County policy regarding relationships in the workplace

Yesterday, the Voice of OC published an article entitled “Sex and the Supervisors” which addressed the County’s failure to create a policy regarding relationships between county workers and their managers.

This issue is not new. Neither is the negative impact such relationships can have, not only for the workers involved, but also on coworkers and workplace culture. We all remember one of the most horrific examples: When former County executive Carlos Bustamante was convicted of sexually assaulting women who worked for him in OCCR. And as detailed in the Voice of OC article, the County has a history of inappropriate workplace relationships that have resulted in workplace issues, claims of favoritism and worse.

During last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, the Board directed county staff to finally create a policy about how to handle these situations. We immediately contacted the County to ensure that your rights are protected as this policy is developed, and to ensure that additional workplace protections are in place to address issues stemming from these relationships.

We won’t stand for any policy or situation that condones management’s behavior but punishes rank and file workers. Nor will we sit back and wait for county management to create a policy or set of rules which will place OCEA members at risk for retaliation.

If you would like to provide additional input as this develops further, or you want to share your story anonymously, please contact me directly. And we will continue to keep you updated as this situation unfolds.

In solidarity,

Jennifer Beuthin
OCEA General Manager

Publication Date: September 20, 2017