Jobs and Labor

UCI Medical Center Patient Care Worker Strike Day Two: "We're Taking Care of the Patients We Need to Take Care Of:" Update

See Update No. 2 on page 2 about employee absenteeism being up significantly but surgeries only being slightly down, with UCI Medical Center officials vowing, "We're taking care of the patients we need to take care of." Update No. 1 on the next page has UC official claiming the two-day strike of pat ... More >>

Michael D. Drobot-Owned Pacific Hospital and Pharmacy Raided by Feds Suspecting Fraud

Federal agents recently raided Industrial Pharmacy Management LLC in Newport Beach and Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, which are companies owned by Michael D. Drobot, who is suspected of workers compensation fraud.A sealed grand jury affidavit cleared the way for last week's searches by FBI, I ... More >>

Lionheart

Chain Reaction

Appeals Court Publishes Costa Mesa Ruling That Bans Cities From Outsourcing Jobs

A three-judge Fourth District Court of Appeals panel has published a ruling that prohibits general law cities in California from laying off city workers by outsourcing their jobs to private sector companies. The ruling, which was issued Aug. 17, prevented the city of Costa Mesa from laying off 200 e ... More >>

Job Fair Seeks to Help Returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans in Dire Need of Work

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan seem to have dragged on forever, but a California job fair aimed at veterans of those and other conflicts is only in its fifth year. "Honor a Hero, Hire a Vet," an initiative begun under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and continued by Gov. Jerry Brown, holds a free job f ... More >>

David Paul Holden of EDD Anaheim Guilty of Swapping Unemployment Checks for Bribes

A former worker at the Anaheim office of the Employment Development Department, the state jobs agency, has pleaded guilty to accepting more than $40,000 bribes in exchange for issuing more than $500,000 in unemployment checks. David Paul Holden copped Friday to conspiracy and bribery, according to ... More >>

Devon Lynn Kile, Real Housewives Wannabe, Won't Be Trading Pradas for Prison Garb

​When Laguna Hills roofing contractor Michael Vincent Petronella was convicted for one of the largest known frauds of its kind in California history, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas famously said, "Cheaters who defraud the system will be trading in their Pradas for prison garb." Su ... More >>

Newport Beach Hotel Company Dishes Out $132k for Firing of Front Desk Clerk with Autism

​Comfort Suites and its parent company Tarsadia Hotels of Newport Beach have agreed to pay $132,500 to settle a discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of an autistic front desk clerk who was fired.The companies must also change its employment p ... More >>

Orange County Labor Federation Keeps Protests Rolling

OC Labor Federation Official Flickr​The Register has reported yet another protest against the banking industry was held at the Chase branch located on Lincoln Ave. and Harbor Blvd. in Anaheim yesterday. The group of approximately 75 people, organized by the Orange County Labor Federation, rallied ... More >>

Aqua Tri, Irvine Pool Supply Company, Pays Nearly Half a Mil to Settle Latinas' Sexual Harassment Suit

​Aqua Tri has agreed to pay nearly half a million dollars to settle a federal lawsuit that accused two supervisors at the Irvine pool supply company of sexually harassing eight Latina workers, retaliating when the women sought to end it and forcing some out of their jobs, the U.S. Equal Employment ... More >>

[UPDATED: Tentative Agreement Reached] UFCW Cancels Grocery Contract, Removes Final Barrier To Strike

UPDATE, SEPT. 19, 11:50 A.M.: After an lengthy session that extended well past the end of the union's declared cutoff time, negotiators have announced that they have reached a preliminary agreement with the grocery stores; it looks like the strike is off for now, pending a vote by the union members. ... More >>

[UPDATED with Pact Ratified:] Strike Count at Angel Stadium is 1-1 as One Union Approves Contract

​UPDATED, SEPT. 14, 10:41 A.M.: Members of the union that represents 400 stadium ushers, janitors, ticket takers and ticket sellers voted to ratify a new contract with the Angels, averting a strike as the Major League Baseball season nears the end. The Angels had sought a wage freeze for those wor ... More >>

Pawnshop Kings

Commonwealth Lounge

Costa Mesa Layoffs May Not Happen As Soon As Anticipated, Judge Tells City To Wait For Civil Trial

