tsea december newsletter

7/23/2019 TSEA December newsletter

1/12

Chapter Meetings Page 2Presidents Remarks Page 32016 Legislative Agenda Page 3

Privatization Update Page 5Scholarship Program Page 9Lobby Day - Save the date Page 12

INSIDE State GroupInsurance

Update

Page 8

Co-WorkerThe official Publication of the Tennessee State Employees AssociationNovember/December 2015VOLUME 32

SEA Website:tseaonline.org

ON THE INTERNET

SEA is on facebook!Stop by and "like" us today at:

http://facebook.com/tseaonline

SEA is also on twitter!@tseaonline

627 Woodland St. | Nashville, N 37206615.256.4533 | 800.251.SEA (8732)

[email protected]

On the employeesurvey, the 28-day,ACA audits, andperceptions of thedepartment.

esieged by questionsand some disap-

proval, Commis-

sioner Derrick

Schofield remains steadfast

in his vision for ennesseesDepartment of Correction.

But, as a slew of recent legis-lative inquires, countless

media reports, pressure fromTSEA and others, and a

somewhat unfavorable auditendure, palpable pressure tochange course mounts. hedecisions made over the nextfew months will be critical tothe success of the depart-

ment, and this commis-

sioner. For the last four

years, this agency has been

about looking at what are thebest practices in running a

correctional system, said

Schofield, in his fourth yearas commissioner. And ob-

taining and doing what we

know to be best practices,

there are always going to bechanges in terms of how weoperate.TDOC and TSEA arepartnering on a surveyof employees to deter-mine employee prefer-ence for a new work

schedule. Tell us aboutyour vision for thesurvey?

I think the survey is a

good tool to gauge from ouremployees what type of shiftthey want, whether its the

12-hour shift or the 8-hour

6/3 rotation type shift. It gaveus an opportunity to work

with TSEA. Weve [worked

together] a long time, it gota little rough for a period oftime, but I think we both havethe same interests; we want

to do whats best for the em-ployees. And this sends the

message that its not a separa-tion, we are cooperating

working together to get theright information from the

staff.

TDOC decided not toinclude the 40-hourwork week as an optionon the survey; can youexplain why you choseto omit that option? It goes to the fundamen-tal purpose of why we shifted,

and some of the reasons weshifted. We were looking atthings to bring back shift

briefings, a schedule that

would facilitate shift brief-

ings, rotating days off for

staff, and a recruitment en-hancement tool that we

wanted to utilize. I think

going back to the 40-hour

work week takes away all

three of those. We go back tofixed days off. Some peoplehad the Saturday and Sunday,but if you were the guy whohad the Tuesday and

By Chris DauphinTSEA Communications [email protected]

Q&ATDOC Commissioner

Derrick D. Schofield

Wednesday off it is the sameargument that, I never get to

see my kids on the weekend.We just think its a fair way

of doing it, not having to goback to the 40-hour work

week.

What would you tell anemployee who hasconcerns about fillingout the survey? A couple of things. One,there is nothing on the surveythat would make us mad that

you answered a, b, c or d. Ittalks about schedule, we wanttheir opinion, and we are

partnering with TSEA. Infact, TSEA will collect the

data and share that with us.So, I think it is a very safe wayof getting to a lot more peoplethan just a handwritten or

ballot type survey.

Once you receive thesurvey results data, howwill you use thoseresults? We are going to reviewthe data. Weve committed

to a lot of people that we wantto give that scheduling choice

to the facilities. We want

them to do it based on what

they feel that workforce canhandle. If the majority say,

"we want to go to the 12

hours," then that is some-

thing we are going to lean

heavily on with that wardenand his staff that make thosedecisions at the local level.

If changes are made towork schedules, whencan employees expect anew schedule to go intoeffect? Probably not until the

first of the year. With holidays

coming up, we wouldnt wantto disrupt that right now.

People have bid on days off,and [schedules] are locked innow, so first of the year.

We have heard a lotfrom employees abouthow the current sched-ule affects overtime pay.How will a shift to a14-day plan, or a12-hour shift assign-ment affect overtimepay?

B

TSEA Exclusive

WORKERS CORPORATION

Privatization

CONTINUED ON P6


2/12Page 2 November/December 2015 Co-Worker

Davidson Countyuesday, November 175:30 PMGoodwill Lifsey Building937 Herman StreetNashvilleLight Refreshments will be providedGuest Speaker: Elisabeth ankersley, StateParking Services Manageropic:New State Employee parking garage

for Nashville employeesFor more information, call:Cheryl McCormick(615) 867-7075

Shelby CountyWednesday, November 185:30 PMBenjamin L Hooks Library3030 Poplar AveMemphisGuest Speakers: SEA Interim ExecutiveDirector Laanya McAdoo, SEA LegalServices Manager JoAnn Davis-Davis, andMelanie Grainer, N Department of Hu-man ResourcesAny employees having dealing with me-

diation, problems with their performanceevaluations, or worksite disputes shouldcome to this meeting to speak with expertswho can offer guidance.Any Shelby County Chapter memberwho recruits a new SEA member will beentered into a drawing to receive 1 of 2 $25gift cards!Both the recruiter and the new SEAmember must attend this meeting for therecruiter to be eligible for the prize. Youmay recruit an active or retired State em-ployee.For info, contact:Calvin Lewis(901) 212-4621

Fayette CountyTursday, November 195:30 PMrustmark BankMain Street(Fayette County Cont.) Somervilleopic: Lobby DayDoor PrizesFollowing the Meeting, Chapter's Holidaydinner will be at:Olympic Steak & Pizza6250 US Highway 64OaklandFor info, contact:Helen Jones(901) 465-8257

Norris LakeTursday, November 196:30 PMLittle Joe's BBQ2805 Maynardville HighwayMaynardvilleHoliday DinnerChapter pays for Member's mealFor info, contact:Vicky Anders(865) 216-7924

AppalachianSaturday, November 214:00 PMSnow Memorial Baptist Church2201 Knob Creek RoadJohnson CityChapter will provide food - please RSVPby November 14 with how many in yourparty will be attending, along with the ages

OFFICERS

PresidentBryan Merritt

SecretaryJackie Coleman

TreasurerTom Osborne, Nashville

East TN Vice PresidentJim Ruth, Knoxville

Middle TN Vice PresidentDonnie Cole, Winchester

West TN Vice PresidentAlmous Austin, Newbern

Board of Directors

District 1

Brad Moss, Union City

Hatchie River (Haywood, Lauderdale, Tipton)

Pioneer (Crockett, Gibson)

Reelfoot(Dyer, Lake, Obion)WHBC(Benton, Carroll, Henry, Weakley)

District 2

Teresa Grice, Memphis

Memphis Higher Education Chapter (Shelby)

Shelby County (Shelby)

District 3

Ernest Tisdale, Whiteville

CHAD (Chester, Decatur, Henderson)

Fayette (Fayette)

Forked Deer (Madison)

Southwest (Hardeman, Hardin, McNairy)

District 4

Sherry Koontz-Howell, Clarksville

Highland Rim (Dickson, Houston, Humphrey)

Sycamore (Cheatham, Robertson)

TWS (Smith, Trousdale, Wilson)

Volunteer (Macon, Sumner)

Warioto (Montgomery, Stewart)

District 5

Martha Wettemann, Pleasant View

Davidson County (Davidson)

District 6

Constance Smith-Burwell, Nashville

Davidson County (Davidson)

District 7

Cynthia Murdock, Petersburg

David Crockett (Lawrence)

Giles/Lincoln (Giles, Lincoln)

Maury/Marshall (Marshall, Maury)

Rutherford County (Rutherford)

South 40 (Hickman, Lewis, Perry)

Three Rivers (Bedford, Coffee, Moore)

Tims Ford (Franklin) ; Wayne (Wayne)

Williamson (Williamson)

District 8

Justan Spurling, Wartburg

Campbell/Scott(Campbell, Scott)Cumberland Plateau (Cumberland, Fentress)

Morgan County (Morgan)

Roane(Roane); Tealeaf (Rhea)

Upper Cumberland (Clay, Jackson, Overton,

Pickett, Putnam, White)

District 9

Steve Thomas, Cleveland

Caney Fork(Cannon, DeKalb, Grundy,

Warren)

Fall Creek Falls(Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Van

Buren)

Hamilton County(Hamilton)

Hiwassee(Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Polk)

Marion(Marion)

District 10

Betty Hardin, Knoxville

Anderson (Anderson)

Knox/UT(Knox)

Norris Lake (Claiborne, Union)

District 11

Chan Bergquist-Humbert, Greeneville

Appalachian (Carter, Johnson, Unicoi,

Washington)

East Tennessee State Univ.

