Labor Department meeting draws employee criticism

Tuesday, April 29, 2003 | 10:58 a.m.

A division of the Labor Department is holding a conference in Las Vegas this week, officials say, to explore ways to better protect the American worker.

But one worker says some employees believe it's a cover for federal executives to party.

The conference of the federal Employment Standards Administration's Wage and Hour Division started Monday at the Flamingo hotel and runs through Friday. About 100 management officials from the federal agency are expected to attend. It is closed to the public.

"This is an all-expense paid trip to have a booze bash, chase women and play golf," said Scott Barnes a Labor Department inspector based in Phoenix. "I am a taxpayer, too, and a lot of us (employees) feel this is a serious abuse of taxpayer money."

A top government official denies that allegation, saying Las Vegas is a cost-effective site and that the meeting is purely business.

Barnes said some employees attending the conference have told him they intend to take advantage of a number of activities Las Vegas has to offer -- acts that he alleges could wind up being billed to the American people via expense vouchers.

"We have jobs to do and we can't do them because of a shortage of money," he said. "It hurts to see money spent this way. It's just despicable."

Mark Wilson, deputy assistant secretary for the Employment Standards Administration in Washington, said the Las Vegas conference is legitimate and necessary, and that expense vouchers will be scrutinized to assure that tax dollars are spent properly.

"This is not a golf outing," he said. "The agenda begins daily at 8:30 a.m. and will end at about 6:30 p.m., with a working lunch and two 15-minute breaks. What the employees do in the evenings on their own time is their business, as long as it is legal.

"Any expenses they submit will be reviewed by the wage and hour administrator, and I will look at them, too. I am a conservative, and I am very concerned about costs to taxpayers."

The Washington watchdog group Center for Public Integrity questions the selection of Las Vegas and similar cities for these type of conferences.

"I have to laugh that they never seem to pick the less glamourous cities with airports and modest convention facilities for these conferences," said Bill Allison of the nonpartisan government ethics organization.

"Taxpayers have a right to be concerned when government chooses obvious tourist destinations for meetings. Will attendance be taken? Are they required to show up? We have to ask, is this the most effective site for the meeting or is it primarily a perk for employees? It certainly puts them in a position to take advantage of the system. They are getting free airfare and rooms while the average taxpayer has to scrimp and save for months to go to Las Vegas."

Another Washington watchdog group, Common Cause, has no problem with the federal government choosing Las Vegas as a conference site as long as expenses are legitimate and there is accountability for them.

"Many sites that are chosen for these types of conferences are nice, luxury places with convention facilities, and there is nothing wrong with that," said Celia Wexler, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit, nonpartisan citizen's lobbying organization.

"There are rules on the books regarding how federal employees account for their expenses, and we have to allow a certain level of trust for our government employees. If it turns out later there was chicanery, then that should be addressed. But if this conference makes good sense on a policy basis, who are we to condemn it at this time?"

Common Cause, which has 200,000 members, promotes open, honest and accountable government and is a leader in the fight against corruption and special interests.

Wilson said Las Vegas was chosen in part because of inexpensive airfares and low-cost meals. Plus, he said, the agency got a good room rate that will help hold the cost of the conference to between $100,000 and $125,000. That cost can be recouped in efficiencies that result from the meeting, he said.

"This is an annual conference to examine ways to better protect the American worker," Wilson said. "We try to move it around the country to different regions. We were in the Southeast region in Florida last year. This year we wanted to hold the meeting in the Western region.

"Given the state of the economy, Las Vegas does an excellent job attracting conferences with great values. This, I'm sure, is not the first government agency to hold a conference in Las Vegas and certainly won't be the last."

Topics to be addressed this week include reviews of rules, performance and planning, compliance, hiring and retention and operational procedures, Wilson said.

The Wage and Hour Division has about 1,400 employees in about 300 field offices nationwide. It addresses issues such as compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, minimum wage, overtime, vacation pay and other benefits.

Barnes said that one issue people attending the conference have told him will be discussed are ways the agency can delay or thwart Freedom of Information Act requests from the news media.

Wilson said, "it is untrue, categorically false. There is no topic on FOIs" on the agenda.

Wilson declined to release a copy of the agenda, saying it was "an internal document."

Wilson, who is not making the trip to Las Vegas, said that when Las Vegas was chosen as the site for this year's meeting, officials "knew there was potential that the intent would be mischaracterized." But, he said, the cost-effectiveness of holding the meeting in Las Vegas trumped those concerns.

Barnes said he went to his congressman last week to complain about the Las Vegas conference that he says could wind up costing about $250,000.

"A more proper -- and more cost-effective -- procedure for a meeting like this would have been a tele-conference," Barnes said. "But that would have meant no trip to Las Vegas."