#IfLoveHurts -Video Developed to Mark White Ribbon Day in the Campaign for the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Survivors make domestic abuse film to mark White Ribbon Day - #iflovehurts

Sunday 25th November marks White Ribbon Day - The UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. A short film has been developed to mark the day. 

Director Peter Giblin says: "The film explores the emotional aspect of domestic abuse and how that abuse takes place within a context of love. It takes on average up to eight abuses before a victim will feel able to speak out. Often, victims of domestic abuse love their abusers, as well as fear them. Frequently, victims will not realise they are in an abusive relationship. That's one of the reasons why it's so hard to leave an abusive relationship, and why the message of the film is 'If love hurts, it's not love'."

'If Love Hurts' was written and directed by Peter Giblin, will be screened at the House of Commons on 28th November to an audience of MP's and campaigners. This year, the campaign is focusing on domestic abuse, saying "If love hurts, it's not love". 2017 crime figures from the Crown Prosecution Service revealed that 2 women a week are killed by a current or former partner, and an overwhelming majority of domestic abuse crimes are committed by men.

Anthea Sully, Chief Executive at White Ribbon UK said, "For real change to occur, men must understand the systems in place that give rise to toxic masculinity and male violence towards women. This film powerfully shows the impact of abuse in all its forms in relationships. White Ribbon UK asks men to take responsibility in ending male violence against women by being active bystanders, calling out abuse and sexism among their peers; talking openly about the male cultures that can lead to abuse and why men must take a stand against them."

A 2015 crime survey for England and Wales revealed that 2 women a week are killed by a current or former partner, and an overwhelming majority of domestic abuse crimes are committed by men. (PRNewsfoto/White Ribbon UK)

• To also raise awareness, White Ribbon UK are asking people to wear a white ribbon and pledge never to commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women.
• Be part of the conversation: #IfLoveHurts

About White Ribbon UK:

White Ribbon UK is a team made up of a number of domestic abuse survivors, working with men and boys to challenge those male cultures that lead to harassment, abuse and violence.  Their volunteer ambassadors engage with other men and boys to call out such behaviour among their peers and promote a culture of equality and respect. 

The film was self-funded and donated to White Ribbon, made by a diverse team which included domestic abuse survivors. A world-class production team featuring Somesuch, MPC, Trim Editing, and Wave.

Pledge never to commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women at whiteribbon.org.uk and find out how individuals can do more to raise awareness in their community.

SOURCE: White Ribbon UK

'If Love Hurts' - The Video:

The Resilience of Barbados Counters Trump's 'Sh*thole' Remarks

Barbados was ground zero for racism and slavery but due to the resilience of the islanders, it is a model country of democracy. (Here a sugar cane harvest post card, circa 1927. W. L. Johnson & Co. Ltd., Barbados. No. 15, CC BY-SA)

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, former attorney and future inmate Michael Cohen revealed some of the uglier things Donald Trump said to him during their many years together.

Among the alleged quotes: “Name one country run by a Black person that’s not a sh*hole.” (One wonders how Trump characterized the United States when Barack Obama was President.)

Rarely stated so bluntly, this racist trope is widespread. As always, Trump gives vulgar expression to quiet prejudice, making him sound “honest” to about 40 per cent of Americans no matter how many lies he tells. As Sarah Huckabee Sanders noted after a similar revelation last year, Trump’s straight-shooting bigotry is one thing his fans love about him.

Those who don’t love him need to fight back with specific examples from the real world. Time and again, we need to highlight the big, complex reality that Trump and many of his supporters call “fake news.” Otherwise, his twisted version of the truth will continue to displace objective reality.

Many think of Rihanna when they hear Barbados. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)

Take the nation of Barbados, a small island on the eastern end of the Caribbean that I’ve been studying and teaching about for many years. Best known as the birthplace of Mount Gay rum and Rihanna, it’s a remarkable example of what some Black people endured and overcame in the New World.

Ground zero for slavery and racism 
Settled by the English in 1627, Barbados became one of the most brutal and profitable slave regimes in human history. An astonishing 600,000 Africans came in chains to Barbados, about five per cent of all the victims of the Atlantic slave trade. Smaller numbers of Irish and Native American captives were also “Barbadoz’d,” exiled to this early jewel in the British crown.

Few of them survived for long.

