My Bad Boss Contest

The "Bad Boss" Contest is sponsored by Working America, 815 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington DC 20006. Working America is the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO.

The Contest is open to residents of the United States, which includes the District of Columbia, its territories and possessions, who are 21 years of age or older at the time the Contest commences. Employees, officers, and directors (and their immediate family members and members of the same households, whether related or not) of Working America, Union Privilege or the AFL-CIO are not eligible to participate. The Contest is subject to all federal, state and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited by law or regulation.

Working America's "Bad Boss" contest invites workers to submit their worst boss stories online for the chance to win a much-needed vacation in the form of a seven night stay in a vacation condominium and a check for $1,000 which may be used toward airfare or other travel expenses. Visitors to the website can vote for the best (or worst) tales from the workplace. You can submit a story and vote on the best of them at http://workingamerica.org/badboss. Sponsor shall use its best efforts to protect the identity of both the contest Entrant and the "Bad Boss".

In order to enter the Contest, you must enter your name, email address, and full mailing address in the designated window http://www.workingamerica.org/badboss/?appState=enterstory. By providing your name and email address, you become a member of Working America and will receive email alerts to keep you informed on workers' issues; be able to vote online to help shape Working America's priorities; and be eligible to receive health savings and legal services available through Working America's association with the AFL-CIO and its Union Plus programs. Click here to read our privacy policy.

All Entrants must provide an alias that does not reveal their identity, which will be used in connection with their Contest entry. Although you are required to submit your name and email address to enter the Contest, and you have the option of submitting your address, occupation and employer, Sponsor will not disclose this information to any third party (except where required by law) and will not post the information on the Contest website or otherwise make the information public. Contest entries will display only the name alias you provide and your state, along with the text you enter, subject to editing by Working America staff as Working America deems appropriate. Sponsor will not disclose the identity of the employer about which you write, either on an individual or corporate level. In addition, all winners will be identified only by their alias and state. By entering the Contest, you grant Sponsor permission to use your alias, but not your real name, in connection with the Contest and the announcement of winners.

To enter the Contest, you must submit an essay of 500 words or less explaining why your (current or former) employer or supervisor qualifies as a Bad Boss. Essays must not include the name of the company or any personal names or other personal identifiers with the story. For legal reasons, essays including this information will be edited and/or not posted. Submit your essay online at http://www.workingamerica.org/badboss/?appState=enterstory. Essays can be submitted beginning at 12:00 PM EDT on Monday, June 27, 2011 and will be accepted until 11:59 AM EDT on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 ("Contest Period"). Working America's editorial staff will review all entries and may edit essays as the staff deems appropriate before posting to http://workingamerica.org/badboss. In the sole discretion of Working America's editorial staff, entries that do not follow these Rules, are deemed irrelevant, potentially libelous or inflammatory will not be posted. Essays must be based on your own personal experiences. There is a limit of one entry per person. Best efforts will be made to post essays online within 3 business days of their receipt, following review by Working America's editorial staff.

There will be two winners each week during the Contest Period and then three Grand Prize winners at the end of the Contest Period: (1) the People's Choice Grand Prize; (2) The Staff Pick Grand Prize; and (3) the Most Shared Online story Grand Prize. All of the People's Choice Weekly Winners will become semi-finalists eligible for the People's Choice Grand Prize.

Entrants are eligible for only one Grand Prize. The People's Choice Weekly Winners are eligible for the People's Choice Grand Prize only. If a story is both the winner of the Most Shared Online Story and the winner of the People Choice award, the second Most Shared Online Story will win the Most Shared Online Story Grand Prize. The winner of the People's Choice Grand Prize and the Most Shared Online Story Grand Prize are not eligible for the Staff Pick Grand Prize.

People's Choice Weekly Winners: Each week during the Contest Period, two entries will be selected as a "People's Choice Weekly Winner" by a vote of the general public. The People's Choice Weekly Winners will become eligible for the People's Choice Grand Prize. Essays that do not win a People's Choice Weekly Winner award will be submitted automatically into the following week's People's Choice Weekly Winner competition. Members of the general public can vote online for their favorite essay at http://workingamerica.org/badboss. The top two vote-getters each week will be the People's Choice Weekly Winners. In the event of a tie, the winner will be chosen in a random drawing from the qualifying pool of weekly winners. The first voting period will begin at 12:00 PM EDT on Monday, June 27, 2011 and end at 11:59 AM EDT on Wednesday July 6th, 2011. Each subsequent voting period will be held over a seven day period starting at 12:00PM EDT on Wednesday of each week during the contest and ending at 11:59AM on the following Wednesday.

The alias and state of the People's Choice Weekly Winner and the number of votes received will be available at http://workingamerica.org/badboss on the Saturday following the end of each voting period. Results may also be obtained by sending a written request to Working America, 815 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20006 Attn: "Bad Boss" Contest. People's Choice Weekly Winners will be notified by email and winners will also be posted at http://workingamerica.org/badboss.

