Riverview employees entitled to fair treatment

The unionized employees of Riverview Psychiatric Hospital in Augusta are outraged by state Sen. John Martin’s renewed call to turn over operation of the facility to a private contractor. The employees, who are members of AFSCME Local 1814, are equally upset with Martin’s publicly expressed desire to take away our union protections so we can be fired at the whim of management.

Martin’s comments (BDN, June 28) were a slap in the face to every hard-working employee at Riverview, many of whom have been caring for the most vulnerable members of our society for the better part of their working careers.

Why is it that whenever challenges arise in the delivery of essential public services some decision-makers opt to scapegoat front-line public employees and call for a private business to come to the rescue? Could it be because it’s the easy way out?

Privatization and union busting may be a convenient route for Martin, but it is not the right path to take. Handing care of the mentally ill over to a private business and stripping dedicated employees of their rights is not the solution to the problems at Riverview. Privatization of public services has proven to be a failure and eliminating the unbiased process for disciplining employees that was established through contract agreements is reckless and fundamentally unfair.

Instead of attacking the workers who spend their days and nights doing their best in an extremely challenging environment, Martin and other decision makers should be seeking our help. As the men and women on the front lines at Riverview we have valuable input and viable solutions to problems, which we have been actively sharing in labor-management meetings since the facility opened. That’s why we welcome the independent staffing study recently called for by a legislative panel – it’s another vehicle for important discussions that must continue to happen so we can provide the best possible care for the patients and a safe working environment for the employees.

There’s no doubt that it will take some time for the study to be completed and even longer for any solutions to be implemented. However, while this study and other ongoing discussions may be the longer road to take, it is clearly the best route as it is the right thing to do for the hard-working employees at the facility. Most importantly, it is in the best interest of the patients at Riverview.

As such, we respectfully ask Sen. Martin to reconsider his call to cast Riverview off to the private sector and to strip us of our right to fair treatment by management. And, we ask him to foster dialogue instead of division.

Laura Fisher is president of AFSCME Council 93 Local 1814, based in Augusta.