The people spent their days under the tropical sun, cutting and dragging eight-foot canes to cattle-drawn sugar mills. There the stalks were crushed between heavy rollers and boiled in huge cauldrons. Many slaves had their hands caught in the rollers; others, exhausted by 24-hour shifts, fell into the cauldrons.

Dental records show that the Black majority nearly starved each winter, when food supplies were scarce. (Sugar monoculture left little room for corn, squash or yams.) Malnutrition led to frequent miscarriages and stillbirths. Babies crawled around in soils full of worms and tetanus, leading to catastrophic death rates for infants.

As early as 1661, well before Black slavery had taken hold in North America, the Barbados assembly passed a code describing all “negroes” as dangerous brutes, liable to the same kinds of discipline —branding, whipping, gelding —as livestock. This code was later adopted by the British colonies in Jamaica and South Carolina, and Barbadian slaves were sold to buyers as far away as Boston.

Shipping sugar, Bridgetown, Barbados, 1909. (Allister Macmillan, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division)

In 1692, the same year a Barbadian slave named Tituba began the Salem witch hysteria, the planters snuffed out an uprising among the slaves. The accused were castrated, burned alive or “hung out to dry” on meat hooks. For more than a century after that, a miserable calm settled over the island.

In short, Barbados was Ground Zero for American slavery and racism, a Caribbean concentration camp in which hundreds of thousands of people of African descent were tortured to make white planters very rich.

Transition to peaceful stability 
No wonder those planters feared violent retribution when the British Empire abolished slavery in the 1830s, just as the “peculiar institution” took off again in the cotton-growing United States.

Instead, Barbados became one of the most peaceful and stable Caribbean islands.

Most “Bajans,” as the islanders are known, valued honest work, humility and forgiveness. Gradually and painfully, they wrested political power away from the old planter elite, forming strong unions during the Great Depression and finally breaking away from British rule in 1967.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley speaks during the opening plenary of the Global Action Climate Summit on Sept. 13, 2018, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Today, Barbados is a democracy that combines British and Bajan traditions of parliamentary supremacy, the rule of law and social justice. Prime Minister Mia Mottley leads the Barbados Labour Party, which prevailed over the Democratic Labour Party in this spring’s elections. She is the first woman to serve as prime minister.

This is not to deny the nation’s many social problems, especially since the collapse of the sugar industry during the 1980s and because of the lingering effects of the 2008 financial crisis. Rather, it is to recognize Barbados as an example of human endurance and solidarity within a pitiless world.

So watch what you say about “sh*thole countries,” Mr. Trump. At the present hour, tiny Barbados inspires as much hope as the mighty United States.

About Today's Contributor:
J.M. Opal, Associate Professor of History and Chair, History and Classical Studies, McGill University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

The Henry Rios Mysteries Podcast, A New Gay-Themed Podcast Adapting An Acclaimed Series Of Crime Fiction, Is Coming In January 2019

Armando Rey plays Henry Rios in Persigo Press' new podcast

Henry Rios, the gay, Latino lawyer created by Michael Nava in an acclaimed series of mysteries published between 1986 and 2000 is coming to life in a new podcast from Persigo Press. The Henry Rios Mysteries debuts on January 15, 2019.  

Season one adapts the first novel in the series, Lay Your Sleeping Head, into a 17-episode podcast inspired by classic radio theater. Rios is voiced by veteran stage and screen actor, Armando Rey with a supporting cast of actors drawn from San Francisco' s theater scene where the podcast is being produced. 

The podcast features original music by composer, Josh DeRosa, and is written and produced by Nava working with Oakland sound engineer Dave Peck.

The Henry Rios novels were ground-breaking. Garth Greenwell, writing in The New Yorker called Rios "a detective unlike any other previous protagonist in American noir, whose hard-boiled bona fides – world weariness, wit, a penchant for erotic entanglement – are accompanied by hyper-attentiveness to class and a commitment to the poor."  

Compared by reviewers to classic noir writers like Raymond Chandler and Georges Simenon, Marilyn Stasio in The New York Times summed up Nava's reputation when she called him simply "one of our best."  

The Rios novels won an unprecedent six Lambda Literary Awards and Nava was honored with the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement in LGBT Literature, awarded annually by the Publisher's Triangle, the association of LGBT publishing professionals.

