Today’s number: $23 million
Monday, Oct 22, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Tribune…
She is among 68 workers placed on continuous leave for at least one year during that period, at a total cost in salary of more than $5 million, a Tribune investigation found.
The paper found the state regularly pays employees not to work, even as it faces gaping budget gaps and service cutbacks. Between 2007 and September of this year, the 2,033 employees put on paid leave have cost the state $23 million, according to a Tribune analysis of state data.
Paid administrative leave prevents an employee from going to work — typically, during an investigation into alleged wrongdoing — and is considered a serious sanction. But there is wide leeway for supervisors to impose such an action. In one instance, the paper found, a mental health technician was put on leave for allegedly driving her car too fast in her agency’s parking lot. […]
Under union rules, most of the state’s 60,000 employees can be dismissed only for cause, meaning they must first be investigated and their future decided at a disciplinary hearing. […]
“The duration of leave and the lengthy investigative process is a problem and takes far too long,” said Anders Lindall, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “It’s an issue that our members and our union have raised with the state time and again through labor management discussions for years.
Discuss.
- MontgomeryCo - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 2:09 pm:
It sounds like this is pretty similar to the huge mess that we saw in regards to worker’s compensation. No guidelines and a whole lot of leeway. This is where reform and oversight is needed instead of holding teachers and other workers at fault for the budget mess.
- Ahoy! - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 2:27 pm:
Why the backlog? Seems like hiring a couple investigators that handle matters that last more than 30 or 60 days would actually produce a multi-million return on investment for the State of Illinois.
- Natalie Manhandler - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 2:33 pm:
I am beginning to think that Quinn doesn’t have a firm enough grasp on how these agencies are run.
- Leave a Light on George - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 2:36 pm:
Been through this more than once. While union contracts have some hard time frames built into the disciplinary process they were reasonable and not all that long. However, once it gets to the point that CMS drives the train everything breaks down, takes forever, and is usually FUBAR.
- walkinfool - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 2:39 pm:
Leave a Light on George sure sounds right to me.
- cassandra - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 3:09 pm:
It shouldn’t be that hard to pull together a cross-agency group of upper-level state bureaucrats to review all these cases and move them to resolution more expeditiously, plus set up some regs to prevent more of them.
It does make sense to restrict employees from contact with the public if certain allegations are being investigated. It’s the responsible thing to do, plus taxpayers could end up paying large sums if the employee stays on the job and commits more infractions and someone is harmed.
Having said that, I agree with Natalie. And I would go further and say the Quinn admin isn’t very interested in the mechanics of govt. They don’t want to know.
But with Quinn’s re-election (or not) advancing as the big local political story after November 6, maybe they’ll get interested. One can only hope.
- Irish - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 3:15 pm:
Leave a light On George is spot on. Anytime CMS is involved in anything you might as well figure that it is going to take at least twice as long.
- He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 3:22 pm:
Sorry to say it was NOT CMS it was from the GOV office or EIG office. When Blago came in they investigated a TON of people, many were placed on AL with Pay during the investigation. The kicker was many did not get dismissed as a result of the investigation so they basically got a vacation out of it.
- Nickname99 - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 3:31 pm:
Shows how much people don’t know about CMS. All they do here is process paperwork. Agencies put people on this leave and the OEIG takes too long to conduct their investigation. Maybe Ahoy’s right…they need more/better staff.
- Leave a Light on George - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 3:43 pm:
“Shows how much people don’t know about CMS. All they do here is process paperwork”
And they do it so well!
Nick, if all CMs does is process paper then lets get rid of CMS and kick the paper process back to the agencies.
- Michelle Flaherty - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 3:45 pm:
I bet a chili cookoff would speed things up.
- wordslinger - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 3:54 pm:
–But there is wide leeway for supervisors to impose such an action.–
I won’t pretend to be fully informed on an issue I’m just learning about, but the quote above strikes me as a real problem.
In the private sector, in the best-run big companies, even those without unions, a professional Human Resources Department doesn’t allow supervisors to yank the chains of those below them without strict cause.
They don’t like to get sued, or the bad publicity that comes from it.
I’m reminded of the issue a couple of years ago where, if I recall correctly, a DHS IG was stalking a certain red-haired administrator at night, tracking her behavior at bars, monitoring her personal life on social media and using that information against her at work.
Too much leeway, indeed.
- Nickname99 - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 3:54 pm:
Agreed, George… and let’s not forget about the Shared Services Centers! Talk about a bad idea.
- Tobor - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 3:58 pm:
This has been going on for at least 25 yrs.
- Give Me A Break - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 4:00 pm:
Word: It was not a DHS OIG stalking her. I think, it was a HFS or EOIG investigator doing it, not DHS.
- I'm calling BS - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 4:01 pm:
Hey Anders, AFSCME’s comprehensive employee grievance & accountability evasion system (which your union launches at a moment’s notice to defend even the most demonstrably bad state employees) is precisely why there is a “lengthy investigative process” AND YOU KNOW IT.
- Rufus - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 4:05 pm:
CMS Should be put on leave — unpaid, of course ( especially BCCS). :^)
- Leave a Light on George - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 4:09 pm:
Here in brief is how my last experience with CMS on a serious disciplinary issue. I will grant you that it was under Blago’s CMS. The OEIG was not involved other than to kick it back to me for investigation.