Greene (Greene)Northeast (Sullivan)

District 12

Dena Taylor, Maryville

Foothills (Blount, Loudon, Monroe)

French Broad (Cocke, Jefferson)

Lakeway (Grainger, Hamblen, Hancock,

Hawkins)

Smoky Mountain (Sevier)

STAFF

Interim Executive Director

LaTanya Allison McAdoo

Membership Director

Tommy Francis

Government Affairs Director

Randy Stamps

Communications Director/ Co-Worker Editor

Chris Dauphin

Communications Coordinator

Amanda Clelland

Accountant 2

John Cahill

Accountant 1

Tim Clo

Staff Attorney

Jonathan Stephens

Legal Services Manager

Jo Ann Davis-Davis

Legal Services Coordinator

Anthony Trice

Paralegal for Legal ServicesSusan OBryan

Employee Compensation and

Benefits Manager

Gayle Robb

Employee Compensation and

Benefits Coordinator

Terry Carroll

Administrative Assistant for Membership

Linda Cartwright-Darden

Field Representatives

Lisa Hogue-Moffett- East TN

Vacant- Middle TN

Gayle Williams- West TN

Membership Recruiter

Sandra Pleas

ReceptionistJunie Rolens

Postmaster, please send address changes to:

Tennessee State

Employees Association

Co-Worker

627 Woodland St., Nashville, TN 37206

(615) 256-4533 1-800-251-TSEA

tseaonline.org

Co-Worker (ISSN 0891-0723) is published bi-

monthly by the Tennessee State Employees As-

sociation, 627 Woodland St., Nashville, TN

37206. Periodicals Postage Paid at Nashville, TN.

Subscriptions for members are covered in the

costs of the dues.

Chapter MeetingsCalendar

of EventsNovember

6 FridayState Board Meeting

11 WednesdayVeterans Day Holiday

26 TursdayTanksgiving Day Holiday

December

4 FridayState Board Meeting& Holiday Dinner

24, 25 Tursday-Friday

Christmas Eve-Christmas Day

January (2016)

1 FridayNew Year's Day

12 uesday109th General AssemblyConvenes

15 FridayState Board Meeting

18 MondayMartin Luther King Jr. Day

February15 Monday

President's DayState Board Meeting

16 uesdaySEA Lobby Day

March

2 WednesdayBoard Nominations Deadline

17 Tursday

Deadline for submittingConstitution and Bylaws proposals

18 Friday

State Board Meeting (1 p.m.)

25 Friday

Good Friday Holiday

28 Monday

Deadline for submittingResolution Proposals

November/December 2015 Edition

Co-Worker

Questions?Contact the TSEA office @

(615) 256-4533,Toll FREE @ 800-251-8732,or by email: [email protected]

CONTINUED ON P10


3/12November/December 2015 Page 3Co-Worker

The major concerns of our

membership continue. A huge

factor is the scope of statewide

privatization efforts by this admin-istration. TSEA has gone on record

and has opposed the privatizationof on-going, essential services asfar back as 1989. We wholeheart-edly believe that state governmentshould operate/manage state ser-vices and those services should beperformed by state employees.

Why should government contract

out its assigned responsibilities?Can a state employee decide whatportions of their work load they

want to simply give away to

someone to do, and keep their job?State employees across the

state have performed these needed

duties forever, yet there are con-tinued attempts to move govern-ment away from state employeesand more toward contracting

services with outside companies.The reason we keep hearing for

this is that it, creates a costs

savings, but this pattern cant beignored.

State employees, their familiesand friends have to join forces with

TSEA, members of the Legislatureand other groups who oppose

outsourcing/privatizing state gov-ernment responsibilities. Whats

needed is legislation passed that

will stop the administration fromprivatizing any other facility/

building/park/departments, etc.,

of state government until such

time that legislative oversight is

convinced there truly is a substan-tial savings by outside vendors. Another issue for our

members is a lack of assurance

that they will truly receive the PE

score they deserve based on theirtrue work performance. Espe-

cially when theres rampant dis-

cussion amongst a great numberof employees that they will get avalued rating, regardless. I

believe employees want assur-

ances that if they perform aboveand beyond, they will receive a

rating of advanced or outstand-ing and that the score wont be

changed at an upper level of man-agement. Is it much to ask that ifan employee performs at an out-standing level, based on real andconcrete measurements, that they

will receive the rating and the

equivalent increase in pay basedon that rating? hat cant be toomuch to ask! Im sure most can

imagine that if you go into an

evaluation having been told or

constantly hearing over and overagain in the workplace that you

can only expect to receive a

valued, employees at some pointbegin to believe that and will feeldefeated on the front end.

But please keep in mind thatthis round of evaluations and the

January raises will be a good placeto start with determining the

success of this type of pay for per-formance system and it will showwhere there is needed change.

TSEA has an online reporting

system for members and employ-ees to let us know of problems with

evaluations. his is another areawhere members can help TSEA

by providing this essential infor-mation. Please use this online

website tool and keep TSEA in-

formed.TDOC issues remain in the

forefront. I hope every member

has received and read SEAs re-

peated email blast updates aboutTDOC. Also I hope everyone hada chance to hear TSEAs testimonybefore the Senate State & Local

Subcommittee on Correction heldAugust 27 and October 14. If not,you can find the story and links tothe committee hearings on TSEAswebsite at www.tseaonline.org.

Your concerns and fears arebeing heard and what youve beentrying to tell everyone has cometo light. he changes thus far andthose yet to come are all creditedto members and employees pro-viding input and sharing informa-

tion that TSEA could then present

to legislators and the departmentof Correction. The department ofCorrection has now agreed to

work with TSEA on a survey to

TDOC employees to get their

feedback on the work period (14day vs 28 day). The results of whatemployees prefer will then be

shared with TDOC leadership

who has committed to give it

serious consideration in determin-

ing needed changes within the

department.

TDOC members, please taketime to complete the survey andprovide your feedback. Your re-

sponses are crucial because no one

knows better than you. Now we look toward 2016,

and working through the legisla-tive process with TSEAs legislative

agenda. On October 16, TSEAs

Legislative Committee met to

determine a proposed agenda forconsideration by the Board of Di-rectors at their November 6

meeting. The approved package

will be posted on the website onceapproved.

You will also be hearing verysoon about scheduled legislative

dinners, like those held last year.hese more centralized opportu-nities to talk with legislators aboutstate employee issues and your

associations legislative pursuits

are valuable and therefore the

Board and EAM approved theircontinuation. Make sure you planto attend one of the legislative

dinners in your local area. The

time you spend with legislators isvaluable to the success we have

during legislative session. Legislators cant just hear

from SEA whats important foryou, they have to hear you say

whats important to you. You area constituent, thats huge, and re-member you vote counts. Lastly, I encourage every

member to stay connected for

updates on issues of importanceto state employees via TSEAs

email blasts, updates on the TSEAwebsite and by following TSEA onTwitter and Facebook. And as

always, we need your feedback.

by LaTanya McAdooNEWS & VIEWS

I have had conversations

in the past with members

who want us to be more

vocal, make more noise, and

say that we need to rallybecause we need to get atten-

tion. I explained we had done

that in the past and how arally or a strongly-worded

press release is occasionallythe appropriate route. We do

not shy away from that ap-proach. But, more often than

not, we are able to get moreaccomplished in the long run

through working directly

with the Administration or

department. Maybe it doesmake some of our membersfeel good to be a part of a ral-

lying effort, but those actions

dont always produce the

intended result.

We have been workinghard to be visible and make

our needs known. We havebeen meeting with the Gov-ernor, and his Administra-

tion. We have met with Com-

missioners of several

departments and their staff.While we dont always agree,

we do a great job represent-ing our members.

For example, we startedmeeting with Commissioner

Schofield from Departmentof Correction about a year

ago. We kept hearing frommany of our members, of

unsafe working conditions,scheduling issues, and otherconcerns. We sat down at the

table and went through these

concerns one by one. Andwhile we had completely dif-

ferent perspectives, there was

a mutual respect that set themeeting tone. He brought to

us the idea of the recruitingbonus to attract more em-

ployees. His plan was to

award it after the year proba-

tionary period. We talked

about it being available

quicker than that, and when

it was announced, it was

much quicker. Part of it wasimmediate and part when the

training was completed. Wesee this as a win for our

members.

When the Senate held

hearings recently, they

wanted TDOC and TSEA to

work together, especially increating a survey to consider

schedule changes. I think it

speaks mountains that a

Senate committee saw

enough value in our organi-

zation to task us to work to-

gether. Just before one of thelast hearings, a TSEA staff

member received a phone call

from a person high up in theGovernors Staff, asking us to

work with TDOC. When you

receive those types of calls,you are no longer making

noise - youre being heard.

They are now seeing TSEAas having an effective seat at

the table.Now is the time to stay the

course. We have a lot of work

to do with the potential out-sourcing of jobs proposed by

the Governor. We know no

one can do the job better ormore cost effectively than

state employees. We are

gaining support and have

evidence to show when thishas been done in the past, it

normally has not worked.

