Thank you

Glenn Boucher

I’m seeking to file a law suit against my employer City College of New York (CCNY) for dangerous, illegal, unsafe and abusive working conditions that have resulted in me being diagnosed with (a mental injury) Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) which is from intolerable/abnormal work related stress. A disorder that causes permanent physical changes to the brain, and results in a lifetime of depressive symptoms (I’ve already had relapses). I currently have an open workers compensation claim on the matter. Given the complexity of this case I recommend you read below for the details which I have proof of. I, along with my coworkers, am also interested in filing, separately, a class action suit for repeated negligent exposure to hazardous materials.

The Incident that caused my MDD was a result of an order by my supervisor to supervise workers on an illegal construction site. Below are some details:

1- Supervise 6 Carpenters on one substantial job, plus 7 additional workers on the same job to do Carpenters work (all 7 were unqualified), making it a total of 13 employees. Prior to the above- mentioned job, there were never more than 6 union carpenters under my direction.
2- The job had no permits and it was never filed with the Buildings department. All OSHA standards were ignored
3- The job had no licensed/registered Architect or Engineer (meaning no specifications) & Building Codes were completely ignored. The previous renovation of the same space had no permits and Building Codes were also ignored, which made the job even more unsafe this time around for many reasons including (a) the demolition was incomplete this time (c)- the building is over one hundred years old (its historical landmark status was ignored) etc. etc.
4- Hazardous materials were being removed illegally (no postings, or filing w/ department of labor)
5- The Buildings Department put a stop work order on the job, and it remains shut down to this day
6- Nobody was overseeing safety on the job, the demolition was being done on top of the tradesman, and the job was overloaded with workers. The CCNY safety officer never surveyed for asbestos containing materials (ACM’s) prior to demolition nor was informed of the job according to him.
7- I was told to supervise 7 workers to do Carpenters work. All 7 were hired illegally and were not paid prevailing wages (William Lacey-Carpenters Union Civil service Rep. - is aware of the details). In addition, they were laborers with little to no experience and, on top of that, most of them were convicts. A lawsuit was dropped by my union against the company supplying the workers to CCNY for what I assume was a back room deal between CCNY and my Union rep.
8- I had no direction and I was under unbearable amounts of pressure. I was given responsibilities way beyond the call of duty, and I was worried and frightened for my own safety. All of this was conveyed to my direct Supervisor (Supervisor of mechanics), the Administrative Superintendent, and Vice President of Facilities. My Supervisor is not experienced enough for a job of this magnitude never mind smaller projects. His job description includes “check jobs in progress and completed work assignments for compliance with work standards, job orders, codes and/or specifications.” He has no desire to maintain standards or codes.
9- On more than one occasion I told all three that I was going to have a nervous breakdown, not only was I ignored, but they went ahead and hired additional workers from the same outside contractor illegally (and added to the above- mentioned 7 workers) and continued to have me supervise additional projects around the college. The above- mentioned job in the real world outside of CCNY would at the least have required a full time Carpenter Supervisor completely dedicated to this job.
10- It came to the point where I could not eat, sleep, function normally at work or home, I lost over 25 pounds, had no confidence, loss of concentration & judgment, and complete withdrawal from pleasurable things. This was accompanied by extreme nervousness, dizziness, and faintness prior to taking sick leave. While out on sick leave things became much worse and a host of problems were added to the mentioned symptoms
11- To this day I’m still not functioning up to par and for the most part I was having an extremely difficult time accompanied with thoughts of suicide for at least 6 months
12- While being put in this position I was worried if I opened my mouth or became a whistle blower that my superiors would have fired me or made my career at CCNY very difficult.
13- I was hard-pressed into taking the supervisor position without being given any heads up to the new hires. I was never a part of the hiring process, and this job (discussed above) was never mentioned to me even after the demolition had started. I was kept in the dark at all times.
14- While out sick I wound up in the psychiatric emergency room.
15- While out sick I resigned from the Carpenter Supervisor Position, and took a pay cut for obvious reasons.

I also wanted to add the following:

Not only did I tell at least 3 persons in the chain- of- command, but I also told my supervisor that the job required permits and an Architect. I have witnesses for all exchanges. My supervisor also threatened to fire me if I contacted the Buildings Department, never mind him trying to fire me early on in my career while I was on probation (for something I had nothing to do with). City College continued to ignore the issue and I became very sick and went out on sick leave. Everything from a-z was illegal about this job and all my superiors new it (they were taking a stupid gamble by rushing the job and cutting corners to save money). I became so distressed with the thought of anyone working or moving into this space, because I knew how unsafe it was and would be.
I have a spotless record at City College and have earned the respect of everyone for being a model employee. My Supervisor has taken advantage of many people with reckless abandon and this is well known and tolerated by CUNY.

Other examples of an abusive work place:

1- Other construction sites in the past mimic above on a smaller scale (I have 5 years of records) and I often wonder it those occupied spaces are safe and can be inspected for code violations
2- Supervisor tried to fire me while I was on probation (during my first few months of employment) for the actions of another employee with complete disregard for protocol (I was never more shaken in my life by his actions and I am haunted by it still today). The director of HR at the time is one witness
3- Supervisor is paid exorbitant amounts of overtime ( even excepts gifts ) and his superiors look good for producing low cost renovations at the risk of doing unsafe work (sounds like a conflict of interest)
4- Recent exposure to ACM’s on another work site because it was never surveyed prior to demolition. Many other examples of the same in past
5- Another recent job received a stop order by department of buildings for not being filed

Compensation I’m looking for:

1- Large monetary award for permanent physical change to brain(MDD), and for ongoing extreme pain and suffering to me and my family
2- Reinstate all sick days used for (MDD)
3- Returned to title of Carpenter Supervisor with probation waived, and back pay
4- Medical and medication reimbursed

I have 4 doctors (1) PCP, (2) ER Doctors ((1) attending and (1) Psychiatrist on call (I was admitted to Psychiatric ER), and (1) Psychiatrist I’ve been seeing since the ER visit almost twenty months ago. My PCP filed a FMLA form for the start of my sick leave. I have the ER report, and my Psychiatrist has written a letter with proof of my claim (“suffers from MDD which developed in the context of significant stress at work”). Plus therapy and medications I’m still taking to help me function better.

I think a litigation/negligence claim relating to wrongdoing, a hostile work environment, a threatening supervisor, dangerous working conditions, etc. combined with my list of issues makes for an excellent case against my employer.

I have suffered tremendously due to their recklessness and I’m still suffering. My wife and new born son have been put through hell. I also am very worried about my future mental and physical state after all of this, and I wonder if I can even purchase a life insurance policy with my new medical history.

Sincerely,

Glenn Boucher

FYI

I scored 100 on the Carpenter Supervisor test. I used very few sick days prior to the job that caused my MDD, and was never late to work in 5 years. I have from day one out produced most of my co-workers, and have strived for excellence in every aspect of my job. I also have a long list of commendations that followed me to CCNY.