County Jobs Pit Blacks Against Latino Workers

It was an impressive opening night for the newly formed Los Angeles County Alliance of Black Organizations. As several hundred guests crammed into a tent in South Los Angeles, politicians, department heads and county workers embraced the group’s call for more jobs and better promotions for black employees in county government.

But despite the jubilant mood, some black leaders and county officials gathered around the buffet table spoke quietly of a growing concern--that the fight over minority advances threatens to pit blacks against Latinos, the two largest minority groups among county employees.

“We’re talking about a potential confrontation between Hispanics and blacks in the county work force,� said Clyde Johnson, president of the Black Employees Assn. “It’s unfortunate that this confrontation is showing itself because, too often, we’re competing for the same low-pay, low-level jobs.�

Johnson called it a “silly� mistake between two groups that should be unifying rather than bickering. “We are really fighting for the crumbs while those in power and control, those who are not blacks or Hispanics, still hold the major decision-making jobs,� he said.

County Program Assailed

Johnson was reacting to a well-attended press conference last week by Latino activists who complained that the county’s affirmative-action program may be benefiting other minority groups, especially blacks, but that it has not helped Latinos.

Referring to a report by the county’s Office of Affirmative Action Compliance, the Latino speakers charged that the statistics proved that Latinos are vastly under represented in the county work force when compared to their percentage of the county population.

By that measure, which the county states as an affirmative-action goal, it is true that Latinos fall far short of the mark. While Latinos comprise 27.6% of the population, based on the 1980 census, the number of Latino workers in the county is 18.3%, or 11,989 employees. By comparison, while blacks are 12.6% of the county population, they represent 30.5%, or 19,947 employees, of the county government work force.

Within county government, a large percentage of blacks are found in the probation department, the office of the public administrator, facilities management and children’s services. Latinos form the high percentages in purchasing and stores, parks and recreation and community and senior citizens’ services.

Chicano Charges

In an analysis sent to county officials, the Chicano Employees Assn. contended that blacks have come out ahead of others in the county’s efforts to hire and promote minorities.

“The black community gained these employment figures by the pressure put on the county by black political and organizational leaders. The black community had its members appointed and promoted to key positions in personnel, human resources and affirmative action,� the organization concluded.

Those views outraged some black leaders, who said they left the erroneous impression that the county had more than accomplished its goals in hiring and promoting black employees. Others worried that if Latino leaders prove successful in their push for a larger percentage of county jobs and promotions, it will come at the expense of blacks.

But while a number of black employees and officers of county employee groups privately expressed those concerns, most remain reluctant to publicly criticize another minority group.

“I believe the rhetoric can be lowered, and we should sit down and talk to the Latinos about this stuff before going public,� said an officer in one black county organization. “I think it’s creating more animosity than (Latinos) suspect.�

Johnson, whose black employee organization represents about 6,000 county workers, was less reticent about chastising his counterparts in the Latino community, and he challenged their contention that blacks owe their gains in county employment to political and community pressure, more than to merit or other circumstances.

Many of the jobs that blacks have traditionally held in the county are low-paying, menial positions that no one else wanted, Johnson argued.

“Black folks took those jobs rather than going out in private industry and being fired at will. A county job represented a kind of security,� he said. “Now, to come and say that we are over parity without stating the whole historical truth is intellectual dishonesty.�

Standing Firm

So far, Latino leaders are not backing away from their statements about black employees, and they call upon the county to mount an aggressive hiring and promotional campaign aimed primarily at Latinos.

“I am not anti-black, but I am pro-Hispanic in this matter,� said Raul Nunez, president of the Chicano Employees Assn., who said his organization wants Latino recruiters in all departments and on promotion interview panels.

Nunez said that while blacks may have been forced to take many of the county’s unwanted jobs over the decades, Latinos were often shut out of the hiring process. “We have to remain steadfast in some things, and those include the hiring and promotion of Latinos,� he added.

Alan Clayton, a consultant with the Chicanos employees group, said there is a concern that the county, in the past, has focused its minority efforts on blacks because Latinos lacked the political pull and community outcry needed to change things.

Legal, Political Pressure

“Latino issues were put on the back burners in the county, and no one saw the Latino community as a political threat,� Clayton said. “Now you’re seeing and will see more legal and political pressure against the county.�

As part of those stepped-up efforts, the organization has already persuaded the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate charges that the county’s Department of Health Services has engaged in “systemic discrimination� against Latinos.

The association also has aggressively pursued--and won--individual cases before the Civil Service Commission where alleged racial bias was the issue. And Clayton said Latinos will rally their voters against incumbent county supervisors, if they fail to act.

The Latinos have not been alone in attacking the county’s affirmative-action policies. The county’s Filipino-American Employees Assn. last December filed a discrimination complaint with the EEOC. And last week, a group of Filipina women called a press conference to charge that promotions and opportunities have come too slowly in their county jobs.

Other Groups

In their extensive report, county officials were also forced to concede that the number of American Indians as well as Asians and women was lagging in some departments.

But the most vocal employee activists, by far, have been blacks and Latinos; as they find themselves increasingly at odds, county officials are becoming watchful.

“I sense that there is some friction between the two groups developing, and I am concerned about it,� said Board of Supervisors Chairman Deane Dana. “I think we have to look at this very carefully.�

In defending the county’s record on minorities, Dana said officials are moving to strengthen affirmative action and to deal with the complaints of all minority groups.

Commitment Stressed

Robert Arias, the county’s affirmative-action compliance officer, also stressed the county’s commitment and said the county has already arranged to hire John Huerta, a former associate counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, as a consultant to help the health services department respond to the discrimination charges.

“If every group is thinking that the other one has an advantage, then I would like to think that maybe we are at the point that everyone has access to county jobs,� said Arias, who blamed the “heightened tension between Latinos and blacks on a few individuals.�

Dana and Arias were among county officials who attended last Thursday’s party for the black alliance that named Edgar Hayes, general manager of the data processing department, as its president. And as one of the few black department heads in the county and someone who also has sued the county, charging racial discrimination, Hayes said he is well aware of the opportunities and hurdles in a county career.

All minority groups must work together to push through some changes, he said, and there is no room for a rift between blacks and Latinos.

“There’s no reason for any friction. There’s plenty to go around. I think it’s a serious situation in the county when you create an environment where you have to have all these groups fighting for position,� Hayes said. “It says something is wrong with the system.�

ETHNIC MAKEUP OF COUNTY WORK FORCE

NUMBER % OF COUNTY % IN COUNTY VARIANCE FROM EMPLOYED POPULATION WORK FORCE POPULATION WHITE 26,470 52.4% 40.5% -12% BLACK 19,947 12.6% 30.5% +17.9% LATINO 11,989 27.6% 18.3% -9.3% ASIAN AND PACIFIC 6,938 6.0% 10.6% +4.6% AMERICAN INDIAN 71 0.6% 0.1% -0.5%

County employment statistics as of June, 1987. General population statistics from 1980 census. Percentages rounded off.

SOURCE: Los Angeles County Office of Affirmative Action Compliance