Is KBR guilty of Human Trafficking in…..Americans?
I have received several emails in the last few months asking why KBR is not being investigated and prosecuted for Trafficking In Persons (TIPS) violations with regards to their own American KBR employees.
The United Nations definition of human trafficking is “The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation”.
That just screams KBR. I have to wonder if KBR actually used this definition as a model to establish their LOGCAP personnel management program.
There are COUNTLESS reports of KBR employees being subjected to threats and intimidation if they didn’t “comply”. I myself was threatened to be sent to Fallujah during the height of the conflict there if I didn’t “just shut up”! Those who know me are laughing their asses off right now. But seriously. KBR misleads you to get you over there. You are 1000′s of miles away of from home. It’s nothing like they said it would be. Most were not making close to what the recruiter promised. You get over there and find out you aren’t even working for KBR. Just as recently as last Wednesday, we heard testimony from a former electrician, who was threatened with “Chicken or Pasta?” if he didn’t do what he was told to do, and that was illegal. You have no “true” recourse against, harassment, intimidation, threats, assalt, rape, fraud or other crimes. If you do decide to quit, you are LAST priority on the manifest and could end up sitting at Camp Victory for days or longer.
These things are absolutely illegal in the US. But they are evidently NOT illegal for KBR on LOGCAP!
I don’t want to minimize the plight of the Sub Contract Workers KBR keeps as slaves in the Middle East. They work in the Dining Facilities and Laundries and so on. They live a horrible existence under KBR.
Does the fact that US workers are paid a wage by KBR(SEII) make it all OK? Does that exempt them from all labor laws? Does that give them the right to just do, and say what they want? Private arbitration, what a joke. Ethics Hotline, more jokes. Human Resources, I don’t think so.
Is there no attorney out there with enough testicular fortitude to sue KBR on behalf of its employees for Human Trafficking violations? Maybe we should contact the firm that is representing the Detroit Police and Firemans Pension Fund. They seem to have em’ big enough to sue KBR for their “reign of terror”.
How about a Congressional Hearing on that!
Give me your examples of KBR’s Human Trafficking in Americans!
Ms Sparky
Wednesday, May 27th 2009 at 3:15 pm |
Isn’t that an interesting twist. You would think that someone would pick up the ball and run with that. Lets hope so.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
Yeah. I am going to email some of my favorite law firms and run it by them and see what they think.
Wednesday, May 27th 2009 at 7:34 pm |
They do everything but take your passport. I have been threatened to be sent home for not signing off on shit I didn’t do. Threatened to be sent to the Green Zone today. After Kitterman got his throat cut. What in the hell is that bull shit. If a lawyer would pick this up I would sign on.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
That’s bullshit. Someone is already using Kitterman as an example? WTF is wrong with KBR?
Thursday, May 28th 2009 at 2:25 pm |
Here’s one. Since when was it legal to work without compensation in the US. The two weeks or more that you are in Houston processing, training, testing are not compensated. I have NEVER processed for a job ie, training, drug testing, medical without compensation. I know that KBR was compensated for this in-processing. This is the first example of coercion. You will “work without compensation” take it or leave it. Most people needed a job so bad, they took it. Similar to paying the headhunters in SE Asia $5000 for a job for KBR in Iraq. Take it or leave it.
Tuesday, September 6th 2011 at 8:18 pm |
No kidding, two weeks being there and not even sure if at the end you will be going. I guess the free room and board was payment enough.
Thursday, May 28th 2009 at 2:33 pm |
Here’s another one. KBR purposely misled people into believing they were going Iraq to work for KBR. I was there two weeks before I found out I worked for Service Employees International, Inc. Not even a US company. I asked an HR person at the contract signing why it didn’t say KBR. She said, “Oh don’t worry about that, they just handle our payroll.” KBR does not allow you to see you contract in advance. There is this frenzy of activity on contract signing night. Initial here, here, here, sign here! You shouldn’t have to be a labor lawyer to go to work for KBR/SEII. This is clearly an example of deception.
