Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 7, 1992 TAG: 9203070198
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Alma Lee, president of the American Federation of Government Employees local at the Salem VA, said at a news conference Friday that she and two other union representatives will be in Washington, D.C., next week to meet with congressional representatives and possibly with Edward Derwinski, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"We are not going to stop until we get what we want," Lee said. "We want the removal of stress on employees so they can work effectively to care for patients."
National union President John Sturdivant is expected to ask Derwinski next week to intervene.
A Veterans Affairs Department spokesman said Friday that Derwinski would likely "be very interested in listening" to the union's concerns.
"If indeed the allegations are of substance, then it's certainly a good starting point for discussion," said Terry Jemison, the spokesman. A national union president asking the secretary to intervene in a VA matter "is infrequent," Jemison said.
The stress, employees say, is linked to next month's move to a new $50 million facility at the Salem VA that will consolidate acute medical and surgical beds into one building. Employees have charged management with creating a chaotic work environment that is affecting patient care.
The union conducted a survey of nearly 300 employees this week to gauge morale, work conditions and patient care. Preliminary results showed that of those employees surveyed, 276 felt that morale had deteriorated.
Two hundred and fifty-six found that the low morale had an adverse effect on patient care; 255 found an inadequate level of "hands-on" direct patient care staff.
The employees surveyed were about one-quarter of the 1,300 people who work at the center.
It is not the move that has upset employees, one registered nurse said. It is the way change has been handled by management.
"If you were moving to a new building, wouldn't you be excited?" said the nurse, who declined to give her name. "It's like moving to a new home. But that's not what's happening here. It's made for a whole lot of frustration."
The move may result in work reassignments for some employees. Some say reassignments would only compound existing problems.
Veteran Ron Zoll said at Friday's news conference that he'd been treated at the Salem center for 23 years.
"Every year, it's gotten worse," said Zoll, of Troutville. "You have professional people who can't do anything because of a system that they are forced to work under.
"Don't get me wrong - there are darned good doctors and staff. But we all live in fear that they will be driven off."
One Salem VA employee said not all workers share those concerns.
"I really think it's an attempt [of] the service organizations and the union to get together and force some people out," the employee said. "And that would be a shame."
Salem VA officials have responded to allegations by scheduling management/employee meetings to, in part, discuss issues raised by the union. The meetings will begin Tuesday and run for three weeks, said Pat Clark, public information officer.
"Having employee meetings is not a new idea," Clark said. "But we've set aside a portion of these to resolve issues."
Clark said she finds the union's position in direct conflict with the crux of their complaints - patient care. Changes have been implemented to ensure quality patient care, not diminish it, she said.
"That's our obligation," she said.
One way of ensuring quality care is to assess the quality of employees, Clark said. That is in part being done through a competency test for nursing staffers. Test results will help management in making work assignments.
The union has tried unsuccessfully to stop testing, asking instead that an ongoing education program be put in place.
Clark said she wanted to clarify that all nursing staffers will receive two to three days of classroom education before they are tested. Most already have received a syllabus generally outlining course content, Clark said. Two weeks before the test is given, employees will receive a more complete package, she said.
The first group of employees - nursing assistants - has just completed testing and "as expected, everybody passed," Clark said.
The union at the Salem medical center counts as its members 600 of the center's nearly 1,000 non-supervisory and non-management employees, both professionals and non-professionals. The union is the exclusive bargaining agent for all employees who are eligible for union membership, whether they are members or not.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.