substantial hazard, OSHA may instead issue the company a citation which is more of an official warning.

#California Employment Law #OSHA #Occupational Safety and Health Administration #Workplace Safety #Workplace Retaliation #Employment Law #Employment Lawyers #California Attorneys

0 notes

wandascosmic · 8 months ago

Text

you've got a smile that could light up this whole town (2)

wanda maximoff x fem!reader

part two of 'you belong with me' series

summary: basically a wanda series inspired by jim and pam from the office

word count: 3868

warnings: sexual harassment in the workplace, talks of sexism and racism, small mention of blood in a joking setting

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9

“That’s the thing. It’s very sturdy paper,” you speak to the client on the phone. “And on the back it says 100% post-consumer content.”

You’re on the phone with Mr. Deckerd, the CEO of one of your biggest clients who amounts to about 25% of your commission for the whole year. Wanda makes fun of you for buying a mini bottle of champagne every time you make a sale to him and his company, but you can’t help but celebrate a little. This year, you’re pushing recycled paper on them for about 1% more, so maybe you’ll buy a medium-sized bottle of champagne if you make the sale.

Suddenly, you hear a static noise in your ear. “Hello?” you ask, wondering if your client is still there. You plug the ear that isn’t touching the phone to hear Mr. Deckerd better, but the static sound continues. “I’m sorry, Mr. Deckerd I think I’m losing-”

But then you can’t hear anything because your stupid desk neighbor is shredding his papers at his desk.

“Hello? Hello?” But you can’t hear anything because of the stupid shredder. “Hold on one second,” you reassure your customer, even though you have no idea if he’s still there.

“Sam! Do you really have to do that right now?” you yell over the shredder.

“Yes, I do,” he responds, barely paying you any attention. “I should’ve done this weeks ago, actually.”

You flip him off under your desk.

“Mr. Deckerd, I'm really sorry,” you speak on the phone. “What were you-”

You still can’t hear anything, and it makes you give Sam an annoyed expression. “Can you give me one second?” you tell Mr. Deckerd on the phone in your fake nice sales voice. “Yeah, just one second. Thanks.”

You press the off button on Sam’s shredder with your pointer finger, and he narrows his eyes at you.

You shrug back in response.

“Hello? Oh, that’s it. Perfect,” you let Mr. Deckerd know. “So, what I was saying-”

Sam hangs up the phone for you by pushing a button on the docking port and you want to slap him in the face.

“Hello?” when you hear nothing but the dial tone, you set the phone down and run your hands over your face. “Thanks a lot, Sam.”

“Retaliation, Y/N. Tit for tit.”

“That’s not the expression.”

“Well, it should be.”

Now you want to punch Sam instead.

“Solitaire?” you ask Wanda, popping a jelly bean from the candy dish at her desk into your mouth and leaning over it to peek at her computer screen.

“Yeah, freecell,” she tells you, brows furrowing in focus at the game.

“Six on seven,” you point to the digital cards.

“I know I saw that,” she nods.

“So, why didn’t you do it?” you ask.

“I’m saving that,” she gives a shy smile, “cause I like it when the cards go…” she imitates the shuffling cards.

“Who doesn’t love that?” you shrug, smiling at her.

She giggles in response, and you help her win the rest of the game.

Tony comes out of his office. “Everyone in the conference room,” he announces. “Diversity day seminar.”

Everyone gets out of their desk to go meet in the room, but you stay on the phone in order to make the sale to Mr. Deckerd.

“Y/N,” Tony states. “Wrap it up.”

“Yeah,” you nod. “Uh, Mr. Deckerd-”

“L/N, hurry up, please.”

“Uh, Mr. Deckerd, I'm actually going to have to call you back,” Damn it, you were so close. “Thank you, sorry about that.” You hang up the phone.

Wanda meets your stride as you both walk in together and she wraps her hand around your elbow absentmindedly.

The two of you usually sit together, but unfortunately, you were both the last to walk in due to your phone call so you both take a seat on opposite sides of Thor.

Once you sit down a man from corporate hands you a blank card for you to fill out by writing down a work-related incident you found offensive, and you and Wanda look at each other, knowing exactly what incident you were both going to write.

A couple weeks ago, the head of corporate, Thaddeus Ross had made disgusting remarks and had acted completely sexist and racist to every single female or ethnic worker in the office. He had reduced every single person to just their ethnicity or sex and had made incredibly vulgar remarks that you didn’t want to think about again because of how offensive they were. In fact, they were so ugly that those who had taken the worst of his comments didn’t come into the office for the next 2 days because of how violated they felt.

You bite your tongue as you remember the lewd comments he had made about Wanda that day.

