Seattle Times Article

The following article was written after Marla Bradeen was retaliated against for communicating with press; as is noted, formal allegations were never made. We have since been informed that she is back to work.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009351619_custodianfolo18m.html

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - Page updated at 08:46 PM

UW employee given leave after talking to media
By Lindsay Toler

Seattle Times staff reporter

The University of Washington has placed an employee on administrative
leave after she talked to the media about a controversial budget-cut
absorbing method.

Marla Bradeen, an analyst with the facilities services department, was
mentioned in a seattletimes.com story last week about the department's
plan to lay off 17 custodians and eliminate the night shift for many
remaining workers. While the change would cut costs, it could also
force night-shift custodians to quit other daytime jobs or find new
daytime caretakers for children or elderly parents.

Bradeen, an analyst with the facilities services department, received
a letter Friday informing her she was under investigation for
releasing confidential and sensitive information without permission.
The letter was dated June 11, the same day UW custodians and students
held a rally to protest the shift switch.

Bradeen answered an emphatic, "No," today when asked whether she felt
she disclosed confidential or sensitive information to media outlets.

Employees from UW's human resources department said they do not
comment on the personnel matters.

Bradeen said she met with human resource employees today. When her
request to record the meeting was denied, she asked the department to
send the allegations against her in writing. She said she was informed
that there were no allegations made against her but that an
investigation was being launched.

"I'd like to hear what I'm accused of, but apparently no one knows,"
she said.

The Seattle Times was the only media outlet that mentioned Bradeen by
name, although she says she also spoke with radio station KUOW-94.9.

Bradeen was quoted in two news releases by a group organizing the
rally, the Anti-Budget Cuts Coalition. The news releases quoted
Bradeen saying the shift switch was an empty gesture to "leave the
impression" that the department needed more funding. Financial
information released to the media, such as the salaries of managers
and the department's budget, also was attributed to her.

Lindsay Toler: 206-464-2463 or ltoler@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company