Present: Jo Pels, Troy Sherwood, Molly Kennedy, Bonnie Wold, Chuck Hottinger, Amanda Mathiowetz, Matt Stenger, Tim Lokensgard, Ann Zimmerman, Christina St. Germaine, Melissa DuChene, Cindy Jungers, Kevin Moser, Jason Anderson
AFSCME AGENDA ITEMS
1. Incident reports being viewed by clients and staff names not being redacted a. Clients are requesting Incident Reports written about them and the staff’s name is not redacted. This is a concern because that staff could be targeted. This is especially a concern for the staff going on trips with those clients. The staff name cannot be redacted because it is not private data, as defined by state statue. AFSCME requested that staff be made aware when an Incident Report they wrote was requested by clients. Management stated that this does not seem like an unreasonable request and were going to get further information. Ann Zimmerman will be speaking to legal to get more information on how to go about this. This does happen a lot in Moose Lake so this will have to be looked into further.
2. 3rd vacation spot for 1st watch this summer/ongoing a. Molly Kennedy stated that on 2nd watch there are 74 positions with 5 vacation slots, 3rd watch 73 positions with 5 vacations slots, and 1st watch has 42 positions with 2 vacation slots. This averages 14.8 positions per vacation slot. This did not take into account how many staff are working per day. Chuck Hottinger stated that MSH 1st watch has 67 positions with 6 vacation spots. Tim Lokensgard stated that he would look into this.
3. Amount of inversing happening from 1st to 2nd watch. Call outs on the radio by SOD. a. The summer months create a lot of inversing. AFSCME mentioned that a 1st watch SOD will announce over the radio how many sick calls were received. Management stated that that is one SOD, the specific incident was already addressed. b. There were 19 inverses last pay period total. 15 of the inverses were 1st watch to 2nd. If you are inversed you can ask the OD for the list of staff who signed up for Advanced Overtime. AFSCME will work on getting an updated Inverse Call List.
4. Discussion on how to grant holidays. a. The plan as to how to manage holiday was decided upon at the November 2014 MSOP St Peter AFSCME Management meeting. Following that meeting, Molly Kennedy sent out an e-mail to all MSOP Security Counselor’s asking for their vote on how holidays are granted: seniority by watch vs. unit based. She received a total of 16 emails, 11 for seniority and 5 for unit based. Due to this response, holidays will now be granted by watch seniority. This is how Moose Lake grants holidays as well. There was no discussion about the union requesting change to the practice since the AFSCME survey showed the same results as the plan put in place at the November meeting.
5. Announcement on homepage on new process of how to request vacation. a. This will explain in detail the process of vacation and how holidays will now be granted.
6. Future of campus security. a. Management stated that there has been no discussion on this as this was previously discussed at the November meeting. MSOP is in favor of keeping Lower Access. b. Molly Kennedy has a document explaining how important Campus Security is to our campus and will forward that on to Tim Lokensgard.
7. Additional cross training in specialized departments. a. If you are interested in being cross trained e-mail Jamie DeAtley or Tim Lokensgard for Control Center or Count Coordinator. Management stated they are more than happy to add staff to the list for cross training. When that training is available will depend on scheduling. b. This will help staff have more access to working holidays.
8. Monitoring GPS in the count office. a. Phase 3 clients are not outfitted with a GPS bracelet when going on outings. This is a 13 step process and is quite timely. Time needs to be taken when putting these bracelets on because if not applied correctly, the GPS will shut down for a few days. On weekends there is one person in the Count Office. This is a lot to expect of one person. Also, a lot of outings take place at a time when it is quite busy in the Count Office. Management stated that they are looking at different options for application and taking the bracelet off. They recognize how busy the Count Office is and understand it is chaotic.
9. 30 minute unpaid breaks a. It was brought to AFSCME’s attention that it is very difficult for staff in CPS to find time for their unpaid break. In many cases staff are forfeiting their break. AFSCME stated that a majority of members would like to see the half hour break go away. Management stated that it is concerning that people are not getting their breaks. Taking away unpaid breaks will not be considered any time soon. Options are being looked at to insure members will get their breaks. b. Bonnie Wold stated that breaks were discussed at the Administration Meeting. At the meeting it was discussed how to better utilize role call meetings by including more clinical topics.
10. AFSCME Turkey’s a. AFSCME will be handing out turkey vouchers to the members. There will be a window of time these will be handed out in the Pexton Lobby.
MOOSE LAKE AGENDA:
1. Cross Training a. Staff would like to be cross trained in areas like Transport and A-Team. This would increase their likelihood of getting to work overtime and holidays. Management stated that eventually everyone will be Transport trained. They are beginning with Utility Pool. As far as areas like A-Team and Control Center go, management stated that they looked at how often those cross trained work in that area and it is not very often, which can create an issue of employees not maintaining the necessary skill level. Matt Stenger asked how long of a period it would take to make a staff not current. Management stated that no set time frames have been established. b. On transports, only 1 transport trained staff is required. c. Management will look at increases the number of times in one year the A-Team Fit Test will be offered.
2. Virus a. There was a virus on campus and MSOP is awaiting testing results before the virus can be identified. Results came back that it did not come from the Kitchen. It came from areas like door handles, phones, etc. The facility is being sanitized once a day until further notice. AFSCME asked if this is because of a lack of hand sanitizer? Management believes that rather this outbreak is connected to not washing hands. b. Management stated that everyone made a strong effort and the results show that.
MANAGEMENT AGENDA ITEMS
1. Beards and fit test. a. There has been a noticed increase of fairly large beards on the faces of male A-Team staff. Management does not want to police this, just want to remind staff that it is a standard to ensure a proper fit for A-Team protective equipment. Staff has signed off on this requirement. If the masks seal is compromised, this will put yourself and your co-workers in jeopardy. In order for a proper fit the mask must make contact with the front of your neck and under the jawline. b. This is an OSHA standard as well. Ann Zimmerman will send that information to Tim Lokensgard to pass along to Chuck Hottinger.
2. Agenda – Budget, spending reduction. a. DHS is being very cautious about their spending. Any expense must be reviewed by senior management at this point. The Executive Team at Central Office has a committee that looks at the expense prior and must give authorization. b. Anything dealing with health or safety is a priority.