Thursday, May 28th 2009 at 6:22 pm |
Ms. Sparky,
Please contact my office, as I would very much like to talk to someone with first-hand knowledge of what you are talking about. I represent several victims of sexual misconduct and rape by KBR/Halliburton employees. Your ideas are certainly intriguing, and your information may well be critical to overcoming these secret arbitrations.
Todd Kelly
Ms Sparky’s Response:
Whatever I can do to help!!
Thursday, May 28th 2009 at 9:08 pm |
Way to shake the tree Ms. Sparky!! LOL, Can’t wait to see what falls out.
I have seen this over and over in Iraq with KBR… Hell, their “Blue Border Alerts” are enough to prove your theory.
Note to those of you in country with your own laptops…it’s a good idea to take a copy of your own PST file and put it on a cd/dvd and send it to the house…just in case. Those of you without computers but do have email accounts can fwd. those emails to your own email accounts (I know for a FACT that this is still permitted) or, print the emails and send them home regularly.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
For instructions on how to download your PST files (emails) go to the post on the Reduction in Force!
Friday, May 29th 2009 at 1:23 am |
ExCommoGuy said,
Please excuse my ignorance, what is my PST file?
Please let me know.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
Check the comments on the RIF post.
Friday, May 29th 2009 at 8:01 am |
Just got word that the RIF is going to take place on Friday or Saturday (May 29 or 30) – Baghdad time. It is going to be a “big” one. Personnel are scrambling to line up jobs with other companies.
Saturday, May 30th 2009 at 5:15 am |
I am amazed that nobody has mentioned all the young women that were brought over from the Balkans and former USSR. They were usually requested by name from KBR Managers that had served on LOGCAP II, and, had “Special Skills” that no other American Military Contractor possessed
.
There were hundreds of them when I was in theatre. Are they still running our camps and/or “Assisting” KBR Managers personally?
Saturday, May 30th 2009 at 7:21 am |
Dear Mr Smile,
what exactly are you talking about?
There is a lot of issues and you cannot talking in general.
Do not be jealous…
Ms Sparky’s Response:
That’s an interesting response to Smiles statement.
Saturday, May 30th 2009 at 1:06 pm |
The rumor of the day, I saw the posting about the RIF, so I went asking questions and not only are they talking about the RIF, Rumor has that 1000 KBR personnel are being sent home from Iraq, for reasons unkowns. I been with KBR in Kuwait for almost 2yrs this has got to be the worst operation I have been in. Everyone is Phucking clueless.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
Thanks!!
Monday, June 1st 2009 at 4:53 am |
What does KBR stand for?
KBR Kellogg, Brown and Root
KBr Potassium Bromide
KBR Key-Based Routing
KBR Kick Backs Reek
(\__/)
(=’.'=)
(“)_(“)
Ms Sparky’s Response:
I love that kitty!! How about.
Kinfolk
Brothers
Relatives
Monday, June 1st 2009 at 8:46 am |
A PST file is where your mail is stored if you are issued a laptop/desktop and are set u p properly on it. In outlook, on the left, if you see a “Mailbox – Name GoesHere” then that’s on the server, if you see anything else, and your mail is being diverted there, that’s a PST.
To find your PST, go to:
1. Go to Start
2. Search
3. All Files And Folders
4. Type in “.PST” (without the “) in the 1st box (All or part of the file name)
5. Click on the down arrow next to “More Advanced Options”
6. Check the first 3 boxes (System Folders, Hidden Files, and Subfolders)
7. Click Search
8. Change view to “Details” view
9. Find the ones under your USER ID (Will look something like this: C:\Documents & Settings\YourUID\blah blah blah\filename.pst)
10. The ones with the larger file size are the ones you want that are in YOUR user id’s folder
11. Shut down outlook completely, wait a minute or so…
12. Copy the PST to an external hard drive or thumb drive, send a copy to the states along with some other random personal stuff.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
YOU ROCK!!! Thankyou. I copied this and posted a comment on the Reduction In Force post.
Monday, June 1st 2009 at 8:55 am |
DAB08 said,on June 1st, 2009 at 4:53 am What does KBR stand for?