“Wanda’s really easy on the eyes, don’t you think?” he had whispered to you, his coffee breath making you want to push him as far away as possible. “I bet she’d make way more money on her knees rather than behind that desk…”

You had frozen in your seat, shocked at the words Ross uttered out of his mouth. You were about to reprimand him and let him know how inappropriate his comments were, but you didn’t get the chance because he got called over by Tony right after uttering those awful words. So instead, once he was gone from your sight, you had immediately stood up and gone over to Wanda at her desk while she was faxing documents Bruce had given her to let her know about the disgusting comments Ross had made.

Wanda’s expression had hardened once you told her, and she had taken many deep breaths to reel in her emotions. “Thank you for telling me,” she had breathed out. “Honestly, I’m not surprised with the amount of times he’s cheated on his wife,” she had told you with a weak smile. Ross always confided in Wanda about his affairs for some reason, and he gave her a copious amount of detail about his nights spent in bed with other women.

You had watched her brave resolve crumble as she played with the rings on her fingers, a nervous tick of hers, and it made you see right through her act. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I'm ok,” she had told you, “But I’m never staying within six feet of him again for safety reasons,” she gave a shaky laugh.

For the rest of the morning, you were able to tell that she was still rattled, with the way she kept zoning out while doing her work and kept playing with her rings and biting her nails.

So, you decided to do something nice for her to calm her down. During your lunch break, you had gone out to buy all of Wanda’s favorite things. Initially, you had told Vision to do it after letting him know about the incident while he was working down in the warehouse, but all he had responded with was that he was busy and would check on Wanda when he had the chance.

You knew of his busy schedule, so instead, you thought it would be good to go yourself, and it ended up being so worth it.

That day, you had bought Wanda chicken paprikash from her favorite restaurant, many packages of the obscure Sokovian candy she really likes, a pocket-sized package of her favorite book series because she was a sucker for miniature items, her favorite perfume because you could tell she was running low based on the way it was becoming less and less strong as the days passed by, a box of chocolates just because, and a mini disco ball, which you bought as a joke hoping it would put the smile back on her face.

You had definitely gone overboard based on how your bank had called you that day because of how much money you spent, but Wanda didn’t need to know that.

Plus, you didn’t really care because, well, it was Wanda.

“Hey, Wands,” you had gone up to her at the end of the day with a plastic bag in your hand.

Which to Wanda by the looks of it, seemed very heavy.

“Hi, Y/N,” she had greeted you back softly from her chair. “What’s in the bag?”

You smiled as you pulled out the mini disco ball, pressing the button so it lit up and placing it on the ledge of her desk.

“For you,” you had told her, “so every day is a party,” you joked.

Wanda had picked up the disco ball between her fingers, “you bought this just for the sake of making that joke,” she had answered back with a grin.

And the disco ball had worked just as you wanted it to, because she had smiled again for the first time that day.

You shrugged. “Maybe, but it did make you laugh, Maximoff.”

“Smiling isn’t laughing Y/N,” she said cheekily. Before you could respond she asked, “What’s in the rest of the bag? It’s definitely not that heavy with just a tiny disco ball inside.”

You slowly pulled out each of the items one by one, making sure to keep the mystery for as long as possible. And it was so worth it, because with every item you pulled out Wanda’s smile widened more and more.

“Wow…” Wanda trailed off, slowly dragging her index finger over each item as if they were made of glass, until her finger stopped at the candy. “Y/N! They only sell these at that store 40 minutes from here!” her eyes gleamed with worry as she looked at you since there was a snowstorm that day too.

“30 minutes,” you corrected, “and it was nothing, Wanda, honestly. This is supposed to be kind of like a ‘Ross Sucks’ fund. You were shaken up, so I wanted to do something nice for you.”

Wanda had pushed her tongue against her cheek as she watched you with tears in her eyes. She made her way around her desk until she was in front of you, and had hugged you as tight as possible. “Thank you,” she had whispered while squeezing you as tight as she could.

As she pulled away a couple moments later, she had kissed your cheek and gave you a soft look while whispering the words, “I’m really glad I have you as my best friend.”

It was the best gift anyone had ever given her. Somehow, you had singlehandedly turned Wanda’s awful day into one that would bring a smile to her face for the rest of her life.

The next day, the mini books and disco ball had ended up displayed at Wanda’s receptionist's desk, and Wanda had given you a cheeky smile while popping a candy into her mouth.

The man from corporate took each of your papers back with a small thank you, eventually creating a large stack.

“Alright, so I’m here today to talk about diversity,” the man began. “It has come to my attention that a recent issue from an anonymous source has made you all very uncomfortable, so I was called here. We are all still unaware of who made the offensive comments we have heard of, so corporate thought it would be best to put all of the Shield Industry branches through this seminar to be safe. Let’s get started.”

You started zoning out in worry at losing your biggest client, since Tony had made you hang up the phone due to his lack of patience when it came to being late to an event. After this morning’s exchange with Sam, you hoped he would continue to remain with you as his salesperson.

