AUTHOR’S NOTE
2004 to 2008
Writing FOUR YEARS OF A LIVING HELL AT BANK OF AMERICA is
like I am a million miles away from myself, is like I am living a hell twice
with a nameless ill. Bank of America brings me nothing but
frustration and this is leading me into a great desolation. I am devastated
living in a hell, the only thing that I do is time, while waiting for justice. I'm
hurting so bad that I choose emptiness instead of the possibility of the pain
watching my life ruined by Bank of America.
It seems impossible to get over the memories I had
with Bank of America, my heart is left with a big hole. I had been hiding my
tears behind this broken heart. No matter how far I run, I'll never be able to
run far enough to get away from the memories that Bank of America have left me
with. I've been pushed down so many times, I try to block out these memories as
much as I can, but they creep through and I fall apart all over again.
My son, the soldier will fight long and hard for a ribbon. I
will fight the rest of my life for justice. War is an ugly thing, but not the
ugliest. Being discriminated could kill a person feeling with cruelty and it
can be the ugliest. When you lose something it always stays with you, reminding
you how easy it is to get hurt again.
These four years of employment at Bank of America had
killed my dreams of being a successful bank’s employee. I spend my whole
life working hard to fulfill this dream. The management of Bank of America
had thrown a difficult choice into my life playing dirty on me, this is the
reason I am dedicating this story to all of them.
Tears are the words that my heart uses to help me
write FOUR YEARS OF A LIVING HELL AT
BANK OF AMERICA.
To my sons Victor, Daniel and Kevin: You
have left my home but never my heart. With special thanks to my son
Victor who help me to write this story.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
YEAR 2004
January 23, 2004 “Welcome to bank of America! We are
looking forward to your joining our team. This letter will confirm our offer to
join our Banking Center Team in Washington Park Florida. We believe
this is not only a great company to work for, but that it is a company that
works for you”.
This is the introduction of the welcome letter I received
from the staff of Bank of America in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. My first
interview took place at the same office I was designated to work. It was
conducted by the branch’s assistant manager Mrs. Catty Anderson who was in
charge new hire tellers. My first impression of her was quite poor. Her
conversation contained an argumentative tone and her arrogant questions were
unprofessional.
Every day she uses to single out an employee to
make his life miserable. The banking center where I was hired to work was
a living nightmare. Mrs. Anderson always took advantage of her assistant manager
position. In several times she had obligated me to process illegal transactions
for his friends.
We had to hear disgusting conversations regarding dating
customer behind her husband. Her personal life was public and it was immoral. Maria Lopez, who had the most seniority, comes up to
me with a plan to go against the Mrs. Anderson. She wrote a letter addressed
the bank’s headquarters reporting the manager of incompetence in lead the
employees.
The manager Mr. Kevin Haim was a young man who had been
recently promoted to this position. His inexperience and being new at this
location contributed to Mrs. Anderson taking advantage of him. He could not
cope with the hostile situations created by his assistant. One day it was my
day off and I used this time to go to the Motor Vehicles to change my driver’s
license. The office was crowded that day. I took the opportunity to bring
business to the bank. Later on Mr. Haim at a recognition event had
me rewarded with a plaque that nominated me as an Ambassador of the
bank.
A new manager was designated to work at the office Mr.
Carlos Castro. He had no banking experience and Mrs. Anderson his assistant
took advantage of that.
One day during my lunch break I asked him for help to become
a full time employee. He made me feel more miserable with his comments. He
suggested to me that I leave the bank and find a job as a waitress in a
restaurant this way I will earn more money or look for a man to resolve my
financial problems. He invited me to join his church to take advantage of a
divorce club they are running.
As per the needs of the Banking Center I had
worked more than the required hours that I was hire for. This allowed me to
work as a full time without the benefit of the position. When I reviewed my
time sheet I always found discrepancies on the hours I worked.
YEAR 2005
It was difficult for me to have a transfer to another
branch. I tried to get in touch with Human Resources and this was impossible.
All my attempts to find a decent place to work were unsuccessful. I went
to a job Interview at a new branch. I was surprised about the true
reason I could not get the position. The comments from other employee saying
that ethnic race was very important to the manager of that particular banking
center. It was considered a high class location.
My professional life at Washington Park banking center
had no purpose or dignity, on top of that I was completely ignored by the management.
