Judge Rules Against Health Inspectors

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge Thursday forced hundreds of county health inspectors back into their cars to conduct health inspections, the latest twist in a bitter contract dispute that union officials warn could lead to an even larger job action against the county.

“I can assure you this decision is going to cause increased labor unrest,” attorney Sylvia E. Kellison told Judge Diane Wayne. Wayne revoked a temporary restraining order preventing the county from suspending inspectors who refuse to drive their vehicles.

Kellison, who represents the Los Angeles County Assn. of Environmental Health Inspectors, said the 320 members of the union will resume using their personal vehicles to drive to inspections, rather than face more suspensions.

But Kellison warned that the union consider’s Wayne’s decision a “disappointment,” not a setback. She said officials will consider appeals, and if necessary, sterner measures.

“This is not over,” she said. “We could do everything from informational picketing on up.”

Since the job action began, about 50 inspectors have been temporarily suspended for refusing to drive their cars to health inspections, prompting the union to obtain the temporary restraining order from Judge Robert O’Brien on Aug. 17.

Without cars, the inspectors had been bicycling, hopping public transportation and walking to inspect restaurants, markets and other locations since Aug. 10, when the job action began.

County health inspectors have had no increase in their 25 cents per mile mileage allotment for the past 13 years and no cost of living increase for the past three years. They have been without a contract since October, 1992.

On Thursday, union officials declared the talks had reached an impasse.

County negotiators said Thursday that they do not believe they are at an impasse. But Arturo Aguire, environmental health deputy overseeing the inspectors, said the union’s declaration of an impasse “is moving us to find some sort of resolution,” although he would not speculate on any changes in compensation offered by the county.