Please continue to let the

office be aware of what youhear in your worksites and

we will aggressively work

against privatization in Ten-nessee. Thanks for all you do

to make Tennessee great.

Bryan Merritt

Reach TSEA Interim Executive DirectorLaTanya McAdoo at 800-251-8732, or byemail: [email protected]

Reach TSEA President Bryan Merritt at(423) 956-4521, or by email:

[email protected]

Making Noise vs.Being Heard

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. - Six

legislators and dozens of state

employees attend our first re-

gional legislative event in prepara-tion for the 2016 Legislative

Session.Senator Rust Crowe, Rep,

Matthew Hill, Rep. Jon Lundberg,Rep. Timothy Hill, Rep. Micah VanHuss and Rep. Bud Hulsey makecomments and answered ques-

tions from TSEA form the North-east ennessee region.

The breakfast was held at theTennessee College for Applied

Technology in Elizabethton.

Members were able to spend oneon one time with their legislatorsand discuss issues facing state

workers and the State of ennes-see. Legislators were also given

and overview of possible issues

facing state workers in 2016. Re-gional events will continue in

January through March of 2016.

UpcomingLegislative Events

hursday Jan. 28, Maryville/Knoxville. Dinner.

Saturday, Feb. 6,Shelby CountyArea. Breakfast/Brunch.Southwest Community CollegeFarris Bldg Conf Rms, A. B. & C.9:00 a.m.

We are finalizing regional eventsfor Chattanooga, Cookeville,Jackson, Nashville, ullahomaand Morristown.

Please watch for e-mails andwebsite updates over the next fewweeks.

Reform of he EAM Act Bonus for All State Workers Review of All State Contracts Review of State Private Prison Con-

tracts Contact Information

Return of Longevity Cost of Living Adjustment Higher Ed Concerns

Legislative AgendaItems for 2016

TSEA Holds First LegislativeBreakfast in ElizabethtonBy Randy StampsTSEA Government Affairs [email protected]



DOHRs Personal Use of Social

Media policy, revised February 2015,

has recently come up again espe-

cially as it relates to state employees

posting their personal concerns

about happenings in the Depart-

ment of Correction on social media

sites. TSEA has heard from members

that their departments are remind-

ing them of this policy or asking

them again to sign the employee

acknowledgement form included

with the social media policy.

TSEA is simply encouraging em-

ployees to become familiar with this

policy because it can directly impact

their employment with state govern-

ment.

Members conveyed to TSEA thatthey thought being cautioned or

disciplined for their personal social

media post was unconstitutional, so

as a result SEA had their Staff At-

torney to look into the policy.

Staff Attorney Jonathan Stephens

reviewed the policy in full and gave

the opinion that with this policy an

employer has greater latitude to

control an employees speech than

the government would have over a

private individual. Its kind of a

hybrid position between an unlim-

ited 1st amendment right to say

anything you so desire vs. a prohibi-

tion against yelling fire in a crowded

theatre. Be sure to read the article

in this Coworker from the Legal

Services Division, he State Social

Media Policy What are your

rights?

Members have expressed concern

that their departments are person-

ally speaking with them about what

is considered a negative post about

their agency. Again, keep in mind

that the Personal Use of Social Media

policy states If you list the State

of Tennessee as your employer on

your personal social media profiles,

any information you post will be held

to a higher level of scrutiny. And it

further says, Violation of any of

these policies may result in disciplin-

ary action, up to and including ter-

mination.

TSEA is simply encouraging

members to be careful about their

posts because state government is

able to monitor many of the sites and

able to see what you are saying. Alsobe very careful not to use your state

work computer to connect to your

social media sites. SEA would not

want any member or employee being

disciplined because they are express-

ing him/herself about a matter at

work that becomes viewed by the

agency as outside of policy and sub-

jects the employee to disciplinary

action.

If you need clarification or have

questions about this policy, please

be sure to contact the SEA Office

or your departments HR office.

What would you do? You arrive at

work one day and find that your supervi-

sor has assigned you to a different build-

ing. Then you find out you have different

work hours that you dont like. Finally,

your boss gives you more work than

anyone else in your department. You

believe that these changes are unfair and

possibly a violation of state law. Can you

go home and post derogatory comments

about your supervisor on your Facebook

page or other social media site about your

treatment at work?

If I tell you that you cannot post

derogatory comments, you might say,

but, I have a right under the 1st amend-

ment of United States Constitution to

say anything I want about my supervisor

on my Facebook or anywhere else I

choose. After all, you continue, the 1st

amendment is all about freedom of

speech and that means I can say anythingI want.

My response is that you correctly

identified the 1st amendment as pertain-

ing to the freedom of speech right. But,

as to the rest of your argument that you

may say anything you want under the 1st

amendment as a state employee, you are

out of luck. Heres the reason you do not

have a complete and unrestricted right

to say or post anything you want online:.

First, the United States Supreme

Court has rendered a line of case inter-

preting the freedom of speech right as it

pertains to government employees which

includes those working for a state agency.

The Courts analysis involves a balancing

test between a state employers interest

in running the business of the state effi-

ciently and free from disruptive accusa-

tions versus a state employees right to

engage in constructive criticism of the

states business or to alert state officials

to misconduct or criminal conduct - for

example, whistle-blowing. If, the

Supreme Court has ruled, a state em-

ployee engages in conduct that under-

mines the integrity of a state office or

unduly disrupts morale, the employee

may be subject to discipline.

here is a second reason why you

cannot make derogatory comments

about your supervisor. The Department

of Human Resources (DOHR) enacted

a policy, Personal Use of Social Media,

and requires all employees to know and

abide by the policy. he policy sets out

standards which control acceptable

content by a state employee on their social

media sites, even though the sites are

personal and not operated by the state.

Among the standards contained in the

policy are these important provisions:

The lines between public and private,

personal and professional are blurred

in online social networks, and what-

ever you post on your personal account

will likely reflect on the state.

A personal social media account, while

an appropriate place to share personal

opinions, is not a place to present an

individual opinion on an official agency

view.

If you list the State of Tennessee as your

employer on your personal social media

profiles, any information you post will

be held to a higher standard of scrutiny.

The Supreme Courts interpretation

of the freedom of speech right for gov-

ernmental employees is reflected in the

intent of the DOHR social media policy.

So lets go back to our example above and

apply both the holding of the Supreme

Court and the DOHR social media policy

to these facts. If you post that you work

for the state and your supervisor is stupid

and incompetent, is that language a vio-

lation of the DOHR social media policy?

I think we can all agree that kind of lan-

guage violates both the spirit and the

letter of the policy. What about a

comment like this: I work for the state

and I think there is some poor manage-

ment that is wasting tax payers money?

It doesnt sound blatantly derogatory, but

rather more like constructive criticism

motivated by an earnest desire for im-

provement. But, is it a personal opinion

by a state employee and, therefore, held

to a higher standard of scrutiny? Pos-

sibly and thus it may still be a social media

policy violation. So, maybe you get dis-

ciplined for the 1st post, but only coun-

seled for the 2nd post. Why take the

chance.

Heres a better idea: dont post your

criticisms of the state on a public site

(Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.) and

risk disciplinary action. Rather, bring yourconcerns directly to an appropriate state

office such as your supervisor, HR direc-

tor, department head or commissioner.

Another solution is to bring your con-

cerns to SEA and let us investigate it,

as needed.

As you have probably figured out,

each situation turns on its own facts re-

garding what is acceptable content. There

is not a definitive rule on the kind of

content that is acceptable to post. My

advice err on the side of caution and

dont post it if you are in doubt. If you

have questions about the social media

policy, please contact the TSEA Legal

Services office.

Now that the performanceevaluation cycle has passed, wewant to hear your feedback. Each preferred employeeshould have received an individ-ual job plan that was SMART,SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE,ACHIEVABLE, RELEVANT to thespecific strategic objectives of theemployees agency, and TIME-SENSIIVE. his plan is used to

measure your performance.To the right is a PerformanceEvaluation report form to reportany issues with your performanceevaluation or individual plan. Thisform can also be accessed on theTSEA website at http://tseaonline.org/issues/team-act/perfor-mance-evaluation-feedback/ It is important that youexplain in detail your problem orconcern, and what you believeshould have been reflected in yourevaluation. A copy of your evalu-ation is also requested.

o send us your evaluation: upload an electronic versionusing the upload option on thewebsite form; You can scan and email it to:

[email protected]; or, You can fax it to SEA (AN:PE Report Form) at (615) 242-6329

Thank you for your participation!

DOHR Social Media PolicyEmployees mustexercise cautionBy SEA [email protected]

The State Social Media Policy What are your rights?By Jonathan StephensTSEA Staff Attorney

[email protected]

TSEA meetswith DOHRBy SEA [email protected]

NAME

JOB CLASSIFICATION WORKSITE

First Name Last Name

DEPARTMENT

EMAIL PHONE

Please describe the particular issue/concern you have with IPP or PE.

