United Way Chief Says He’s Unaware of Any Coercion

The president of the United Way of Los Angeles said Monday that he is personally unaware of incidents of arm-twisting by Los Angeles County officials in raising funds for the charity organization. But the president, Leo Cornelius, expressed concern that allegations of county government coercion raised in a lawsuit filed by several county employees could have a “critical” impact on the United Way’s fund-raising efforts.

Cornelius said that the United Way’s philosophy is that all donations should be given in the spirit of volunteerism. He added that statements detailing the organization’s policy were forwarded to the county for distribution to its top managers after the lawsuit was filed late last month.

In part, the statement stresses that giving should be “an enjoyable and personal experience.”

Last week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order instructing the county to make clear to its 80,000 employees that they will not be punished for failing to contribute to the United Way or the Brotherhood Crusade. The judge also temporarily barred the county from evaluating its administrators on the level of donations given by their employees.

Judge Abby Soven scheduled another hearing for Nov. 2 on the alleged practices as well as on a request from the employees that the county no longer be allowed to solicit contributions during work-time. Cornelius said the United Way applauded the judge’s initial ruling because it believes donations should be voluntary but he added that the organization would be devastated if Soven halted workplace solicitations.

In the lawsuit, the employees charge that pressure to contribute comes from top managers concerned that their promotions and pay hikes will be pegged to the level of support their subordinates give to the charities. The suit contains no allegations against the United Way or Brotherhood Crusade.

Cornelius said in an interview Monday that in his own visits to county-run solicitation rallies, “the spirit has been very positive, very democratized.”

But he added that he is concerned about the impact on United Way if people feel coerced, or if solicitors are worried that they might be accused of harassment.

“My concern is people would say, ‘Why should I bother to be involved if someone is going to accuse me of trying to sell them on something?’ ” Cornelius said.

“I think it is so critical that the community should stand on guard against any kind of arm-twisting or any kind of hard-selling or persuading. That’s something we should not tolerate.”

County employees represented the largest single account for the United Way in last year’s campaign, giving $1.9 million.