AFSCME MSOP Labor Management

January 10th 2019

MOJ

12PM

Attendance: Adam Castle, Ryan Cates, Eric Hesse, Jamie Sheppard, Molly Kennedy, Michelle Sexe, Troy Sherwood, Bonnie Wold, Michelle Breamer, Andrew Cole, Charlie Hoffman

AFSCME AGENDA ITEMS

1. 1.      Follow Up Items
   1. A.     Inverse/Overtime Numbers- Tim-From 11/28 to 12/11 and 12/12 to 12/25.  2nd watch had 20 staff for 76.5 hours.  3rd watch had 6 staff for 22.5 hours. 1st watch had 41 staff for 160.5 hours. Total-1259.75 hours.

New AFSCME Items

1. 1.      Vacation Approval Process- Hesse-There has been piggy backing with the vacation process. Talked about going to new system. Not opposed but would like to talk to staff to see their options. Only go out to the pay period for the 6 months out. Can put in for any day in that pay period. All will be answered in the 10 day period. Jan 10 ask for any of that 2 week period as long as first day. Cannot go beyond that pay period. Tim-Jamie outlined a bit of concern that she is trying to make sure its all within the 6 months. If you had July 10 to 24th and someone asks for full two weeks does that open? I put in 10th to 24th of July, can you come in and ask for 17 and 18? Molly-no. Tim-I just want to make sure. Suggestion is to do the same as MSH. Cates-if it’s a posting, I feel more senior staff should be able to take any of that time.  Hesse- you have to have it posted for 10 days. Cates-by posting that way, people will take the entire time and then rescind. They started this to eliminate the piggy backing and game playing. Tim-I think a set time makes it better. On an update, especially not being able to access from home. There is a server upgrade that will happen “soon.” Hesse-so we would ask that we can email the scheduler. Tim-I’m not against that. Molly-if you put in for it. As long as someone has asked for it then others can come in because it’s been opened up..Cates-has to be within the 6 months. Has to be an MOU. Molly-we are in discussion about this. Tim-I just want to make sure we are following contract so we don’t get grievances. Cates-technically it doesn’t follow contract right now. Tim-just want to be consistent. Molly-right now this is how MSH is doing it, isn’t following contract. Tim-we shouldn’t be piggy backing. Hesse-We will bring it to the membership meeting. Tim-I will have Jamie continue doing what she is doing. Hesse-are we honoring those people who were contractually approved but now taken off? Tim-I’m not sure. Who are those people and the dates? Molly reported the names and dates of people affected. Tim-just want us to go back and take care of piggy backing? Hesse-contractually you have to honor what was approved on seniority. Molly-people legitimately put in that would have gotten it but didn’t.
2. 2.      CPS Staffing- Hesse-seems like management and staff is getting different messages. Still saying running one unit alone for 5 hours at cps. Jamie-being run short making them take breaks early or late. Hard time because coverage isn’t allowed to Tomlinson, outings, etc. so this limits who can take breaks and coverage etc. short because of the visits. Also short with three outings staff because they weren’t filled. Easier if schedules lined up more with outings. Being pulled for things that should be an outings staff. Hesse-with mandate of coverage staff, seems leads have taken on the issue with moving people. They don’t have enough staff. Michelle-only place we have said that is outings. We need staff CPS trained and to work with the client on outings. Operations supervisors had a meeting with 3rd watch staff and said no issues. If its not working, we need to know and why not. Our number of staff need to work together. I was told it’s a lack of communication and cooperation amongst staff. Hesse-there are new staff and leads come in that may have high aspirations that may not want to ask or rock the boat because they may want to look good when in reality they may be having trouble. Molly-they have been told that no one else can do movement and Tomlinson. Not enough regular staff. Hesse-something is going on. Why else would I have this much stuff here? Michelle-supervisors and 3rd watch lead assured me that whoever is saying that, isn’t true. So I don’t know how to fix a problem when they say there isn’t a problem. Hesse-its easier to have issue brought to the union than do it yourself. Some may feel more comfortable. I have had it when people come to me, and management asks why they didn’t come to me. Scared of retaliation…Want us to give you the issues and you can work on it? Tim-yes. Michelle-we do audits and there are a lot of times when there are a lot of staff in the station and staff say their peers are on the computer all of the time. We have a meeting coming up and I can bring that up. I hope staff can come up to me and let me know what’s going on.
3. 3.      Approved/Excused Tardies- Hesse-whether an approved tardy can be held against you and the difference of them. Will it be held against you? Molly-authorized or excused. Someone has flat tire. Has a receipt. That is something out of our control. Something that would linger in file? Is it excused or unauthorized? Bonnie-we have been talking about how to message this. A flat tire and receipt we would authorize that. It’s when the have 6 flat tires or go in ditch in short amount of time. We will authorize one. When someone is tardy, we do a report of discipline and wait for the report. Then we make a decision. We get someone can be late. If it’s the first time and it’s unforeseen we will probably approve that. If it happens again in a couple of months, we will authorize it but it may be in the file. With the last one, the staff saw they were authorized and didn’t understand what it meant when it was in the file. We drew the line and said we have authorized in the past. This was just a notice that this may not be approved and could lead to discipline. We have changed our language on how we communicate with employers. That they know the difference and what it means between the two. We go over the expectations that it may or may not be. If someone has already had their authorized, they may not be authorized in the future, it depends on the situation. Jamie-how far back do you go? It was over a year. And the last one was not brought to them. Bonnie-I don’t disagree. It’s a letter of expectation not targeting. Jamie-this staff never had an issue now this new one has an issue with it. Bonnie-it has to do with how it’s reported and documented as well. Hesse-letter of expectation is not discipline. But they have in their mind it is because they are talked about it. Cates-are you going to give staff discipline for authorized? Bonnie-no, why would we. This person received 3 authorizes that were not emergencies. This person didn’t have any discipline so we authorized them. We got to the point where we were generous and now these were not emergencies so we gave a notice. When you have 3 in a short amount of time, it makes us wonder, so if you can provide proof that is great.
4. 4.      Incentives MOU- Hesse-it seems as though the MOU isn’t being followed to the letter. It states “employees” but seems like DCT wants to pick and choose but there is no language that says they can. It states with topped out bonus you have to be topped out for 6 months but was expanded to a year. The only discretionary language is “up to 5000.” It also states satisfactory or better performance. That is taken as, has had discipline but has a satisfactory review, you were denied but with language “or higher” also pertains to performance review because you can get exceeds. You would think that discipline would affect your performance review but it doesn’t. For education we know there is 100k for LPNs statewide and 100k for all other. At prescribed $2500. That leaves 40 LPNs and 40 other employees state wide to receive it. How will that be chosen? Lottery? Bonnie-I don’t know if anyone here can answer that. Do you Andrew? No. Hesse-response we heard is no budget. Seems like staff splitting. People are angry at us. Tim-I don’t know anything about this issue. Hesse-can you run it up the chain to Mel? Andrew-nodded yes.
5. 5.      Grievances- Hesse-more apparent to union that when we file a grievance we almost have to have 2 hearings. One with HR to get to management and one with management. It’s not their duty to talk about validity or merit of grievance, it is their job to forward to management. Only reason we do is so you can track it. Nothing contractual. We would like to not have 2 grievance hearings. If HR has questions, the time is during the formal grievance hearings. Cates-if they don’t think it is, they can talk to the management. It’s our process.

