Time for some house cleaning at DWP
With the scandals at Tyco, Enron, Worldcom, Edison, PG&E (to name a few), many companies have had to look inward to find out what has been going wrong. Except of course, the largest public utility, DWP. General Manager Ronald Deaton has proclaimed "zero tolerance" on violence, intimidation, and harassment in the workplace. However, the policy is not new. The same rules have been in the administrative policy manual for years. The DWP seems to be in denial that the situation exists.
If the policy is not going to be enforced, it is not significant. All the whistleblower protections, zero tolerance policies, and laws don't do a thing until someone takes some action on them. Think of making a no cockroach cupboard policy in an infested kitchen. Opening doors and shining lights will cause a lot of scurry, but nothing is going to happen until you take appropriate action to eradicate the little critters.
We question the leadership at DWP, the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, and the City officials for their part in allowing this to go on so long. The news articles are an embarassment to the citizens of Los Angeles. And for you high powered policy-makers, that does not mean shoot the messengers! It clearly means take appropriate civil action.
Mr. Deaton, you sir are on the hot seat. No more musical chairs. There are some underutilized city attorneys that should be directed to start perusing emails, gathering unfettered facts and statements, and preparing a defense for some high-level terminations at DWP. Direct those young hungry city attorneys to take appropriate action for "just cause" and conduct it with "due process." City Attorneys can start with the DWP Administrative Policy Manual Section 50-04, Guide to Employee Discipline. Make the cases similar to the one constructed for Luciano Yi. Only this time, let the punishment fit the crime. Start with the millions paid in illegal confidential settlements; adjust it appropriately for the level of management, expectation, responsibility, and the overall damage to the culture and integrity of the City.
I don't believe for a nano-second that the failure of DWP corporate values has anything to do with a storekeeper and a couple of custodians. "Zero-Tolerance," that is what you promised and that is what we expect -- Nothing less. Any questions?
See Jeffrey Anderson's latest DWP Dirt at http://www.laweekly.com/ink/05/41/news-anderson.php.
And if you would like a little more this will take you to a search of more DWP antics at http://www.laweekly.com/search.php?searchfor=DWP&go.x=17&go.y=8
If the policy is not going to be enforced, it is not significant. All the whistleblower protections, zero tolerance policies, and laws don't do a thing until someone takes some action on them. Think of making a no cockroach cupboard policy in an infested kitchen. Opening doors and shining lights will cause a lot of scurry, but nothing is going to happen until you take appropriate action to eradicate the little critters.
We question the leadership at DWP, the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, and the City officials for their part in allowing this to go on so long. The news articles are an embarassment to the citizens of Los Angeles. And for you high powered policy-makers, that does not mean shoot the messengers! It clearly means take appropriate civil action.
Mr. Deaton, you sir are on the hot seat. No more musical chairs. There are some underutilized city attorneys that should be directed to start perusing emails, gathering unfettered facts and statements, and preparing a defense for some high-level terminations at DWP. Direct those young hungry city attorneys to take appropriate action for "just cause" and conduct it with "due process." City Attorneys can start with the DWP Administrative Policy Manual Section 50-04, Guide to Employee Discipline. Make the cases similar to the one constructed for Luciano Yi. Only this time, let the punishment fit the crime. Start with the millions paid in illegal confidential settlements; adjust it appropriately for the level of management, expectation, responsibility, and the overall damage to the culture and integrity of the City.
I don't believe for a nano-second that the failure of DWP corporate values has anything to do with a storekeeper and a couple of custodians. "Zero-Tolerance," that is what you promised and that is what we expect -- Nothing less. Any questions?
See Jeffrey Anderson's latest DWP Dirt at http://www.laweekly.com/ink/05/41/news-anderson.php.
And if you would like a little more this will take you to a search of more DWP antics at http://www.laweekly.com/search.php?searchfor=DWP&go.x=17&go.y=8
posted by The Gadfly at 7:10 AM
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