Imagine getting accepted for a good paying job in a large company where there is plenty of advancement. Emil Stache felt very fortunate when he was hired, with good pay, at a company making electronic relays. The relays were used in everything from ignition systems for starting cars to room thermostats for turning on the furnace. Many of the contracts were for the government.
The name of the company was Teledyne. His job was in quality control.
It wasn't long before he realized something was wrong. A large quantity of product that he tested was not passing the specifications set by the government. Even with his reports saying this, they were still being sent out as good product.
He had a dilemma: How do you get the employer to accept the fact that the products are defective without losing your job? When Emil told his supervisors, they said they would handle it. When nothing was done, he requested to talk to the president, with no luck.
After agonizing over the situation, Emil came up with a plan. Without identifying these products as being for the U.S. government, Emil recorded the product as defective. The person who received the information did not realize who the product was for, sending it through to have the product pulled and have the problems fixed. Because of this, the government had to be notified about the unsatisfactory product. This would reflect badly on the company when it came to getting new government contracts.
Emil was in trouble now.
This is only one of the stories in the Giant Killers by Henry Scammell (call number 347.7353 SCA).
c Waterloo Public Library 2007
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