You didn’t even notice that you had stopped paying attention until Wanda tapped your shoulder to whisper about how the man from corporate looked a lot like Dracula from Hotel Transylvania, and you responded that you should test if he’s really a vampire by putting blood in Sam’s bag so he’s the first to go.

You don’t know how much time has passed until suddenly, Tony’s voice brings your attention back to the meeting. “Hey man, I’m sorry, but you need to leave.”

“What?” The man whose name you still don’t know responds.

Long story short, Tony kicked out the man and forced you all to get back to work simply because he didn’t like his face.

“Uh, hi, is Mr. Deckerd around?” you spoke on the phone. “Oh, well, could you just have him call me after lunch? Thank you.”

You ran your hands over your face in stress, god, you really hoped you didn’t lose your biggest client.

“Attention, everyone!” Tony yelled out stepping out from his office. “The replacement seminar corporate is making us go through will occur immediately after lunch, so don’t be late!” he stepped back into his office.

You’re too anxious to eat anything, so you spend your lunch break playing solitaire with Wanda while she eats the sandwich she packed this morning, since she usually spends it answering calls anyway. It’s the perfect pass-time because you’re still near the phone in case Mr. Deckerd calls, and she’s excellent at distracting you and making your worries fade away.

The last ten minutes of your break are spent at your desk staring at your phone, the busy tone ringing out suddenly seeming like it's mocking you.

Around 1 pm, a tall short-haired lady walks in, “Hi, I’m here to lead the diversity seminar?” you hear her introduce herself to Wanda at the front of the office.

Wanda stood up to shake her hand. “Welcome, I’m Wanda. I’ll let Tony know you’re here.”

She ran into Tony’s office to inform him of the woman at the front, and from your point of view, you could tell that this new woman was attracted to Wanda based on the way she was staring at her from behind.

“Everybody in the conference room!” Tony yelled out as he stepped out of his office, leading the orange-haired woman corporate hired in the direction of the room.

Thankfully, this time, you and Wanda walked in a little earlier so you could sit next to each other at the back.

Wanda had a clipboard in her hands to take notes as part of her job as a receptionist, and while she wasn’t looking, you drew a small smiley face at the corner of her page, a long-time tradition since you first joined the office a year after her.

“Alright, now that everybody’s settled in, hi, my name’s Pepper, and I’m here to lead the diversity seminar after this morning’s complications,” the lady said, giving Tony a look. “To start off, what can you tell me about diversity?”

Sam raises his hand. “It means having a diverse background.”

“Yes, very good. Anybody else?”

“It means being inclusive to people of all race,” Bruce answers.

While Nat is answering, Wanda notices the small smiley face at the corner of her page and smiles softly.

“What about you, hon?” Pepper asks Wanda while she’s lost in thought.

Wanda’s head snaps up, “Sorry?” she clarifies.

“What do you think about diversity?”

Wanda pauses to think for a moment, “I think it’s acceptance of people of different background that’s not only limited to race but also gender, economic status, age, social class, and sexual orientation.”

“Wow, impressive,” Pepper smirks, staring Wanda down like she’s almost a piece of meat.

Wanda’s eyes widen and she shifts uncomfortably under Pepper’s stare, as she feels incredibly objectified once again.

“Nerd,” Sam coughs into his fist.

But Wanda can’t focus on Sam’s comment, because for some reason Pepper’s gaze is starting to remind her a lot of the way Vision looks at her.

But it’s probably nothing, it’s probably just that he’s attracted to her because they’re engaged.

Pepper’s seminar goes on for another 30 minutes, and while she’s discussing an acronym called HERO, you hear the phone ring.

You don’t mean to be rude, but you’re so anxious you’re going to lose the sale you sprint out of the conference room to answer the phone.

“Hello? Hello?” you answer, but you get no response. You tap your foot nervously on the ground and hang up the phone, running your hands over your face.

You really hope Mr. Deckerd answers soon.

Back in the conference room, Wanda still feels Pepper’s gaze on her and it makes her increasingly uncomfortable. The way Pepper was eyeing her like she was her prey to devour mercilessly made her feel so awfully degraded, like she was just an attractive object to be used and not another person. It made her want to jump out of her seat and run away as far as possible, or at least to you, since you were her best friend after all and you could calm her down with just a touch.

But Wanda calms down when you walk back in and take your seat next to her, giving her your infamous smile despite the way she can tell you’re stressed due to your stiff posture, and it fills her heart with warmth.

Pepper is still on the same slide as when you left, so you don’t think you missed much.

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the three factors needed in running an office that feels safe to people of all background,” Pepper continues and you can tell that everyone is starting to get sick of the seminar.

“How much did I miss?” you whisper in Wanda’s ear.

“Barely anything,” she whispers back, and Wanda feels her nerves settling. “She’s been repeating the same thing in different ways for the past 5 minutes.”

