New Attendance Policy at Dept. of Health Services
Submitted by Barb Smith
Actually being able to use your paid sick leave is a given in public workplaces, but recently it has come under attack in the Department of Health Services (DHS), the state’s flagship health agency. Now after taking a few days sick leave as usual, new rules require a same day doctor’s note for a subsequent sick day taken. For workers, this is inconvenient and triggers coinsurance costs. It also imposes a burden on the health system for frivolous doctor’s visits. Women, parents, and those with elder care responsibilities are expected to be hardest hit, raising the question of whether the new rules are discriminatory. Likewise employee’s ability to use vacation time as they choose is also under assault.
Workers’ main objection is that new work rules were instituted without any real employee input. The rules curtail sick and vacation leave and eliminate job transfer rights. Management focuses on employees’ days off, but this is a small matter in an environment of chronic understaffing, massive retirements in 2011, and large-scale privatization. “As with most public programs, ours have been starved of a sufficient workforce, but we have managed to continue to serve the public as best we can. This just makes it more difficult,” said one DHS employee. Supplementing the 5,400 state employees at DHS, it is estimated that more than 1,000 private contractors work for the agency but are not covered by these rules.
One explanation may hold a clue to management’s motivations. “Small government” advocates, such as those at the Heritage Foundation where Dennis Smith worked prior to coming to DHS, disdain the public sector and may not mind weakening it. Together the rule changes create a new tool for harassment and intimidation. Is that the point? After decades of progress in employee relations creating a more flexible work environment where employees matter, management at some agencies want to roll back the clock rather than encouraging similar leave policies and benefits in the private sector.
Disrespect is the Rule
The new rules were enacted on December 2, the information provided by DHS management was inconsistent and contradictory, workers report. When employees did voice concerns, management was dismissive and disrespectful. As if to contradict the Walker Administration view that there is no union, Human Resources (HR) called stewards in to meet as soon as there were signs of dissent. Referring to people passing out leaflets as ‘you people,’ an HR representative said that leaflets intentionally exaggerated the rules, but Anthony Reeves, steward with AFT 4999 (PERSA), pointed out that the leaflets were simply asking questions about the new rules.
Many DHS managers are also troubled the new rules and believe the onerous record keeping will be infeasible. While HR and some managers have tried to calm dissent by assuring staff that only “bad apples” will be caught up by new rules, the employee are far from satisfied and continue to meet informally and ask more questions of their supervisors.
Not all the rule changes were a surprise. Several were familiar proposals management tried forcing on unions during past bargaining, but the unions always rebuffed them. Now with no union contracts, management is resurrecting these old ideas, and imposing them by fiat. The Administration’s attitude seems to be: what have we got to lose?
Quite a lot according to DHS employees, who believe that the new rules compromise the agency’s official mission which is to promote health DHS employees explained that it was particularly irresponsible to limit sick leave at the start of the cold and flu season.
Fighting Back
To address this crisis, employees at DHS headquarters have been organizing, and they are reaching out to the State employee community for support as well. It is a community fight because if these rules stand unopposed, they could become the standard for all state and UW employees. The effort is led by labor activists in AFSCME Local 1, AFT 4999, and SEIU, but includes union members and those who have never been in a union. The workers group, dubbed the “1 West Wilson Committee” for the DHS headquarters, have already obtained over 70 signatures for an internal petition objecting to the new work rules. A petition of support was started as well.
Since management learned of the petition effort, they have changed their tune a little. For example, they held several presentations to “explain” the new rules more fully. The effect of the sudden departure of Secretary Dennis Smith through the revolving door with the healthcare industry is unknown.
Meanwhile, labor and its allies are busy trying to reverse Governor Walker’s decision to reject Medicaid expansion money available through the Affordable Care Act.
According to ABC for Health, Inc., this decision will cheat our state of $250 million, up to 10,000 jobs, and hurt low income people in BadgerCare the most.
According to one DHS employee, “We are part of the labor movement that will be winning healthcare for all in the years ahead. We in the healthcare field are on the front lines of this struggle. All workers deserve basic protections like paid sick leave and we are proud to advocate and to act to protect this right.” Said another, “We are learning that we must speak up and save ourselves if we want wrongs righted in our workplace.”
This article originally appeared in the May 2013 edition of Union Labor News of the South Central Wisconsin Federation of Labor, SCFL Website