WESTON, W. Va. — Union members picketed along the road leading to one of the state’s two mental hospitals, giving their side of a labor case that originated in the 1980s.
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of American Local 170 members spent the afternoon outside of William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital in Lewis County to raise awareness of what they described as poor working conditions.
“Wages have been froze since 1997, people aren’t paid a living wage, a lot of staff have to go to work and work 12 and 16-hour shifts day after day, and they have no time to spend with their families,” said Jamie Beaton, chief steward of the UE Local 170.
Working and operating conditions at Sharpe Hospital and Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital in Huntington were brought to light in 1981 in the case of E.H. v. Matin—also referred to as the Hartley case. The lawsuit led the legislature to establish guidelines for proper treatment of patients with mental illnesses and for proper staffing of mental hospitals in the state.
However, the case was reopened in 2009 by Kanawha County Circuit Judge Duke Bloom at the urging of Mountain State Justice when claims of inadequate care and staffing persisted. Bloom issued an order after proposals were presented by the state Dept. of Health & Human Resources and the Bureau of Behavioral Health & Health Facilities, but implementation of the order has been slow as the case continues.
“The bureau has been court ordered to raise salaries, eliminate mandatory overtime and to fill vacancies,” Beaton said. “Today, we currently have around 86 vacancies at Sharpe Hospital.”
Another issue the protesters were standing against on Monday was the utilization of contract and temporary employees at the two facilities. This, according to John Thompson, International Representative with the UE said is counterproductive and costing taxpayers millions.
“Since 2013, it has cost $9.1 million in contract employee costs,” he said. “That’s a lot of money. That could be going to improve the wages here for the staff, which would go a long ways to recruiting and retaining staff.”
The DHHR has previously said it has found difficulty in staffing the two facilities, which results in the need for contract employees.
The message from picketers, Thompson said, is that every issue facing the two mental hospitals could be solved by improving working conditions for all employees—not just those involved in direct care.
“We’re calling on the DHHR and the Bureau to do the right thing for all of their employees at all of their facilities,” he said. “To raise their wages, to bring them more in line to what other healthcare facilities are paying throughout the state of West Virginia.”
Asked about the current situation with the two mental health hospitals, the DHHR responded with a statement through email:
“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, its Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities, and the Management of William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital take employee and patient safety very seriously,” said Vickie Jones, commissioner of the BHHF. “The employees of Sharpe care for and provide services to one of our most vulnerable populations in West Virginia. Prior to the Judge’s order, DHHR’s Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities has been addressing staffing levels at William R. Sharpe Jr. Hospital and Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital. We divert patients when necessary to preserve the highest quality of care for our patients while maintaining positive working conditions for our staff.”
The next hearing in the court case is scheduled for Oct. 14.