Please provide an email and/or a phone number below for TSEA to contact you if necessary.

Please mail to SEA, 627 Woodland St., Nashville, N 37206DON' FORGE O INCLUDE A COPY OF YOUR EVALUAION!

PerformanceEvaluations

SEA Staff in early November metwith DOHR leaders to discuss concernsabout pay, performance evaluations, RIFs/reorganizations/reclassifications, super-visory training and outsourcing.

Regarding the January performanceraises, DOHR said they hoped to have theNovember department communicationinclude the increase percentages. Theyconfirmed there is about $26 million forthe raises.

There was also discussion of amarket salary adjustment for employeesin January of 2016. DOHR said they hopeto make this announcement soon.

TSEA asked DOHR about employ-ees who havent completed 12-months ofservice by 9/30/15 not receiving a raisein January. Commissioner Hunter saidthis affects approximately 5,000 employ-ees, since roughly 300 new employees arehired each month. She said the restrictionof the 12 months of employment is partof statute but that DOHR determines thecut-off date of employment to determineif an employee is eligible for the raise. Thecommissioner said this has been the pro-

cedure since she has been with DOHR.She said those employees would be eli-gible for market salary adjustments. SEA also asked if there were up-coming reductions-in-force, reorganiza-

tions or reclassifications. he Commis-sioner said they are only aware of whatwas already announced as part of thebudget or the buyout. She said the Dept.of Finance & Administration made it clearto agencies that after the buyout they mustbe able to fund any position they wish tofill. For some departments the reorganiza-tion is a continual plan as they workthrough the change from the buyout.

When asked about policies andguidelines for reorganizations, the Com-missioner said they are based on agencyneeds. DOHR becomes involved if thereis a change to positions.

Regarding Get Smarter training ses-sions for supervisors, CommissionerHunter said the training is to strengthensupervisor training on SMAR goals, tohelp supervisors coach employeestowards better performance and to equipsupervisors with ways to get continuousfeedback from employees. DOHR indi-cated the Get Smarter coaches includedboth internal state trainers and 5 externaltrainers, who all must complete facilitationcertification through Learning and De-velopment certification. TSEA asked about DOHR's role withfacilities management outsourcing shouldthe Governors plan advance. DOHR saidthey serve in a consultant role and wouldbecome more involved if employeesbecame displaced as a result. DOHRstated agencies do not have to inform

them if outsourcing/privatization occursunless there is a reduction-in-force in-volved, but as of now they haven't heardfrom any agencies. We will keep you posted of futurediscussions with the agency.



NASHVILLE - SEA has been

working with legislators from both

parties to raise awareness of the

massive outsourcing efforts of the

Haslam administration. While the

Governor continues to publicly state

that no definite discussions have been

reached, it is clear to TSEA that

Haslam is banking on succeeding in

his efforts to continue selling off state

jobs.

The Times Free Press noted that

Haslam made it clear in a presentation

to New York Bond rating agencies that

he WILL outsource more state jobs.

One State Representative estimates

the number to be 4,000. Due to the

very limited information that has been

supplied by the Haslam Administra-

tion TSEA is not ready to place an

estimate on the number of jobs at risk.

Since October 20, TSEA has held

Chapter Meetings and own Halls in

cooperation with both Republican

and Democrat Representatives and

Senators to raise awareness of the

outsourcing issues. Those events have

included UT Martin, UT Knoxville

and U Chattanooga.

We have also held discussions

with numerous members of the leg-

islature and the legislative leadership.

While there has been some initial

support for the Haslam scheme, most

legislators are either opposed to

further outsourcing of state jobs are

waiting for more details.

One area of contention among

the Joint Senate and House Fiscal

Review Committee was agreeing on

a date to hear from opponents of out-

sourcing. Senator Sara Kyle request-

ed that state workers be heard at the

December meeting of Fiscal Review.

After discussion and an assurance that

no decision had been made about

outsourcing, the Committee agreed

to possibly hear from individuals other

than vendors and administration of-

ficials in January.

TSEA also remains focused on

the issue of giving away portions of

state parks to private vendors. The

Haslam Administration currently

plans to ask the legislature to invest

millions of dollars into upgrading 11

state parks and then give the inns,

restaurants, marinas, golf courses, and

any other concessions to a private

entity. We will continue to oppose

such an irrational plan.

We also need to continue educat-

ing our legislators and the public on

the true impacts of privatization.

There are only a few areas where a

for-profit private company can cut

costs. hey can provide fewer/lower

quality services, lower employee pay,

offer fewer employee benefits, or some

combination of all three.

Unfortunately, when cost

savings comes from eliminating ben-

efits, and since many of the jobs tar-

geted for outsourcing are not the best

paying jobs to begin with, it places

further strain on the local economy

as low income families are forced to

seek government assistance. So, even

if a private provider of state services

could operate with lower operational

costs than state workers, there will

most likely be substantial public costs.

Before we lay off more workers

and relinquish more taxpayer control,

SEA believes we need a third party

to study and prove these privatizing

efforts are really saving money. Voters

demand government to be managed

efficiently. There is also an expectation

that government leaders will use exist-

ing state employees to better managestate services and not always look to

privatization as the only option to

achieve better management.

But, ultimately, the impact and

costs of privatization must be consid-

ered in broad economic terms, not

just in narrow operational terms.

By Randy StampsTSEA Government Affairs [email protected]

& Chris DauphinTSEA Communications [email protected]

Privatization Developments

1. TSEA was able to help three

members with their appeals from

the Department of Intellectual andDevelopmental Disabilities. Hereis the outcome of those hearings:

Two day suspension was reducedto a written warning and with backpay.

Ten day suspension was reducedto a written warning with back pay.

Two day suspension was over-

turned and also awarded back pay.

2. Our member with the Depart-

ment of Correction was demoted,after their hearing the demotion

was modified to a written warningand they were awarded back pay.

3. he Department of Correctionterminated our member, but aftertheir appeal it was reduced to a 5day suspension with the award ofback pay and benefits.

4. Our member with the Depart-ment of Childrens Services was

suspended for 2 days, however it

was reduced to a written warningwith the award of back pay.

Legal Services: Good News

NASHVILLE - The Na-

tional Guards Youth ChalleNGe

program may soon expand to en-

nessee.

The Tennessee Department of

the Military recently filed an ap-

plication to bring the Youth Chal-

leNGe program to Nashville. If the

application is accepted, preliminary

plans announced Tuesday, Septem-

ber 22 by Department of Childrens

Services Commissioner Bonnie

Hommrich have the new program

operating at what is now the Wood-

land Hills Youth Development

Center.

DCS invited TSEA to attend

the meeting at Woodland Hillswhere Commissioner Hommrich,

along with then Deputy Commis-

sioner Monica Jones, made the an-

nouncement and told staff manage-

ment that the facility needs to be

prepared for the possibility of per-

manently relocating all staff and the

approximately 40 remaining stu-

dents to New Vision.

he department doesnt know

when official word on the applica-

tions acceptance will be announced.

But, assuming the application is

accepted, the potential move to New

Vision is estimated to occur in the

spring of 2017.

The NGYC program would add

approximately 70 new state jobs,

largely funded by federal dollars.

No cuts to the current 100 staff

positions (88 filled, 12 vacant) were

mentioned. The department also

reiterated there are no plans toprivatize services provided by the

Woodland Hills staff.

According to the National

Guard Youth ChalleNGe website,

the program is a community-based

program that leads, trains and

mentors 16-18 year old high school

dropouts so that they may become

productive citizens in Americas

future.

TSEA will continue to monitor

this developing story. Please check

the TSEA website for updates to this

and other stories important to state

employees.

Woodland Hills YDC maymove to New Vision in 2017By Chris DauphinTSEA Communications Director

[email protected]

On October 2, 2015, Com-

missioner Martin of the Depart-ment of Finance and Administra-tion announced a new initiativestated to strengthen I for stategovernment.

The program, known as Stra-tegic Technology Solutions

(SS), will be housed in Finance

& Administration and led by thestate CIO. Implementation has

begun and will run through July1, 2016. The program will includethe Office of Information Re-

sources and Business Solutions

Delivery. IT resources from 15

participating departments will

join STS as well participating EITdepartments. We are told non-

participating departments in thisfirst phase will join STS, as it

makes business sense for the stateand for customers in FY 2017 andbeyond. F&A reports the reasons forthis new initiative are because ofthe assessment of the NextGen

IT program; the cost of the mostneeded IT skills was higher thanthe state could afford. Recruiting

the right skill sets were difficultin an ever-changing I market,and larger departments were ableto fund the implementation

where mid-range and smaller

departments could not individu-ally fund NextGen I.

