MARRIOTT LAMENTATIONS 207: "Marriott and Boeing; a culture of retaliation; with evil lurking round every corner, whistleblowers should be vigilant
Dozens of whistleblowers are now sharing their concerns about Boeing (as others have been doing regarding Marriott). Federal investigators, forever functioning reactively, are now conducting both criminal and civil investigations into the airline, just as they should also be doing with Marriott
Sam Salehpour told a congressional committee that Boeing has a "culture of retaliation" when employees speak up about their concerns, a mirror image of the?Marriott modus operandi
Roy Irvin, a former Boeing 'quality investigator' said the aircraft manufacturer was "infested with 'yes men' and 'beancounters'. A?fair reflection of the Marriott infrastructure
Salehpour also told Congress?there was "no safety culture" at Boeing, and alleged that employees who raised the alarm were “ignored, marginalized, threatened, sidelined and worse”. He said he feared “physical violence” after going public with his concerns,?statements that also relate?to the Marriott set-up
Two Boeing whistleblowers died?in curious circumstances recently. One of these, John Barnett,?was due?to testify against Boeing in a court of law the following day. A close friend claimed he insisted "I ain't scared" before adding "but if anything happens to me it's not suicide"
A Marriott whistleblower, Mohamed Talak, the victim of years of physical and mental ill-treatement by Marriott and government-related representatives, recently posted a crisis statement on Linkedin:
"I am dying. I am not posting anymore. Hope my life will save other victims of corruption... Hostage, no water or food, remote radiology... even CAIR [Council on American-Islamic relations, headquarted on Capitol Hill in Washington DC]?was forced to deny assistance... views to my posts are being limited... media was forced not to [become] involve[d]... Welcome to the world of democracy and human rights"
He has posted since and it's?difficult to know exactly what is happening?at the moment because contact is limited but Mr Talak,?a victim of long-term corporate revenge, is clearly desperate. He has lost pretty much everything, as I also have, for speaking out against Marriott corruption.?When I was in close communication?a few years back?the retaliation was already up and running; at the same?time, he was also?being 'short-changed' by the?SEC Office of the Whistleblower
On another post he writes: "I submitted the FCPA violation to the US SEC following the retaliation I received in Egypt after reporting [serious issues] to 万豪酒店 and Egyptian authorities. I was not looking for any reward. I was not even aware of any reward. I was only seeking justice... You are all criminals. I was [certainly] aware that government officials in my own country are corrupt. I did not know that [that sort of]?corruption [existed and] was managed from?the seat of government in [democratic nations like the US too]"
Mr Talak is far from being the only abused Marriott associate. Others retaliated against in different parts of the world also include hotel guests and local community members, myself included. Mr Talak's Marriott-managed hotel in Egypt was government owned. The Marriott-managed hotel?implicated?in?my own whistleblowing ordeal, the St Regis Bangkok, was aided and abetted in its corruptive activity by?government and royal?representatives in Thailand. The overseeing or overlooking of corruption at a local level is a key part of Marriott's global strategy?for?rapid growth.?Regulators and other official bodies are largely unable or unwilling?to stand up to such power play.?Marriott's close contacts with political figures and lobbyists across the globe?facilitate?corporate impunity
This is an intolerable state of affairs... "Without strong watchdog institutions, impunity becomes the very foundation upon which systems of corruption are built. And if impunity is not demolished, all efforts to bring an end to corruption are in vain" -?Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Prizewinner 1992?
In testimony to the US Senate, CEO Dave Calhoun acknowledged that "something went wrong"?at the company after whistleblowers allegedly faced retaliation for raising concerns about safety problems in factories. He?failed to elucidate. Marriott's CEO, Anthony Capuano , remains totally silent
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Another Boeing whistleblower recently ventured?that “Boeing has to look in the mirror and say: ‘We’re wrong.’” So does Marriott. But neither of them will in a satisfactorily transparent way
The US Department of Justice recently?told a federal court in Texas that Boeing had violated the terms of a 2021 settlement in which it agreed to pay $2.5bn?in penalities and compensation to airline customers and families of those who died in two fatal crashes. Boeing failed to “design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics programme to prevent and detect violations of the US fraud laws throughout its operations”. Marriott stands accused of the same
Najmedin Meshkati, an FAA inependent expert, said Boeing’s safety culture has “eroded” over the past two decades,?“under the direct watch of its leaders and board of directors, who have been complicit in and ultimately responsible for its present problems... Boeing’s corporate governance and its perpetually cloned [board] needs to be overhauled and diversified."
With two of the Boeing?board?also on the Marriott board until very recently - Larry Kellner and Susan Schwab?-?the same can justifiably be said about Marriott
As a punishment, financial penalties?are useless?when exercised on their own, as corporate fines are automatically built into a company's annual budget.?Nothing will change until company executives are also forced?to confront?the long?arm of the law.?Marriott and Boeing executives, both past and present, should?be facing criminal charges. Period!
Until concrete action to protect whistleblowers is established?on a global basis, danger will continue to lurk around every corner; whistleblowers will be constantly in fear of losing their livelihood, or even their life. As things stand,?the incessant promises to support whistleblowers around the world are totally disingenuous
World Whistleblowers Day 2024 took place on 23rd June amid the usual deluge?of rhetoric
John Shepherd (Marriott victim and hunger striker)
POSTSCRIPT:?Guardian UK reported on June 30, 2024: "The US Department of Justice is set to charge Boeing?with fraud, but plans to offer the plane maker a plea deal... Attorneys representing the relatives [of those who died in fatal crashes] accused the federal government of cooking up “another sweetheart plea deal” with Boeing... One?described the agreement as a 'no-accountability deal'... 'The deal will not acknowledge, in any way, that Boeing’s crime killed 346 people. It also appears to rest on the idea that Boeing did not harm any victim... 'And when there is inevitably another Boeing crash and DoJ seeks to assign blame, they will have nowhere else to look but in the mirror' [said another attorney]" Further contempt for people and justice
Related link: MARRIOTT LAMENTATIONS 192: "Death to whistleblowers - Marriott and Boeing in the dock"
beancounters