An Open Letter to the Citizens of Crestline

    This letter is in response to an article printed in a local paper July 19, 2012, when a Director of Crestline Sanitation District (CSD) was quoted as saying “I was disappointed the employees felt a need to be represented by a union” and a five percent raise was allotted for employees. Here is a little background for the community.

 When an initiative was put forth for CSD to become independent from the County, every employee was in agreement that the district would be better off.   All the employees contributed to purchase signs that were put up for the break away vote. We gave that money to the candidates running for directors in the event the ballot passed.

    After the ballot passed and CSD broke away from the County employees met with the new Board of Directors.  We asked questions about the future and the Board assured us salaries and benefits would remain the same and the future would be better. They told us they would deal fairly and in “good faith”. We thought this was good and as long as they were open and would deal fairly we did not need the representation by the San Bernardino Public Employees Association that we had.  So we stopped being represented. Presently, a rumor has been circulating that the directors wanted to lower our salary by an average of 200 dollars per pay period, we were perplexed.  This seemed incredible due to the fact that we are the lowest paid employees in our classifications anywhere on the mountain by an average of 20 %. Furthermore the District was putting about 1.3 million dollars into a reserve account bringing it up to about 8 million dollars! 

To date there have been no meetings between the Board and employees since the first one, only secrecy and behind the back planning.  We, the employees are not able to attend the meetings because they are at 3 o’clock in the afternoon and we get off at 4:30.  This and several other notions by the Board brought us to the realization that we needed to be represented.  We chose the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to represent us.  If IBEW representatives had not attended the Board meeting in May we would now be an average of 27 % below local agency pay scales for like classifications.

    Now the 5% offer. The 5 % referred to was put there to give the Board enough room to give increases to some classifications and not others. Some people who are 20 to 30 % below the average might get 9% while others might get 1% or nothing.  We have discussed this and feel it is fair to give an across the board increase to all employees. This keeps morale up and is fair to all. We only wanted a 3 ½% raise due to the increased cost of living.  We did not ask for a salary adjustment to bring us up to what other local agencies are paying. We only asked to be treated fairly and that has not happened.

    The employees of Crestline Sanitation District are a professional and dedicated group of highly skilled people, which 90% of whom live on the mountain. They solve problems that arise during everyday work and under the harsh conditions of mountain winter storms and some very adverse conditions.  The average length of employment is fourteen years for each employee.  The employees work here because we like it here, like the area, like the management and work well together as a very cohesive and able team.

    In closing, we would like to thank the citizens of Crestline for their support and encourage everyone to attend the Board meetings even though we know it is difficult due to the time of day they are scheduled.  You, the citizens of Crestline, are the ones that need to participate and take note of what is happening at these Board meetings because ultimately it is your money being spent. 

Thank you, The Employees of Crestline Sanitation District        










                                                                                                                

March to Support Employee Free Choice Act

Hundreds marched today from the Los Angeles Federation of Labor Headquarters to the Wilshire Federal Building in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. The weather cooperated in the beginning of the march but then rain fell toward the end of the 10 plus mile journey. Workers from all different trades and industries joined together to voice their enthusiastic support for the much needed legislation.

Another Grim Holiday for Workers at Circuit City

Circuit City is filing for bankruptcy. This should surprise no one. The beleaguered electronics retailer recently announced they are closing more than 150 stores and laying off thousands of workers just before the Holidays. How many? Over 7,000 workers will find themselves without a job by Christmas. More cuts are expected to be announced as the reality of the situation unfolds. 

You may recall that last year around this same time I participated in a boycott against Circuit City in protest of management firing 3,400 top salespeople. They would allow them to return after 10 weeks (The holidays) to reapply for their former position at lower pay. The decision by management was an incredible insult to the workers and one that will go down in history as a mean spirited dismal failure. 

Circuit City was never able to recover from managements blunder instead their sales plummeted, customer satisfaction suffered and their reputation for not caring about employees persists. 

In the last 12 months customers have complained about returns not being accepted and  store warrantees not being honored. Store warranties are a lucrative part of any electronics retailer business model. With experienced salespeople replaced with less experienced sales staff, sales of the warranties collapsed. 

The stock market and slowing economy dealt a final blow leaving management no choice but to capitulate. Sales this holiday season are expected to be the lowest they’ve been in decades. The problems are likely to spread to other companies like Hewlett Packard which is owed more than a 100 million dollars by the retailer. The value of commercial properties owned by Circuit City has also dropped.  

Presidential Address Marks Panic

Munching on Bagel-Bites and tator tots we watched what just might be the most historic primetime address by the worst president of all time. 

George W. Bush looked nervous; almost in a panic as he stared into the teleprompter reading his canned lines. His forehead and nose were crinkled like a guy on a sunny beach with no sunglasses. 

Bush accepted zero responsibility for eight years of runaway spending and wholesale deregulation of financial markets. There was no apology. He blamed you the American worker for purchasing homes you could not afford. He blamed faulty lending rules and greedy mortgage bankers. Everyone is to blame it seems but his administration. 