You let out a small laugh.

And Wanda does too.

And you both try your best to suppress your laughter for the next two minutes.

You sit there for a while trying your best to listen to Pepper’s speech, but it proves to be an incredibly hard struggle because her presentation voice is ridiculously robotic.

“Excuse me, Pepper,” Sam states.

“Yes?”

“What’s diversity again?”

God, this was going to be a long seminar.

You were in the middle of zoning out for the third time when the phone rang, causing you to spring out of your seat and sprint out to answer it.

“Mr. Deckerd!” you greet into the phone the second you get in your chair. “We didn’t lose your sale today, did we?” you chuckle. “Excellent! Okay..” you pull out a pen. “Let me just get your– What’s that? No, we didn’t, we didn’t close last time,” your brows furrow in confusion.

“I just need your, uh–Oh! What code were you given?” you’re still confused. “Oh, okay. Yeah, no, he’s actually another salesman here.” Oh, now you realize what’s happened. “Yeah, I can redo it if you want to do that. He gave you a discount?” Well played. “No, no worries, I don’t blame you,” you reassure him. “Okay, thanks, have a great day, Mr. Deckerd, it was nice speaking to you.”

You slowly place the phone back onto its docking port, sighing, and putting your head in your arms on the table.

It was official.

Sam had stolen your biggest client.

You walk back into the conference room with your hands in your pocket, noticing that Pepper is coming to the end of her presentation.

You sit down, thinking about how you hope that Sam enjoys the mini champagne you left on his desk.

Then, all of a sudden, you feel a soft weight on your right shoulder, causing you to snap out of your thoughts, and the scent of your favorite vanilla perfume fills your senses.

You turn your head to take a closer look at her, and once you see her face, a huge smile breaks out across your own.

Wanda Maximoff has fallen asleep on your shoulder.

And it’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.

Her features are soft and relaxed, devoid of all the stress the office usually brings her, and Wanda’s delicate beauty is completely on display for you to see. She looks ethereal, as if she’s been crafted piece by piece by every single goddess to ever exist.

You stare at her for what feels like an eternity, and she seems so soft and so Wanda that it feels like a small delicate butterfly has landed on you, and you never want her to go away.

The smile doesn’t leave your face as you do your best to sit as still as possible for the next few minutes in order to avoid waking Wanda up while Pepper wraps up her speech.

“All right, everyone, it’s after 5, so you’re all dismissed,” Pepper announces once her presentation comes to a close. “Hope you learned something today.”

Slowly, everyone makes their way out, and you hear their soft muttering about how the seminar was completely useless as you watch them from your seat, careful not to disturb the brunette angel sleeping soundly on your shoulder.

“I didn’t know you two were together,” Pepper says once everyone has left, packing up her bag.

“Hm?” you ask.

“You and Wanda,” she points to you and the receptionist. “She seems very nice, you’re quite lucky.”

“Oh!” you laugh. “No, Wanda and I aren’t dating. She’s engaged,” you clarify. “And yes, she’s wonderful.”

Pepper laughs, “Oh, good to know. Sorry for assuming, she just seems very fond of you.”

“No worries,” you reassure her, “I’m very fond of her too. She’s my closest friend,” you say, giving a small smile.

“Well, I wish you two the best. Have a good day, Y/N,” she waves goodbye to you. “And tell Wanda I’m sorry for making her uncomfortable during the seminar, I recently got out of a breakup and was looking for a distraction and she was the first thing I saw, but it was wrong of me,” she admits.

You frown. “I’m very sorry to hear that,” you respond. “Thank you for letting me know, I hope things get better for you soon.”

Pepper smiles and nods, heading out the door.

As she walks out of the office she can see you staring through the window of the conference room, and she knows that Wanda’s not just a close friend to you.

You and Wanda are left alone together, and you give her one last soft look before deciding to finally wake her up.

“Hey,” you whisper causing Wanda to begin to stir.

“Hm?” she asks groggily, rubbing her eyes, slowly coming back to her senses. "Oh,” she quietly murmurs, slowly blushing as she realizes she fell asleep on your shoulder and lifting her head off.

“We can go now,” you let her know with a small chuckle.

“Yeah, um, sorry,” she mumbles apologetically, getting up from her chair and grabbing her clipboard.

“That’s okay,” you let her know with a soft laugh.

“Um, I'll talk to you later,” she says shyly, walking out.

“Yeah, talk to you later,” you agree, following her with a smile still on your face as you look at your shoes.

And as you pack your bags, the phone at your desk where you lost your best client only a foot away, suddenly, it’s not a bad day anymore.

part 3

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda x reader #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff angst #wanda maximoff fanfiction #wandamaximoff #wanda maximoff fluff #marvel mcu #mcu #wanda x you #wanda x y/n #wanda marvel

314 notes · View notes