For the last year, CAPE has been in talks with the Department of Public Works Director Mark Pestrella on ending the practice of unnecessarily contracting out work in Building and Safety. The union has made great strides in this area, which has resulted in new jobs opening up and new members joining CAPE.
CAPE believes, based on strong evidence it has discovered, that the practice has become egregious, with contractors being hired on for years at a time. As a result, these contractors have taken on work normally assigned to DPW employees represented by CAPE. Additionally, these contractors have become basically long-term temp workers for the county.
The union’s efforts, led by CAPE’s board members from DPW, took an important turn late last summer when Director Pestrella, with the encouragement of Sup. Janice Hahn and Sup. Hilda Solis, agreed to terminate contract inspectors in Building and Safety and expedite hiring permanent employees in the Building Engineering Inspector classification. Although a formal agreement is not in place, the decision has resulted in several new hires by DPW and a bump in CAPE membership.
This issue is not just with Building and Safety. CAPE is monitoring the practice in other units/divisions and the departments where there are represented members. We will keep members updated on our continued negotiations.