More from Maida

Maida:

I will get the word out now that Patrick Manteiga has convinced the administration to open my email lines. I think he told the GK honchos that I am a wild woman. I relish that reputation.

Was the lawyer at the meeting you refer to a HCC staff attorney, or was it one of the Board attorneys? If you believe a lawyer lies, you can file a charge with the Florida Bar's Ethics Division.

I will show you how. You don't have to be a genius to do this. You just tell your story and lay it in the lap of the Ethics people of the Florida Bar Association. The Florida Bar does not want lying lawyers in its ranks, so these complaints get results and put the culprit on notice that people are not supine.

Ask the other Bookstore people if they want to file a charge about the conduct of the lawyer(s). This is America. We don't have to take mistreatment lying down.

Tell Sarah hey from me. I aggravated her to death when she was my Bookstore supervisor. I always went in hollering, "Where is the Bookstore Supervisor? I want to see her about a very important book."

And lodge a formal request with Dr. Stevens for a copy of the lawyer's opinion at that meeting--he must have put it in writing for those big bucks.The taxpayers need this as proof that we are not getting cheated of a flossy legal opinion that we pay big time for in billable hours. And ask for the billable hours. Those data can go with your Bar complaint.

If this high-falutin' lawyer hasn't put his in advice in writing, ask that he put it in writing. Ask for any notes on the meeting and ask for summary comments from all administration personnel present. Most often people don't hear the same thing.

Don't trust word of mouth. Ask the record in writing. Ask for these records right away--one or all of you. The administration thinks it can cow you with lawyers and huffing and puffing legalisms. Nonsense. Let's ask for plain English and make them lay out just how grubby they are being in treating the Bookstore people like field hands.

I will ask Dr. Judith Chambers to deconstruct the explanations for us. She appears in courts to tell juries what something a person has written really says. She will do this pro bono because she is a good gal. I will review the lawyer's and the administrators' grammar and punctuation. They always mess up yet get paid bloated salaries in a tax-supported institution.

Look at this as an adventure in democracy and self-protection. In this grand country, we are entitled to such great opportunities if we only have the nerve to use them. Win or lose, we have that exhilarating adventure under our belts.

lee

Thanks Lee believe we are trying but we all believe it's a done deal they lied to us so much already and they have broken so many laws .

There cronies have been there so long that they have started believing what they say. Leeann and I and Faye Doyle went to a meeting with are union for the staff in front of Sue Flaig and Donna Miller and they had there lawyer who knows they are breaking the law but at 400 dollars and hour ( I believe that's what they get what can we expect.

I hope the meeting is after the rush at the bookstore because I want to definitely go and I will let Bev and Leeann know. I will try to see if Sarah Emerson will go too and Mr. Bello he already spoke for us at the Nov meeting. Thank you so much and my phone number is 4176432 if you would like to speak to me.

----- OrigTinal Message -----

From: Lee De Cesare

To: 'Maida Bello'

Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 8:28 PM

Subject: RE: in regards to the bookstore outsource

Maida, I shall do what I can and see if I can get a few old colleagues to pitch in with me. It's hard to get people to speak up. They are terrified to do so, even though I have assured people that bullies always pick on the weak, not the strong. The best place to be is in the front lines of protest. As a Board member told me once after the administration tried to fire me for my protest of some wrongdoing, "Lee, you would be the hardest person in the college to fire."

I will go to the January Board meeting to speak. If you are there, come meet me and my husband of 51 years. I will try to get two or three of the old warriors to join me, but if I don't succeed in rousting them out, I will be there for sure and do all I can to see that you get a fair shake. It's unfair to dump long-term employees. The administration is so busy feathering its nest that it doesn't have a care for the people on the lower end of the food chain. It's wicked to deprive these people of benefits at the end of long careers at HCC.

Patrick Manteiga of La Gaceta has promised to get me a union contact for y'all to consult. This behavior on the administration's part demonstrates why employees need unions. I was union president at HCC, and Lord knows what the administration would have done to faculty unless we had been unionized.

Hang in there. I will do all I can for you. And don't back down. Don't lie down and show your belly to these bullies. You're goners of you do. Go down fighting. Never say die.

lee

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From: Maida Bello [mailto:mbello1@tampabay.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 4:49 PM
To: tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com
Subject: in regards to the bookstore outsource

Hi my name is Maida Bello you know my husband. I am the bookstore supervisor at the HCC Ybor bookstore I was also at the board meeting but didn't stand to speak I am not a good speaker or letter writer but I stand behind my colleagues

I appreciate that you are speaking up we sure need help. We all are very disappointed with the faculty and staff because no one has stood up to help us.

We are but 10 or so employs who will be only guaranteed a job for one year.

Most of us have work at the bookstore for 10 to 20 years Beverly and Leeann have been there for at least 20 I have been there for 17 full and 4 part time.

A few of us are at the point of drop so we will not be able to take advantage of the drop program and some of us have health issues .

I couldn;t believe Sue Flagg at a meeting we went to I spoke up and she tells me oh you will get 3 months insurance and I said and what will I do with that.

Anyway you are appreciated here

thanks so much you need to get your email to all the college if you can.

Thanks

Maida

---

From: Maida Bello [mailto:mbello1@tampabay.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 4:49 PM
To: tdecesar@tampabay.rr.com
Subject: in regards to the bookstore outsource

Hi my name is Maida Bello you know my husband. I am the bookstore supervisor at the HCC Ybor bookstore I was also at the board meeting but didn't stand to speak I am not a good speaker or letter writer but I stand behind my colleagues

I appreciate that you are speaking up we sure need help. We all are very disappointed with the faculty and staff because no one has stood up to help us.

We are but 10 or so employess who will be only guaranteed a job for one year.

Most of us have work at the bookstore for 10 to 20 years Beverly and Leeann have been there for at least 20 I have been there for 17 full and 4 part time.

A few of us are at the point of drop so we will not be able to take advantage of the drop program and some of us have heatlh issues .

I couldn;t believe Sue Flagg at a meeting we went to I spoke up and she tells me oh you will get 3 months insurance and I said and what will I do with that.

Anyway you are appreciated here

thanks so much you need to get your email to all the college if you can.

Thanks

Maida