I heard from a coworker that my supervisor wanted to short my hours due to the
letter I had sent to the Manager. It had been obvious that revenge was
taken against me.
Cooper City office needs a teller for two weeks. The
assistant manager Mrs. Anderson picked a person she did not like to send and it
and was me. This was a gift for me; I did enjoy working at this banking center.
I have another opportunity to cover a vacation time at the
Sawgrass branch. This office was located North at Sunrise. At once I noticed
that it was a location far away from home, but the desperation I had was enough
for me not to care about distance. Anything was better than the hell at the Washington
Park office. Later, I did not know where I will be going. The only
solution I found out of desperation was going back to Cooper City and asking
for help. I knew they always been short staffed. May 09, 2005 I started a new
life in Cooper City. Due to the hours I work I considered the option to look
for a full time position. This was my goal since I had started working for the
bank. I went to Pembroke Pines office. July 18, 2005 was a day that
I called “A dream becomes true”. I got the full time position. As
soon I get in to the office I received an unpleasant impression. The tellers’
stations were a mess, the supervisor had ignored me.
When the supervisor started settling me in the
computer she had found that my home state was New Jersey. Suddenly she got up
from the chair and started screaming while holding her head. I was scared at
that moment; I thought something terrible had come up from New Jersey that
damaged my record. She refused to talk to me about her findings.
I called one of my former coworker from New Jersey. When
I told her about the supervisor attitude towards me, my friend could not
believe what she was hearing from me. She said the supervisor was the person
who had replaced me when I left Bergenfield NJ. She sat at my former station
and got very irritated when customers asked her for me. She always complained
when people told her they missed me. She always asked my friend questions about
who I was and she confessed her hate towards me although she had never had met
me. This was an incredible yet most unfortunate coincidence. I went back to
Cooper City.
YEAR 2006
Cooper City hired a new supervisor. This lady was the
everyday gossip, because her troubled life style. I was carefully when she
transfer money; she had short me in two different transactions.
I missed my family and coworkers in New Jersey. My middle
son had finished high school in Florida and moved back to New Jersey. My
youngest son was unhappy living far away from his family and friends. Having a
part time job helped me change my mind about returning to New Jersey.
On July 12 2006 I decided to sell my house. I
verbally informed the assistant manager Mrs. Jasmine Arango my intentions to
move back to New Jersey.
On August 09, 2006, while on my lunch time from work I went
to a Supermarket located at the same shopping center as the bank in Cooper
City. While shopping I slipped and fell. I hurt my knee, ankle and back, an
ambulance took me to the hospital. Mrs. Jasmine Arango called me to find out
when I would be able to return to work. She had given me four days off to
recovery and return to work. Eventually, I started receiving
correspondence from my medical insurance claiming that they were unable to pay
any medical bills since this was an accident, not a medical condition.
A coworker had recommended me her lawyer. Having legal
assistance would help me in recovering the expenses needed to in order to be
treated medically. Upon my return to work, Mrs. Arango advised me
against suing the Supermarket due to the fact that this would produce a
negative image for the bank. This company had business with the bank and so it
would not be convenient for an employee to sue them. Mrs. Jasmine Arango had
shocked me. I already had signed the lawyer’s papers. She was following very
closely how I was managing the case without a lawyer.
On September 01, I was called in by her. She
handles me a letter that she had received from my lawyer requesting a wage and
salary verification. This information was supposed to be forwarded to Human
Resources, but she had decided to keep it and talk to me before she filled it
out. The mistake that the attorney had committed was sending this form to my
office instead of Human Resources since had caused a hectic situation with my
employment at Cooper City. My life became a hell, I was involved in missing
money and no one cared.
From this moment on my relation with the management had
changed significantly. I had to stop going to therapy or seeing any doctor
regarding the medical conditions of my knee and ankle. As a consequence of that
decision the lawyer dropped my case. My priority was to prevent the assistant
manager from sending any negative comments to New Jersey where I had planned to
continue my employment with Bank of America.
YEAR 2007
Worried for the injury I had sustained on my knee and
knowing that it needed to be treated with surgical procedure I sought out
another lawyer. This way I can be medical treated in New Jersey. On January 27,
2007 I returned to New Jersey. The cold weather had great impact on my knee. I
had to take pain killers.
