AFSCME Local 191 2014 Management Agenda

Members please find below a letter your officers sent to Phil Cox and Cabinet in preparation for a meeting for this Friday, March 14,2014. It is recognized that not all relations between counties and OYA are strained but it is also recognized that where there are poor relations it can impact us all. Your union is preparing already for what can potentially be a 2015 legislative session that is disruptive to Oregon Juvenile Corrections as we know it.

In Camaraderie

Greg

Phil we (AFSCME 191) called for the 3-14-14 meeting with you and AFSCME officers as we feel that relations with at least three if not more counties have not improved or are eroding further. These include Multnomah, Lane and Marion. To a lesser extent other counties can be included. It is felt that going into the 2015 legislative session could be challenging and this is evidenced by comments we have heard from you and other administrators.

We have asked for the meeting not to challenge or attack management but to report our concerns as we move to the YRS model which I like to call the umbrella of FEM, PYD, ORRA,etc. As you know we (AFSCME 191) have backed the agencies direction to this point.

Unfortunately we continue to see challenges and based on the agencies history we decided to refer to past documents that include the Transition Team Report of 2008, The AG’s Boyle report and the 2010 Juvenile Justice Symposium.

We believe it is AFSCME 191’s responsibility to report concerns . What is more important is we believe that it is OYA administrations role/duty to respond to these concerns and protect its employees from harm or harassment in the work place as well as it is the administration s role to ensure we have the right tool for the right job so that we can adhere ethically, legally and responsibly to statutes and law.

This meeting needs to be more then discussion and process. We will be asking for direct results that could include reviewing / abolishing co-managed agreements, reviewing program contracts, abolishing placement committees ,censuring certain juvenile departments and their administrations if necessary and having conversations with county commissioners and legislators.

We (AFSCME 191) have exhausted efforts at local levels to include supervisors . We made a commitment to agency leadership not to address the counties ourselves so are respectfully asking for your leadership towards this.

Here are examples of comments we have heard from Juvenile Department Staff, treatment providers or Judges:

“OYA is a Black Hole”

“OYA does not do a good Job”

“That person should not have been hired”

“county commissioners support takeover”

“OYA des not care”

“…no confidence he will change”

“oya just makes it worse”

“counties tell programs they have the final say and that JPPOs have none”

“judges dismissive of OYA workers. “

Phil these are just a few documented comments.

We also want to address the following from the 2008 Transition Report: At the meeting we will cite examples and will also refer to some statutes.

Page 3, Paragraph 3

Page 7, Recommendation 6

Page 10, Observation C

Page 10, Observation D

Page 10, Observation E

Page 12, Observation B

Page 14, Observation A

Page 19, Observation D

Page 20, Observation E

Phil, this is from a list solicited statewide. There are more areas we want to address in Transition Report but this is a start.

Our goal for this meeting is for you as leaders to give a clear response to us that will assure us a safe and protective work place and that we are assured we can perform our duties as guided by the position description, collective bargaining agreement, policy and procedure and state law.