Post by crudo on Nov 3, 2006 13:15:29 GMT -5
Election office worries about strike
San Joaquin official wants judge to order workers to stay on job
By INGA MILLER
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: November 3, 2006, 05:05:28 AM PST
With the election four days away and San Joaquin County workers on the verge of walking out, election chief Deborah Hench wants a judge to order employees to stay on the job in the event of a strike.
Roughly 60 temporary and permanent election employees, who do everything from checking voter registrations to processing ballots, are among 5,300 county workers whose contract expired at midnight Tuesday.
The Service Employees International Union Local 790 has said it will strike if it doesn't reach an agreement with the county by midnight.
As of Thursday afternoon, Hench said she hadn't received assurances from the union that it would spare her office.
The request for a temporary restraining order is scheduled to go before a San Joaquin County Superior Court judge this morning, said Deputy County Counsel Jason R. Morrish.
"We have to go before the court and explain the situation and see if they agree that our workers need to be exempted from the strike," Hench said. "Whether that happens or not remains to be seen."
Meanwhile, Hench worked Thursday to recruit former election officials from around the region and is keeping in touch with Secretary of State Bruce McPherson's office in case he needs to dispatch state workers.
"Our elections department staff is caught in the middle," Hench said. "They have been working really hard to perform the election. They are very dedicated employees. They want to work on Election Day; they want to do that job. They also want to support the union because they feel strongly about supporting that, and right now, they are in the middle, and it is difficult for them."
She said she believes that some election workers discussed the bind with the union. But she was not in direct contact with the union and didn't know how those officials planned to react.
The threat of election walkouts is not unheard of in the state.
Santa Cruz County's election department received court orders twice to keep workers on the job close to an election, most recently in 2005 when the SEIU threatened to walk out with the department's half-dozen permanent employees.
"In both of our cases, it was a couple of weeks before the election," Santa Cruz election chief Gail Pellerin said. "I can't imagine people walking off the job between now and Election Day. That would be devastating. That would really jeopardize the election."
Potentially, voters could have trouble getting ballots, calls by voters could go unanswered and security could be compromised, Pellerin said.
The only workers exempt from a walkout in San Joaquin County's election office are Hench, Assistant Registrar Austin Erdman and four employees who run the computer system.
Bee staff writer Inga Miller can be reached at 599-8760 or imiller@modbee.com.
San Joaquin official wants judge to order workers to stay on job
By INGA MILLER
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: November 3, 2006, 05:05:28 AM PST
With the election four days away and San Joaquin County workers on the verge of walking out, election chief Deborah Hench wants a judge to order employees to stay on the job in the event of a strike.
Roughly 60 temporary and permanent election employees, who do everything from checking voter registrations to processing ballots, are among 5,300 county workers whose contract expired at midnight Tuesday.
The Service Employees International Union Local 790 has said it will strike if it doesn't reach an agreement with the county by midnight.
As of Thursday afternoon, Hench said she hadn't received assurances from the union that it would spare her office.
The request for a temporary restraining order is scheduled to go before a San Joaquin County Superior Court judge this morning, said Deputy County Counsel Jason R. Morrish.
"We have to go before the court and explain the situation and see if they agree that our workers need to be exempted from the strike," Hench said. "Whether that happens or not remains to be seen."
Meanwhile, Hench worked Thursday to recruit former election officials from around the region and is keeping in touch with Secretary of State Bruce McPherson's office in case he needs to dispatch state workers.
"Our elections department staff is caught in the middle," Hench said. "They have been working really hard to perform the election. They are very dedicated employees. They want to work on Election Day; they want to do that job. They also want to support the union because they feel strongly about supporting that, and right now, they are in the middle, and it is difficult for them."
She said she believes that some election workers discussed the bind with the union. But she was not in direct contact with the union and didn't know how those officials planned to react.
The threat of election walkouts is not unheard of in the state.
Santa Cruz County's election department received court orders twice to keep workers on the job close to an election, most recently in 2005 when the SEIU threatened to walk out with the department's half-dozen permanent employees.
"In both of our cases, it was a couple of weeks before the election," Santa Cruz election chief Gail Pellerin said. "I can't imagine people walking off the job between now and Election Day. That would be devastating. That would really jeopardize the election."
Potentially, voters could have trouble getting ballots, calls by voters could go unanswered and security could be compromised, Pellerin said.
The only workers exempt from a walkout in San Joaquin County's election office are Hench, Assistant Registrar Austin Erdman and four employees who run the computer system.
Bee staff writer Inga Miller can be reached at 599-8760 or imiller@modbee.com.