Annual 'Bad Boss' Contest Underway on Working America Website

There's no shortage of bad bosses, but most of them aren't so bad that they'd tell you to keep on working after your learning that your mother just died. Unless you're Amy of Florida, one of the contenders in the annual Working America "My Bad Boss" contest.

Amy got the sad news via phone right before her shift started. She tried to work for a few minutes – maybe anticipating the lack of sympathy she'd get. When her emotions got the better of her, she told her boss what happened. And he told her, "Well there is nothing you can do now and you may as well stay." Later, facing suspension for taking bereavement time, Amy had to present her own birth certificate and her mother's death certificate.

Can your boss compete with Amy's? Submit your "bad boss" story online at www.workingamerica.org, the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO. You can also read the stories that workers across the country are submitting.

The contest runs through Aug. 19. First prize is a week's vacation at a condo in your choice of one of more than 50 countries, plus $1,000 toward airfare. A second-place winner will also get a week's vacation, with $500 toward expenses.