UAW Local 6000, which represents probation officers, social workers, child welfare investigators, and a range of other MDHHS workers, is protesting work rules and processes at MDHHS in Macomb County.
This Detroit News story somehow neglected to mention that UAW Local 6000's primary labor agreement with MDHHS expires at the end of this year.
'MDHHS is in crisis': State workers in Macomb demand lower caseloads, better training
By Kara Berg - November 21, 2024Clinton Township — State health department workers in Clinton Township picketed Thursday outside their office to demand changes to work environments, including what they say are high caseloads, unjust discipline and unrealistic work expectations.
Carrying signs that read "Citizens deserve more" and "Department of inhumane service," about three dozen employees and union members marched in front of a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services office on Gratiot, demanding better working conditions. Many said MDHHS case workers are quitting left and right, which leaves those who are left with an even higher caseload.
Michelle Walter, who had been a CPS caseworker for 15 years in Macomb County before quitting on Monday, said employees are treated poorly by upper management and their supervisors. She said employees are threatened with being written up constantly and the stress levels are so high she was hospitalized three times in the past year.
"They just want to make sure our numbers look good," Walter said. "It's just bureaucracy and numbers. They don't actually care about what's in the best interest of the kids and the family anymore."
MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin said the department will continue to work with the unions to improve work for employees. She said MDHHS continues to actively recruit and hire new staff, and have hired more than 500 local office staff this year. Many staffers also received reclassifications last year that increased their pay rate and got a 5% raise in October.
"We are all on one team working with one goal: to better serve Michiganders each day. Part of that means delivering competitive pay, premium health care/dental/eye benefits and access to a 401k that has a higher match than most employers and flexibility on work-from-home," Sutfin wrote in a statement.
New system inefficient?
Kelly Barnett — president of the UAW Local 6000 union, which represents probation officers, social workers, child welfare investigators, and a range of MDHHS workers across Michigan — said the state is using an inefficient new program for payment services that help people get food, medical care and power restored. She said employees often have to focus on quantity over quality when it comes to their work.
"It's a disservice to people in the community," Barnett said.
Jeanette Bastien, the Macomb County area UAW 6000 representative, said the new system has turned the department into a "production line." People are on hold for hours waiting to talk to someone, Bastien said, which has led them to come into the office instead, making their lobbies crowded again.
"They're using metrics and timing for us to get work done," she said. "We're getting less communications with clients."
Bastien was a case worker for 16 years before she was appointed to the union position. She said the system the state is using now does not work.
"Some of our members are not even lasting three months. They're not even lasting six months. People are quitting. People are getting fired," Bastien said.
Sutfin, MDHHS spokeswoman, said the agency is hiring more workers with competitive wages and benefits, which should help caseloads.
"The department has been successful in hiring more staff recently — thanks to our competitive compensation — which will help ease workload and ensure caseworkers can give their undivided attention to Michiganders who need help," said Sutfin in her statement.
Lack of training for employees
Training is another issues, some say. Ray Holman, recording secretary for UAW local 6000, said there is not enough staff or support for staff. This is the union's 14th picket in just over a year, he said. MDHHS has listened and met with the union, he said, but the issues have continued.
Rita Yarema, who began as a payment specialist in Clinton Township in July, said she is frustrated that she was not trained properly. Since she's been at the department, she's seen five new people leave.
"If they want to keep good quality people, we need better training," she said.
Rita Yarema, left, marches at an informational picket Nov. 21, 2024, outside the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services building in Clinton Township.
High caseloads
Tiffany Denton, a CPS caseworker, said the state removed workers' maximum caseload limits, but then employees are disciplined for having too many open cases.
"They're forcing this work on us and then disciplining us because the work not getting done, but we don't have enough time to do the work," Denton said.
Walter said it's no longer about the kids and their safety.
"It's about how our county numbers look for upper management," Walter said.
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