He issued dire warnings about what could happen in the coming weeks to American workers if his plan was not put in place.  “The entire economy is in danger right now,” he warned. “Millions of Americans could lose their jobs.”  Money market funds could evaporate, banks could stop lending, stocks could tumble, the value of your house could disappear, seniors stand to lose everything they have, unless that is………. you give 700 billion dollars to one man with the power to do with it as he sees fit, with no oversight.  That’s his plan. No really. That’s his plan. I’m not making this up….. 

This was not the cocky, angry George W. Bush we’ve all come to expect. This was a tense Bush, with out something to fall back on like “patriotism” or “the war on terror.” “The market is not functioning properly” he added. “Not passing this emergency plan would cost more later.”  

More than 700 billion dollars? I doubt it. 

This is the same guy who warned us about the weapons of mass destruction. The same guy who told us the energy spikes in the weeks before the Enron scandal were caused by California not building enough power plants. The same guy who said, “You’re doing a heck of a job Brownie.” Either he’s the boy who cried wolf or the emperor with no clothes. Either way, you can’t trust him. 

2 Million Dollars Recovered for Workers

The Los Angeles Unified School District Work Preservation Group announced $2,000,000.00 in back wages were collected so far this year for workers and $800,000.00 in penalties were paid by contractors who cheated their employees. Over 465 cases were closed and an additional 400 cases are still pending. The Joint Compliance Monitoring Program allows volunteers access to prevailing wage school projects for the purpose of conducting compliance interviews. The district provides identification badges to authorized persons for activities related to the enforcement of the payment of prevailing wage rates. Representatives of the LA/OC Building & Construction Trade Council, Dept. of Labor Standards Enforcement, and Labor Compliance Dept. acknowledged the hard work of the union volunteers. Several unions have participated in the program over the years including the electricians, laborers, carpenters, painters and ironworkers.

Huge Turn Out for LA Workers

Thousands of unionists showed their support for LA’s workers by attending the Hollywood to the Docks March and Rally. Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary–Treasurer of the LA County Federation of Labor addressed the crowd at the kickoff rally on the lawn of the La Brea Tar Pits. After all the politicians and Labor leaders gave their presentations the march began. The ILWU Drill Team who traveled from San Francisco led the march. The East side of Wilshire Blvd. was blocked off by police to accommodate the large crowds of marchers. The first stop was the intersection of Wilshire and Western in front of the historic Wiltern Theatre. Over a thousand SEIU volunteers all wearing their purple t-shirts joined up with the crowd. A flat bed truck with sound equipment was used as a make shift stage. Politicians like Mark Ridley Thomas and others pledged their support for the workers. Spanish radio talk show host El Cucuy broadcast interviews with the workers by cell phone and later gave a rousing speech (in Spanish of course). The next leg of the journey ended at a church basement where a delicious lunch was served. Daniel Villao, Council Representative of the LA/OC Building Trades Council thanked the group for their dedication to workers throughout Los Angeles. The march will continue through Thursday and will conclude with a rally in San Pedro.

EWMC Community Day

Here is a video showing work performed by EWMC volunteers in the San Fernando Valley. Members came from all over the country to participate in the EWMC Conference in Los Angeles. Thursday was designated as Community Day. With some 160 participants performing gardening, clean up, painting and other work to help kids.

EWMC Conference in LA

The 8th Annual Electrical Workers Minority Conference was held at the Sheraton Universal this weekend. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaigosa, IBEW President Edwin Hill, AFL-CIO Organizer Eddie Acosta and others were speakers at the event. The theme for this year’s conference was “Building Power to Make the Dream a Reality.” On Thursday EWMC Members volunteered at local schools throughout the San Fernando Valley. Volunteers painted classrooms, planted shrubbery, and performed various labor to help beautify the community.

You Heard It Here First

On June 10th in a blog post entitled “The End of Journey?” I alerted readers about rumors of Journey Electrical Technologies, Inc. having financial troubles. Contacts at wholesale houses said large sums of money were allegedly owed suppliers so future deliveries would only be made C.O.D. I spoke to the workers on the job sites. For the most part the workers seemed unconcerned, which didn’t surprise me. I’ve seen this happen before. The workers are always the last to know. They said, “That’s old news” and “our foreman says everything is fine”.

Bounced checks were just “accounting errors”.

Trailers recalled to the shop meant “they’re making repairs”.

Lack of material just meant “everyone has to make due”, etc……

Well apparently everything wasn’t “fine”. Industry insiders say that as many as 200 employees were told Friday that they no longer have a job with Journey.

Remember- you heard it here first.

Bad Bosses Beware!

There are some great websites dedicated to bad bosses and they’ve been getting a lot of press lately. Take for instance the AFL-CIO’s Bad Boss Contest where workers are encouraged to tell their horror stories. Participants win trips and other great prizes, but more importantly empower themselves by sharing their stories. Do you have a bad boss? Go ahead and tell your story. It may make you feel better.