On March 12, 2007 I was hired full time teller at Ridgewood
office. During the first two weeks I was eager to help the customers and
coworkers. I tried to give some motivation to the uneager teller line by
greeting the customers with a Welcome to the bank. From my starting
date March 12, 2007 to March 30, 2007 working 15 days I had
the accrued the most volume of transactions 1,763. The second most
was a nice girl named Liana she done 1,681. The manager Mrs. Leona
Micah and the supervisor Mr.Mohammed Karuk were happy with me.
By the end of March, I received a call from Cooper City in
Florida. To my surprise was Rosa Petros. She told me that ever since I had left
Florida she had been looking for me almost every day in the New Jersey
directory. I saw no reason for her to worry about me since our relationship had
a bitter ending.
The following week the Ridgewood manager Mrs. Leona Micah
called me into her office. I just went in shock and disbelief when she told me
the assistant manager from Cooper City Florida, Mrs. Jasmine Arango had send a
letter with all my records and issues that I had in her office. This
documentation never supposed to leave Cooper City. Mrs. Arango
wanted to jeopardize my employment in New Jersey. I had to explain to Mrs.
Micah the need I had to sue the supermarket which had led me to break the
promise I had made with the assistant manager in Florida. I had to struggle to
convince her about my honesty. Her face was showing me that she was exasperated
over the package she had just received. Finally, she told me she would keep it
for further reference.
The manager had advised me that I could not sit while
working since it was against bank policy. I told her I had sustained a knee
injured in addition other problems with previous surgeries in my legs which had
to do with varicose veins. She had denied my petition to sit while working and
did not want to see any medical letters. She took away my seniority with the
bank saying her branch can’t afford to pay me as a Senior Teller. My vacation
time was reduced.
The supervisor, told me that if the District Manager, saw me
seated, he would kick me off the chair. I was designated to open the
bank by 7:45am. I was not allowed to park my car by the building. I had to wait
for the other party standing outside under the inclement weather.
On October 04, 2007 I had a s Arthroscopic partial
medal Meniscetomy on the right knee. On November 19, 2007 I had to
come back to work. The manager’s abuse never stop, she always reminded me that
she was keeping confidential the information she had about me. At Christmas I
gave to each of my coworkers a copy of my book Before and After the Border
including the manager.
YEAR 2008
The cold weather had a tremendous impact on the knee of my
surgery. Most of the time when I was standing I would put my weight
on the left leg in order to relieve the pain in my right knee. This pressure
would affect my varicose veins. At the end of the day both legs hurt me. I
tried to talk to the manager Mrs. Leona Micah about letting me sit, but she
refused to talk to me about my request or to see a doctor’s letter that I had.
. Many times in tears showed Mrs. Micah my swollen knee, ankle and veins. She
simply did not care. No matter how hard begged her for consideration she would
not pay any attention to my pain.
Every month I reviewed the Teller Performance
Report. For the month of January I had the most number of transactions which
was 2,736 in 21 days with balance accuracy of 100%. The second teller had 1,880
in 21 days with 95.24% balance accuracy. This achievement made me
proud for being a productive person to the bank despite the hostile work
environment I had to endure.
The manager had single me out to assist customers with safe
deposit boxes which some are located in high areas and required ladders. On a Friday I was supposed to leave by two o’clock to avoid
working over time. . The assistant manager made me stay until 6:20 PM. I worked
9:45 hours and was paid only for 5:45. This same situation was repeated a day I
went to the hospital and my sick time made me over time.
The new supervisor had asked me to lend her $ 500.00
to pay her rent since she was having financial problems. I could not
give it her money, from that day on; I become an unpleasant person for her. She
had had joined the management in their spiteful attitude against me. On June 6, 2008, the manager demanded that I shut the
vault door without any assistance. The door was huge. I
tried and could not cope it. The assistant manager continued to tell me to do
it and berated and yelled at me. In revenge I was not allowed to park my car by
the building where one time the manager let me do it after I returned from
surgery.
On August 15, I had varicose veins surgery. One day
while I was walking my right knee twisted upon itself. I went back to the
orthopedic doctor who had performed the surgery. It was swollen and I was in a
lot of pain. The doctor gave me medication and sent me back to the physical
therapy. He also had given me a letter advising me that I must remain out of
work until October 20, 2008.
I tried to have a legal advice from an
attorney. I paid him $300.00 for consultation and he did not care about my
case because his good relations with the bank.
It was very hard for me to apply for unemployment benefits
since the bank claimed I had voluntary terminated my job. After several
interviews and appeals I was approved.
