River City Hall: Investigations and their response

The latest news circulating around City Hall has to do with some unfolding events in relation to an inhouse investigation involving one of the city's departments. The news isn't about the investigation because this department isn't the only city department undergoing an investigation. However, it's what several former employees allegedly received in their mailboxes that has attracted some attention.





The SEIU Local 721 chapter for Riverside's city employees had been vocal about what's been going on in the city's workplace as long as it's been representing hundreds of city employees working in a variety of the city's departments.

However, courtesy of the mail system, several former city employees were greeted by a sheet of paper which stated the following. Apparently, they received it before they were set to be interviewed by attorneys retained by the city which was conducting its own investigation of whatever problems existed in the Parks and Recreation Department.



[All bold, italic enlarged fonts, grammatical and spelling anomalies are the author(s)'s. The words that are here in blue, were underlined in the original document]



The title of this lovely piece of literature was NEWS FLASH, which was underlined. The union chapter's newsletter uses that as its title.



"BE PREPARED FOR THE CONSEQUENCES"



The investigations have begun and employees (current & retired) need to be aware that their testimony is being tape recorded. Any false statements given can lead to termination for "dishonesty" and you (current & retired employees can be held financially responsible for libel with intent of malice in a court of law. This could potentially cost you thousands of dollars to retain an attorney to defend you against a lawsuit that could be brought against you. Your union will not defend you for "dishonesty/false testimony" or any "illegal" activity you are found to be guilty of.
YOU WILL BE ON YOUR OWN.

Furthermore, what the Union is not advising you is that all the disruption and hostilities that are currently plaguing the Parks Division is creating the "perfect recipe" to contract your jobs out. Currently, seventy five percent of parks maintenance is being done by Landscape Companies that are doing an excellent job. If you don't believe it, take a drive and visit some of the contracted parks, they are looking awesome. Thanks0 to the excellent oversight from the "Landscape Inspectors". Think about it, they mow and edge your parks, they clean the restrooms, they provide full service to over 18 parks, janitorial is contracted, swimming pools are contracted, ball fields are contracted, tree work is contracted. Get the picture.

Recently, SEIU Local 721 endorsed several City Council Members, however, other candidates running for office are "Pro-Contractor". The outcome is going to be interesting. Hopefully, the City Council does not catch wind of these hostilities which is costing the City thousands of dollars to resolve.

Don't give your jobs away! Protect your jobs by doing your job! Don't support those with personal agendas.

However, in the end if you lose your job, due to you supporting the "Ring Leader" you can be assured that he will give you a job making snowcones at Little League events.


"BE PREPARED FOR THE CONSEQUENCES"







Lovely reading, isn't it? As stated, the former employees who received these notices along with other current employees were set to be interviewed by attorneys hired by the city to do an investigation of alleged misconduct in the Parks and Recreation Department. The investigation began about three weeks after members of the SEIU union chapter held a "no confidence" vote involving one of the department's supervisors.



That vote took place after the Parks and Recreation Department apparently didn't act on the complaints received from its employees for nearly two months.



Has the city's management division responded in any way to what apparently amounts to intimidation tactics against its employees? And that is exactly what this action is, it's retaliation. It's basically stating that if employees in the Parks and Recreation Department tell their accounts of their working experiences to the city's own investigators then they will lose their jobs through increased privatization of their department.



In a newsletter put out by their union, one employee who's also a workplace steward, Frank Corral, said that the city had promised it wouldn't lash out at these employees in response to them filing their complaints.





(excerpt)





"...we've been given word that retaliation won't be tolerated. My attitude is, whatever happens, it can't get much worse, so why not stick together and tell it like it is."







That's the responsible thing to do and the right thing to do if employees are being harassed in or outside of their division by other city employees. It's very important to tell it like it is, but it doesn't appear that is what at least one unidentified person wants and he, she or they are making that clear. The employees shouldn't be punished for using the city's process for addressing grievances in the work place but punishment is exactly what they are being promised through the use of threats.



And the city's reaction to this chain of events? Has the city exercised what it promised through its word to city employees that retaliation would not be tolerated?



