duke plant employees turn disgruntled misinformed employees ax grind guys filed bunch complaints sempra back sempra owned plant sch duke calif whistleblowers history grievances updated wednesday june 27 2001 07 36 pm et jason leopold dow jones newswires los angeles dow jones three former employees last week told california lawmakers duke energy duk news msgs ramped south bay power plant supplies tight filed total 34 complaints still working plant including allegations harassment racial discrimination men told dow jones newswires grievances filed 1999 2001 plant previous owner sempra energy sre news msgs unit san diego gas electric men continued work duke controlled plant interviews three men also revealed dissatisfaction duke profit centered management style deregulated market duke called employees allegations operating procedures baseless duke said employees ax grind hired company april escrow power plant closed duke acquired sdg e workforce men first come forward publicly testify employers locked high stakes struggle state california allegations price gouging state pursuing billions dollars refunds power producers hopes bring criminal charges executives glenn johnson 52 mechanic south bay power plant alone filed 30 complaints one occasion johnson said called california division occupational safety health unqualified employee found scraping asbestos also harassment complaint sdg e regarding employee works duke johnson said lawyer told discuss aside formal complaints johnson said duke regime disciplined taking much sick time 10 months cancer treatment kind abuse endure ever since became business said one employees jim olkjer 56 former assistant control room operator power plant filed three complaints sdg e duke operated plant evaluations consistently said needed supervision grievances either turned settled said olkjer said decided testify duke learned hired energy company took plant operations april fixed income olkjer said interview afford utility bills fixed income third employee ed edwards 42 certified power plant mechanic said filed one complaint three sdg e employees 1999 racial discrimination one employees hired duke case still pending edwards african american said duke hire qualified minority employees took plant instead hired less qualified white employees edwards said two minority supervisors worked plant sdg e replaced white employees duke took edwards stopped working plant february said decided testify duke receiving phone call johnson knew hired said edwards johnson filed charges harassment racial discrimination sdg e u equal employment opportunity commission sdg e spokesman art larson comment allegations duke spokesman tom williams said company stands hiring practices always hires qualified employees 1999 duke settled 1996 discrimination claim u department labor 769 700 department found areas white females black males paid less white male black female counterparts similar positions dissatisfaction new priorities former employees said motivated blow whistle duke prospects cashing possible settlement state johnson first alerted media duke behavior state attorney general bill lockyer mentioned financial rewards whistleblowers employees earned 1 000 week three employees said believe duke mismanaged south bay power plant ramping units tossing spare parts operating machinery broken olkjer said saw plant output reduced worst power emergencies least 50 times edwards questioned supervisors behavior said told none business employees said duke concerned making money happiness staff company tried bust union contract first took plant paid twist wrenches johnson said last raise got two years ago 2 25 insult skill duke said bringing former sdg e employees contract international brotherhood electrical workers local 1245 workers previously represented another local duke wanted single contract johnson said decided blow whistle duke disgusted company gluttony greed said stole control room logs february colleague pointed duke reducing output plant johnson edwards olkjer said old days power plant ran full throttle never ramped soon deregulation became law state things started change sdg 323 658 3874 jason leopold dowjones com