Pride At Work

July 2005

Dear Friend of Civil and Workers' Rights:

The Office of the Special Counsel was created to enforce civil rights and
protect whistleblowers in the federal workforce. In the past, the office has
proved an important tool in reducing fraud and stopping discrimination inside the government.

But in the past 18 months, it has been transformed into an office rife with
cronyism, secrecy, inefficiency, and bigotry. Under special counsel Scott
Bloch, it has become a launching pad for attacks on civil and workers' rights. Its mission has been distorted and weakened. Those who work there, including our union brothers and sisters in the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE, AFL-CIO), can be forgiven if they no longer recognize what the agency they committed to serve has turned into.

Scott Bloch took office in January 2004. Soon he removed anti-discrimination
protections for gay and lesbian federal workers. Even Bloch's bosses in the
Bush White House have said, "Longstanding federal policy prohibits
discrimination against federal employees based on sexual orientation. President Bush expects federal agencies to enforce this policy and to ensure that all federal employees are protected from unfair discrimination at work."

It seems Mr. Bloch has decided that he is superior to ordinary, hard-working
Americans. His actions convey a staggering arrogance: that he has the power to
ignore policies he dislikes and inject prejudice into official, taxpayer-funded duties.

But Bloch did not stop at defending anti-gay bias.

In an effort to appear productive and reduce a large backlog of whistleblower
cases, Bloch has eliminated more than 600 cases without investigation.
Whistleblower cases can uncover misuse of government funds and improper contracts awarded to private companies. Such cases deserve investigation, not sweeping under the carpet.

Mr. Bloch has undermined the mission of the OSC by lashing out at agency
workers. He informed 12 members of the OSC's legal and investigative staff that they were to accept involuntary transfers to various branch offices. He gave them 10 days to decide if they wanted to move and keep their job or be unemployed. The actions of Scott Bloch set a horrible example to federal workers and all Americans of good conscience. Why would anyone contact the Office of the Special Counsel to pursue claims of wrongful retaliation, knowing that the director has punished his own employees on the flimsiest suspicions?

It is time to restore the Office of the Special Counsel to its mission. It is
time to stop the damage that Bloch has inflicted on civil and workers' rights.
Public officials should promote, not pervert, the American way.

Please urge representatives in Congress to rein in this reckless public official. Please join Pride At Work, D.C., in our campaign to blow the whistle on Bloch.

In solidarity,

Pride At Work, D.C. Officers:

Larry Smoot Krissi Jimroglou Hans Johnson Connie Cordovilla