Opportunities for IT staff toadvance were limited in the

current model, and with the statecurrently operating and main-

taining 1500+ legacy systems, IT

staff spend more than 80% oftheir time in operations and

maintenance work, leaving littletime to innovate. TSEA was contacted by

Leighanne Haynes, Director of

the Office for Information Re-

sources/Organizational Quality

and Performance Management,who provided information re-

garding this new initiative. Belowyou will find responses to TSEAsinquiries about current I posi-tions and this initiative:

Please provide an update on

NextGen I.

Of the departments currently

implementing NextGen ITs

current status: Financial Institu-tions 100% complete, TBI

97% complete, Revenue 52%

complete, Board of Parole 40%complete, and Health is 5% com-

plete.

What is the turnover rate sincethe implementation of NextGen

I?No employees have been affectedby a reduction in force because of

NextGen IT.

How many employees will be

affected with implementation

of the new SS program?There are approximately 400

employees who will participate

in the EIT Phase 1 initiative, ap-proximately 250 in OIR and 20

in BSD.

What are the timelines for each

step of the process to imple-

ment the SS program?All IT staff in the 15 participating

departments will join STS no

later than July 1, 2016.

Will employees be required tointerview for their current po-sitions when they are reclassi-

fied?This is being discussed with

DOHR at this time.

Will the classifications be thesame as they were for NextGenI?Yes, with some new classifica-

tions.

Are these employees going to

be required to relocate after

full implementation of the

program?

We are currently working with

participating agencies to deter-

mine their needs. Some employeesserving departments may remain

geographically located with theirdepartments.

Will any employee lose their

job as a result of this new im-

plemented program?This initiative is not driven by the

need to cut staff. However we

cannot guarantee that no staff

would be impacted.

TSEA will keep you posted of

other developments with F&AsStrategic Technology Solutions

(SS). If you have been affectedby this change and have questionsor concerns, please contact the

Legal Services division of SEAat 1-800-251-8732.

F&A implements new I initiativeBy JoAnn Davis-DavisTSEA Legal Services Manager

[email protected]

Pursuant to the Constitution

and Bylaws of the TSEA, the

Association dues will adjust to

$15.69. Employees who are

paid only once per month will

see the deduction beginning in

their February 28th payroll

check. Employees who are paid

twice monthly will see the de-

duction beginning in the Feb-

ruary 15th payroll check.

Dues Increase

SEA HolidayOffice Hours

As a reminder, TSEA's

daily office hours are Mon-

day-Friday from 8:00 a.m. -

4:30 p.m. central time. During the approachingholidays the TSEA office willoperate on the same scheduleas state offices, with the officeclosed onhanksgiving Day,the following Friday, Christ-

mas Eve, Christmas Day, NewYear's Eve and New Year's

Day. Please call the office

during normal business hourswith any questions.



One thing I want to make

clear, the 12-hour schedul-

ing, the 6/3, the 8.5/9 hour

schedule, both of those workunder the 28-day timekeep-ing. The 14-day timekeepingfalls under that 28-day law

enforcement schedule, from

7-28 days. I want to be clearso everyone knows, Edison

doesnt support the 14-day

right now. Part of moving

toward that will be based onthe results of the survey. If

we have enough facilities thatsay they want the 12-hour,

and the 14-day is viable, thenwe move toward getting

Edison to work and repro-

gram their timekeeping

system to get that done.We dont want to do that

right now. If we do that now,and nobody says they want12-hours, then it would be

kind of a waste. So we needto see the results first beforewe could move there. Wevehad some early engagementand dialog with Edison to

look at what it would take.

We are comfortable that wecan get the resources to getit done.

So, if the results of thesurvey show 80-percentof staff want to move tothe 12-hour shifts, andyou begin to look atmoving to a 14-day,

when would that bepossible to implement? It depends on Edisons

work schedule - the pro-

grammers and folks who willhave to modify the system.

It could take up-to-about 8months to get that done.

If Edison cant changefor another 8-months,what can change inJanuary? We can do the 12-hourshift under the current time-keeping. It gives them that

benefit of actually working 7days in a 14 day period. But,the timekeeping will still beunder that 28-day cycle. Buteven with the 14-day time-

keeping, the overtime is notgoing to change significantly.It is not going to be, at the

end of 14-days you get yourovertime the next pay period.It still has to cycle through

as well.

If they are already inEdison and changing it

around to accommo-date a 14-day, is thereany way to align the payand work periods?

I dont think so. That

would impact the entire

state. We are talking doing

time keeping for an agencythat still has to fit within whatwe want and what the rest ofthe state employees are

getting also. I dont think theyare going to change it just tofit our needs. hat questionis a little larger than me.

TSEA shared some

concerns during theSenate hearing aboutimplementing a 12-hourshift assignment, e.g.,covering A/S/T, whoworks overtime, couldsomeone ever berequired to work adouble, i.e., 24 hoursin-a-row. How would a12-hour work assign-ment function? A couple of things

happen with 12-hour shifts.You take 3 shifts and you goto 2, so you take that third

shift and divide that staff upon the first and second shifts.It gives you a lot more reliefstaff that should be able to

cover vacancies. With that,

and with our focus on vacan-cies and filling vacancies andgetting and retaining staff, Ithink it puts the facilities ina better position to managethat. You cant work anybodyfor 24 hours [in-a-row]. Wejust dont anticipate that hap-pening, barring some real

emergency where we have tokeep the entire prison or

people on post, but that

would be very rare. Some of our prisons

have worked the 12-hour

shift before, and they know

how to manage that situationwhere it is not having to worksomebody back to back. I

would venture to say at somepoint someone may have tostay an extra hour, and

people will volunteer to do

that. I think currently facili-ties will have rosters and a

way to identify people that

want to work overtime andbe able to call them in and

have them on standby. But

there are things that the fa-cilities can do to kind of

enhance that process.

GENERALQUESIONSABOU HEDEPARMEN

As we sit here today, doyou believe changes areneeded in the Tennes-see Department ofCorrection? For the last four years,

this agency has been about

looking at what are the bestpractices in running a cor-

rectional system. And ob-

taining and doing what we

know to be best practices,

there are always going to bechanges in terms of how weoperate. We can sit and takethe status-quo, but you lookat who has been arrested.

What kind of folks are

coming into our prisons. Thewhole focus is to get the rightoffender in the right bed. Weare locking up violent offend-ers. We watch the news, wesee who gets arrested and

those folks dont go away.They pass through that

criminal justice system. Yougot a law enforcement officer,a district attorney, a judge,

jury that all say these folks

cant live in society. So we getto have them in our society.So, just operating from the

status-quo? No, we are

always looking for what is thebest way to supervise theseoffenders within our limitedscope and our resources.

Much has been said by

TSEA, in the media, andin legislative hearingsregarding the followingissues in TDOC. Can youwalk us through yourperspective and plan foraddressing each ofthese issues:

Categorizing assaults That was one of the rec-ommendations from ACA,

that we look at how we defineassaults. They said take

injury out as a defining factor.hey made some good rec-ommendations. I think mostpeople thought, 'well tomor-row well change that.' Al-

though theyre good recom-mendations, it requires us to

really vet that through the

legal process. Because thosedefinitions impact an of-

fender, it can impact the staff,and we want to make sure

we do it right. There are

some things that we have tolook at and make sure that

we get right and we changethose definitions of the inci-dent code, ensuring it

matches the disciplinary

code, and ensure that theres

a good process for dueprocess going forward.

If assault definitionswere changed, is therea retroactive componentfor incidents catego-rized one way or theother? hats definitely part ofthe review. We have to lookat that, we just cant arbi-

trarily change we have gotto look at impact, future andpast.

The 28-day work period I think the 28-day workperiod is a viable solution.

We all know that somefolks like it, some folks dont.It gave us those three thingsthat we wanted and needed.he shift briefings, fairnessin rotation, and it gives us abetter opportunity for re-

cruiting with those rotatingdays off.

The 28-day is simply a

timekeeping mechanism

where we can go in there andwe can look at different

shifts, and different sched-

ules in terms of how we canget people to work. But that28-day is how you calculatethat time. One of the thingsin there was that the

premium overtime, time-

and-a-half, didnt get paid

until after 171.

Under the 14 day, timeand a half is paid after86 hours, is thatcorrect? hat is correct.

Overtime pay issues/A

lag in pay here is a lag, but thatcame with the 28-day sched-ule. It is not that they are notgetting paid, they are gettingpaid. I think the scheduling,some of our employees didntlike the lag time. If they didthe work on day one and daytwo, they definitely work the28-days before either that isadjusted or it goes into theirpay, and it will probably be

two weeks before they get

that.

Prior to the 28-day,

what schedule wereemployees workingunder? A 40-hour work week.

If someone worked 42hours that week, theygot 2 hours worth oftime-and-a-half? Yes

But now that person hasto work 173 hours over

the course of 28-days toget 2 hours of time-and-a-half? Anything over 160 theyget paid straight time, so theydo get paid for hours worked,but for the time-and-a-half

they need to work [at least]172.

