THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: Working with the Enemy

I hope this column finds you enjoying a peaceful Christmas celebration. Soon it will be time to put the 2007 holiday season behind us and head back to work in 2008. Although some people will vow to be better employees, others won’t change a thing.

Most employers pay just enough wages to keep employees from quitting while most employees work just hard enough to keep from getting fired. Then there are some of your co-workers – because I know you never would fall into this category – that go to work to scam, steal and assault other people. Read these and laugh, or if it hits too close to home, read them and promise to do better.

The owner of a California food processing company was arrested on drug charges for conspiring to manufacture and distribute marijuana. Police say he and three of his employees laced cookies, barbecue sauce, candy bars and drinks with marijuana. In his defense, the owner said he produced the drug laced food for medical marijuana clubs in the state.
An ambulance driver in West Virginia faces an impaired driving charge after he ran two red lights with a patient in the back of the ambulance. The driver forgot to turn on the lights and sirens of the ambulance, then failed a field sobriety test after police pulled him over.

An employee at a Baltimore warehouse was charged with possession, manufacturing and distribution of hundreds of illegally copied DVD movies while at work. "Shrek the Third," and "3:10 to Yuma" were two of the DVD titles found at the warehouse and in the employee’s car and home.

A former federal immigration employee and his sister pleaded guilty to charging people between $8,000 and $16,000 to obtain green cards through fake marriages in New York. In return for money, the siblings prepared phony documents for customers to acquire marriage licenses and other legal documents. Other Americans were paid to participate in phony marriage ceremonies with the customers.
A former letter carrier pleaded guilty to embezzling and stealing mail from patrons along her route in Texas. She was convicted after admitting to opening and removing money and other items from greeting cards for approximately one year.

An off-duty airline employee was arrested on assault charges after he sat down next to a woman trying to sleep during a flight and allegedly touched her inappropriately, according to an affidavit filed with a complaint from the woman.

A Catholic priest in Colorado went jogging one morning before sunrise – in the nude. The priest said he didn’t think anyone would be around so early in the morning, and that he sweats profusely if he wears clothes while running because he’s overweight, according to police reports. The priest was placed on administrative leave.
A bakery worker in Canada resisted an order to stay home from work while he was sick with salmonella poisoning. He was required to stay home until his tests came back negative, but he never submitted samples for testing and returned to work without permission. He was fine $1,000. There’s no evidence customers became ill as a result of his negligence.

Finally, an employee in England took matters into his own hands when he confronted his manager for wages he said he was owed. He opened a register and took the money, pushing his manager out of the way and allegedly punching her in the face. The employee pleaded guilty to theft and assault.

I’m not trying to put a damper on your holiday high. As always I want to enlighten you about what is and prepare you for what will be. You can’t trust everybody. But you can trust your instinct. Always keep your third eye open. And Merry Christmas.

Steffanie Rivers is a free-lance journalist living in the Washington, DC metro area. Send your comments and questions to teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com.