Rumblings has learned that Madame ITA herself has called this blog out and told ITA staff members, "if you are the author, then you are a coward and a wuss". In a meeting earlier this week she also stated that, "her door is always open, if anyone has complaints or comments".
Well Randi's door may well be open but clearly no one is home. Staff made it very clear to her, in her own "lunchtime" meetings that the number one factor in ITA's low morale and negativity is Ken Simmons. Has anything been done about this out-of-control, ethically challenged tyrant? The answer is an unequivocal "NO".
Obviously the real coward is:
- A General Manager who supports an XO who has verbally abused ITA employees numerous times, to the point that some employees are known to carry pepper spray out of fear.
- A General Manager who supports an XO that verbally abused his former Department of Housing employees numerous times, to the point that a lawsuit was filed against him and the department.
- A General Manager who supports an XO that is known to have ripped off the citizens of Redondo Beach by accepting a buy-out after getting axed for dealing in unethical practices like spying on employee union meetings.
- A General Manager and AGM that sit by idly while Mayors Office, City Council Office and City Attorney personnel abuse ITA support staffs, resulting in unnecessary stress levels for these hardworking people.
- A General Manager who hides information instead of allowing it to be disseminated it to her "team". After all, they have the right to know what's going on in ITA, warts and all.
- A General Manager that surrounds herself by "YES" men and women who discourage mid-level managers and staff with differing opinions.
- An XO that uses fear and intimidation tactics to manage ITA mid-level managers and rank and file staff.
- A Human Resources division that chooses to persecute the legal use of sick time and ignores their implicit duties of helping and supporting ITA personnel.
Madame Levin may well have the support of her "YES" men and women, but judging from the reaction and encouragement of this blog, she does not have the support of the people that actually do the work in the department.
12 comments:
Ms. Levin said "cowards" and "wusses". I have two words for Ms. Levin, "Game On".
It appears that Rumblings has gotten under Randi's skin. Her comments obviously express frustration that she can't control the content of Rumblings (you've got to love that First Ammendment to the Constitution).
How brave was our illustrius GM when DWP made the claim that they could maintain ITA's fiber better than ITA (last year's budget hearing)? What was her response? A glassy eyed deer-in-the-headlights looks, the sound of crickets? All she had to do was ask DWP to prove it, but instead, she berated her people by allowing the insult to stand.
Many of the prior postings have beseeched Randi to find something positive in Rumblings In ITA's postings and comments. Afterall, they are (obviously) being created and left by her own employees. And now here we are. All Randi got from these postings and implorings is to name call these people...cowards and wusses. Randi, you were the first coward when you did the Council's bidding and hired Roger as an AGM when they TOLD you to so he wouldn't leave to go to Sanitation. Some of us forgave you that, willing to see if Roger could take on the challenge and make a difference in ITA. I let his track record stand for itself...the attempted closure of 3-1-1 on holidays was the biggest boondoggle of all.
And the biggest infraction of all...standing by and doing absolutely nothing while Simmons reigns terror. You have absolutely no idea what this man does when you're not around. He bullies staff, he curses, drops "F" bombs like they are no big deal at all. He's a tyrant, and until you get the 'balls' to stand up to him, you will never, ever have the respect of any staff member at ITA. We know you're trying hard, but you've got to try harder.
ITA's reputation (and yours) is counting on you.
"A Human Resources division that chooses to persecute the legal use of sick time and ignores their implicit duties of helping and supporting ITA personnel."
BIG, BIG correction needed to the
last part of the above. The part
about persecution on sick time's
believable. The second part is
wrong.
No, no, no. Never believe "I'm from HR & I'm here to help you."
Please be aware that the role of
HR is ALWAYS as enforcers for
management. They do NOT have any
duty to help employees. If you
need somebody with a duty to
represent YOU, better call your
union or your personal legal
counsel, which would be the one
you retained. AND, also remember that the City Attorney is also there to represent MANAGEMENT, the CITY, not employees.
It continues to boggle the mind that the City of Los Angeles hired, and then retains Ken Simmons - with his well-documented history from the City of Redondo Beach and the Los City Housing Dept. of abusive behavior, seemingly an overwhelming social/personality disorder, and add to that, a complete lack of knowledge of information technology systems as they apply to City data collection needs. And I believe he was also responsible when he "left" the Housing Dept., for bringing with him to ITA his most loyal (and therefore, dangerous)cohorts: Agnes Lung-Tam. She has even less knowledge of computer-based systems and applications, and is one of the most two-faced and treacherous (and also unskilled)employees to come out of the Housing Dept.
Employees of ITA are unfortunately in a long line now with others who shared the misfortune of working with Simmons and some of his "groupies". MANY before you have tried to raise the awareness of the Mayor, councilmembers, the City Controller, and the newspaper to name a few, that something must be done to help the countless employees who have been or will be victimized. You have to ask who (or what) owes something to Simmons (or what little vicious tidbit he may have on someone) that keeps so many politicians for whom our votes mean so much from doing something about him? It leaves employees for years now assuming that all these politicos who run City Hall could not care less about any of you. Remember that when the next election comes around - that may mean something.
The apparently only vialble option is to seek private legal council and document, document, document every thing you can. Without that, words are only words - and he continues wreaking havoc. Your GM, by the way, would probably not even have been appointed if she had bigger balls and personal integrity and really put staff welfare as a primary concern- because then maybe Ken Simmons would lose.
ITA is a dysfunctional organization within a dysfunctional City government. It has been since it's inception. An organization with revolving door dysfunctional leadership. As long as the GM position of this or any City Dept. is a Mayorial appointment and not Civil Service protected, the GM will always be a political animal with their job held by the tenuous thread of his Honor's pleasure. It would be somewhat less dysfunctional perhaps if at least the AGMs were Civil Service protected, but under the current Charter they have become the same invertebrate political jellyfish as their boss. Time for Charter amendment.
"Cowards?" Seems to me that the "Lunches with Randi" haven't been that frequent of late. Maybe she didn't like what she was hearing.
Name-calling is a real good way
to improve morale, but maybe not quite as good as flogging. (Morale will falter until the floggings improve?) Not that some
of us care what she thinks.
As Rhett Butler says at the end of
Gone with the Wind, "Frankly Scarlett, I don't give a damn."
I voted no in your poll. Randi is showing her true colors in her name calling. Leopards don't change their spots. It just shows the professionalism of the person running our department.
The leadership exhibited by Ms. Levine is quite sad & unfortunate. It seems that she and her predecessors just play to politicians (i.e. appointing RF) and not concerned with employee morale. Let’s hope next GM will be a different breed.
Hold it!!!
Aren't ITA employees "customers" of mamagement?
Then why is Randi upset with this blog?
After all, this blog is her CUSTOMERS talking.
She should use this blog as a tool to improve her "customer service."
We sure could use some "customer service" when it comes to the management at ITA.
03:51, I like your style! You must remember that "delighting the customer" class brought to us by the previous regime! It was trying to tell you that EVERYONE you met in your life was a "customer"...
Can you delight some of the people all of the time or all of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time?
--after Abraham Lincoln on fooling people
Employees as "customers" of management? Well, we sure aren't delighted with this bunch!
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