If I worked overtime atthe beginning of April, Iam not getting paid untilthe middle of May forsomething I worked

April 1st that is one ofthe issues that is

upsetting workers. That is an issue that

upsets some folks, but on thesame token if you didnt work

any overtime until your lastweek of the 28-day, you gotit in two weeks. So there is

no absolute to that, it is justa matter of staffing, avail-

ability of staff, who is where,and where you work in thatprocess. We have a few that

opt to work the overtime andnot take the pay. They get theflex days off to use for thingsthey want to do. It works forsome people, but some

people are not going to likeit. It can go back and forth.But, it gave us some things

that we needed, that flexibil-ity.

When you considercorrectional officersarent the best paid lawenforcement employ-ees, meaning manyemployees may depend

on income from asecond job. Was it aconsideration that

Change the 28-day FLSA exempt classwork period from 28-days to 14-days.

Change the 8-hour shift assignment to a12-hour shift assignment.

Redefine disciplinary offenses.

hese changes, according to the auditreport summary, are anticipated to posi-tively affect facility stability and safety,address staffing concerns relative to pay,overtime and scheduling issues, and clarifythe departments assault policies.

ACA AuditRecommendations

July 30During a meeting with TDOC about issues, TSEA

first asks the department to consider other work cycle

options, including a move to a 14-day plan.

August 6TSEA launches TDOC Trends and Issues report

form.

August 10 TSEA Op-Ed published in several newspapers

state-wide calling for officer to be paid better thanWal-Mart retail associates.

August 19TSEA publically calls for TDOC to repeal the

28-day cycle and either return to a 40-hour work week, or

find some other equitable system to address issues with

overtime pay and turnover.

August 27TSEA presents employee concerns of safety,

overtime disruption, assault classifications, high-turnover/

staffing levels, and low pay before Senate State and Local

Government Committee. TDOC announces hiring of ACA

to conduct audit.

September 13ACA auditors begin TDOC audit.

September 15TSEA meets with ACA auditors to discussthe audit process.

October 7ACA presents findings to Senate State and

Local Government Committee.

October 9TSEA meets with TDOC to propose survey of

employees about ACA recommendations.

October 14TSEA responds to ACA audit recommenda-

tions before Senate State and Local Government commit-

tee, but also emphasizes concerns about turnover and

staffing levels, salary and benefits, and privatization.

Recommends surveying employees about ACA recommen-

dations and requests consideration for an comprehensive,

independent audit of TDOC.

October 27TSEA meets with TDOC to develop employee

survey.

November 3TSEA interviews Commissioner Schofield on

survey, ACA audit, and department issues.

Timeline of eventssince July

CONTINUED ON P7

[Schofield from p.1]



maybe officers didntmake enough to imple-ment the 28-day here? A couple of things withthat. It wasnt going to elim-inate overtime, it was goingto reduce the amount we

paid toward premium over-time. You also got to know

that when we did that we

brought on the 5% assign-

ment differential that wewanted to make sure we putsomething in their pocket aswell. It wasnt just a take. Andwe are going to continue todo that. Part of this in termsof saving for overtime was totake those monies that we

saved and put it back in theirpocket in a different way. Butwe cant do it all, we only geta limited amount of moneyto do our budget. And op-

erationally we have to run

those facilities, run commu-nity supervision, and if we

can save and demonstrate it,we can utilize that money toput back in our officers

pocket. And thats what wedid.

Vacancy - Staffing levelsand 39% Turnover Its tough. It is a tough

environment, and it is one

where weve always faced

vacancies. Theres always

been challenges recruiting. Ithink we demonstrated in acouple of presentations thatas the economy gets better,state employees, not just cor-

rections, state employee re-tention goes down. People

leave for better paying jobs.Corrections is a difficult

card for people to play whenyou look at working in thatkind of environment. It is atough environment, we ac-

knowledge that. And when

we say tough, it is not that itis bad, but it is just an envi-ronment where you come

and for 8 hours or 12 hoursyou are locked up. You are ina place with some folks thatdidnt volunteer to come.

These are offenders that weresentenced through the court,removed from society, and

given to us, and that is the

environment that we work

in. here are inherent risksin what we do.

But, we look and locallypeople will focus on Tennes-see, cause that is where we

are, but from a national per-spective, you can just go andgoogle correctional officer

vacancies in other states andyou will see very similar

[issues]. I just read an articleyesterday from Missouri, allyou need to do is replace

Missouri with Tennessee,and Utah, and the same typesof things. As more jobs

become available, we have

the same challenges in hiringcorrectional staff. And we

can go beyond that, I was ina meeting with Director

Armstrong down in

Memphis and we could havetaken Memphis Police Officeoff there and replaced it withTennessee Correctional

Officer. The same kind of

challenges in terms of

working in that kind of envi-

ronment.

They get paid a littlebetter dont they? They do get paid better,but they still have the samechallenges that we have.

The Southern Statesnumber that we hadaccess to from 2014was a 22.6% averageturnover rate. With youbackground in correc-tion, what do you thinkof that number?

It is a high number, butit is a number that, unfortu-nately, corrections agencieshave come to live with. Butthose numbers ebb and flow.3-5 years from now you maysee it drop. It depends on

what is happening. I think aswe continue to look at waysto reduce the prison popula-tion, eventually something isgoing to happen. The em-

ployee population will go

down. If we are doing thingsright, and we are reducing

that population, the need forprison beds should go away.

For us, when that needcomes we have contracts outthere that we can walk awayfrom with appropriate con-tract negotiations and ap-

propriate notices. It gives usstrength in going forward interms of how we manage thatpopulation and not adding

infrastructure and more staff.

Prison Capacity vs.4,000+ in county jails I want to see those

numbers go down. And I

want to see those numbers

go down not just from build-ing capacity, but from doingsomething that impacts whathappens in the community.Of what we bring back for

our admissions each year,

40-percent of those are pro-bation/parole violators. Thatis low hanging fruit. We canmanage that population dif-ferently in the communities.I think with the sentencing

and recidivism taskforce

recommendations; well seesome things come out that

will help us to start to managethat population.

An example, we built

Bledsoe and brought almost2,000 beds online. The net

impact of that with jail

back-up was about 300.

Because if you just build ca-pacity and do nothing, thosebeds will continue to be filledand you are right back in thatsame situation. So I think

long term [the question] is,how do you impact the

population for sure. We wantto drive that population

down. You go after the low

hanging fruit, those non-

compliant offenders that we

continue to bring back, andwe strengthen alternatives inthe community, provide dif-ferent options for judges toutilize, give probation and

parole officers more author-ity for swift accountability ofoffenders and we might nothave to see 4,000 back in theprisons each year.

Have you talked to Sen.Kelsey about that? He was on the taskforce.We are all communicating.

We think the same thing in

terms of where we want togo.

Are there plans for anyprivate facilities tocome online in the nearfuture? I always like to clear thisup when I am asked about

private prisons. By statute wecan only have one, but wevecontracted with different

counties to provide those

services. And that works wellfor Tennessee. It gives us a

good service. Our adult fa-

cilities, they operate from the

same standards that our Ten-nessee prisons operate. Andthats a plus for us. It is an

accountability piece. But it

also gives us the opportunitythat, if capacity drops, we

know what the target is forreducing that population.

That is probably a trickynumber. We could getinto a whole conversa-tion about how thosecontracts are set up. Iknow it is a standardcontract, but reducing

the numbers in privateprisons while we stillhave that 90% guaran-tee means you are onlyreally working with asmall number. hat is just a portion ofthe contract. If we got to a

point where population

drops, and that is what we

want to do, what do you lookat going first? You look at thatcontract. You walk away

from that contract. here isan out clause in the contract,which we have the ability toutilize. Of course that wontbe a Schofield decision. Thatis a decision that will be

made with the administra-

tion in terms of where we go.

Do you think the ACAaudit recommendationsare sound? I think so. We requestedthat they take a narrow,

limited look at certain things.We wanted them to look atthe incidents, and look at ourvacancies & staffing. So theydid what we asked them todo. I think as a whole our

correctional system being

ACA accredited really means

a lot. Most people take thatlightly, but ACA are the stan-dards that correctional agen-cies are measured by. Whenyou go to court and they lookat how do they know you aredoing this we say we are ACAaccredited, that is the stan-dard, it is something that hasbeen utilized in court over

and over again. Correctionalexperts testify to that on bothsides.

When a facility or agencythat is not ACA accredited

they are asked, 'ACA says this

why dont you do this,' theyhave to justify. Last week,

Morgan County went

through reaccreditation theygot 100% in mandatories,

99.3% in non-mandatories,

over 400 individual stan-

dards. West TN three weeksago got reaccredited. Mark

Luttrell, etc. That ought to

say a lot to people that say wehave problems. Well, there

may be some problems, butin terms of operational andsound, doing things that aremeasurable that can be

audited, and we continue to

do those things, eventhrough the talk, I think thatsattributed to the staff that areout there doing those thingsthat we know to be best prac-tices.

