Sunday, October 22, 2006

Whistle Blower


In a Globe and Mail story on the WestJet scandal and the whistleblower who exposed WestJets rip off of confidential Air Canada computer information, the whistleblower; Melvin Crothers, may have had more than just good intentions for his actions. Mr. Crothers made $180,000 a year at Signature Vacations in the late 1990s, plus bonuses. At WestJet, he drew an annual salary of $50,000. Hell hath no fury like an employee scorned.

Comments on this story were rather interesting with several commentators calling him a rat and a snitch. These are probably the same people that approve of scabbing during strikes.

The fact is that Westjet owners, you know those folks who work for Westjet and are featured on their TV ads, aren't. They may have profit sharing but the ownership is a fiction, it is WestJets way of avoiding unionization. The real owner is Clive Bedoe who is the guy responsible for the WestJet/ Air Canada scandal.
WestJet CEO used purloined data, court files show

And of course while the whistle blower is fired the big guy keeps his job. It's business as usual.

As a result of the legal suit between Air Canada and West Jet, they both collude to appear as good corporate citizens.
Air Canada, WestJet feeling charitable
Call it forced charity, the result of the court case not corporate generosity. Since both companies are making record profits, at the expense of their workers.

The funniest thing about all this is that Westjet is awarded for having the best corporate culture in Canada. Of course they overlooked the fact that it is also a 'criminal' corporate culture. Who say's crime doesn't pay.


See:

Criminal Capitalism




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2 comments:

Somena Woman said...

Hey Eugene,
My experience has been that very rarely do people blow the whistle - unless there is either some personal grudge- financial gain, or some angle that they themselves are working by doing so. It's a sad and sort of cynical fact of having been on the recieving end of "dirt dishing" -- especially in Indian Act politics. My first question to people when they come to me with a "big story" is to ask them "Ok.. and after you use this to get rid of this Chief and Council, what's your plan for Electoral Reform so that the systemic problems don't let it happen again?" -- The ones who actually have an answer for that I work with. The one's who aren't even interested.. and are just dishing dirt for a power-grab.. I have no interest in, because all they are doing by reporting the sleeze is promoting the idea that Aboriginals aren't capable of self-government which falls right into the Tom Flanagan Stephen Harper agenda. That's a big reason even though I've been doing oodles of reporting tying the collusion between DIA and our band's corruption in the past few weeks - you ain't seen but one Blogging Tory even comment on the story. If Indian Act Corruption stories don't further their little agenda of assimilation, they don't want to know anything about the corruption... and guess what - I've recently come to the conclusion that this makes THEM culpable of collusion with the corruption that occurs as well.

EUGENE PLAWIUK said...

Meaghan what do you think of the latest lobbying effort of the Chiefs to go political and complain about conditions on the reserves. Of course without mentioning the need to abolish the DIA which is their powerbase.