Management Agenda Items

1. 1.      Scheduling and Pay for Union Activities- bonnie-This was for Denise so if we can table it for next time.
2. 2.      Vocational Change- Charlie-redesigned project affects 3 staff all working late shift. Moving to 8 to 430 m to f with their vacation. Everyone seems to be okay with that. Hesse-no vocational in evening? Charlie-no. Bonnie-clients have not been notified yet. We are telling them today.  Michelle-no clients will lose hours.
3. 3.      Clarification on Permanent Mutual- Tim-clarification on mutual. Typically and contractually it’s if someone is bumped to 1st watch they can mutual if someone wants to. Only time we have allowed. There is one out there for 2 work areas 1st watch. You mentioned its ok to do it this way. I want to make sure this is ok. Cates-I want to run it up the latter with HR. We have had issues in the past. Tim-before I said ok let’s go ahead, I want to make sure we are all ok. I would worry you are circumventing the process. Hesse-could he take the bid that’s out there? Tim-could go that route because there is a bid out there. We just posted for 2 volunteers. Hesse-if he were to say he wanted to go to one of those….he may be interested in going there. One wants to go there permanently. We would be opening for 3 rounds which would leave a spot open continually for a while. Tim-I caution on permanent mutual. He can bid to a first watch position.
4. 4.      Holiday sign up- Tim-we have had clipboard for sign up but Jody does it by if you ask for holiday off. You put in for vacation more than 28 days out then when it gets to that posting. They go through denied vacations within 6 months. So if you get denied, you are on the list already. Cates-only problem is when they over granted vacation. Tim-will go on homepage when we go to it. It takes away the paperwork basically. Just send an email to Jamie if you have any changes…When this goes into effect.

Adjourned at 1PM