Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Road crews, union demand leadership changes after independent review finds workplace problems
Summary
Current and former Thurston County Public Works employees, backed by union leaders, urged the county to replace Road Operations leadership after an independent review and a vote of no confidence. Employees described ongoing hostile management, 14 vacancies and high turnover; union leaders said prior reassignments and training were insufficient.
Dozens of Thurston County road operations employees and union representatives urged the Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 21 to remove or replace local Road Operations leadership, saying a toxic workplace and high turnover are compromising safety and service.
The complaints followed an independent investigation by Deborah Diamond Consulting that, employees said, confirmed the concerns they raised. Carl Martin, litter crew supervisor, told commissioners the consultant’s findings matched employees’ experiences and said two members of road-division management had been reassigned and required to attend county-paid training. "That solution requires a change in leadership, not another round of coaching that leads nowhere," Martin said.
Several speakers described an erosion of trust…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