Not much of one at all but maybe that's because it doesn't perceive tactics such as this one in the workplace to be much of a problem at all. Maybe they just don't find sending an anonymous threat through the mail offensive behavior at all. The author(s) of this harassment piece remains unknown but one place to start looking would be at individuals who are working with the city's legal team given that the personal contact information involving the former city employees who received the threat would have been in its possession in order for it to contact these employees to come in for interviews.

If city employees current and former are being harassed and even threatened through the mail or other means to try to influence the information they give to investigators, then this is truly a disgraceful state of affairs in our city. Those connected with anyone who would do such a thing should be ashamed of themselves and any city resident who utilizes the services provided by these employees should be concerned that this disturbing incident is thoroughly investigated by the city. After all, as one employee stated, the city had promised that it wouldn't engage in retaliatory behavior.

The best way to prove that is to take threats against city employees seriously rather than ignoring them.

Anonymous people harass and threaten others because it gives them a sense of power and obviously in this case, someone or someones doesn't want this investigation to go forward and uncover what's going on in the working environment of the Parks and Recreation Department. A spotlight must be put on the responsible party(s) and say, enough. Take your abusive tactics, your threats and go back under your rock.

City residents should be showing their support to the hard-working, dedicated professionals who staff this important department. They should ask questions even as they attend forums dedicated to park issues as to whether or not these employees are being treated fairly and able to work in a climate free of fear, intimidation and harassment.


Elected officials who should have some clue to what's going on in the city's many departments but too often don't seem to, should be calling on their direct employee, the city manager to put some serious effort into determining who is responsible for trying to intimidate city employees from providing information for the ongoing investigation. They should take a step back from Riverside Renaissance and ask themselves, if the city's work force is working in environments that are not hostile because after all, without the city's work force, implementing Riverside Renaissance will be impossible.

Of course, the city council's response to the white washing done at City Hall and elsewhere involving the firing, demotion and "resignations" of Black and Latino employees was to give City Manager Brad Hudson a pay raise and tell him, job well done. This includes the city council members who are viewed as being "progressive" by community leaders and City Hall insiders in Riverside.

So perhaps if the workplace really is a place where employees get disciplined and threatened for speaking out, then under the current regime that will simply earn Hudson his next pay raise.

Still, this latest development has to go down as one of the more depressing in recent months. I'd say years, but the ongoing labor pains in this city keep setting that bar up higher and higher as I'm sure they will continue to do so in the months to come.






The Chicago Police Department which is already experiencing enough problems is left explaining to an outraged community why its officers have had two shootings in one week, according to the Associated Press.

Like in other places, both deaths including that from a taser were justified by the police department's representatives within hours of the incidents, yet both technically continue to be under investigation.



(excerpt)


The latest shooting prompted an angry crowd of more than 100 people to gather near the scene where the Cook County medical examiner's office said Aaron Harrison was killed by a gunshot wound to the back.

The incidents are under investigation, but police have said that it appears officers acted properly in both cases.

Referring to the Saturday death of Gefrey Johnson, Acting Police Superintendent Dana Starks said a preliminary investigation indicated the Taser use was justified. But he promised "a thorough, complete investigation."

Locke Bowman, legal director of the MacArthur Justice Center, was furious that police suggested the officers acted properly so early in the investigation.

"I just don't understand the tendency of this department to immediately circle the wagons, engage in blaming the victim and justifying the police actions before the facts are thoroughly investigated," he said. "It's crazy.




As for the department, it's got too many ongoing problems for one blog.






A developmentally disabled Latino man who was wrongly deported has finally been found in Mexico, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Pedro Guzman, 29, who is a citizen of the United States was arrested for trying to reenter the United States.


(excerpt)


Guzman, who cannot read or write, spent much of the 89 days in Baja, California, on foot, avoiding human contact, eating from garbage cans and bathing in rivers, family members said at an afternoon news conference at the ACLU's Los Angeles office. Guzman, who was said to be malnourished and afraid of people, remained at home in Lancaster with relatives.

"They didn't return me back my whole son," said his mother, Maria Carbajal, who broke down sobbing. "They returned half my son to me. He isn't normal."

Carbajal said Guzman tried to cross the border on several occasions but was turned away by U.S. officials. She said he had probably walked about 100 miles during his ordeal.


The federal government remains convinced that its agency, the ICE, filed proper procedures when handling Guzman's deportation. But they deported a citizen of this country based on a stereotype that is used to provide fuel for a practice called racial profiling.