"I'm bringing Rios back because in an age when every kind of bigotry is being empowered from the top, a gay, Latino hero seems more relevant and necessary than ever," Nava said, explaining his decision to revive the series as a podcast. 

He adds, "Podcasting is an entertainment medium, unlike TV and movies, where there are no corporate gatekeepers who decide whose stories are going to be told, thus continuing to marginalize LGBT people and people of color. I also hope to appeal to a new, younger audience while reconnecting with my readers."

Related Video: "Michael Nava reads Henry Rios at the San Francisco Public Library"

⏩ You can subscribe here on Itunes and listen to the trailers for the series.

About Michael Nava:

(Via michaelnavawriter.com)

Michael Nava (Image via michaelnavawriter.com)

Michael Nava is the author of an acclaimed series of seven crime novels featuring gay, Latino criminal defense lawyer Henry Rios. The Rios novels won six Lambda Literary awards and Nava was called by the New York Times, “one of our best.” In 2001, he was awarded the Bill Whitehead Lifetime Achievement Award in LGBT literature. A native Californian and the grandson of Mexican immigrants, he divides his time between San Francisco and Palm Springs.

In 2014, he published The City of Palaces an historical novel set in the years just before and at the beginning of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Novelist Christopher Bram said about The City of Palaces: “City of Palaces begins as the love story of two good people, a Catholic and an atheist, who find each other in the corrupt world of belle epoch Mexico City. It grows into a magnificent epic about family, politics, art, revolution, and hope. This is a masterly work of old-fashioned storytelling, rich and spacious and moving, a novel that deserves to be compared to The Leopard, Love in the Time of Cholera, and Doctor Zhivago, but with its own intimacy and grandeur.”

In 2016, Korima published a revised version of the first Henry Rios novel, re-titled Lay Your Sleeping Head. In 2017, Korima Press published the novella, Street People. Both books were nominated for Lambda Literary Awards.

In 2018, he announced the formation of his own press, Persigo Press, through which he intends to relaunch the Rios series with a new novel, Carved in Bone, tentatively scheduled for spring, 2019. He will also republish the existing Rios novels. Additionally, as part of the relaunch, he is producing a podcast that adapts Lay Your Sleeping Head into a 17-episode series inspired by classic radio theater.

Nava has also had a distinguished legal career, having earned his law degree from Stanford University. He retired from the law in July 2016. He can reached though his Facebook page, “Michael Nava, Writer”

SOURCE: Persigo Press

US: New Investigation Finds Police Departments Claim Success While Leaving Rape Suspects On The Street

A joint investigation from Newsy, Reveal and ProPublica finds police departments across the U.S. masking the truth about how effective they are at getting justice for rape victims.

Dozens of cities in America are making many rape cases look as if they are solved without actually arresting a suspected rapist.

In "Case Cleared: How Rape Goes Unpunished in America," reporters from Newsy, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica found that in those cities, a type of clearance intended to be the exception has become the rule for closing rape cases.

In 2016 in Austin, Texas, for example, police records show that 51 percent of rape cases were cleared. But "Case Cleared" reporters found that suspects were arrested only 17 percent of the time. The rest were exceptionally cleared – closed with no arrest.

The FBI allows police departments to clear a case two ways: By making an arrest, or by what is called "exceptional means." For a rape to be cleared by exceptional means, the FBI requires that the police know who and where the suspect is and have enough evidence to support an arrest but can't arrest the suspect because of an element outside the control of law enforcement, such as the suspect is dead or already in jail. When police report how many cases they have cleared, most do not have to identify how or why, just the number of cases cleared.

For the project, reported by Newsy's Mark Greenblatt and Mark Fahey; ProPublica's Bernice Yeung; and Reveal's Emily Harris, reporters requested data from the 100 largest police jurisdictions and analyzed more than 70,000 rape cases. Almost half of those who responded cleared more rape cases by "exceptional means" than by making an arrest, including Oakland and Long Beach, California; Wichita, Kansas; Baltimore County, Maryland; and Hillsborough County, Florida.

"They are not solving crimes," said Dr. Cassia Spohn, a leading expert in criminology and the director of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University. "In the public's mind, when you say we cleared a case, I think the public assumes that means you solved it and you made an arrest."

