By Cory Wright
Unfortunately, the answer will depend on whether the recorded content is offensive and to whom. There are statutes in place that clearly outline the transparency of recorded settings and how the content will be used. There are even good organizations that will uphold this statute by holding the offender accountable. But far too often when tea is being spilled curiosity trumps the policy! As our readers have now become familiar, Inkblot Services will use real life accounts to assist in building a better understanding of both the facts, and what organizations will do for convenience. Based on what happened in the experience below the answer is “no”, but prepare for retaliation. Please understand that if an organization were to transparently acknowledge the recorded content, they must equally acknowledge the offense of the violator (recorder). Would a corrupt organization really discipline their snitch? Doubt it. Salute to cowardly adults that resort to secret recordings in hopes of catching content. Please be mindful of Karma, she’s an actual female dog!
During the construction and “completion” of a CUNY Science Building on Bedford Ave, CUNY (City University of New York) and DASNY (Dormitory of the State of New York) intentionally collaborated and hid incomplete work from the college maintenance staff that would receive the building upon turnover. The college staff witnessed vendors walk off the project due to conflicts usually over payment. They would at times leave their tools in place as if they went on lunch break. Weeks would pass with walls being left open and circuitry hanging out. Countless training sessions took place with equipment that should have been installed but instead were swapped for cheaper quality items after the 100% drawings and bids. Our final straw took place in fall of 2010 when the mechanical vendor intentionally removed the fuses for the boilers while the building was fully occupied in order to retaliate against DASNY for non-payment. Our operating staff had no idea this event took place as they frantically scurried around in attempts at restarting boilers that were needed to heat the building for students, staff and visitors. The next day the truth surfaced about a vendor going rogue and committing this act of terror. We waited all day for the arrest, the sanction, the removal from this and future projects, the strongly worded letter, but nothing happened. It was sad yet comical on a Shakespearean level. Instead, CUNY and DASNY collaborated to blame the Operating Engineers for not knowing their vendor did this? Huh? They blamed the college staff and the inexperience of the Senior Stationary Engineer who wasn’t even on duty. Supreme ideology is never shy in actions or intent.
Soon after this event more similar events occurred and it was time to meet with my staff to reassure them that I and our AVP knew the truth and we are not buying the CUNY/DASNY Kool-Aid. My HVAC staff and I go into a closed classroom and we discuss what has been going on unabridged. Expletives were flying and common frustrations were voiced by most in attendance, except for the usually chatty newly hired Stationary Engineer. I found his silence odd since he was known to complain about everything to anyone that would listen but I thought nothing much of it. As I think back to this memorable meeting the brightest part was our beloved Mr. Boyke letting us into the locked classroom (January Holiday Break) then circling back to check on me as he never heard me with an elevated tone spewing profanities. RIP to a true Medgar Evers College Ambassador, Mr. Alston Boyke! After the meeting the staff and I laughed and joked as the tension of being the blame was no longer carried internally. We made a promise to each other to increase communication and not let any outside entities divide us.
A few days later I get a call from the angry woman that works in CUNY Central. She never calls me so for her to call me was unusual. She goes off without taking a break for air or a pause to let me respond to her tirade. She wasn’t trying to have a conversation and that was apparent. She was informing me of the accusations I made specifically towards her and how false they were. It was as if she was reading from a script or the audio was recorded and played back for me as I answered the phone. She went on for a full 3-4 minutes with my only contribution to the conversation being the initial “hello”. Even if I wanted to deny I wasn’t given the opportunity. Her recollection of what I said to my staff in that closed door meeting was incredible, it was as if she was there. For a second I was wondering if she could also walk on water and heal the sick. The lecture ended without a traditional closing. It ended with the phone being abruptly hung up. It was an office line and the number must have been from her office or somewhere inside of CUNY Central. As I sat there in amazement to this woman’s incredible ability I started to think that I was on speaker or there were other parties present which inspired this monologue. When you’re an overworked underpaid civil servant you don’t really have time dedicate to things such as this and it’s obvious that this woman and I don’t like each other. We tolerate each other’s existence. As the man in our coexistence there’s no way I could ever truly tell her exactly what I felt about her workmanship, job knowledge, skillset, or allegations she made that saved her employment many years ago. If I did that I would be an angry black man that suffers from male toxicity. The social conditioning of the system would not allow brutal honesty towards her from me. So instead I suffocated her with professional etiquette and kindness because I couldn’t afford the retail costs of being petty. “Good morning”, “How are you this fine day?”, “I see you have your brown fur and matching hat so you’re ready for the winter”, in an elevated voice which would force her to respond appropriately in kind in public. Her demonstrative personality and nature screams “Leave me alone and don’t talk to me!”, so I did the opposite as if I can’t read warning signs. Even when she turned her back and turned her head in the opposite direction when she saw me, there I was with pleasantries in full opposing response to her body language. She couldn’t stand my gentleman-filled manner aimed directly at her. So I made it a habit.
