Pittsburgh's Department of Public Works has written policies for just one criminal circumstance: the suspension of an employee's driver's license, which usually stems from a drunk driving conviction. It's not clear, though, that the policy is always followed.

In early 2007, the department and the unions that represent most of its employees agreed on a spectrum of punishments. If a truck driver tells his supervisor that his license has been suspended, he is demoted to a nondriving job, with a pay cut. If he doesn't confess and the suspension is discovered, or if the suspension lasts more than a year, he is fired.

Those required to drive, but not to have a commercial license, get the same treatment, except that they are suspended for three days -- not fired -- if they fail to report a license suspension to their supervisor.

In some cases reviewed by the Post-Gazette, the policy was followed.

Personnel records, though, don't reflect any demotion or suspension of refuse co-driver Allen Jackson, 35, arrested by police in May 2007. According to the police criminal complaint, he had a blood alcohol content of 0.273 percent -- more than triple the legal limit for driving -- and an "opened bottle of gin" in the vehicle. He pleaded guilty and got 180 days of electronic monitoring, 48 months of probation, a license suspension and an order to go to safe driving school.

Acting Personnel Director Judy Hill Finegan said that although his salary wasn't cut, he was stripped of authority to drive a city vehicle.

At the other end of the spectrum, department Operations Coordinator John Barley, 57, was fired last month after pleading guilty to driving under the influence. He was stopped by police in October en route home from a golf outing organized by the city, but paid for by the employees, at which beer was served.

Mr. Barley had been in charge of checking the license status of department workers.

Mr. Victor said the firing was related to a series of problems. Mr. Barley is a non-union worker, but has appealed to the Civil Service Commission in hopes of getting his job back.