Editors Note: After the completion of this article, but before its scheduled release, Bob received documents dated May 2, 2014, confirming pre-termination communications and planning between VP of Operations and Human Resources Ryan Fleming and VP of Corporate Policy and External Affairs Chris Davie, in which they discussed the impending removal of John Plotkin. These…
Rachel Mast's Second Coolest Program of the Day
I received the video embedded below a few weeks ago, just before I was leaving on vacation. I have not had the opportunity to post it until now. It is the uplifting story of the Sporting KC Victory Project. Sporting KC is the Kansas City Professional Soccer team, and the Victory Project is an outreach…
For SAIF Plotkin Saga, the Proof May Be All Thumbs
A comment on my most recent article got me to thinking about how the employees of SAIF, the Oregon State Fund for workers’ compensation, really feel about the termination of their CEO, John Plotkin. It was related to the many responses the articles about his termination have generated on this site. That comment said, and…
Rub a Dub-Dub, State Workers in a (Hot) Tub
I’m pretty certain of one thing. Next time the Ohio Industrial Commission holds a meeting, I want to be invited. At least to the after party. The Ohio Inspector General’s Office says no laws were violated, but four hearing officers created “an appearance of impropriety” by attending a party hosted by two lawyers who represent…
SAIF Employees, Seems Your Board Doesn't Want Your Input
Well, the Oregon DOJ has responded to former SAIF CEO John Plotkin’s requests regarding their proposed Name Clearing Hearing (NCH), and lo and behold, it seems the employees will not be encouraged to attend. You guys will need to speak to the principal to request a hall pass, it would seem. Be sure to have…
SAIF's Actions on Plotkin Give State Funds and Workers' Comp Industry an Undeserved Black Eye
I’ve said it previously in other posts. I was raised in a small town in the mountains of Southwest Colorado, where I learned that a man’s handshake was his word, and his word was his bond. For many during the 70’s when I was growing up, it was an unshakeable code of the west. Things…
Plotkin "Inappropriate" Comments Revealed: They're Kidding, Right?
The alleged comments that got SAIF CEO John Plotkin fired last month were recently made available to me, and if accurate they only bring additional incredulity to the entire affair. Plotkin, who was let go for “making inappropriate comments” to employees after just 3 months on the job, was terminated with such speed and absence…
Now Ignoring Co-Workers is Worse Than Bullying Them
We thought being harassed by the office bully was bad, but it turns out that overt harassment is better than having him ignore us completely. I can barely keep up with the worst offensive actions of the workplace. I've written about office bullying in the past, but a recent study now indicates that bullying isn't…
SAIF Offers "Name Clearing Hearing" to John Plotkin – But Whose Name Are They Trying to Clear?
The Oregon Department of Justice, speaking on behalf of SAIF Corporation, the Oregon workers’ compensation state fund, has extended an offer to recently terminated CEO John Plotkin to hold a “Name Clearing Hearing”. The ludicrous offer is apparently intended to give him an open forum to tell his side of the story, and reads as…
A Lake Tahoe Lesson for Workers' Comp
My wife and I flew in to Reno on Tuesday, and since we are traveling with her bicycle, I had reserved an intermediate SUV to accommodate our needs. The rental agency did not have any vehicles in that class, so they upgraded me to the largest one they had – a black GMC Yukon XL;…