LIVE AT MOUNT, I AM EILEEN PARK.
BACK TO YOU.
JEFF: A MAN WHO SAYS HE BLEW THE
WHISTLE ON ASBESTOS IN A
PORTLAND APARTMENT COMPLEX, SAYS
HE WAS FIRED IN RETALIATION.
JENNIFER: WE'VE BEEN COVERING
THIS STORY SINCE SEPTEMBER,
FORMER EMPLOYEES AT THE COMMONS
AT SYLVAN HIGHLANDS COMPLEX SAY
TANDEM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT WAS
INVOLVED IN A COVER-UP OF
ASBESTOS.
OUR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
GABRIELLE KAROL HAS THIS
INTERVIEW YOU'LL SEE ONLY ON
KOIN 6.
GABRIELLE: JASON EATON TELLS ME
WAS PROMOTED MULTIPLE TIMES AND
GIVEN AWARDS OVER THE 3 YEARS HE
WORKED FOR TANDEM PROPERTY
MANAGEMENT, BUT HE SAYS HIS
TREATMENT CHANGED SUDDENLY,
AFTER HE DISCOVERED ASBESTOS ON
THE JOB.
NOT A LOT OF SLEEP IT'S BEEN
HARD.
I'M KIND OF RELIEVED THEY FIRED
ME, BECAUSE I MIGHT BE ABLE TO
GET SOME SLEEP NOW.
EATON SAYS HE HAS BEEN
MISTREATED ON A DAILY BASIS
SINCE HIS TEAM DISCOVERED A
WEIRD MATERIAL WHILE WORKING AT
THE COMMONS AT SYLVAN HIGHLANDS,
HE SAYS HE DIRECTED AN EMPLOYEE
TO GET THE MATERIAL TESTED FOR
ASBESTOS, HIS LAWYER SENT US A
COPY OF THAT TEST, WHICH CAME
BACK POSITIVE.
IT WAS WELL OVER THE LEGAL
EXPOSURE AMOUNT REQUIRED TO WHAT
WE COULD HAVE OR DEAL WITH OR
WORK WITH.
EATON SAID HE WAS FIRED
YESTERDAY, WHICH HE BELIEVES WAS
IN RETALIATION, A BUREAU OF
LABOR AND INDUSTRIES COMPLAINT
FILED BY ANOTHER FORMER EMPLOYEE
SAID THAT AFTER THE ASBESTOS WAS
REPORTED TO OSHA, A TANDEM
EXECUTIVE BEGAN TO BULLY AND
THREATEN EATON, CREATING A
STRESSFUL WORK ENVIRONMENT FOR
EATON AND THE REST OF THE STAFF.
THEY'RE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT
DOING THE RIGHT THING AND HAVING
INTEGRITY.
THAT IS WHAT I'VE DONE SINCE DAY
1 ABOUT THIS.
AND I SUFFERED BECAUSE I HAVE
INTEGRITY.
GABRIELLE: TANDEM PROPERTY
MANAGEMENT HAS NOT RESPONDED TO
OUR MULTIPLE REQUESTS FOR AN
INTERVIEW, THE DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TOLD ME
TANDEM WAS SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE
PROOF OF AN ASBESTOS SURVEY LAST
WEEK.
AT THIS POINT NO PROOF HAS BEEN
PROVIDED, BACK TO YOU.
JEFF: I KNOW YOU WILL KEEP US
UPDATED ON THIS STORY.
IF YOU HAVE A TIP FOR GABRIELLE