Had an employee violate a serious agency policy in a big league way. Facts were never an issue. Public safety was involved. Recommended a lengthy suspension without pay. After way too long to act on the recommendation (unfair to all involved including the employee) CMS reduced the discipline to a reprimand and directed the employee (in writing) THAT TTHE NEXT TIME THEY INTENDED TO VIOLATE AGENCY POLICY TO CONTACT THEIR SUPERVISOR AS SOON AS IT WAS CONVENIENT TO DO SO.
I pretty much gave up after that.
- Crime Fighter - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 4:21 pm:
==”a professional Human Resources Department doesn’t allow supervisors to yank the chains of those below them without strict cause.”==
Therein lies part of the problem. Managers and deputy directors are allowed to harass and engage in false write-ups against employees. If the agency is sued, it is actually easier for the offending department and manager. This is because the wrongdoing ball is then handed-off to the Attorney General to continue the attack on the employee, while the offending managers and their HR minions are off the hook. And yes, the CMS Director and his functionaries “certify” all charges and sign-off on them. (Given some of the mischief CMS supports against ethical employees, I understand why bloggers here deny involvement - I’d be ashamed too if I were them.)
Bogus charges and false evaluations are considered management tools by the Quinn administration. These tools are augmented by CMS and the AG.
- geronimo - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 4:42 pm:
Come on! Our state needs some serious housecleaning. The “watchdogs” need to go after this kind of stuff. It’s probably just the tip of the iceberg. Find the cash in these kinds of abuse and lay off hardworking people who are doing the right thing. Obviously, conscientious public workers have become the favored whipping boys at the expense of the real syphons of taxpayer money. Pick on those doing wrong and correct it.
- Madison - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 4:44 pm:
I see this happen all the time. Stupidity
He kissed me.
“no I didn’t.
OIG interview.No witnesses. No credible evidence.
Put the emp on administrative leave. For months…until a
DHS administrator can make a decision, which is on it’s face
an contradiction in terms. Offer the employee a deal to resign in exchange for no prosecution for not kissing her. Lawyer knows the standard, a preponderance of the evidence civilly or beyond a reasonable doubt criminally.
- Madison - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 4:51 pm:
In the end, OIG wants a discharge, they get it, knowing full well the union will grieve it. Employee discharged.
Employee grieves, is rehired with back pay on top of a year on admin leave.
OIG wanted a discharge for their annual report, rooting out the abuse and neglect in state facilities. They get it.
Union wants justice. When the employee is reinstated, they get it.
Employee wants back pay, he gets it.
Taxpayers want relief. They get when people in &@## get ice water.
- Heh Heh - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 7:01 pm:
Re: The “watchdogs” need to go after this kind of stuff.
How can the “watchdogs” do anything when they are “political hacks” placed by “political hacks”?
Quinn is has transparent as a 2 foot wall of concrete.
- Emily Booth - Monday, Oct 22, 12 @ 8:59 pm:
I don’t think this has been going on for 25 years. But, I do think this has been going on since at least Blagoyevich or the 2000 buy out. Institutional knowledge and values walked out the door and there was a lack of interest in public adminstration and management by those who took their place. Blagoyevich had absolutely no interest in public administration and I think Quinn is the same way but in a different vein. At least, he goes to work.
- Shirley - Tuesday, Oct 23, 12 @ 1:23 am:
OIG focuses on political and ethical wrongdoing that has the potential to embarras the Governor. That is what it comes down hard on. That yearly ethics training all state employees are required to take is filled with examples of wrongdoing which do not pertain to most low-level state employees; just to political appointees and managers. State agencies don’t have uniform rules even within each agency much less between agencies. IDHS offices, for example, all have different work rules. The state contract covers labor issues and general conduct, but there are a lot of work procedures and issues which are not covered by state-wide rules. A worker can be suspended in one office for something that other IDHS offices permit. This is partly why is is so easy for management to play around with suspensions. Actual harm to agency customers is not of great concern to OIG, and if they can find a way to blame a worker instead of management for any problem they will do it. There is a lot of inertia in state government, including OIG, CMS and the oversight of the wrong administrative suspension process which also includes the union. Workers are not given a lot of guidance during suspension, and it is very hard to track down charge info thru the state bureaucracy. Workers don’t get sent notices like they should. If you are on leave for awhile you don’t even get the monthly payroll and benefit status sheets to help you keep track of your status. This process does need to be overhauled and uniform rules and the parties to it held accountable: even the union reps. The union may fight for you, but often you learn of it after the fact by a short note from the union telling you a hearing was held. How long you are on suspension depends on the nature of the investigation. If it is by OIG only, then it should be shorter. If OIG passes you on for criminal charges, then you are on leave until the criminal prosecution is over. Considering how long a criminal case can take to be prosecuted in some counties, the state cannot be blamed for how long those individuals are out on leave. Although the article talks about the number of individuals on leave, it does not differentiate between those on paid leave versus the number on unpaid leave. Not all are on paid leave! If you are on unpaid leave, your status with the state is even murkier and communication with it is virtually non-existant. I have been on unpaid leave now for virtually five years. I didn’t hear boo from the state or the union past month three. Once a year I get paranoid and check to see if I am still on record somewhere…