October 12, 2007
An International Union Representative of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), representing employees of CPS Energy, will make a public statement and take questions from the press concerning the recent discovery that a manager at CPS Energy keeps a hangman’s noose with Ku Klux Klan symbolism in his office. The press conference will take place on Monday, October 15, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in front of the CPS Energy office at 145 Navarro Street.
An employee discovered the hangman’s noose, photographed it, and informed representatives of the IBEW. A number of minority employees at CPS Energy have suffered adverse personnel actions in recent months and have complained of discrimination. In addition, Union members throughout the CPS Energy workforce have been complaining for months about management’s disregard of established working conditions and acts of retaliation against employees who assert their rights. On October 10, the IBEW’s International Representative was refused entry to CPS Energy offices to meet with management to discuss the deteriorating working conditions at CPS Energy on behalf of employees.
Ralph Merriweather, IBEW International Representative, stated, “The hangman’s noose is the tip of the iceberg. There is a management culture of repression and vindictiveness toward employees throughout CPS Energy. No community can tolerate this kind of hatefulness in a public agency.” Merriweather will address the issue more fully in the Monday morning press conference.
CONTACT: David Van Os, Attorney for IBEW, 821-1700 or 332-7070.
For more information on this story go to Brains and Eggs
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KSAT.com has text and video reports that the noose has been removed.
The spokesperson for CPS indicated that the display was “benign”, that the noose had been there for ten years, and that one of the bibles was actually a dictionary.
She would not comment on the employment status of the supervisor in question.
Let me guess what color the “spokesperson” is.
Are we supposed to feel better because the noose has been there for 10 years. They should fire every supervisor who knew about this for the past 10 years.