​Finally, the Costa Mesa employees who got layoff notices earlier this year have caught a break--or at least a reprieve. Joseph Serna of The Daily Pilot reports that an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled today that the city cannot lay off employees and outsource their jobs to private co ... More >>

[UPDATED with John and Ken Counterprotest:] Pissed-Off Teachers, Parents, Principals, School Staffers and Trustees Protest

​UPDATE, MAY 12, 1:48 P.M.: Our original post previewing what became a large protest by Orange County parents, teachers, administrators, education professionals and school-board members at Assemblyman Chris Norby's Fullerton office Monday. That post also mentioned a rally at 4 p.m. today by North ... More >>

Five Union Songs for Wiscosin Workers

​In Wisconsin, a bill stripping public unions of most collective bargaining rights awaits the signature of Republican Governor Scott Walker. It's the latest phase in an ongoing legislative saga that intensified a month ago when all 14 Democratic state Senators fled to Illinois to prevent quorum on ... More >>

OC Legislators Seek Pension Reform, Attack Collective Bargaining in California

​With union-backed Democrats holding the governor's office and both houses of the California Legislature, it's unlikely collective bargaining for public employees will be torpedoed or pension-ending reform will be enacted.But, God bless 'em, three Orange County Republicans are going to try to acco ... More >>

[UPDATED/CLARIFIED] OCTA's Will Kempton and Irvine Ranch Water's Paul D. Jones II (and Santa Margarita Water's John J. Schatz) Top Special-District Executive Salaries List

OCTAKempton​UPDATE/CLARIFICATION, FEB. 4, 9:23 A.M.: The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) clarified for the Weekly why its CEO Will Kempton lands at the No. 2 spot on a state-compiled list of top executive salaries from California special districts.It's not Kempton's salary, the OCTA ... More >>

Ray Bailey Trio

Rainbow Harbor

¡Ask a Comida Critic! A Good Mexican-American Restaurant in Anaheim?

​Someone asked this weeks ago; I just got to this today, too late to help the lady. Sorry, Hiromi :-(My boss wants to eat at a good Mexican-American restaurant in Anaheim. Any recommendations?Little-known secret about Anaheim, our county's finest dining town: it's the county's best place for Mexic ... More >>

Orange County Register Confirms to its Readers School Salary Database is on the Way

​The Orange County Register today confirmed for its readers what we had already told our readers last month: that the Santa Ana daily intends to publish the names, work locations and salaries of employees at 27 local school districts and the county Department of Education.That would involve 72,000 ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

John X. Vach, LAPD Detective and Costa Mesa Tow Firm Owner, Up on Fraud, Theft Charges

​A Los Angeles Police Department detective who owns a Costa Mesa towing business is up on charges of workers compensation fraud, perjury, and attempted grand theft.John X. Vach, a 15-year LAPD veteran who is now on paid administrative leave, is accused of having filed a fraudulent medical claim in ... More >>

Boss Mike Harrah

[Moxley Confidential] Santa Ana sends a message to One Broadway Plaza's developer: Anything you say, sir

[UPDATED:] Port's Marine Clerks Strike

​UPDATE: As feared, unionized marine clerks working at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach went on strike early today (updates throughout) . . . Unionized marine clerks working at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach went on strike just minutes after their contract with a consortium of 14 ... More >>

UC Workers Union Ask Commencement Speakers to Boycott Their Own Speeches--Time to Call Gustavo a Scab!

​A couple of weeks ago, I was at a backyard party in SanTana (no, not that type of party) when a gentleman sat down with me and talked for about 20 minutes. I had met him before but found out then that he was a representative for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (A ... More >>

Up In Smoke

Art Theatre

Workers Rally to Save Jobs of Live Emergency Dispatchers

​Before this evening's Santa Ana City Council meeting, union workers will stage a rally in front of City Hall to draw attention to layoffs they claim will lead to 9-1-1 emergency calls being answered by an electronic menu rather than a live dispatcher.