Since the ACA audit waslimited in scope, TSEAand others have calledfor a comprehensiveaudit of TDOC. What areyour thoughts aboutconducting anotherin-depth audit? We cant get any more

comprehensive and in-depththan what we do with our

ACA accreditation. They

look at it all. I know some

folks have said NIC, nation-al institute of corrections, itis a training academy. If wetold them we wanted to doan audit, theyd say what doyou want us to do it on. Theywont come out and do a

comprehensive audit. Whenyou want audits, we go to

ACA.There may be some

private folks out there [whoconduct audits], but those

same private folks are goingto go to ACA and ask themwho is available to come outand do an audit. So we get

the same thing, the same

look regardless.You cant take a facility

and change it overnight. Youcant be this way today, to-

morrow we got auditors

coming it has been said, wetell them when they are

coming. here are very fewaudits where you dont tell

people you are coming. It issort of like taking a test. Youcan get a quiz, in fact some

of the quizzes are whenTSEA visits. Just walk up

there and youll see whats

going on in those facilities.

When we go spot check,

those are all the quizzes. Butthe test, when we are havingan ACA reaccreditation youcan know three years from

today we will be back. So, weare working toward that allthe time. You cant get files

in order that quickly, you

cant get inmates to line up

and do the things that is asystematic approach that

takes every-day-folks outthere enforcing the stan-

dards.We tell them, everyday

you dont enforce a standard,you create a new standard

unintentionally. And that iswhat we focus on, and I keepsaying it because it is true.

We got great people doing

that every single day, and

because of that and the con-sistency through there, wevebeen audited. Weve been

tested. We get tested every

single day.

The Tennessean [Nash-ville's primary newspa-per] recently called foryour resignation, do youwish to respond?

Ill say this, I have no

intention of resigning. I thinkour agency is in good shape.We continue to operate

sound facilities. We have

documentation to prove it.

We continue to maintain ouraccreditation and that speaks

volumes about what we aredoing and the folks that areout there doing it. That is

what I say to that.

What are the depart-ments plans for addi-tional employee payincreases or paydifferentials for thecorrectional officer andprobation/paroleemployees? In our budget recom-

mendation youll see some

indication for increases in

our correctional officer andprobation officer salaries.

(NOTE: Shortly after this

interview, TDOC announced

$1,000 retention bonuses forCorrectional Officers, and

assignment differential pay

of $100 per month for Proba-

tion and Parole Officers whohave successfully completed

firearm training.)

Is the division of paroleand probation certified? hey are in transit. Wehad three years to get themon board, so they just startedtheir ACA accreditation andby next October they will

have gone through the cycle

of audits.

In our first senatehearing, you referredextemporaneously tosome of the folks thathave problems asnoise, and then at ourlast meeting as a vocalminority that is nothappy. How do youknow that you are intouch with the majorityof feelings of youremployees? I do it the same way you

all do it. I dont think that youwould talk to every single

member. We take a reason-able approach. We have 13

wardens out there. We haveassistant commissioners anddeputy commissioners, andusing those arms, like you alluse each other to gauge that,that is how we get it. It is notone persons interpretation,but a consolidated group offolks that will provide us

input. And plus, when we areon the ground, we talk to

people. But, just like anybody,when you go and you catch

a snapshot of people, if youare not there for 24-hours,

three complete shifts, you arenot going to talk to every-

body. And even then, thereare people that are off, so itis a snapshot. Just like you all.

Is there anything elseyoud like to say that Ihavent asked about? As always, you cant sayit enough. Thank you to

those employees for what

they do. Its a tough job.

Whether they work in the

prisons or in the communityon probation and parole su-pervision, its tough. And not

just for those correction of-ficers. For those counselors,nurses, food service workers,maintenance the whole list

whoever I forgot Im sorry,

but we value what they do

every single day. And I didntsay our administrative staff,from our academy, to here,

just a great group of people.Im pleased to be part of thisorganization.

[Schofield from p.6]



Several members contactedSEA regarding their healthinsurance status being movedfrom Partnership to the morecostly Standard PPO plan.

Compensation & Benefitsstaff contacted the appropri-ate staff with Benefits Admin-istration to research theseissues. In several of thesecases, members were allowedback in the Partnership plan.

Employee at Mountain Viewwas originally denied an ac-commodation based on her

pregnancy by the facility.After intervention by SEA,central office overturned thatlocal decision and allowed themember to go back to work.

Member in TDOT washaving a scheduled surgeryand realized they did not havesufficient leave to cover thetime away from work.

Comp and Benefits staff

worked with member and thespouse making sure SickLeave Banks forms were sub-mitted timely and completed

by the attending Physician.

Member contacted Com-pensation & Benefits staffbecause they were not com-fortable with the informationthey had been given fromtheir HR as they began tosubmit retirement applica-tions.

Staff contacted the appro-priate HR staff with his agencyto better understand whymember was given inaccurateinformation. Our contact withagency HR resulted in the

member being more comfort-able as he approached theretirement date as we pro-

vided accurate information.

A newly hired member inDOC contacted Comp & Ben-efits staff because they wereconfused about the healthinsurance premiums and be-ginning coverage dates.

Staff contacted TDOCHR staff for a clear under-standing of members insur-ance deduction. We providedthis information to themember and he understoodthe premiums and deduc-tions.

Compenation & Benefits: Good News

State offices will be closed onNovember 26 for the Thanksgiv-ing holiday. In addition, as youmay know, the governor tradi-tionally keeps state offices openon Columbus Day in order toclose state offices on Friday, No-vember 27.

State offices will also be closed

hursday and Friday December24 and 25 for the Christmas Eveand Christmas Day holidays, andhursday and Friday, December31 and January 1 for New YearsEve and New Years Day holidays.

The State Group Insurance

Committee met September 30,

2015. The committee members

were presented with document planchange recommendations from

Benefits Administration. Plan

document changes are necessary

for the committee to approve as

they must reflect any legislativechanges from the previous sessionas well as any other changes whichhave been approved by the com-

mittee during the year. Changes

before the committee were as

follows: There will be a 3.5% premium

increase for state and higher educa-tion employees participating in thestates health insurance plan optionsfor 2016. Please keep in mind thatthere was no premium increase in2015. TSEA introduced legislationto require the state to spend down

the excess in the plans fund reservebalance instead of requiring a

premium increase. The balance

had increased far beyond what is

required by law and TSEA believedthis excess should be returned to

employees to help alleviate the

effect of increased cost-shifting overthe past several years. BA agreedto spend down the excess fund

balance without passing legislation.Thus employees were spared a

premium increase for 2015.

Modifying the plan document

language to allow for reimburse-

ment of actual fuel expenses for

travel associated with authorized

transplant benefits and unique careexceptions.

Clarify eligibility and enrollmentprovision to the Medicare Supple-ment Plan for retirees of new agen-cies joining the insurance plan to

forego medical underwriting.

Clarify new agency post 65 retir-ees and dependents are only eligiblefor enrollment in the Medicare

Supplement option. Participationin the active plan should be limitedto under 65 population, except

where individuals are never eligiblefor Medicare.

Modify Plan document languageto allow for services related to tele-health programs approved by the

Plan.

Update language to clarify the

options offered for 2016 (include

the new option of a CDHP/HSA

plan).

Recommendation for central stateemployees in the group insuranceplan coverage end date be movedto the last day of the month follow-ing the employee separation date

to the last day of the month the

employee actually separated state

government. In addition, for centralstate employees the basic and vol-untary products would follow thesame coverage policy. By movingthe coverage end date from the lastday of the month following the

employee separation date to the last

day of the month of the employeeseparation, the State will realize anapproximate annual $2.3M recur-ring cost savings in employer pre-miums payments.Proposed plan document changeswere approved with all committeemembers voting yes. The proposedplan document change for coverageend date was approved, however;

TSEA Representative Gayle Robbvoted NO on recommendation

for plan coverage end date.

Also, the committee approved a

1.3% increase from the Medicare

Supplemental Plan for central stateemployees. The total premium ratewill increase by $1.79 to $138.47 forplan year 2016. The most recent

premium increase for Medicare

Supplement was a 2% increase for2014.

Committee members were pre-

sented an overview of the Partner-ship PPO experience to date whichwas implemented in 2011. Aon

Hewitt provided the presentation

to compare cost, utilization and

member health status in the Part-nership PPO and Standard PPO.

State Group Insurance Update

While SEA continues to lobby for better pay and benefits, it is important to know what lies ahead.Below is a chart that reflects what a state employees making $30,000 a year will receive from a 1.5%pay raise vs. the cost of a 3.5% raise in insurance premiums. Please keep in mind with any premiumincrease, the employee only pays 20% of the total premium. hrough SEAs past and currentlobbying efforts, the State of ennessee pays 80% of your insurance premium.

For example, if the total premium increase of 3.5% equaled $20, then the employee would pay $4and the state would pay $16.

