An investigation into the Air Marshal Service is making waves across the nation, and the results of the probe are not expected to be officially released until Thursday. The probe into allegations of discrimination and workplace retaliation erupted after a Jeopardy-like game board created by supervisors in the Orlando field office hit the public's eye some 21-months ago.
The Jeopardy-style game board was reportedly used by supervisors in the Air Marshal Service to make fun of workers who the supervisors did not like. The board included discriminatory categories based upon race, gender, national origin or ethnicity, and sexual orientation. The federal probe into the service suggests that federal investigators were unable to find any evidence that the offensive game board resulted in any unfair treatment of workers. The board was reportedly removed in 2009.
The board was one of the pieces of information that hit the public's eye before a U.S. Congressman wrote the Department Of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General, requesting an investigation into the alleged discriminatory culture at the Air Marshals Service. DHS launched a 21-month investigation. The final report is to be publicly released Thursday.
The federal report is expected to find that widespread discrimination was not found in the Air Marshal Service, but a "perception of discrimination and retaliation are extensive," according to Tampa Bay News 10 reporters, who received an advance copy of the federal report.
Many workers say that they feared retaliation in the workplace if they complained of the alleged hostile work environment within the service. A slight majority of workers responded to federal investigators that they felt the Air Marshal Service used a disciplinary process unfairly and in retaliation against employees who complained of the discriminatory culture at the service.
In the Midwest, at least seven separate federal lawsuits have previously been filed against the federal service. Five of those cases settled for undisclosed terms and two remain pending.
Sources:
- WTSB News 10, "Inspector General Report: Air marshals say major problems with agency," Feb. 6, 2012
- The Kentucky Enquirer, "Report: Air marshals feel discrimination," Jim Hannah, Feb. 7, 2012










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