News writer
Tensions are high at the California Lottery as union representatives accuse the department of turning a blind eye to years of harassment and bullying by managers. At a recent lottery commission meeting, employees shared troubling accounts of intimidation and inaction, claiming the toxic culture identified in a 2020 investigation still lingers.
Despite leadership’s assurances of progress, workers say little has changed behind the scenes — raising serious questions about accountability within the state’s game of chance.
Years of requests
At the lottery commission meeting recently, union representatives told commissioners that the California State Lottery continues to ignore longstanding management issues at several district offices despite years of requests that the lottery investigate managers who harass, bully, and intimidate subordinates.
“The HR department and some of these managers continue to slap lipstick on this same old pork chop,” said Paulina Vasquez, a lottery sales representative and union steward for SEIU Local 1000, which represents lottery employees. “Every time there’s a complaint, they quickly try to defend these bad managers.”
While people have come forward with concerns about inappropriate behavior by some of the district office leaders, Vasquez said the lottery’s HR department and other managers have tried to discredit these people, The Sacramento Bee reported.
In 2020, the California Department of Justice investigated allegations of harassment and misconduct within the lottery department. Vasquez told commissioners that some of the issues highlighted in that 2020 report by the California DOJ remain unresolved.
Not a collective voice of their employees
Despite the employees and union representatives speaking up at the commission meeting, lottery officials don’t see an issue.
“Overall, we do not feel as though what was said today is a representative, collective voice of our more than 1,100 employees,” said Carolyn Becker, the deputy director of public affairs and communications.
She added that the lottery feels confident in their process for receiving and investigating claims about inappropriate workplace conduct.
Following the comments made at the commission meeting, Director Harjinder Shergill-Chima said the lottery takes all allegations seriously. However, Shergill-Chima added that it would be inappropriate to discuss any specific investigations regarding confidential personnel matters publicly.
A change in leadership
One year ago, former lottery director Alva Johnson resigned and Shergill-Chima took over the helm.
This took place after the lottery faced scrutiny following an after-work party at a Southern California piano bar. That party prompted department employees to send an anonymous letter and photos detailing inappropriate behavior by lottery officials while at that party to then-governor Jerry Brown in 2018.
This resulted in the Justice Department launching an investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment and unprofessional behavior. They were also tasked with investigating alleged disparaging treatment of employees.
Investigators determined that state lottery managers violated a law designed to safeguard the reputation of public agencies. The report revealed that a "sales culture" had taken root after the lottery hired sales representatives from the private sector. Despite these findings, the attorneys behind the report did not recommend criminal charges.
They did recommend conducting diversity training to address concerns raised about a manager’s use of racial slurs and insensitive jokes. In the report, investigators wrote, “Training is needed to change this culture of unprofessionalism at the lottery.”
Prioritizing professional behavior
While the lottery has had issues in the past, Becker told commissioners that new leadership in the department is prioritizing professional behavior. However, some lottery employees told commissioners that the unprofessional behavior that prompted the initial DOJ investigation still persists.
“The union has raised these concerns to senior management on numerous occasions to the sound of a trash compactor squashing the facts,” Frances O’Rourke, a Local 1000 steward and lottery employee told commissioners.
O’Rourke added that there is an apparent lack of responsiveness by the Equal Employment Opportunity office to employee complaints. The EEO office is responsible for monitoring the enforcement of California’s non-discrimination policies in the department, but they seem to be acting in a pro-management capacity, union officials said.
The local union now has new leadership and they said they are committed to protecting their workers' rights and working conditions. They told lottery commissioners they are planning on identifying and tracking bad managers within the state department.
Enjoy playing the California Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
Comments