Another incident of non-harmonic convergence at the Mt. Express

Earlier this summer, Jean Levy, a dedicated newspaper employee of 14 years, was fired from her job as a receptionist / typesetter. When Jean first filed for unemployment, she was denied benefits, reportedly for two reasons. First, about a year before her firing, the President of a soon-to-open bank came into the paper, to run an ad commemorating their grand opening. In her sometimes cantankerous manner, Jean blurted out to the man something like, “That’s about all we need in this town, is another bank!” Needless to say, the bank President was taken aback. And when the publisher got wind of this, Jean was taken into the office for a general chewing out.

The second reason the Mt. Express gave for her termination was that they said Jean swore while working at the front desk. Although that may have been the case, evidently Jean was never given fair warning, and rather than this part of her character being embraced by upper management as it was by some of the mid-level employees; it affected her job. Moreover, there wasn’t anything in the employee handbook alluding to this cursed guideline. In fact, a decade before, when another employee, Gayle Kerr, complained about foul language, she was told in no uncertain terms that she just had better get used to it. Later on, Gayle said, “And you know what? I got f&$#*%g! used to it!”

Reportedly, when Jean signed up for unemployment benefits, she was told that her case was being challenged - in part because they said the incident with the banker caused the newspaper “undue financial distress”. Therefore Jean was ineligible for any money, and with rent soon due. When current and former colleagues heard Jean’s unfortunate news, they surreptitiously rallied to find her a good attorney –Jan Wygle.

Not only that, but also several former employees wrote letters and signed legal statements to the effect that during their years of working alongside Jean, that they not heard her curse.

The Goliath Express management was unprepared for what they thought was a slam –dunk case of discarding a poor defenseless lady onto the mean streets of Ketchum. During their cold calculations they never figured that so many former employees would step up to the plate for Jean and help her rebound from this pickle. The streets of Ketchum were actually kind ones, filled with empathetic friends that Jean could count on.

Ironically, during Jean’s 14 years of employment, upper management sometimes referred to her as a “charity case.” Well, if the facts presented here are true, then the Express’s charity took a quick turn for the worse in Jean’s case.

Rather than being admonished and likely verbally abused, Jean should have been commended with a ceremonious badge of courage, for seizing the opportunity to speak up for the rest of us by telling the Banker man off to his face on that fine summer day.

Jean, in that resounding brave minute was repeating the same sentiments about banks that other people had expressed, through letters to the editor and even editorials published by the Express staff and approved by it’s Publisher.

At last report, it sounded like the Express management had finally come to it’s senses on this issue and after a fortnight fight, Jean will be receiving some type of unemployment compensation. In the meantime, the current and former employees are asked to honor this certificate of commendation recently presented to Jean at the Casino bar: