Camille "Zohar" McMillan
The book gives insight into unequal justice for women, minorities and people afflicted with disabilities. The system is corrupted. The justice system protected GM, but they didn't vision me writing about our corrupt broken system. Missing pages of court documents, appeals not filed, collusion. My attorney Richard T. Taylor did not properly represent me and failed to file my appeal after assuring me he had. The Attorney Discipline Board reprimanded him for his actions. He is now running for judgeship in Pontiac.
We believe the system works, it doesn't. There were nooses, KKK outfits, confederate flags, swastikas, Bitch pictures and many signs of hate. See photos of the "Nooses" and Bitch sign. Drugged alcohol influenced co-workers and managers threatened my life. I begged High ranking GM Executives to step in and halt the abuse. GM was negligent. GM admitted to discrimination against me because of the MS. The plant was headline news, the Detroit Free Press August 23, 2001, for various acts of discrimination.
A GM manager threatened my life and denied me the right to lock out hazardous equipment for my safety. The courts protected GM. Judge John J. McDonald of Oakland County Circuit court issued $3000 in sanctions to me after dismissing all charges against GM, in summary disposition, which I was not allowed to attend. 40% of my deposition transcript disappeared. We settled my work comp case Oct 25, 2007 two hours before trial. GM then bargained in bad faith and breached the agreement April 28, 2008. My civil attorney threw my case and the corruption and collusion are transparent. Pictures of nooses and other evidence GM and the judge did not want jurors to see, are in the book.
I grew up in the heart of Detroit. I graduated from David MacKenzie high school as class president and valedictorian, January 1975. On my own at age 18, I ended up in the plant to support myself. I am a black female Journeyman Electrician with Multiple Sclerosis. I passed the apprenticeship test as top scorer and I am not affirmative action. I suffered tremendous abuse at the General Motors Pontiac MI Truck Plant.
I bettered myself and became an Electrician through hard work and perseverance. Diagnosed with MS in the middle of my apprenticeship, I refused to allow the disease to dominate every aspect of my life. I became an author by chance. After the justice system failed me, I decided to write about the horrendous abuse I suffered and the wheels of justice rusting and corroding away. Hopefully, the book gives hope to others as my doctor who helped heal my mind, Louis Dvorkin Ph.D, stated to me, "There is life after General Motors." Those who have found themselves in unbearable situations like mine, light shines at the end of the tunnel. There are many good people out there and I found them.
I always dreamed of pursuing Judaism and while seeking to reclaim my life's quality I did. I prefer to live by Jewish laws of ethics. The Jewish people have treated my family with love and respect and we are all Jews now. Our color hasn't mattered and we are having a wonderful life in the Jewish community, which renewed my life and restored my belief in humanity. We are very comfortable and happy as black American Jews.
August 29, 2003 the weld monitor came over and told me porosity was accumulating on torch #3. I walked over to clean the welds. The weld lab employees were there along with, Sean*, their supervisor. When I was done, I returned to my main line and 20 minutes later summoned back to the welder. The weld monitor had turned the conveyor to manual mode and failed to return it to auto mode when he walked away. This would drain the bank of doors. I spoke to his supervisor and asked him to instruct his people to return the conveyor to automatic mode. I would not receive a signal fault and would not know the conveyor was not running.
7:57 AM the weld monitor loaded the door at the weld check conveyor improperly and the robot crashed into it. The door was hanging tightly on the robot and I needed assistance. I called for the Millwrights. They were on another job and not available to assist me although we had several pairs of Millwrights. The doors weighed 52 lbs. and were awkward in shape. They are full size truck doors. I needed the door lifted off the robot so that I would not damage the robot and cause excessive down time. My right eye was giving me problems and I called for my supervisor to obtain a pass to medical. I had previously gone almost blind in my right eye, from Optic Neuritis, and it seemed it was happening again. Supervisor, Percy Skeeter, responded to my call.
I said, "Percy I am sick. My MS is flaring and I need a pass to medical."
Percy said, "Stay here and I will bring you one." I waited for him and he did not return.
Twenty minutes later Gulliver pulled up on a vehicle. "Do you have my pass to medical?" I asked
"NO."
"I asked Percy for a pass 20 minutes ago and he has failed to return with it."
"Are you OK?"
"NO, my MS is flaring and I need to go to medical immediately."
"Hop on the cart and we'll go to the office and get your pass."
I hopped on the cart with Gulliver and we headed to the maintenance office. At first, I did not realize what was going on. I was feeling very ill and my eye was giving me problems. Gulliver went in the office. I glanced in the office and saw Jack Tolbin, Amos Horace from the management team and Stuart Ralston and Leslie Beckman for the union. Apparently, the meeting was being set up for today and I had no idea. Gulliver came out of the office and I again asked for my pass.
Gulliver said, "You are not going anywhere until we have this meeting."
I replied weakly, "My MS is flaring and I need a pass to medical."
"You walk in the office and get it."
"Gulliver, my legs are not working properly and you are my supervisor. You can not refuse me a pass to medical."
"We are having a meeting with you right now."
"Gulliver, are you refusing me a pass to medical?"
He hunched over me, flexed his muscles and said, "Yes, I guess I am."
I think I went into shock. I had never in all my years with GM, been refused a pass to medical. As I sat on the cart, I saw the area manager, Terry Vendenberg* in his office. I managed to weakly walk into Terry’s office to inform him, Gulliver denied me a pass to medical. I needed him to order him to grant my pass. Management cannot refuse an employee medical treatment, but this management did. Terry ordered Amos to give me a pass. Amos Horace said, "You can leave but we will still have that talk in Labor."
I knew Amos was upset because I tried to get some help concerning the Lock-Out situation and I had not filed charges against Jack. I knew it was just a matter of time before he came after me again and he was coming out full force. Jack Tolbin knew I was not responsible, but he was angry about the lawsuit. Jack knew there was nothing I could do. He should have stopped Amos. He was Amos’s supervisor. Jack would have been surprised to learn Amos was tutoring me how to file charges against him.
