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Idle Threats

Earlier this year, Illinois' new secretary of transportation pulled his car over on the Dan Ryan Expressway to introduce himself to some highway maintenance workers and found a couple of them sleeping in their vehicles by the side of the road.

Earlier this year, Illinois' new secretary of transportation pulled his car over on the Dan Ryan Expressway to introduce himself to some highway maintenance workers and found a couple of them sleeping in their vehicles by the side of the road. When it happened again a few months later, Secretary Tim Martin decided to launch a bumper sticker program for reporting DOT loafers.

The department ordered 4,200 stickers with an 800 number on them, at a cost of $5,000. The motoring public is encouraged to call if they see transportation workers slacking off or driving improperly. Enforcement ranges from written reprimand to suspension to firing. Although the bumper stickers have just come in, the phone number has been so publicized by the media that the calls already have started. And 43 percent of the callers are praising the workers.

Nonetheless, unions are not pleased with the program. "I think it's overkill," says Keith Gleason, president of the Illinois Conference of Teamsters. "The secretary decided to use a broad brush to paint all our highway workers as not doing an honest day's work for an honest day's wages. It's unfair."

As for morale problems stemming from "management by fear," Mike Monseur, the secretary's spokesman, says that Martin is sensitive to such matters but feels that those employees doing a good job don't have anything to worry about. Compelling the slackers to do their jobs in tough budget times is not just a money issue but a safety issue as well. "The secretary felt the value outweighed the negative," Monseur says.

Some people also have expressed concern that callers will see people who are legitimately on break and report them. But Monseur notes that breaks are logged so workers wouldn't get in trouble for that. And calls are investigated to make sure people are not making crank or retaliatory calls against individuals.

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