Following the termination of the ED, Pat Brigham, director of membership, was quickly summoned to the boardroom where she was reportedly terminated by Julie in front of the remaining board members and told, as Mary was, that she had one hour to clear out personal effects. Following their abrupt terminations, the first subsequent formal communication each reportedly received was a notification by mail of cancellation of health insurance four days later. Neither the current health care crisis nor any political agenda serves as justification for what I believe to be abandonment of our central tenets of respect and common decency toward one another. In my mind, there is no explanation that can justify such behavior except the twisted need to exercise power and control. Through its actions, this leadership has more in common with dictatorship than democracy.
Democracy respects the rule of law and process.
Democracy respects the individual and supports each and every person's freedom and right to express his or her position on an issue without fear of retribution or retaliation. And in a democracy, decisions are made by all who choose to participate, not just those who presume to have the right answer for everyone else. I knew it in my heart as I watched MNA staff who deserved to be respected for their longstanding contributions and commitment, instead humiliated and mistreated in the name of moving a political agenda. Even if the outcomes on Dec. 1 are viewed as a victory for those who support ANA disaffiliation, it represents anything but a victory for MNA and its members. I think as a profession we need to examine what forces have brought us to this place.