I have worked for sunmuont for 10 years. I love what I do and am very good to my clients. The battle that I have had to fight (several) should not have ever happened. L No one seeks the truth. The so called professionals (pay check sucking) Do not do thier jobs and direct care staff take the blame. We need acccountability across the board.
What Sunmount needs is accountability. We would not be in the mess we are if staff was treated with a little respect. Professionals (and I use that term loosely) are never held accountable. No matter what happens, it all gets blamed on the staff that works with the consumers. Most of the time the problem stems from a professional that failed to do their job. Somehow it all gets blamed on direct care. Shit rolls downhill. The mind set of the direct care staff do need to change. These are people not there to be punished, but help to change.
YOU will never change them by being a control freak that thinks they must be punished. If you have any knowledge of how these consumers became what they are you know their lives were full of abuse. That's what made them what they are. Do you think that you can change them with more pain? You need to show them that things can be different, other wise your just making them more dangerous. You put yourself and your co-workers in danger with the consumers, and with administration.
Now to administration you need to make Professionals accountable for their mistakes and not allow staff that are not responsible to be punished or take the blame. Your supervisors are playing games with the staff just to be dick-heads. (because I can) This is part of the cycle. The contract is there for a reason and should not be allowed to be ignored or abused. There should be consequences for this destructive behavior. Do you believe that this has no affect on the consumers? Remember shit rolls downhill.
How would you like to be direct care staff? Abused by professionals and the consumers. Most are now professional victims, trying to hold on to a decent pay check with some great benefits. That's why people are afraid to stand up for themselves. Where else in Tupper Lake are you going to get a job that pays as well and has the benefits? That is how they keep people in there place, they threaten to take these things from you knowing that you can't find a job that will pay you this well and good luck finding a job with these benefits.
So people take letters of discipline that they do not deserve and they pay fines for things they did not do in order to keep these things for their families. Administration needs to make all employees accountable for their actions and inactions. If direct care had the support staff that is paid for (by federal funding) they could do their job with less fear. It's hard to be responsible for these consumers, but it's getting insane when no one else is held accountable (Grade 13 and above) Seek the truth and it will solve about 80% of our problems with CMS.
Now on to our Union (I use that term loosely also) you need to take care of business here. You were elected to represents us at local 431. Why is it your responsibility to go train people that are not local 431? When you off doing that, we are left to fend for ourselves. That's not what we pay for. I bet if you asked your members how they felt about their union the answer would be "what Union". This is not the entire locals fault either. We pay for support from Albany and Syracuse and we get none.
I have friends that do not live in this area and are represented by CSEA and they are better represented than we are and I mean way better. Can you tell me how it is that civil rights of workers were violated? This shouldn't happen with a union. You wonder why the feds are looking so closely? If this is allowed to happen to the workers with a union how do you think they are with consumer rights? If I had a dollar for every time I was told to violate consumer's rights I could retire right now and I only have 10 years. The 147a forms are not just of direct care staff. If you file one on anybody that is below a grade 13 it will be investigated. If it involves above a grade 13 it will disappear and never be investigated and the person who filed it will end up on administrative leave. Things that make you go hmm!!!
To all I say wakeup!!! If you want to keep our jobs and federal funding become a team, stop fighting what needs to be done. Direct care staff treat your consumers as people. They have every right that you have, weather you like it or not. Treat them with the same respect that you want in return. Remember you collect a paycheck to take care of them. So earn your pay and care for them. It makes it really hard for administration to come after you if you're doing your job well. I should know been there done that.
Remember this is not about administration or direct care it is about the consumers' lives. Make a positive difference in their lives; it's really they only thing you can do to survive this system. It won't make you any less of a target with administration just much harder to hit.in return you will feel better about yourself and your job. To administration I say seek the truth, it will set us all free. The pressure on direct care is unbelievable because everything ends up being their fault. How many of the hits form CSM belonged to direct care staff? Accountability for everyone!
One of Many
Tupper Lake, New York
U.S.A.
Tupper Lake & Saranac Lake getting the long over due publicity it so richly deserves. Click here. Read about all the corruption on businesses, Police & Probation Department, Sunmount Developmental Ctr., Jack Delehanty Asst. District Attorney & much more!
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