Among the investigation's findings:

• In one large county, despite gathering a trove of evidence against a suspected child sex predator, police exceptionally cleared the case. The suspect was left free and traveled hundreds of miles to another city where he was arrested for similar crimes.
• A longtime sex crimes supervisor and 26-year veteran of the Austin Police Department reveals, for the first time, how she was ordered to change police records in a way she says falsely portrayed the city's success in solving rapes.
• The investigation uncovered a major flaw in the FBI's new system for reporting crimes: cases classified as "unfounded," where police either do not believe the victim or do not believe the crime occurred, are no longer tracked – erasing any trace of this practice in the FBI's new system. This goes against the recommendation of a joint FBI and Department of Justice task force.

The news organizations' investigation has already had impact:

• The Prince William County Police Department in Virginia has directed a top-level review of every unfounded rape case going back several years. The department has already identified cases from its preliminary review of 2017 rapes that were misclassified as unfounded. By classifying a case as unfounded, it removed the crime from official statistics. The department's police chief has already agreed to change some unfounded cases to unsolved rapes, with more reclassifications possible.
• A prominent official with the DOJ's Bureau of Justice Statistics is calling for the federal government to begin tracking unfounded crimes in the new FBI crime reporting system. The chairman of a key FBI committee that is implementing the new system has agreed to push for reform.

"Case Cleared: How Rape Goes Unpunished in America" - Still from Trailer

"Case Cleared" will be released in two episodes of "Reveal," airing on Nov. 10 and 17, and available through local public radio broadcasts and via the "Reveal" podcast. 

Newsy airs its two "Case Cleared" documentaries on its cable channel, over-the-top streaming platforms and online at newsy.com, on Nov. 14 and 15 at 6 p.m. Eastern.

ProPublica will feature an interactive graphic and make the police data used in this investigation available on its website, making it possible for many communities to learn the truth for the first time about how often rape cases in their own areas are solved "exceptionally."

The Trailer:

⏩ For more details on where to listen and watch, visit revealnews.org, newsy.com/casecleared and propublica.org.

SOURCE: The E.W. Scripps Company

US: The Man of Steel's 80th Anniversary Culminates With Big Screen Double Feature of 'The Death of Superman' and 'Reign of the Supermen' in Special Event This January

'The Death of Superman' / 'Reign of the Supermen' Double Feature

Superman's greatest adventure – his death and rebirth – will be unveiled in a special two-day exclusive theatrical event as Warner Bros. and DC join forces with Fathom Events for a double feature presentation of the previously released The Death of Superman and the first in-theater screening of the all-new Reign of the Supermen nationwide on January 13 and 14, 2019.

As the second half of the double feature, Reign of the Supermen will be seen nationally in theaters ahead of its Warner Bros. Home Entertainment release on Digital starting January 15, 2019, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack on January 29, 2019.

'The Death of Superman'

The Man of Steel meets his ultimate match when the monstrous, unstoppable creature Doomsday comes to Earth – hell bent on destroying everything and everyone in his path, including the Justice League – in the action-packed The Death of Superman. In the second half of this two-part landmark tale, Reign of the Supermen finds Earth's citizens – and the Man of Steel's heroic contemporaries – dealing with a world without Superman. 

But the aftermath of Superman's death, and the subsequent disappearance of his body, leads to a new mystery – is Superman still alive? 

The question is further complicated when four new super-powered individuals – Steel, Cyborg Superman, Superboy and the Eradicator – emerge to claim themselves as the ultimate hero. 

In the end, will any of them prove to be the real Man of Steel?

'Reign of the Supermen'

Fathom Events, Warner Bros. and DC present The Death of Superman / Reign of the Supermen Double Feature in more than 500 select movie theaters on Sunday, January 13 at 12:55 p.m. and Monday, January 14 at 8:00 p.m. (all local times), through Fathom's Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). 

⏩ For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

• The two-part film is an animated adaptation of "The Death Of Superman," DC's' landmark 1992-93 comic phenomenon, and features an all-star voice cast led by Jerry O'Connell (Carter, Bravo's Play  by Play, Stand By Me), Rebecca Romijn (X-Men, The Librarians) and Rainn Wilson (The Office, The Meg) as the voices of Superman, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, respectively. The trio is joined by Jason O'Mara (The Man in the High Castle, Terra Nova) as Batman, Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Rent, Daredevil) as Wonder Woman, Shemar Moore (S.W.A.T., Criminal Minds) as Cyborg, Nathan Fillion (Castle, The Rookie) as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan, Matt Lanter (Timeless, 90210) as Aquaman, Christopher Gorham (Covert Affairs, Insatiable) as The Flash, and Nyambi Nyambi (Mike & Molly, The Good Fight) as Martian Manhunter, as well as Cress Williams (Black Lightning) as Steel, Cameron Monaghan (Gotham) as Superboy, Patrick Fabian (Better Call Saul) as Hank Henshaw & Cyborg Superman, Charles Halford(Constantine) as Bibbo Bibbowski and The Eradicator, and Tony Todd (Candyman) as Darkseid.

