On Thursday, September 29, state mental health workers from Department of Health and Human Services facilities across the state gathered in Goldsboro at the Rebuilding Broken Places center, and virtually via Zoom, to speak out for safe staffing, family-supporting wages, and a voice on the job. The forum was organized by the DHHS Council of the North Carolina Public Service Workers Union, UE Local 150.
Like most healthcare workers across the country, NC DHHS workers are suffering dangerous understaffing as a result of the economic and social conditions created in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of workers have quit, and many facilities have vacancy rates of over 25 percent — leading to forced overtime, increased injuries and staff burn out. For instance, as of last month, Central Regional Hospital has 1,437 employees, but 449 vacancies. Workers testified to how the staffing shortages have played a role in attacks and injuries they face on the job while attempting to provide quality care to the patients.
In response to the mental health crisis, UE Local 150 is making recommendations including:
- Ten-percent retention bonuses made permanent and granted to all front line positions;
- Return to pre-pandemic minimum staffing ratios and staffing for acuity to meet the needs of the patients on the units;
- Shift differential pay for all staff including food service and housekeeping;
- Facility directors should establish regular meet-and-confer sessions with Local 150 leadership at each facility, and sincerely respond to suggested changes;
- Establishment of a Safe Staffing Task Force; and
- In-range salary adjustments and establishing a seven-year step plan.
“One of our biggest challenges working in the State Mental Health Facilities is the incredible understaffing due to stressful working conditions and lack of respect from management,” said Sekia Royall, statewide president of Local 150 and a food service assistant at O’Berry Neuro-medical Treatment Center. “Hundreds of workers have quit, causing huge nursing vacancies in every state facility. This understaffing has caused lots of injuries on the job. Workers are being forced to work 50-60 hour weeks.”
Martha Brown, a chaplain at Cherry Hospital and a Local 150 member, read aloud “just a few of the headlines of various news reports” about the mental health challenges the state is facing:
“New mental health data show unsustainable burden on North Carolina Hospitals.” “NC finds trouble finding treatment for children with behavioral and mental health needs.” “NC family urges mental health treatment after deadly shooting.” “These kids are dying inside the overdose crisis sweeping Ft. Bragg.”
“What is the solution?” Brown continued. “Collaboration. Soliciting for understanding and not blaming.”
Local 150 charges that, despite sitting on record amounts of money, the state legislature has so far failed to provide the funding and the leadership that the union says is needed to be able to provide quality care to people with mental health needs.
Suzy Khachaturyan from the NC Budget and Tax Center said that, according to “a weekly report from the Office of the State Controller from Friday, September 16th, North Carolina has $5.5 billion available as its unreserved cash balance. These are dollars that can be appropriated by any time by a majority of the state legislature and with the Governor’s signature. These are our collective tax dollars.
“In addition, ... state policymakers transferred more than $9 billion into various reserve accounts this year, more than half of which is sitting on the sidelines waiting to be spent at some future unknown date. Again, these are our tax dollars that are being siphoned off without input from the public. Last year the Governor proposed and the State Legislature approved a seven-year step pay plan for the Department of Public Safety, there is no reason they can't do it for DHHS workers too. They have the money.”
“Recently DHHS had to bring up our pay because there were too many workers even below the pay range,” said Patrice Jacobs, who is a cook at Longleaf Neuromedical Treatment Center and president of the Local 150 union chapter there. “There is a woman that works with me that has been at Longleaf Center for 30 years and she is still making $15 per hour. It’s a shame.”
“When I saw my paycheck this week today I was really disheartened,” said Faizon Cutler, a therapeutic support specialist at Central Regional Hospital. “I was really looking forward to the state budget increases. At some point I did not even realize that I was below minimum.
“I work with adolescents, the younger kids. I have a great rapport with them. But I feel it continues to be an eye-opener that a lot of management don't show us appreciation. I was involved in an incident where myself and five other staff were injured in June and one is still out to this day.”
The local also charges that DHHS upper management failed to advocate for its workers in the last budget. Without urgent action, they say, the facilities that UE members work in and that people with mental health issues depend on are at grave risk of being closed.
At the end of the forum state elected officials, as well as candidates running for office in the November mid-term elections, were asked to respond to the testimony that they heard.
Lillie Williams, a candidate running in District 12 representing Lenoir and Pitt County against State Representative Chris Humphrey, said, “I was a Caswell Center employee in the 80’s. It saddens me when I hear the things you are going through now.I hear you when you talk about the staffing, salaries, the work environment and the cash reserves of the state. I feel you. I support collective bargaining for public sector employees.”