Fwd: lesa donnelly letter to kathleen merrigan, 27 june 2011

United States Department of Agriculture

Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC  20250

June 27, 2011

Dear Ms. Merrigan:

While recently perusing the website for the White House Council on Women and Girls, I was surprised to discover that you are the US Department of Agriculture’s Council Designee. Not only was this information a surprise, I was somewhat disheartened. President Obama tasked you with an important role to be his eyes and ears on women’s issues in the USDA, yet with the full knowledge that USDA women were being physically assaulted, sexually harassed, threatened, intimidated, bullied, and retaliated against, you stood by idly. I am at a loss to understand this. I would like to know why you have been given the authority and responsibility by the White House to become involved but chose not to do so.

For almost one year the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees (The Coalition) has been bringing these issues to your attention via numerous meetings, letters, and emails. Little-to-no action was taken until I wrote a letter to President Obama. Even with that, little has been done in the way of making meaningful change to the USDA culture known as, “The Last Plantation.”

President Obama signed Executive Order 13506 establishing the White House Council on Women and Girls on March 11, 2009.  (Interesting to note – I sent a letter to Secretary Vilsack only six weeks later describing workplace violence and harassment incidents against women.)  One line in the Executive Order’s description of the mission and function of the Council states, “For reviewing and recommending changes to policies that have a distinct impact on women in the Federal workforce.”  With that clearly stated mission and your awareness of the abuses occurring in USDA and the Forest Service, you could have, and should have been actively engaging The Coalition and the women who have bravely come forward to tell their stories of workplace violence, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. But you did not.

In addition to the meetings and communiqués, seven courageous women filed a consolidated complaint against Secretary Vilsack, Assistant Secretary Reed, and Assistant Secretary Leonard for failure to stop the abuses. In March 2011, a class action complaint was filed against Secretary Vilsack for gender discrimination. Yet, we still have not heard from you or seen evidence that someone is planning on working with us to take remedial action or change the culture of abuse.

Secretary Vilsack established his Cultural Transformation program and that did little to address the issues. Women and minorities continued to suffer abuse. Next, he spent eight million dollars for the Jackson Lewis Assessment and report. That did little to address the issues. Women and minorities continued to suffer abuse. Recently, he sent a fourteen person compliance team to Region 5, Forest Service to interview employees and prepare another report. When will the focus on process end and action begin? People are suffering physically, emotionally, and financially.

The White House Council on Women and Girls website quotes former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as saying, “Responsibility for the advancement of women is not the job of any one agency, it’s the job of all of them.” It is my hope that you will discuss this letter with Council Chair Valerie Jarrett and co-council designees Lynn Rosenthal, White House advisor on violence against women; and Jocelyn Samuels, DOJ Senior Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. With that combination of experience and expertise you are bound to see that something must be done at USDA. I am available at your convenience to discuss these matters.

By this letter, I request that you contact The Coalition and female class complaint representative to begin a dialogue and plan of action to correct the abuses and address the long-term discriminatory and retaliatory culture in USDA. Thank you for your consideration of this request. Please contact Lawrence Lucas at 856-910-2399, or me at 530-365-3456. We look forward to working with you on these matters.

Sincerely,

/s/Lesa L. Donnelly

Lesa L. Donnelly

Vice President, USDA Coalition of Minority Employees

cc:  USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack

       Dr. Joe Leonard, USDA Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

       Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President;

            Chair, White House Council on Women and Girls

      Bart Kempf, Senate Ag Committee

      Michael Blake, Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs

      Michael Strautmanis, Chief of Staff for Assistant to the President

      Senator Charles Grassley

      Lawrence Lucas, President, USDA Coalition of Minority Employees

      Ron Cotton, Senior Advisor, USDA Coalition of Minority Employees