"Superman is one of the most iconic Super Heroes of all time, and this double feature event will give fans an opportunity to come together to celebrate the franchise," Fathom Events VP of Studio Relations Tom Lucas said. "We are excited to partner with Warner Bros. again to bring back The Death of Superman and introduce fans to Reign of the Supermen."

"Warner Bros. is proud to join forces with Fathom Events to culminate the year-long celebration of Superman's 80th anniversary with a double-feature big screen presentation of The Man of Steel's most heralded adventure," said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Vice President, Family & Animation Marketing. "'The Death of Superman' was a monumental moment in comics history, and these films – expertly produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC – capture the enormity of that story in terms of both action and emotion. Seeing both films, on the big screen, gives the fans another vehicle to unite and celebrate this beloved Super Hero and this landmark tale."

⏩ Tickets for The Death of Superman / Reign of the Supermen Double Feature can be purchased at FathomEvents.com and participating theater box offices.

SOURCE: Fathom Events

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National Press Club Protests White House Treatment of Reporters

Jim Acosta Vs Donald Trump (image via Mashable)

National Press Club leaders expressed outrage Thursday at President Donald Trump's escalating attacks on the press and the White House's revocation of a reporter's credentials.

Andrea Edney, president of the National Press Club, said the following:

"The president's personal attacks on reporters, especially on CNN's Jim Acosta, during a Nov. 7 news conference were unprecedented and beneath the dignity of the office.

The president and his aides have suggested they are aggrieved only by certain segments of the media, not all of it. But the Fourth Estate stands as one. An attack on any of us is an attack on all of us."

Barbara Cochran, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, a non-profit arm of the club that conducts press-freedom and professional-development programs, said the following:

"The press's job is not to report things as positively as possible but to report things as truthfully as possible. We make mistakes; but when we do, we promptly correct them.

Most presidents in our history have bristled from time to time at tough coverage. But no previous president has shut out or publicly demeaned individual reporters and news organizations. The First Amendment protects the press from government control precisely so that the public has access to information reported truthfully and unconstrained by fear of government reprisal."

Andrea Edney also said: 

"After the press conference, the president's performance was exacerbated by White House aides. They revoked Acosta's press pass without reasonable cause. 

Then, in a new low, they justified it by falsely accusing Acosta of inappropriately roughing up a female White House intern--and then sought to substantiate the charge by circulating a doctored video of the event."

Jim  Acosta has been in the White House press corps for five years (image via BBC)

About The National Press Club:

The National Press Club, founded in 1908 and based in Washington, D.C., is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. 

Through its Press Freedom Committee, the club defends transparency and free expression around the world.

SOURCE: National Press Club

Bonus Image:

Mr Trump and The Media (Image from Trumpton Facebook Page via LoupDargent.info)

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NBC, Universal Brand Development and LEGO Unleash Two-Part 'LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit' On November 29

LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit premieres on NBC November 29, 2018 at 8pm local time.

NBC has partnered with Universal Brand Development and The LEGO Group for the upcoming debut of a two-part animated special: "LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit." The all-new animated special – inspired by the blockbuster Jurassic World franchise – will air on Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

⏩ The story takes place before the adventures of Jurassic World in 2015. 

In the special, Simon Masrani has an idea for a new attraction that is guaranteed to keep Jurassic World at the forefront of theme park entertainment. It's the greatest thing since the discovery of dinosaurs, but in order for it to succeed, he needs his right-hand can-do problem solver, Claire Dearing, to get a trio of dinosaurs across the park to the new, super-secret exhibit. 

Reluctantly teaming up with newcomer Owen Grady, the animal behaviorist she hired sight unseen to deliver the dinosaurs, the duo set out on a fun-filled adventure across the island. 