Kickbacks
Bribes
Retribution
Payoffs
Malfeasance
Ms Sparky’s Response:
I guess I am going to have to do a blog post on what K-B-R can stand for! Thanks.
Monday, June 1st 2009 at 10:47 am |
Killers
Bandits
Rapists
Saturday, June 6th 2009 at 10:01 am |
As of today the rumor is that the RIF has been delayed, ONCE AGAIN, due to some legal bullshit that KBR apparently “forgot” to look into. I can only imagine, maybe the guy at JBB who got his head busted open or maybe the fact that KBR didn’t plan on people demobing after being threaten with the RIF for 2 months now and leaving sites mission critical. I think a mass exodus would be perfect!!! All expats should leave and let KBR preach quality then!!!
Ms Sparky’s Response:
Good to know thanks. I would like to know more about the guy at JBB. I am going to cross post this commet to the http://mssparky.com/2009/06/kbrs-reduction-in-force-rif/ post as well.
Keep us post.
Saturday, June 6th 2009 at 11:55 am |
Desert rat, I would love to leave here and let them look bad BUT, the ones who will really suffer are the troops who will be without working AC units and bathrooms or LSA’s without generators for an hour because the dept does not have enough to staff all gen sets on bases. There are some depts, MWR, where we could get rid of everyone and not notice but we do need some personnel in a few areas in order to keep the power flowing and the porta potty’s emptied.
Smile and Amrana, we have a lot od Eastern Europeans here on bases doing jobs that could not be done by US personnel, MWR, Laundry and DFAC paperwork as well as trades and document control. I am glad that some are here simply because some of them are better with 220V than Americans as well as the plastic connectors versus the wire nuts but lets be honest, can we really say that NO American can sit in an office and file papers or set up sound stage equipment or ensure the chicken tastes like chicken?
Hire who you want for whatever reason BUT, do not state that itis because there are no US workers who can do the job, make it clear that it is for money reasons instead.
Saturday, June 13th 2009 at 6:11 am |
Jim, I wouldn’t be worried about the troops holding the bag if there is a mass exodus of KBR drones. First off if 85% disappeared tomorrow there would be no noticeable reduction in work getting done. And all us LOGCAP III employees know that’s the truth. Second the US military was taking care of business long before DFAC’s, MWR’s, CHU’s and everyone gets a brand new F150 XLT to drive around.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
You got that right!
Tuesday, August 25th 2009 at 10:32 am |
Wow, what’s with this now???
COBC ETHICS TRAINING
All KBR personnel must complete COBC Ethics Training, Tier 1 or Tier 2 prior to departing for R&R. When checking out for R&R please bring a copy of your completion certificate from Ethics Training Tier 1 or a copy of the Ethics Training Tier 2 Acknowledgement form to HR Travel. Please do not delay in taking the course training as completion statics are accumulated and reported to Project Management weekly. If you do not have computer access CD’s are available for training. Supervisors and Managers are to contract HR for copies of the CD training and training material.
When checking out for R&R please bring the following documentation:
Passport
Copy of MOI
Completed out processing paperwork
Copy of training certificate for Tier 1 Ethics Training
or
Completed training acknowledgement form from Tier 2 Ethics Training
All trainings must be completed no later than:
COBC Tier 1 Sept. 30, 2009
COBC Tier 2 Nov. 30, 2009
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact HR.
Thank you for your assistance in completing this training requirement.
Kathryn Casey, PHR
HR Supervisor
KBR, Inc.
F2 Regional
Ms Sparky’s Response:
Thanks for the info, does anyone know if this is happening only at this camp or is it all over Iraq?
Tuesday, September 6th 2011 at 8:33 pm |
I have to say that the term “up to and including termination” or do you prefer “chicken or pasta” were used a little too freely. Most of us were professional seasoned workers under constant fear of losing our jobs for making a mistake, not putting out enough inspections per day or uncovering past failures from UNQUALIFIED workers KBR deemed qualified somehow. I mean our manager hadnt even been in the trade whatsoever back in the states!! Talk about frustrating. Those who were there know exactly what I am talking about. Although for us who did create some waves about standard operating procedure for electrical, I felt they were all to anxious to help us get the hell out of there and go home!