27 County Road Inspectors Stage Sickout : Six Other Inspectors in Wage Dispute Begin Work Slowdown

At least 27 county inspectors who monitor road construction projects staged a sickout Tuesday, continuing a series of job actions over the last month aimed at loosening the purse strings of the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Combined with about 11 inspectors who were on previously scheduled time off, the sickout left the inspectors’ office with just two of its 40 regular staff members to perform quality-control inspections, said Wendell L. Hartman, manager of the construction division for the county Environmental Management Agency (EMA).

Hartman said the exact impact of the sickout was unclear, but he added that there were delays in county road construction.

In at least one case, a paving contractor was forced to send his crew home for the day because they could not continue working until an inspection was conducted, he said.

Also Tuesday, the county’s staff of six inspectors who check construction of food-service areas, such as restaurant kitchens and grocery stores, began a work slowdown, doing their jobs precisely by the book.

John Sawyer, general manager of the Orange County Employees Assn. (OCEA), which represents the inspectors, said the union has been supportive of the work slowdowns but not the sickout.

Actions such as sickouts or strikes can be counterproductive to the union, he said, but the sickout by road inspectors, which was conducted independently of the union, reflected the frustration that members feel about the slow progress of the talks.

The county’s building inspectors, who are also OCEA members, began a similar work slowdown last week. All three groups of inspectors have complained of being asked to do cursory inspections because they are overworked and understaffed. They are also seeking more wages.

“We don’t want to see an unsafe or unhealthy situation exist because we’ve been too rushed,” said Eunice A. Hale, an environmental health sanitarian who has worked for the county for five years.

OCEA is one of eight unions representing county employees who have been working without contracts since early July. The county contends that in one of its tightest budget years ever, it is unable to afford significant wage increases.

The other unions include sheriff’s deputies, county firefighters, clerical workers, welfare clerks, mechanics, technicians and heavy machinery operators.

During the last month, at least four county employee unions have conducted about a half-dozen job actions.

OCEA, which represents 6,500 county employees, has continued to meet with county negotiators. Its next scheduled meeting is Sept. 16.