Stop Bullying Of Workers At Kaiser Sacramento-Workers Memorial Day

A speak out will be held in Sacramento on Workers Memorial Day 4/28/2010. One focus will be on the terrorism and bullying against Kaiser Sacramento workers


Stop Bullying Of Workers At Kaiser Sacramento-Workers Memorial Day Event 4/28/2010

“WARD OFF” ABUSIVE MANAGEMENT AND WORKPLACE BULLYING AT KAISER SOUTH SAC!!␣
Unions/Community and Occupational Safety and Health Groups to Hold Mass Rally on April 28



Refusal to approve doctor visits brings “constant pain” and leads to 3-weeks
medical leave for South Sacramento Optometrist...

“WARDEN MARY” IS MAKING US SICK

On Monday, March 22, 2010, Dr. Annie Yee, a career optometrist and Local 20 shop steward at Kaiser South
Sacramento, submitted a request for leave for a medical appointment scheduled for one week later, March 29, 2010 and a
second appointment for April 14, 2010. According to her treating physician, DR. YEE WAS SUFFERING PHYSICAL
SYMPTOMS OF WORK-RELATED STRESS arising from months of abuse at the hands of Assistant Medical Group
Administrator Mary Ward.

While Ward approved the April 14 request, she failed to even respond to Dr. Yee’s request for the more urgently
needed March 29 appointment. Hearing nothing for days while her condition worsened, Ward finally replied asking Dr.
Yee to postpone her medical appointment due to alleged “coverage” and “patient access” issues. Fearing reprisals from
Ward if she refused, Dr. Yee pushed her appointment back one week to April 6. But this wasn’t good enough for
“Warden” Mary who told Dr. Yee that the request would only be “granted” if one of her scheduled patients could be
moved. By the next day, Ward had increased the number of patients Dr. Yee would have to reschedule before she would
be “allowed” to go to her doctor to three. “I was being punished for being sick,” Dr. Yee told Local 20.

Finally, on March 29 - the day she originally requested to see her doctor - Dr. Yee woke up worse than ever, but
too scared to call in sick. She reported to work but within minutes found herself begging to be released as she was “in
constant pain.” When ESC Local 20 Union Rep Anthony Prince heard about this shocking denial of legitimate sick
leave, he fired off an email to Mary Ward and AMG Deborah Royalty:

“This is outrageous. Dr. Yee is to be released immediately.”

By the time she finally received treatment that day, Dr. Yee’s medical condition had deteriorated to the point
that her doctor ordered her off work for three weeks.

ESC Local 20’s position is that Mary Ward is now presenting a direct threat to the health and safety of our
members. For this reason, Local 20 has adopted a “DON’T ASK, JUST TELL” policy at the Kaiser South Sac. Employ-
ees do not need permission to seek required medical care. Management cannot legally use the excuse of “patient access”
or “coverage” to deny legitimate sick or emergency family leave.

No excuses for abusive management!
We have a right to our health!

STOP WORKPLACE BULLYING - MARY WARD MUST GO!

IBT-856 vec
Y: Kaiser: Kaiser Correspondence: Warden Mary.40510.pub

“STRETCH” Bonus Puts the Lie to Mary Ward’s False Allegations

SOUTH SAC OPTOMETRY DEPT. WINS TOP RATING ON PATIENT MPS SURVEY
Since the day she arrived to supervise the Eye Clinic, Assistant Medical Group Administrator Mary Ward has made defamatory state-
ments about individual staff members and the Optometry Dept. as a whole that Local 20 members at South Sac don’t care about patient access
and quality of services. Now, the patients themselves have spoken.

On April 2, 2010, Optometry Dept. employees received awards for achieving “Stretch” on Member Patient Satisfaction service goals
for all of 2009. In a congratulatory letter to Local 20 members, Ward shamelessly used the pronoun “we” in claiming credit for this huge success,
while thanking staff for “your devotion to our members and patients, for your dedication to your profession and for your ongoing diligence to your
work.”

In fact, this tremendous achievement comes in the face of and despite Ward’s continuing harassment and bullying of OD’s and OA’s at
South Sac. Ward has sent emails accusing optometrists of refusing to see patients; she has accused staff of “time card fraud” while presenting
absolutely no evidence of her allegation; Ward has threatened workers who were forced to cancel doctor’s appointments out of fear of retalia-
tion; Ward has challenged the professionalism and dedication of Local 20 members who attended Steward Training; Ward gave an “unexcused”
tardy to an OA who was late because her car had been broken into. (In fact, the employee –who had a perfect attendance record--took an ex-
pensive cab ride to work to minimize disruption to the schedule.)

Finally, there hasn’t been a day that goes by without Mary Ward berating employees who request legitimate leave for medical and
family matters, inferring that they are unconcerned about patient access and quality of service.

The credit for the Service Performance in the Northern California Region goes to Union members who continue to act as dedicated
professionals despite Mary Ward and the hostile work environment she has created.

“Workers Memorial Day” began in 1978 as a way to honor the 5,000 American workers who die annually from workplace accidents and the
hundreds of thousands who suffer injury, disease and psychological harm at work.

In many cases, this toll of suffering and death is linked to FEAR on the job. In the last two years, over 26 farm workers died in California
from heat exposure: they were too intimidated to drink the water they are entitled to under the law. Clearly, management bullying costs
lives.

Here at Kaiser South Sacramento, we have dozens of workers who are hurt on the job and suffer stress with serious physical symptoms.
We also have managers like AMGA Mary Ward making threats and denying fundamental contractual and human rights, such as the right to
see a doctor or tend to a family emergency. One of Ward’s recent victims, Dr. Annie Yee is now off work for 3 weeks
because Ward refused to approve requested doctor’s appointments.

Do you have a story to tell? Are you fed up with managers who threaten, yell, insult, be-little, falsely accuse and punish you for exercising
your rights? Be there:


WHERE: South Gate Library, 6132 66th Avenue, Sacramento,CA 95823
WHEN: April 28, 2010 6-8pm

Bring your family. Refreshment will be served.

Workers Memorial Day,2010