By Joe Eskenazi : missionlocal – excerpt
The Laborers Local 261 and named plaintiffs Juan Rivera and Theresa Foglio-Ramierez today filed suit against the city of San Francisco, alleging that its workers were retaliated against after union members complained of rampant city corruption and favoritism.
The papers filed today allege that the retaliation took the form of denying workers proper working conditions and in the case of some, harassment and demotions.
These complaints were directed against the leadership of the Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco Public Works and City Administrator’s Office. Former PUC general manager Harlan Kelly and Public Works boss Mohammed Nuru have since been arrested and charged by the feds, with Nuru pleading guilty. Former City Administrator Naomi Kelly, Harlan’s wife, has resigned.
The suit alleges that workforce development programs were co-opted to hire friends of management to jobs they did not perform. Instead, the lawsuit charges, the work was actually performed by nonprofit workers and paid with public funds, which circumvented “the MOU which provided for minimum labor standards.”… (more)