DADS

DADS / STATE SUPPORTED LIVING CENTERS
. . . . . . . . . TSEU Organizer contact: JIM BRANSON

The mission of employees at State Supported Living Centers is to provide the highest quality care to the residents of our facilities. Our pay levels and working conditions act directly against our ability to carry out this mission. The following issues urgently need to be addressed by DADS and by our state legislators to assure adequate staffing and quality care.

1. Overtime should be truly voluntary and must be compensated by pay, not time.

Employees are being forced to work overtime, often to the detriment of their own families. The demand is disguised by the issue of coverage and phrases such as being “pre-authorized to remain at work until they are relieved from duty by an oncoming staff person and are cleared by a supervisor to sign out for the day” (from DADS overtime policy). Employees have often given up second jobs to meet the demands of working at a state supported living center and cannot make ends meet unless paid for their work.

2. Hire more direct care staff.

Low staffing + high turnover = forced overtime. This results in absenteeism, errors in care due to fatigue, firings and even greater turnover. We critically need more direct care staff. Last year the turnover rate for MRA 1’s was 73.5% system-wide with some facilities exceeding 100% turnover. For all jobs the turnover rate was 43%. The vast majority of the new positions authorized by the DOJ settlement over the next 2 years must be for direct care staff.

3. Eliminate the so called zero tolerance policy and institute an evidence based system of investigation that protects residents and respects the rights of employees.

The system for investigating allegations holds individuals guilty until proven innocent. Standards for evidence are almost non-existent. Instances where 150 people have been put out at the same time on an allegation at a facility indicates that they don’t know who is guilty of the alleged abuse, so entire homes and shifts are put off the job with no evidence against the large majority.

to dowload a PDF of the petition

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DADS / STATE SUPPORTED LIVING CENTERS . . . . . . . . . TSEU Organizer contact: JIM BRANSON

The mission of employees at State Supported Living Centers is to provide the highest quality care to the residents of our facilities. Our pay levels and working conditions act directly against our ability to carry out this mission. The following issues urgently need to be addressed by DADS and by our state legislators to assure adequate staffing and quality care.	1. Overtime should be truly voluntary and must be compensated by pay, not time. Employees are being forced to work overtime, often to the detriment of their own families. The demand is disguised by the issue of coverage and phrases such as being “pre-authorized to remain at work until they are relieved from duty by an oncoming staff person and are cleared by a supervisor to sign out for the day” (from DADS overtime policy). Employees have often given up second jobs to meet the demands of working at a state supported living center and cannot make ends meet unless paid for their work. 2. Hire more direct care staff. Low staffing + high turnover = forced overtime. This results in absenteeism, errors in care due to fatigue, firings and even greater turnover. We critically need more direct care staff. Last year the turnover rate for MRA 1’s was 73.5% system-wide with some facilities exceeding 100% turnover. For all jobs the turnover rate was 43%. The vast majority of the new positions authorized by the DOJ settlement over the next 2 years must be for direct care staff. 3. Eliminate the so called zero tolerance policy and institute an evidence based system of investigation that protects residents and respects the rights of employees. The system for investigating allegations holds individuals guilty until proven innocent. Standards for evidence are almost non-existent. Instances where 150 people have been put out at the same time on an allegation at a facility indicates that they don’t know who is guilty of the alleged abuse, so entire homes and shifts are put off the job with no evidence against the large majority.	to dowload a PDF of the petition