Mental Health Workers Bill of Rights

Mental Health Workers Bill of Rights – State DHHS Workers Organize!

 

Workers are uniting to demand DHHS meet with the union to:

  • Overturn the new Time & Attendance policy!
  • Full Bonus Pay and In-Range Salary Adjustments for all!
  • Fair Evaluations!
  • End Forced Overtime!
  • Hire Safe Staffing Levels!

Workers are calling for a fair Time and Attendance policy.  The new policy encourages workers to come to work sick.  Instead of hiring enough staff, administration wants to give harsh punishment if employees are absent or tardy to work, even when they are sick.   Management has way too much discretion to decide to excuse an absence or not.  The previous policy allowed employees to be out 3 days without a doctors note, but the new policy requires a note after 1 day, plus other changes employees are pushing against.

At Central Regional Hospital, a few dozen workers called out sick one day in early October after being “sick and tired” of these conditions.

At Caswell Center the management is now threatening to fire people after 3 tardy’s!  Some of our members have been given 5 day suspensions on their 2nd tardy ! This is outrageous and we have grievances pending, but we need more than grievances, we need united action.

Additionally, workers salaries and bonuses are based on merit evaluations, yet management refuses to give any direct care staff ratings above the standard “meets expectations”.  It was reported in some DHHS facilities that no direct care staff were allowed to get “exceeds” expectations, which is required to get the full $700 one-time bonus.  Yet, management rate themselves such that they get the full bonus.

The union fought a 3 year campaign to get workers In-Range Salary Adjustments that were finally awarded this June.  Yet, workers that have been employed with the DHHS for many years are still at the bottom of their pay grade and some got skipped for the In-Range Salary Adjustments –  because of minor infractions that they were unable to appeal due to the state’s limited grievance protections.  These same folks got a “double dip” and also did not get any bonus!  This is unfair!

UE150 union’s Mental Health Workers Bill of Rights calls for standards to be set about staffing, safety, wages and more that would help cure all these ills.  But we need your support!  Join the union today and help us build a united movement of workers across the state to overturn some of these rotten rules and practices that make us all Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired!

Check out this comprehensive report on DHHS safety, rights, and raises