Goodbye, Uncle Teddy: Politicos Strip Out of Power Suits

At a brief press conference today, Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang, Fountain Valley Mayor Guy Corrozzo and other community leaders will talk about stripping out of their suits. No, this is not to honor randy Ted Kennedy. It's the official launch of the second annual Men's Wearhouse National ... More >>

Source: 5% Across the Board Pay Cut for All Register Employees [UPDATED]

UPDATED WITH CONFIRMATION, DETAILS FROM REGISTER REPORT...It will be was announced today that all Orange County Register employees will be subjected to a 5 percent pay cut, an insider tells the Weekly. effective July 13.This comes on top of mandatory employee furloughs--or unpaid, one-week vacations ... More >>

Susan Kang Schroeder Fires Back At Angry OC Deputies

Jack, Morgan, Susan & Mike"Ahhhh . . . Wayne is a friend who is just doing his job as a passionate union leader. I know at the end of the day, we have the same goal--to make Orange County law enforcement better. Cases such as the Chamberlain jail beating murder, OCSD Deputy Gerald Stenger child ... More >>

Work-at-Home Scams Draw FBI Attention

Hot on the heels of the Welcome to the Poorhouse post that included shady work-at-home offers in the email inbox, the FBI posted a story today warning of the same. (Note to self: when Clockwork and the G-Men are in sync, time to weatherproof against frogs falling from the sky.)The FBI expands its wa ... More >>

Pissed-Off Teachers Can Really Stop Traffic

California law mandates that school districts notify teachers and administrators about possible layoffs for the following school year by a certain date. This year's deadline is Sunday and, facing uncertain financial futures, many districts are issuing pink slips. Once the numbers are crunched, many ... More >>

Times OC Takes Another Big Hit

Los Angeles Times management has laid off two more veteran reporters in its already-decimated Orange County bureau, according to Times sources. The latest to leave will be Gil Reza and Christian Berthelsen, two outstanding veterans with long lists of accomplishments. Amazingly, the Times OC edito ... More >>

"Confusion" at Register over buyouts

"Breaking" news in its "Newspaper Deathwatch" category: Media Bistro reports Orange County Register employees are unsure whether to take the buyout currently being offered or risk having future buyout offers lowered: Nervous staffers at the Orange County Register had been considered asking for vol ... More >>

OC Reg Will Outsource to New Delhi

Late yesterday the AP confirmed news that Nick Schou broke last week right here on our blog: the paper has taken the layoff model to another level and will now outsource some of its editing and layout duties to a "global media" company near New Delhi. With the last round of layoffs knocking 90 pe ... More >>

The future of journalism is now! And the future is sexy, illiterate and cost-cutting.

Today came the announcement of two major developments in the world of Southland journalism. One announcement is superbad and the other superfresh awesome. So which do you want first? Well, the good's so good, you'll probably forget the bad so long as you hear the good last, so here's the bad. Deep b ... More >>

Sisterly Concern

UFW legend Dolores Huerta wonders why her old friends who run the St. Joseph's hospitals have turned on their own workers

Beach Break: Striking distance

Well, they're still at it. Negotiations between the Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles' unionized office clerical (OCU) workers and shippers and marine terminal operators that were supposed to end in a strike at midnight if an agreement was not reached. But they are still going! You gotta love it wh ... More >>

Register One Step From Layoffs

To prevent layoffs on the heels of a sharp decline in advertising revenue, Freedom Communications--the parent company of The Orange County Register--today offered voluntary severance packages to employees, according to sources. "If not enough people opt out, then there will be layoffs," a veteran o ... More >>

Minimum Wage NO! Slavery YES!

First off, behold the new look of the UC Irvine student newspaper New University's website. Much improved. Second, take a gander at Linda Domingo's story on social science professor David Neumark's recent address to the all-new Social Science Dinner Club gathered in the University Club. Neumark esse ... More >>

Putting the Right in Civil Rights

Charlie Savage, the excellent Boston Globe reporter who broke the story of President Bush's governing-by-presidential-signing-statement trick, brings us more disturbing news. The Bush administration is quietly remaking the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, filling the permanent ranks with ... More >>

Backing Up The Troops

Nursing A Grudge

Nader Says Health Care Has New Enemy: Big Labor

Here & Now

How a two-year organizing campaign helped destroy Anaheims hotel workers union

Survey Says: Youre Screwed!

Former Reg reporter alleges she was fired for her remarks in a confidential management survey

More Freebies for the Rich

Garden Grove bends over for hotel developer, gives workers the shaft

A Big Disaster

Irvine high-tech firm snuffs extreme-sports' Bluetorch.com

Those Picket Signs?

At UCI, they're likely to return

For Whom the Tolls Rose

Toll-road bosses want big raises--and they want you to keep your big mouth shut