Maricopa County Worker Michael Mallette Suspended After Admitting to Sleeping on Job, Files Discrimination Complaint with EEOC

Michael Mallette, a drinking-water inspector at the Environmental Services Department in Maricopa County, was suspended without pay after he admitted to sleeping on the job. He has filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, saying that White supervisors did the same thing and were not disciplined. According to the Arizona Republic, the county, which has 13,000 employees, disciplines dozens of workers every year for violating work policies such as inappropriately using the Internet, destroying property, insubordination and sleeping on the job. Mr. Mallette, there is a thing called personal responsibility. You got caught sleeping on the job. That's deserves punishment, unless you were under the influence of prescription drugs. Seems to me he had no problem turning a blind-eye to the alleged behavior of others until he got punished for doing the same thing.

In his letter to the EEOC he said there are other managers who sleep at meetings and training sessions. He did not dispute sleeping on the job, but he questioned why White employees of Maricopa County are allowed to sleep at work "all day" and get rewarded with promotions, while a Black employee was disciplined and suspended.

In his letter, Mallette provided the names of five former and current employees who could confirm his allegations. Mallette, who earns $52,500 annually, originally was to receive a three-day suspension for sleeping on the job on Feb. 1 and March 3, but the penalty was reduced after a pre-disciplinary hearing, according to county records. The suspension took effect March 26. Source: Arizona Republic

Here's my two cents. I hate the notion of interjecting race in every dog fight. It will backfire and is very counter productive, but it is clear that Mr. Mallette broke the rules and should have been punished for his actions. There is no "if you do it, I can do it too" excuse in this case. He got caught. I am not sure if his claims are true, but if they are, then the other perpetrators should be held to the same standard. If he had noticed this behavior being tolerated, he should have lodged a complaint with the county first and not waited until he did the same thing.