⏩ Unfortunately, delivering the dinosaurs to the new attraction is not as easy as they thought.

"LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit" - Owen Grady and Claire Dearing

The two-part special will be available to stream the morning after the NBC broadcast, Nov. 30, across multiple platforms, including the NBC app and NBC.com, where it can be viewed without a login, as well as on Hulu and On Demand. It will also be available for download from major digital retailers. The DVD, with exclusive bonus content, drops Jan. 15, 2019.

For more information, visit nbc.com.

About LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit:
With the grand opening of Jurassic World's new super-secret dinosaur exhibit just days away, only one thing is missing - the dinosaurs! In order to get the job done, Simon Masrani enlists his newly-hired assistant, Claire Dearing, to ensure the new attraction opens on time...or else. Unfortunately, Owen Grady, the animal behaviorist Claire hired to deliver the dinosaurs, is late. Things aren't looking too good for Claire...or for Owen, who just wants to deliver the dinosaurs, collect his paycheck and get off the island.

But the mission to deliver the dinosaurs turns out to be far more difficult than anyone could have imagined. From a runaway Gyrosphere, hang gliding with a Pteranodon (how did they get out of the Aviary?!), to a high-speed game of chicken with a T-Rex, Owen will earn his paycheck and then some. And Claire may just get promoted to Assistant Manager of Park Operations. 

"LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit"

Along the way, we get the first inklings of why Owen and Claire drive each other crazy, but despite their differences, they succeed and make a great team. Oh, and Owen meets Blue for the first time as he discovers he has a way with dinosaurs he never knew about!

SOURCE: NBCUniversal

The Trailer:

US: Betsy DeVos' War on Workers Impeding Education's Mission, Union Says

The American Federation of Government Employees, which is the exclusive representative for Department of Education workers nationwide, says Congress needs to take a close look at Secretary Betsy DeVos’ sweeping restructuring plan for the agency

The Department of Education's ability to effectively serve students, teachers, and taxpayers is suffering as Secretary Betsy DeVos continues to wage war on her own workforce, says the union representing nearly 4,000 Education employees.

The American Federation of Government Employees, which is the exclusive representative for Department of Education workers nationwide, says Congress needs to take a close look at Secretary DeVos' sweeping restructuring plan for the agency, which is being pushed through even as the department continues to break the law by enforcing policies that violate workers' rights.

"Betsy DeVos is hellbent on destroying the Department of Education from the inside out," AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said.

"First she trashed our labor contract – eliminating commonsense policies that promote telework and continual learning, preventing employees from resolving workplace grievances or management concerns, and evicting union representatives from the worksite," Cox said. "Now she is pushing through a sweeping reorganization that will result in many employees being displaced or moved into other jobs without the proper training or experience."

In July, an investigator with the Federal Labor Relations Authority found merit in the unfair labor practice charge that AFGE filed in March after Education Department management walked away from the bargaining table and imposed its own illegal management edict. Yet the department has refused to comply with the FLRA's finding, which cannot be enforced due to the agency's vacant General Counsel position.

Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos (image via LoupDargent.info)

The tactics being used by Secretary DeVos and her management team to gut employees' rights and union protections are even more severe than what was later proposed in President Trump's three anti-worker executive orders, the bulk of which were overturned by a federal judge in August.

"Secretary DeVos is undeterred and single-minded in her quest to decimate the Department of Education by making the agency such a miserable and untenable place to work that even the most dedicated employees will quit," Cox said. "We need Congress to step in now before more harm can be done."

The turmoil within the department is clearly having a negative impact. The latest governmentwide survey shows that employee satisfaction at the department has plummeted, with just three in 10 employees saying they are satisfied with their senior leaders' policies and practices and just four in 10 saying they highly respect the department's leaders. 

Only 39 percent of employees think the department's senior leaders maintain high standards of honesty and integrity, down from 53 percent just two years ago. 

And on the question of whether senior leaders support work/life programs, just 37 percent said yes, down from 66 percent in 2016.

"When you make it harder for employees to come to work and do their jobs by taking away telework and flex schedules, when you fail to honor labor agreements providing for child care and employee training, and when you attempt to silence employees from reporting discrimination or sexual harassment, you create a toxic climate that is making it very difficult for employees to effectively do their jobs," Cox said.

SOURCE: American Federation of Government Employees

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