Unsafe conditions?

AS YOU KNOW, much of Irvine Valley College looks, well, seedy.

And morale among IVC Facilities & Maintenance workers--or at least among custodians--is in the toilet.

IVC's Director of Facilities & Maintenance, Wayne Ward, is smack dab in the middle of a leadership crisis, for many of his employees object mightily to his management style and conduct, accusing him of unprofessionalism, incompetence, retaliation, and more.

Recently, the CSEA (the classified workers' union) sent a letter to Human Resources, warning that an official grievance may soon be filed against Director Ward on behalf of one worker. As we explained over the weekend, Wayne has decided to switch the worker from the day shift to the swing shift, while switching a current swing shifter to the day. He has made this decision despite knowing the extreme hardship that this change would entail for the worker.


Evidently, such actions need to be justified in terms of how they benefit the college/students, but workers tell us that they know of no such justification for this particular action. Further, the worker has received no indication from Wayne that there is any problem with his work or his conduct.

What gives? About six weeks ago, the worker whose shift is being changed participated in filing an Unusual Occurence Report against Wayne (they assert that Wayne behaved unprofessionally, unjustly accusing them of misconduct and threatening them with firing, etc.).

It is hard to see how Wayne's action in this case could be viewed as anything but retaliation.

(Last summer, a worker requested some days off to get married. The day after Wayne signed the papers allowing the absence, and about a week before the wedding, Wayne informed the worker that he would have to work on that day, his wedding day.

(That time, a union lawyer had to enter the fray.)

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Since F&M workers contacted us, they've told numerous disturbing stories about Wayne. We've emphasized to them the importance of being factual and of not exaggerating. But they insist that they are not exaggerating, that their stories are entirely factual.

Some of their anecdotes concern safety. Workers have repeatedly told us that Wayne is more concerned about "how he looks" than about the safety of his employees.

Here are two safety stories.

Custodians sometimes use large, heavy, and unwieldy floor cleaning machines, commonly called "buffers," although they are also used for stripping. Weighing about ninety pounds--it takes two people to lift them--they are often operated using a tricky side-to-side motion. That isn't easy. And it's dangerous.

1. Evidently, at one point, one of the workers (who no longer works for the district) arrived to work "very stoned." Nevertheless (say F&M employees with whom we have spoken), Wayne allowed this plainly "stoned" worker to operate one of the hard-to-handle buffers.

He could have been badly hurt, they insist.


2. On another occasion, Wayne instructed workers to use a particular buffer whose motor housing had clearly broken loose, exposing electrical wiring inside. (Evidently, the floor was wet for this job.)

The workers refused to use the buffer, noting the hazard. The unit was supposedly repaired--with duct tape! (See photo.) But the tape did not hold. Again, the workers refused to use the unit. It has now been relegated to the sidelines, labelled as dangerous by employees. (See photo.)

All of us have heard disturbing stories about Director Ward. And now official complaints are surfacing. But many of us here at Irvine Valley College fear that no real effort to look into the complaints will be made. "President Roquemore," some say, "has decided that he likes Wayne. And so Wayne is protected."

After all, they add, other incompetent managers and administrators have been allowed to keep their jobs. Glenn doesn't seem to respond to complaints.

Is that how things are?