People's Choice Grand Prize Winner: All People's Choice Weekly Winners will become eligible to win the People's Choice Grand Prize. Members of the general public can vote online (limited to one vote per story in a 24 hour period) for their favorite essay amongst all the People's Choice Weekly Winners at http://workingamerica.org/badboss. The top vote-getter will be the People's Choice Grand Prize Winner. In the event of a tie, the winner will be chosen in a random drawing from the qualifying pool of finalists. The voting period will begin 12:00PM EDT, Wednesday, July 20, 2011 and will end at 11:59AM EDT, Wednesday, July 27, 2011. The winner of the People's Choice Grand Prize will be based solely on the votes cast during the final voting period from July 20-July 27, 2011 without consideration of votes cast during the previous weekly semi-final contests. The alias and state of the People's Choice Grand Prize Winner will be available at http://workingamerica.org/badboss on August 2nd. Results may also be obtained by sending a written request to Working America, 815 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20006 Attn: "Bad Boss" Contest. The People's Choice Grand Prize Winner will be notified by email.

Staff Pick Grand Prize Winner: At the end of the Contest Period, one entry will be selected by the Working America staff as the "Staff Pick Grand Prize Winner". The Staff Pick Grand Prize Winner will be selected by Working America staff based on the following factors: uniqueness, outrageousness, humor, compellingness, and quality of the writing. The alias and state of the Staff Pick Grand Prize Winner will be available at http://workingamerica.org/badbosson August 2nd. Results may also be obtained by sending a written request to Working America, 815 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20006 Attn: "Bad Boss" Contest. The Staff Pick Grand Prize Winner will be notified by email.

Most Shared Online Story Grand Prize Winner: At the end of the Contest Period, one entry will be selected as the "Most Shared Online Story Grand Prize Winner" based on the highest number of times the Entrant's essay submission is shared during the Contest Period using the Bad Boss website Facebook sharing tool. The top essay that is most shared using the Bad Boss website Facebook sharing tool will be the Most Shared Online Story Grand Prize Winner. In the event of a tie, the winner will be chosen in a random drawing from the qualifying pool of finalists. The alias and state of the Most Shared Online Story Grand Prize Winner will be available at http://workingamerica.org/badboss on August 2nd. Results may also be obtained by sending a written request to Working America, 815 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20006 Attn: "Bad Boss" Contest. Most Shared Online Story Grand Prize Winner will be notified by email.

The alias and state of the winner of the Grand Prize in each category will be announced on the Working America website no later than August 2, 2011. The alias and state of the winners may also be obtained by sending a written request to Working America, 815 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20006, Attn: "Bad Boss" Contest.

The decisions of the Sponsor are final. All Grand Prize winners will be required to sign, notarize, and return an affidavit of eligibility and release, an I.R.S. Form W-9, and such other forms as the Sponsor may require within ten (10) business days of notification. Failure to comply within this time period may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

The real names of the Entrants and winners will not be made public by the Sponsor. Only alias names and the state will be made public by the Sponsor. Each Entrant agrees that, in connection with publicity surrounding the Contest, he or she will not publicly disclose, including to any media outlet, his or her identity, as well as the identity of the employer (either at an individual or corporate level) referenced in the Entrant's essay. All entries become the property of Working America and will not be returned. Entries may be used by Working America for any purpose without the permission of the Entrant or any consideration apart from participation in the Contest in accordance with these official Rules. Working America may, but is under no obligation to, verify the information set forth in an entry prior to publication. Working America may edit each entry, whether or not selected as a winner, and may republish it on the Working America website and in any other form.

Entrants are eligible for only one Grand Prize. The People's Choice Weekly Winners are eligible for the People's Choice Grand Prize only. If a story is both the winner of the Most Shared Online Story and the winner of the People Choice award, the second Most Shared Online Story will win the Most Shared Online Story Grand Prize. The winner of the People's Choice Grand Prize and the Most Shared Online Story Grand Prize are not eligible for the Staff Pick Grand Prize.

At the end of the Contest Period, the People's Choice Weekly Winners (with the exception of the People's Choice Grand Prize Winner) shall receive the following prizes as determined by the Sponsor: a "Bad Boss Survival Kit" consisting of a DVD with a bad boss theme; the album Union Town by Tom Morello / Nightwatchman; a We Are One button; a "Know Your Rights in the Workplace" flyer, "Ten Tips for Dealing with Bad Bosses," and a guide to forming a workplace union from Working America; and a Working America T-shirt.

