A SPECIAL REPORT: WORKPLACE

SLIM PICKINS: For blue-collar workers, Orange County isn’t exactly the California dream. . . . Factory pay here averages $12 an hour, or just a couple pennies more than the statewide average, according to federal figures. Nationally, it’s $11.26 an hour. . . . The big bucks in California factory wages are in places like Oakland, $14.02 an hour, and San Jose, $14.36. The reason, experts say: Northern California is more heavily unionized.

Discrimination Complaints Up

The number of complaints of job and housing discrimination in Orange County.*

‘91: 933

* For fiscal year ending June 30.

Source: California Department of Fair Employment and Housing