Schwarzenegger to Take Away Workers Lunch Breaks

Conservative lawmakers are at it again, launching more attacks against workers over the issue of lunch breaks. If it seems like we just went through this scenario a few years ago, you are right. Similar attacks in 2004 and 2005 were deflected when outraged union members stood up to powerful industry lobbyists. At that time the Governor and his cronies were forced to withdraw their anti-worker proposals. You can help stop their latest attack by writing a letter to:

The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
PO Box 420603
San Francisco, CA 94142

Let the DLSE know that California workers will not be denied their lunch breaks and that employers who refuse to provide time for a lunch break should be forced to compensate workers with overtime pay.

Wal-Mart Workers Owed Back Pay

I read with interest the Reuters story by Nichola Groom and Brad Dorfman about Wal-Mart repaying nearly $4,000,000.00 to employees in California for “underpaid overtime”. Of course the employee’s weren’t overpaid. Would that ever happen at Wal-Mart?

The giant retailer was charged nearly $200,000.00 in penalties. That’s a pretty big fine, but to a monster like Wal-Mart it’s a slap on the wrist.

The story was really disappointing. Groom and Dorfman let Wal-Mart off the hook without even one opposing view sited. It reads like a Wal-Mart press release. In fact, I would guess that they probably read a press release and said to themselves, “let’s just use this and call it a day”. The least these two crack reporters could do is track down a few Wal-Mart workers and ask their opinion. Here’s a short list of questions they might want to consider next time:

For Angela Bradstreet, Labor Commissioner

• When you say “out of compliance”, you mean” breaking the law” right?


• Did Wal-Mart underpay their workers on purpose? (I know the answer to this one)

For John Smiley, Wal-Mart Representative

• Why should the public believe anything you say?


• Were any top-executives underpaid? (I know the answer to this one too)

To the Wal-Mart workers

• Were you aware that you were underpaid for overtime?


• Do you think Wal-Mart underpaid you on purpose?


• Did you ever discuss these problems with your supervisors or coworkers?


• Do you feel this is a fair settlement?


• Do you think this will have any effect on how Wal-Mart does business in the future?


• How has being underpaid affected your quality of life?

What questions would you like to see asked? Do you think the penalty was enough to discourage Wal-Mart from underpaying workers in the future?

Nonunion Retirement Crisis

In 2006 just 14% of nonunion workers in America had employer provided pension coverage. When you compare this with the 68% of union workers it’s not hard to see how one decision can make a world of difference in a person’s life. More and more employers are shifting the burden of retirement to employees. With the Bush administration pushing for the replacement of traditional pension plans with self directed 401K plans, you have to wonder, “What will happen to the workers who outlive their retirement savings?” Will nonunion workers be forced to work additional years? How does such a move affect the quality of a person’s life?



A recent study out of Boston College showed that 401K plans return less on investments than traditional pension plans. Are studies like these going unnoticed by workers at so called “merit-shops?” There’s a blog post on the AFL-CIO website written by Tula Connell entitled, A Key Solution to America’s Shrinking Middle Class: Union Membership. I would recommend that anyone considering working for a nonunion employer especially in the construction industry, read this article before making such a decision. All too often, people put off planning for their retirement until it's too late.

Paltry Minimum Wage Increase for U.S. Workers

Workers in America should be up in arms over the paltry minimum wage increase passed by Congress today. Only $5.85 per hour up from $5.15 per hour at a time when gas is over $3.00 a gallon is just plain cruel. The minimum wage should be at least $10.00 per hour. Minimum wage workers today are stuck in a vicious cycle of hopelessness and poverty perpetuated by Republican members of Congress. The Republicans blocked increases every step of the way for ten long years and they need to be held accountable. Many states have long given up on the federal government to step up to the plate and set a decent minimum wage. Some states have taken it upon themselves to pass increases over and above the federal level because those leaders realize that like the saying goes, “an injury to one is an injury to all.”

I find myself asking the same question day after day, “What happened to this country?”

Online Workers of the World Unite!

The plight of the online workers of the World took center stage recently with a story by Julian Dibbell of the New York Times Magazine. In the story Dibbell describes the working conditions of the exploited Chinese workers known as “Gold Farmers” hired to play video games in horrendous sweatshop like conditions for slave wages. Watch a video highlight here. It brought bloggers like Shai Sachs and Zack Exley to ask the question. “Could a labor union or guild be formed to help the exploited workers?” What form would it take? The limitations of such an idea are obvious of course. What do you think? Is any existing labor organization ready to take on such a challenge?

Lawsuit by Fired Circuit City Workers

The lawsuit against Circuit City by three of the fired employees alleges age discrimination. It makes since that workers with greater lengths of service were likely the highest paid and probably older workers as well.

What kind of a slimy management team would do that? Firing 3,400 employees “allowing” them to reapply after 10 weeks for their former position at lower pay is such an insult. Morale must be at an all time low at Circuit City.

I will never shop at Circuit City again.

Will you?