Three Grand Prizes shall be awarded, as set forth in these official rules - one to the People's Choice Grand Prize winner, one to the Staff Pick Grand Prize winner, and one to the Most Shared Online Story Grand Prize winner. The Grand Prizes will consist of a certificate which may be redeemed for a seven night stay in a vacation condominium provided by Union Privilege and Trading Places International. The Grand Prize winners may choose the location of the condo where the certificate will apply from the designated Union Privilege website (additional properties not listed on the website may be available by calling Trading Places International at (800) 365-1048). Dates and locations are subject to availability and other restrictions may apply. In addition, Working America will provide the Grand Prize winners with a check for $1,000 which may be used toward airfare or other travel expenses. The retail value of the Grand Prizes is less than $2,500 per prize. The Grand Prizes must be claimed no later than August 31, 2011 and travel must occur by August 31, 2012. Prizes are not redeemable for cash. Prizes are not transferable and no substitutions are allowed except by the Sponsor, who reserves the right to award a prize of equal or greater value if the advertised prize is unavailable. Unclaimed prizes will not be awarded. All taxes and other expenses related to any prize are the responsibility of the prize winners.

Return of any prize/prize notification may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Any potential winner who does not respond by email or phone within ten business days of attempted first notification will forfeit his or her prize.

There is no cost to participate in the Contest. No purchase is necessary. A purchase will not increase your chance of winning.

In order to enter the Contest, you must agree to these Official Rules ("Rules"). The Rules consist of the terms and conditions in this document. Because these Rules form a legally binding agreement with respect to this Contest, please read them carefully. If you do not agree to the Rules, you are not eligible to participate in the Contest or to win any of the prizes. You agree that submission of an entry in the Contest constitutes your agreement to these Rules.

All entries must be submitted online. Use of automated devices are not valid for entry. All entries must include a valid e-mail address for the Entrant. In the event of a dispute as to the identity or eligibility of a winner based on an e-mail address, the winning entry will be declared made by the "Authorized Account Holder" [defined as the natural person who is assigned to the e-mail address by an Internet Access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.)] of the e-mail address submitted at the time of the entry.

Failure to comply with these Rules may result in your disqualification from the Contest. You further agree to comply with and be bound by the decisions of the judges, which are final and binding in all matters pertaining to the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any Entrant that it determines, in its sole discretion, to be: (1) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Contest; (2) violating the Rules; (3) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. Any false information provided within the context of the Contest by any Entrant, including but not limited to identity, postal address, ownership of rights or non-compliance with the Rules may result in the immediate disqualification of such Entrant from the Contest. Sponsor further reserves the right to disqualify any entry that it believes in its sole and unfettered discretion, infringes upon any third party right, violates any law, or otherwise does not comply with these Rules.

Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of these Rules, administration of the Contest or in the announcement of the prizes. Each Entrant certifies that his or her essay is original and that the Entrant is the sole and exclusive owner and rights holder of the submitted essay and that the Entrant has the right to submit the essay in the Contest. In addtion, each Entrant certifies that his or her essay does not contain any copyrighted material owned by a third party, or the logo or trademark of a company or other third party. Each Entrant agrees not to submit an essay in the Contest that might in any manner: (i) infringe any third-party proprietary, intellectual property, industrial property, personal rights or other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or confidentiality obligation; (2) be libelous, defamatory, obscene, abusive, harassing, threatening, unlawful or promote or encourage illegal activity; or (3) otherwise violate any applicable federal, state or local law.

By participating in the Contest you agree explicitly that all components of your essay are indeed original creations. Any intellectual property infringement, misuse or plagiarism of another's work in any form or state will result in immediate disqualification and forfeiture of eligibility to receive all awards, recognition and prizes. You also agree to allow Sponsor to make public statements regarding any disqualifications and any grounds for disqualification. You retain your intellectual property and industrial property rights in your essay submission and grant Sponsor permission to copy, distribute, publicly display, modify, sublicense and otherwise use your essay submission for any purpose worldwide and in any media, now known or hereinafter developed, including, without limitation, display on the Sponsor's website, without any attribution or compensation to you.

If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest, the Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest, and to disqualify any individual who tampers with the Contest. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for electronic transmission error resulting in any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. Sponsor is not responsible for problems or technical malfunction of any technical, network, telephone equipment, electronic, computer, hardware or software malfunctions or limitations of any kind, computer online systems, servers, providers, or computer equipment. Sponsor is not responsible for the failure of any email to be received by the Sponsor on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to Entrant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this Contest.

By participating in the Contest, each Entrant agrees to release and hold the Sponsor, Union Privilege and the AFL-CIO, as well as their officers, directors, employees, agents and contractors, harmless from any and all losses, damages, rights, claims and actions of any kind (including reasonable attorneys' fees) in connection with or resulting from participation in the Contest and/or acceptance, possession, or use of any prize(s) including, without limitation, personal injuries, death, property damages and any claims by third parties or otherwise based on publicity rights, defamation, copyright trademark, invasion of privacy, or any other violations of law relating to Entrant's contest submission. Entrants acknowledge that Sponsor is not responsible or liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to any Prize.

Any dispute that may arise hereunder shall be brought solely in the appropriate state or federal court sitting in Washington, D.C., and entrants consent to the personal jurisdiction and venue of such court.

If any provision(s) of these Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect.