Gas Co. Workers Stage One-Day Strike Against Use of Outside Contractors : Labor: Utility’s plan would replace up to 1,100 employees. More than 2,500 members of five unions turn out to protest.

Protesting a proposal by Southern California Gas Co. to replace up to 1,100 of its employees with outside contractors--a move they branded a threat to customer safety--five unions struck the utility Friday.

More than 2,500 union members packed a late-morning rally at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Later, they joined as many as 1,500 others, including supporters from other unions, in a march along 5th Street between the Gas Co. headquarters and the offices of Pacific Enterprises, the utility’s corporate parent.

The five unions, which represent more than 6,000 of the Gas Co.’s 9,200 employees, called for the utility to negotiate new labor contracts safeguarding the jobs of the existing work force.

The union employees have worked without a contact since July 1.

“This is not about wages. It’s about job security, employment . . . and the kind of service that’s going to be given to people,” said Linda Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the striking unions, which are led by the Utility Workers Union of America and the International Chemical Workers Union.

Union officials said they expect to set a new date for talks with the company next week. Gas Co. spokesman Ron Owens said no meeting has been scheduled.

The company said that 20% of union workers scheduled to report Friday morning showed up at work, augmenting 1,500 management employees. Owens said some routine service calls were postponed until Monday but that as of late Friday afternoon the utility had been able to handle all emergency calls.

The walkout was scheduled to end Friday at midnight.

Contract negotiations broke down in early August over plans by the Gas Co. to seek bids from outside contractors to perform such duties as reading meters and processing payments. Company officials are also interested in using outside contractors to augment the utility’s field service representatives in handling repair calls during peak business periods.

Where outside contractors can perform tasks more cheaply without undermining safety, the company said, it would try to work with the unions to find a way to match the lower cost with current Gas Co. personnel.

Failing that, the company said, it would retrain affected employees willing to move into other jobs and would offer others severance or early-retirement packages.

However, union leaders contend that the company’s move is an unfair labor practice that will trigger layoffs and squeeze workers currently receiving wages averaging about $35,000 a year.

“Contractors will come in with no benefits (for workers), and there’s no way we could compete against them,” said Harold Bailey, business manager for Local 132 of the Utility Workers.

The unions also say the Gas Co.’s proposal could jeopardize the safety of customers by replacing experienced employees with lesser-trained, lower-paid contract workers.

Company officials said they have used outside contractors for years and that such workers have performed their jobs--including pipeline installation--without undue problems.

In addition to the downtown picketing, demonstrations were held at other Gas Co. facilities around Southern California. One picket, Michael Jacob, a field mechanic at the Rim Forest office near Lake Arrowhead, suffered a compression fracture of the back when he was struck by a car.

He was taken to San Bernardino County Medical Center, where his condition Friday afternoon was listed as stable and good.