2016 Monthly Premiums for Active Employees

ALL REGIONS AND CARRIERS

EMPLOYEE SHARE EMPLOYER SHARE

PARTNERSHIP PPO

Employee Only $118.50 $539.80

Employee + Child(ren) $177.74 $809.72

Employee + Spouse $248.84 $1,133.59

Employee + Spouse + Child(ren) $308.09 $1,403.51

STANDARD PPO





WELLNESS HEALTHSAVINGS CDHP





HEALTHSAVINGS CDHP





HolidaySchedule

By Gayle RobbTSEA Comp and Benefits Manager

[email protected]

Salary$30,000

2015 Monthly PPO Premium

$636.04 Employee Only

$954.07 Employee + Child(ren)

$1,335.68 Employee + Spouse

$1,653.71 Employee + Spouse +Child(ren)

Pay Increase1.5%

Insurance Increase

3.5%

3.5%

3.5%

3.5%

otal Increase$450 ($37.50 per mo.)

otal 2016 Mo. Increase

$22.26 (Empl. portion = $4.01)

$33.39 (Empl. portion = $6.01)

$46.75 (Empl. portion = $8.42)

$57.89 (Empl. portion = $10.42)



Next year many sons anddaughters of SEA members,or TSEA members themselves,will be entering college for Fall2016. TSEA offers a great

benefit by providing 21 - $750scholarship awards annually

to dependent children of activeor retired SEA members orto the SEA member.

Scholarship application

materials are available by

request from the SEA officeon the first workday of Januaryof each year. Your membershipstatus must first be verified

through the TSEA office by

calling (800) 251-8732 or (615)256-4533, or by sending yourwritten request. Be sure to

include a phone number wherea staff member can contact youif necessary. Once your mem-

bership status is verified, youwill be provided with informa-tion on how to apply.

Here are the criteria to applyfor award scholarships:

Eligibility

Tennessee State Employees

Association Scholarships are

open to high school seniors,

college freshmen, sophomores,and juniors who are:

(1) dependent children ofSEA members (regular orretired),(2) or regular or retiredSEA members themselves,or(3) dependent children offull-time SEA employees

he parent of the depen-dent child or the TSEA

member must have been a

member for at least one yearas of April 1 of the year in

which the scholarships areawarded and announced. Forthe dependent child of a TSEAemployee to be eligible, the

employee must have been em-ployed with SEA for at leastone year and still be employedas of April 1 of the year the

scholarship is awarded and an-nounced. You must plan to enroll inthe fall as a full-time studentin an accredited and approvedcollege, university or technicalschool. In addition, applicants

must have a minimum ACTscore of 20 or a minimum scoreof 940 on the SA.

Your completed applica-tion must be postmarkedor received by Thursday

April 1 to:

TSEA ScholarshipProgram - ISTS

1321 Murfreesboro Road,Suite 800

Nashville, TN 37217

To contact ISTS:Phone: (615) 777-3750 or(855) 670-4787Email for questions:[email protected] materials:[email protected]

Awards

Tennessee State Employees

Association will award up to21 scholarships of $750each

year. There is one award madein each of the 12 Board Dis-

tricts and 3 awards for each ofthe grand divisions of the state(East, Middle and West), for atotal of 21 scholarships to beawarded. A listing of the coun-ties included in each board

district is shown below. Awardsare not renewable; however,

non-winning students can

reapply each year as long as

they continue to meet the eli-

gibility requirements. The scholarships will be

applied to educational expens-es at accredited, nonprofit twoor four-year colleges/universi-ties in the United States. A

student may transfer from oneinstitution to another and

retain the award.

Winner SelectionA Selection Committee com-prised of educators who have

no connection with TennesseeState Employees Association

will evaluate the applicationsand select the winners. The useof this independent committeeis designed to ensure the im-partiality and confidentiality

of the selection process. In

evaluating the applicants, thecommittee will consider the

applicants community in-

volvement, extracurricular

activities and academic

achievements or records. hecollege GPA is also considered

if the applicant is already en-rolled in an institution.

Responsibilities ofRecipients

Recipient responsibilities

include enrolling as full-timeundergraduates in the fall of

the year in which the scholar-

ships are awarded and continu-ing in school for the entireacademic year without inter-

ruption, barring illness, emer-gency, or military service.

Scholarship recipients are re-sponsible for delivering their

scholarship checks to theproper office at their institu-

tion.

ProgramAdministration

To assure complete impartial-ity in selection of winners andto maintain a high level of

professionalism, the programis administered by Interna-

tional Scholarship and TuitionServices, Inc., a firm that spe-cializes in managing sponsoredscholarship programs. Alldocuments must arrive in thesame package for the submis-

sion to be considered com-

plete.Incomplete applications

will not be considered. If

your materials are consid-

ered incomplete, you will benotified by ISS in advanceof the April deadline, whichprovides you time to com-

plete the process.

To check the status of your

submitted application: Allow two weeks after sub-mitting all of the informationfor processing. hen go toaim.applyists.netand login

using the applicant email

address provided on the ap-

plication.

Remember the deadlineis Friday, April 1, 2016.

o request an application youmay contact the TSEA office

at 1-800-251-8732 or(615) 256-4533or by emailing your request toSEA at:

[email protected].

For more information, includ-ing Board/Scholarship district

information, visit the TSEAwebsite @ www.tseaonline.org

SEA Scholarship Program

TSEA Lobby DayTuesday, Feb. 16, 2016

Constitution & Bylaws Deadline

Thursday, Mar. 17, 2016, 4:30 p.m.

Resolutions DeadlineMonday, Mar. 28, 2016, 4:30 p.m.

Constitution and Bylaws or Resolution proposals may bemailed, faxed or emailed to the office. They must be typedand in final format and be received by the deadline date.For questions about these proposals, please contact LaTanyaMcAdoo at the TSEA office at 1-800-251-8732 or by emailto [email protected].

Chapter Award Nominations deadline:Friday, April 29, 2016, 4:30 p.m.

All award nominations must be typed when submitted.Nomination forms are available from the SEA office andcan be sent to you via email.

Chapters may mail or Fax ALL nominations to:

ennessee State Employees AssociationAwards & RA Planning Committee

C/O Linda Darden627 Woodland Street, Nashville, N 37206

(Fax) 615-242-6329

Chapter awards include:Gems of ExcellenceChapter Membership AwardCora Redmond AwardHumanitarian AwardNewsletter AwardChapter Outstanding Member RecognitionHall of Fame AwardRising Star Award

For additional information about SEA Chapter Awards,please contact Linda Darden at the SEA office by phone1-800-251-8732 or email [email protected].

Sick Leave Bank Nominations(East Region)

Friday, April 15, 2016 - 4:30 pm

The Sick Leave Board of Trustees sets policy andreviews appeals of bank members who are denied daysfrom the bank. Nominations may not be accepted from the Departmentof Children's Services (West TN Representative VickiBurton) or the Department of Finance & Administration(Middle TN Representative Cynthia Minnick), as thesedepartments already hold positions. All nominations must be members in good standingof the TSEA for at least one (1) full year immediatelypreceding the April 15 deadline; must be in writing; mustbe signed by the nominees; must include the nomineesdepartment and chapter, and must include the signaturesof 25 SEA members. A photo and information about thecandidates will be printed in the Co-Worker prior to theelection. For nominating petitions or with questions, pleasecontact LaTanya McAdoo at the TSEA office at 1-800-251-8732 or by email to [email protected].

IMPORTANT TSEA DATES



of any children attendingChapter Fundraising Auc-tionShould you choose to par-ticipate, you may bring agift for the auction.Please RSVP to CathyMuse by November 14For info, contact:Cathy Muse(423) 416-9765

Campbell/ScottMonday, November 306:00 PMCampbell County HealthDepartment162 Sharp Perkins RoadJacksboroChapter will provide Mem-ber's mealGuests' meals are $10 eachPlease RSVP by Friday,November 20,so the chap-ter can plan enough foodfor everyone attending.Families are invited! If youare bringing a guest, pleasehave them bring a $5.00wrapped gift to play Dirty

Christmas!For info & to RSVP, contact:Lisa [email protected]

Caney ForkChristmas Potluck &Annual oy DriveMonday, November 306:00 PMWarren CountyAdministration Building201 Locust StreetMcMinnvilleChapter will provide themeatMembers are asked to bringa dish

Please bring an un-wrapped toy that does notrequire batteries for ourannual Rescue Squad oyDrive. Last year we hadover 80 toys to donate!Let's see if we can break100 this year.Bring a co-worker, even ifthey are not a member.For info, contact:Kyle Phillips(931) 473-0644 (w)(931) 815-1963 (h)

Forked Deeruesday, December 15:30 - 7:30 PM

(Please be on time, as weonly have 2 hours to use theroom)Old Country Store56 Casey Jone LaneJacksonTe first 35

tsea december newsletter

Documents