http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/333692_boeingfired29.html By Andrea James P-I REPORTER September 28, 2007 The Boeing Co. fired at least one employee Friday for having a conversation with the Seattle P-I in July, the employee said. The company told Nicholas Tides in the past week that he was being investigated and was not allowed to discuss allegations against him with any other Boeing employees, Tides said Friday after he was notified of his dismissal. On July 17, the P-I published an investigative report [1] revealing that Boeing had failed to prove that it could protect its computer systems against manipulation, theft and fraud. The problems were found during the course of audits mandated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, a 2002 law that requires public companies to ensure that they have such protections in place. Boeing has always maintained that it is compliant with the law and that its financial statements are accurate. It was in the context of the Sarbanes-Oxley story that Tides spoke with the P-I, but the newspaper would not confirm whether the report relied on any information from Tides. Also Friday, the P-I received an anonymous e-mail, with a subject line: "Boeing's hunt for SOX Whistleblowers." It said: "Computers are being surveilled, audit employees photographed from a distance, their activities video-taped. Multiple suspensions occurring this week. ... We're all under direct threat of firing, lawsuit, and criminal prosecution if we even mention this to each other." Tides, who said he was unaware of the e-mail message, worked as an information technology auditor in Boeing's St. Louis office. He gave the newspaper permission to report on his firing and said Friday that managers began to treat him badly after he raised ethics concerns within the company over how it was conducting its audits. He said that he has also reported some of those concerns to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the government body that regulates public companies. "Everyone who raises concerns is retaliated against," Tides said. "There's no way in the world that I expected to lose my job when all I am trying to do is save the company." At the time of the P-I report, a Boeing representative told the P-I that the company would focus on fixing problems, not retaliating against employees who raised concerns. A Boeing spokesman said Friday night that the company would not comment on personnel matters. "We have very clear policies and procedures regarding the release of information outside of the company. Our employees know what they are, and they are expected to follow them," said Tom Downey, Boeing's senior vice president for communication. The P-I spoke with dozens of employees and contractors before the July report was published. Many of them said they feared losing their jobs, but they believed that Boeing's information technology department was mishandling its Sarbanes-Oxley compliance effort. Tides, 36, said he has worked for Boeing for about three years and only recently joined the Sarbanes-Oxley compliance effort. He holds a master's degree in business administration and has worked in compliance for more than 10 years, he said. "I don't know how I'm going to pay my bills; I'm in this all by myself now," he said. "The last two years out of three I've been an 'exceeds expectations' employee." Immediately following the P-I report, some employees said they worried that Boeing would access their personal e-mail accounts. When asked whether Boeing investigators have read employees' private e-mails, Downey said, "Our company computing systems are the property of The Boeing Co., and our employees are very aware of their responsibilities in using their systems, and in their use they consent to using those assets properly." He also called the anonymous e-mail "speculation" and declined to comment on it. [1] http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/boeing/sox/index.asp __________________________________________________________________ CSI 2007 is the only conference that delivers a business-focused overview of enterprise security. It will convene 1,500+ delegates, 80 exhibitors and features 100+ sessions/seminars providing a roadmap for integrating policies and procedures with new tools and techniques. Register now for savings on conference fees and/or free exhibits admission. - www.csiannual.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.3 : Mon Oct 01 2007 - 01:49:24 PDT