CUNY Central office sends a recording to the college. The recording was of me and my staff (mostly me) talking about all the poor workmanship and the robust unaccountability it accompanies. In the spirit of Tupac we named names, people, places, relationships, conspiracies, and connected dots that we deemed to be true. We were at our wits end and only our community would be able to save itself. Sounds poetic yet true. And like a 1960s infiltrator, a member of our MEC community brandishes a weapon and used it against us. Typical. Not quite sure what response CUNY Central was looking for but I’m certain it wasn’t the shrug of the shoulders they received from President William Pollard. Whether he listened to it or not he publicly said he wasn’t interested and didn’t care to listen to it. With that response I always thought he did listen to it and agreed with what I said. Saying he didn’t listen to it had to be safer politically. Either way, he knew where my heart and intentions were. I have never been fond of straddling the fence, riding the fence isn’t easy when you own a pair. The only destructive comment I made was in my accurate description of our Finance AVP that allowed himself to be verbally abused by CUNY Central. The man behaved weak, and the sharks were all over him like blood in the ocean. There escape route for poor vendor workmanship landed them on the doorsteps of our Purchasing Department Director. They offered me the opportunity of siding with them and blaming her for everything which I vehemently refused. How could I in respectable integrity blame a Purchasing Director for the poor workmanship sanctioned by CUNY/DASNY? And under what circumstance would anyone think it was OK for an outside party to demand the firing of an internal employee? Dumb questions.
So the whole time this Purchasing Director thought her AVP was being effective when truth is he was feeble. The person that stood tall against the oppressor was me. And I did it without ever telling her. Our own colleague that was in charge of the construction along with his minion that later became next President’s Chief of Staff urged me to “let her fall on the sword”, and I refused. She was undeserving of their attacks and they leaned in heavy because her supervisor was not knowledgeable to whom exactly was accountable, nor did he seek the info to learn. All he knew was the man was upset and I didn’t stay in my lane. Watching him apologize for his face slapping their hands disgusted me and I made every effort to not associate with him thereafter. They began a bullying campaign on a college AVP that was determined to take the blame for his subordinate even though she was not at fault. He saw himself as honorable, and what they saw was a very compliant Negro. His years of social programming made him the perfect gentleman and a convenient weapon within a supremacist structure. Without any facts he volunteered to do their bidding and surmised me as ungentlemanly-like. He struggled across campus in a furious unbalanced gait risking injury in order to defend the reputation of his Purchasing Director. Applaudable, but hilariously unnecessary. I already did that by telling them to go F&%$ themselves both in the recording and in our discoveries of the poor workmanship. You see people enjoy masturbation, but when you order them to do it its offensive. I outright rejected the position of being their entertainment and never had the energy to play make believe. A reliable source repeatedly told me about the openly disrespectful comments made at CUNY Central directed at Medgar Evers College, and the “good” people that sat around and said nothing while vile comments were thrown. Who ever thought being the Director of Facilities Management could be political?
From what I gathered it’s not legal to record coworkers without their consent, but it differs from state to state. Recording coworkers without consent may be viewed as a cowardly act unless it’s being used as a source of protection. To do it with the sole intent to harm someone says a lot about the individual that does it. If the content of my recording could have been a punishable offense, I’m certain I would have been retaliated against sooner. Certain members of CUNY Central needed an easily compromised Negro to take discriminatory action against a community leader. At no point did the violator of his coworker’s privacy think how his actions negatively impacted the entire community. Like most destructive people they found comfort in the chaos and had no accountability. For over a year after the event went viral throughout the university, employees did not want to speak at meetings and some flat out asked if meetings were being recorded. A hostile work environment was created by the act, and the support of the act by a few with malcontent. Know your rights and hold people accountable. For more content visit us regularly at g04.900.myftpupload.com and enter your email below to stay updated on posts, courses, and things we have in store coming soon. For any future blog ideas or OSHA, public health, and/or facility management questions email us at [email protected].
