By: Attorney Benjamin Taylor, Attorney at Law

The last update I provided in this column, the new City Attendance Policy was making its first waves. It has been almost a year now since the policy was enacted, and the same issue continues to plague good, honest workers. The policy remains unchanged, and the City shows no signs of seeing reason and altering the Sick Abuse Policy. As a result, this remains a top concern for CSEA Members. I can only repeat myself at this point, but all City workers must prepare themselves and be certain to operate within the insane new strictures the policy requires: you may not exceed thirty sick hours in a rolling 3-month period. Exceeding this is grounds for essentially an automatic step up on the attendance program, with the exception for things like FMLA or potentially an emergency/hospitalization situation. By and large, this must remain something we continue to be vigilant with.

In addition to this, as it pertains to discipline, I have one further piece of advice. If you work for the Water Department, be aware that your every move may very well be watched. Your comings and goings, the times you do things, and the way you do your work. Be completely aware of your timekeeping practices, your chain-of-command observance, and how your words to others may be perceived and later reported against you. I'm only exaggerating a little when I say that walking into 1201 Lakeside is like walking into a dystopian surveillance state. At any time, the great eye in the sky could very well take an interest in regular, everyday you. Any tip or mention of you is enough for an investigation to be made, and when one charge may be conjured, typically many more will be sought to pad the case against you.

All this is to say, you have got to make sure you are dotting all of your I's and crossing all of your T's. Your time sheets should reflect when you actually arrived and actually departed. Your reporting of issues and running problems to the proper individuals should be overly dutiful. Your documentation of what you are doing and how you are completing all expectations should be ready at a moment's notice. It is a good idea for a professional to do in general, but may also benefit you greatly in any potential disciplinary proceedings, if you are keeping a log of your time, duties, and task completion. As I said, everything is potentially now being watched and questioned, so the better you are able to answer, the better we can make sure your reputation stays beyond reproach.

On a lighter note, since the Spring edition of this newsletter the CSEA had a resounding victory in the Eighth District Court of Appeals on a disciplinary case. The City wrongly suspended a worker, and though it took years or patience and perseverance, in the end justice was had and our Association stood triumphant. All members should take pride in the fact that the CSEA is fearless to stand up to the City, and powerful to win in any court room, at any level of appeal. Just like the member in this case, some members may be wrongly disciplined, but in the end justice can be achieved.