Dept Human Service employees protest working conditions (Michigan)

[chill_wind]

DHS employees protest working conditions
By Eartha Jane Melzer 5/7/10 5:17 PM

Workers from the state Dept. of Human Services rallied outside a state office building in downtown Detroit today in protest of escalating caseloads and proposed legislation that would cut their benefits, the Detroit News reports.

Protesters said that they were angry about a proposal to address the state budget shortfall by increasing employee contributions and reducing health care benefits for some workers and retirees. These cost-cutting proposals come as a reduced state work force is being asked to deal with a drastically increased need for social services in Michigan.

The problem is most acute for the human services department as it has juggled in recent years a record number of welfare requests. In 2009, one out of four Michiganians were on assistance, either in the form of food stamps, Medicaid, state disability or child development and care assistance. Union officials have clamored for additional workers.

Protesters said the Department of Corrections is similarly suffering from a staff shortage. Caseloads have noticeably increased for parole and probation agents, union members said, as the state releases a record number of parolees as part of its ongoing prisoner re-entry program.

Last year’s budget impasse forced DHS to cut 350 workers.

The Detroit News has reported that the welfare assistance caseload in Michigan has swelled to 2.4 million cases, raising per-worker caseloads from 320 to 740.

http://michiganmessenger.com/37613/dhs-employees-protest-working-conditions


The distressed times here for so many-- workers and people in great need-- has to be awful.

[sabrina 1]

1. When I first read you post, I thought it was the Dept. of Homeland

Security.

Then I read further and now it makes sense. Cutting back on human services. Maybe if they ended the wars and stopped paying billions to private mercenaries like Blackwater, they could come home and we could take care of the people in this country.

There IS money, it's not going to be used for the poor and the sick.

[chill_wind]

3. I try never to pass up an opportunity

to further anyone's same point you just made:

Taxpayers in Michigan will pay $27.8 billion for total Iraq and Afghanistan war spending since 2001.


For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

10,454,337 People with Health Care for One Year OR

224,136 Affordable Housing Units OR

20,790,946 Children with Health Care for One Year OR

4,203,260 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR

577,008 Public Safety Officers for One year OR

503,250 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR

2,384,815 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR

5,009,831 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5550 OR

392,789 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR

39,077,924 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs?location_type=1&state=26&program=585&tradeoff_item_item=999&submit_tradeoffs=Get+Trade+Off

[sabrina 1]

6. Omg, that is sickening ~ what a waste of lives and money

that could do so much good instead of being so harm ~ what is wrong with this world? :cry:

Thank you for those statistics. They should be on the nightly news every day until the public forces this government to start doing what they were elected to do.

[proudohioan]

9. Oh, thank you for that!!!!

Those numbers truly disgust me!

:cry:

[chill_wind]

11. Here's OHIO: $36.7 Billion

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs?location_type=1&state=39&program=585&tradeoff_item_item=999&submit_tradeoffs=Get+Trade+Off

You can narrow it further down by towns and cities, as well. I really wish we could push these numbers out to more and more people, so they can see the real impact on their own communities, families and lives.

It is madness.

[chill_wind]

5. Thnx- edited for clarity. n/t

[proudohioan]

2. In Solidarity, Michigan DHS..

as a former Denver County DHS employee, I do clearly remember the huge caseload increase post 9/11.

[chill_wind]

4. I just can't even imagine having to handle that

kind of load. My heart is heavy for everyone affected.

[proudohioan]

10. Yes, and it's obviously gotten much worse since I left.

Those folks must be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. And no hope in sight for either applicants or caseworkers.

[EFerrari]

7. K&R

People are going to get hurt and they are going to die.

[chill_wind]

8. And wait until unemployment benefits

start expiring for more. And according to here, Congress has no plans.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8250827#top

[sabrina 1]

12. I bet they have plans for the banks, though.

No plans for the people! This is why there are riots in Greece. They bailed out the banks there too, now they are cutting back the people's pensions and salaries and other benefits to pay for it. There's always money for war and for Wall St. Greeks are also angry at the amount their government has spent on weapons and on the military.

[chill_wind]

13. The have to pass a WAR SUPPLEMENTAL, Reid was told on Friday.

I heard him say it on the floor in the middle of the amendment debates on TBTF and Fed Audit.

"We were at a meeting today, and we were told that we had to pass the war supplemental before we leave here…”

Sure enough!:

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/96579-afghanistan-war-supplemental-bill-needs-to-be-passed-this-month-reid-says

BUT... article says they might also try to get to unemployment benefits.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8295361

[chill_wind]

14. Baucus:

“You can’t go on forever,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, of Montana, whose panel oversees the benefits program. “I think 99 weeks is sufficient,” he said.

There’s just been no discussion to go beyond that,” said Senator Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat.

http://washingtonindependent.com/83673/dems-have-no-plans-to-extend-unemployment-benefits

That was a week ago.