News

FMHP 07.17.25

Steaed Doehring
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FORENSIC SERVICES

AFSCME LABOR/MANAGEMENT MEETING

St. Peter – HR Conference Room – Microsoft Teams

July 17th, 2025

12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

 

Present: Scott Melby; Michelle Chalin; Ryan Cates; Steaed Doehring; Kyle Heinze; Cory Moon; Cassy Rydell; Becky Robinson; Max Arroyo; Suzanne Kocurek; Patrick Patterson

Approval of Minutes from Last Month

The meeting minutes from last month were approved and posted.

Reflections / Celebrations

  • Demolition of Johnson Hall is underway.

 

  • Security Counselor interviews will resume in person. The plan is for this to occur in September.

 

Old Business

Management

AFSCME

  1. LPN Mutuals Being Denied:
  • LPNs are not being allowed to mutual shifts, due to being inversible. Contractually, mutuals are not supposed to be unreasonably denied.
  • SM: I understand that it is happening, we need to have staffing, I will bring this back to leadership.
  1. Number of Vacation Spots for SC/HSSS:
  • Contractually - Every reasonable effort shall be made by the Appointing Authority to schedule employee vacations at a time agreeable to the employee insofar as adequate scheduling of the work unit permits. We are requesting an audit of vacation availability. There have been a substantial number of staff hired.
  • BR: A memo has been drafted, and we will be able to increase the vacation allotment to 22 slots for FMHP’s day/evening, residential Security Counselors.
  1. Card for Medical Trips/Parking:  
  • SM: I am still working on this, possibly an imprest card.
  1. Update on Klein:
  • Are there any timelines or new information?
  • BR: Staff orientation, specific trainings, and facility tours are scheduled to begin next week. The tentative opening is planned for the end of July or the first week of August.
  1. Multi Factor Authentication:
  • SM: MNIT is still working on this. Staff need to request one. We are working on making the USB ports on all our computers accessible. Devices can be mailed directly to the worksite. There is no new information at this time, as there are many ongoing changes related to the DCT split.

 

  1. OSI / Union Representation:
  • OSI should be offering union representation when meeting with our members.
  • SM: We want to ensure that union representation is provided for any staff misconduct or licensing investigations. When OSI is interviewing a staff member as a witness to a potential crime, the staff member is not the subject of the investigation. If the interview shifts toward anything that could result in discipline, it would be paused, and union representation would be offered. We want staff to view OSI as a resource - their primary role is investigating patient aggressions.

 

  1.   LPN Lead Update:

  • SM: Roxanne has reached out to HR/Classifications but has not received a response.

     

     

     

New Business

Management Agenda Items

 

AFSCME Agenda Items

  1. Work Area Change Upon Return from Leave:
  • An RPA was reassigned to a different work area upon returning from leave. Can clarification be provided on why this change was made?
  • BR: I have limited information on this, but there were some changes with the restructuring of the Groves.Further clarification would be appreciated.

 

 

  1. Atlas Access for Chief Stewards:
  • Can Chief Stewards be granted access to view schedules for other work areas in Atlas?
  • SM: Atlas does not currently support cross-area schedule access while ensuring staff privacy is protected. Chief Stewards should contact Jodi directly to obtain the scheduling information they need.

 

  1. Payroll/Step Increases:
    • Some staff are reporting that they are not getting their step increases when they are supposed to.
    • PP: Steps 1–4 are awarded every 6 months, and steps 5–10 are awarded annually. Staff who believe they have not received their step increases on time should reach out to HR for clarification or assistance.

 

ADD ON

Management

 

 

AFSCME

  1. Extra Hours for Part-Time Staff:
  • What is the standard for part-time staff that want extra hours?
  • BR: They should be using the sign-up process.

  • SM: Agreed, I will follow up.

     

  1. Forrest View Medical Transports / Single Staff:
  • 12-hour staff are being assigned to single-staff medical trips that are more than 35 miles from the facility. Given that staff are supposed to receive a break every four hours, we request that two staff be assigned to any off-site medical trip exceeding 35 miles.

  • BR: I will follow up on this. Staff who are familiar with the patient should be assigned to these trips. 12-hour staff should not be forced to go. Two staff should be sent on trips over 35 miles, depending on Liberty Levels.

     

  1. Overtime Assignments:
  • There are reports from members that available unit staff are not being assigned to their home units, while coverage staff are being placed there instead.

  • BR: We try to do our best, staff could agree to switch units with each other, if appropriate.

     

  1. Supervisory / Personnel Files:
  • There are reports of ‘Supervisory Notes’ and other documents being placed in staff files. Clarification is requested on whether these are considered a form of ‘Coaching.’ Additionally, when staff are questioned during a ‘Coaching,’ they should be offered union representation.

  • SM: In general, nothing should be placed in an employee’s supervisory file without their knowledge. We expect supervisors to be transparent and upfront with staff. While ‘Coachings’ are often perceived as negative, we would like to see positive documentation included in staff files as well to recognize strengths and accomplishments.

     

  1. Stargazing:
  • There are reports that a patient has requested to stargaze during the overnight shift. NOC staff expressed concerns about having sufficient staffing to accommodate this request.

  • BR: Please work with Jen to provide input to be brought back.

     

  1. Prairie View / RN Staffing:
  • It was reported that Prairie View did not have an RN scheduled for one of the shifts.
  • SM: Will follow-up.