Clerical Workers

A group of 750 clerical workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach agreed Friday to return to the bargaining table. The clerks handle paperwork for importing and exporting goods at the two ports and have been negotiating over job security and pay increases since April. John Fageaux, president of the Local 63 Office Clerical Unit of the Marine Clerks Assn., said the two sides were close to an agreement. "We are making progress....

Federal authorities charged eight men Tuesday with taking part in a sophisticated ATM fraud that allegedly stole more than $2 million from bank and gas station customers throughout Los Angeles County. Authorities say the men, who worked as service station operators and bank tellers, conspired with the ring's leaders to illegally tap into the bank accounts of thousands of unsuspecting customers. One of the men named in the 41-page federal criminal complaint is a fugitive.

The union representing the 930 clerical workers who handle much of the paperwork involved in loading and unloading ships at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach said Friday that they would strike if a contract agreement was not reached by tonight at midnight. If the threat is carried out, thousands of other unionized dockworkers could honor the picket lines.

An increasing number of Southland companies have been seeking information on techniques to retain and attract clerical employees. Labor specialists at one management consulting firm--the Los Angeles offices of Jackson, Lewis, Schnitzler & Krupman--are accustomed to getting requests for advice on work force matters such as legal liabilities and benefits. Now, they're advising local firms on matters relating to the recruitment of clerical workers, said Joel Kelly, a partner at the company.

APM Terminals has been accused by a California dockworkers union of eavesdropping on workers to gain an edge in contract negotiations. The complaint, filed with the National Labor Relations Board by International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63, said APM "conducted secret surveillance, eavesdropping and snooping and listening in on confidential communications between and among union representatives, shop stewards and members concerning ongoing...

If you are looking for an entry-level office job, it will take more patience and persistence than ever to find one--even if you are willing to start in the mail room. On the plus side, the demand for secretaries, receptionists, file clerks and computer data-entry workers seems to be picking up slightly. "Companies are starting to add more temporary people," said Bernard Howroyd, president of Glendale-based AppleOne Employment Services.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is investigating the shortage of at least $300,000 from an off-track betting facility, money that apparently was bet by a parimutuel clerk during the last two weeks of the Del Mar horse racing season. "No arrests have been made, but we have some suspects," said Sgt. Steve Hill, who is heading the investigation. "We've done some partial interviews with some people."

Economists are fond of saying that a rising tide lifts all boats. But those toward the bottom of the economic ladder in Orange County understandably are skeptical of that bromide. A Times Orange County Poll of workers has found that while most are happier than their counterparts across the country, job satisfaction split sharply among professionals or managers at the upper end and blue-collar and clerical or sales people at the lower end.

Chasing a more convenient time zone and a pool of affordable workers, Hyundai Motor America has chosen St. Louis as the site for a $15-million national operating center for its new in-house finance company. Dennis D. Lamont, chief operating officer of Hyundai Motor Finance Co., said that while he and his administration team will be at Hyundai Motor America headquarters on Talbert Avenue here, the credit and loan processing work will be located in St.

An incentive plan that would award tollway employees with bonuses of up to $70,000 for generating new revenue or savings on the county's toll roads is expected to be considered next week by the Transportation Corridor Agencies. Under the plan, the agency's 44 employees would be awarded bonuses ranging from 5% of their annual pay for clerical workers to 50% for executives, if certain criteria are met.