Hundreds of Oregon Department of Human Services employees who work in group homes that serve vulnerable Oregonians are voting on whether they support their boss.
Oregon AFSCME Local 1246, which represents about 650 workers in the department’s Stabilization and Crisis Unit, has started a vote of no confidence against Oregon Department of Human Services Director Fariborz Pakseresht. The unit serves nearly 100 Oregonians in group homes from Portland to Eugene with developmental and intellectual disabilities and mental health needs.
The vote, which started Saturday, Nov. 23, and ends on Sunday, comes amid the agency’s plan to shutter two of its 20 group homes, one in Lebanon and another in Portland. A strong vote of no confidence, while symbolic, would send a message to the agency’s top brass and the public that patience is wearing thin among rank-and-file workers who have concerns about the management and direction of their unit.
The union said Pakseresht has failed to address concerns that workers repeatedly flagged in the last two years about the unit’s management and finances.
“These closures could have been avoided if leadership had taken action when concerns were first raised,” said Christina Sydenstricker-Brown, president of Local 1264 and a group home worker in the agency.
The closures, planned for the end of January, also come amid a tumultuous relationship between the unit’s workers and agency’s managers in the past year.
In the past two years, this unit of the agency has publicly voiced concerns about a range of issues. Workers fought for incentive pay when they work extra shifts, even after lawmakers appropriated the funding for that purpose. They also have raised concerns about staff safety and burnout as they work double shifts and face low morale.
The agency’s plans to shutter the two group homes has stoked concerns among workers and union leaders about more cuts, which would jeopardize care for Oregonians and limit services. The union’s release said workers have seen “critical failures in leadership” and financial mismanagement leading up to the closure of the two homes.
With the uncertainty about the future, Sydenstricker-Brown said, union members and workers have strong support to cast a vote of no confidence in the agency’s director.
“They have the right to vote, and it’s private, but most of them are just sharing it because they don’t care at this point,” she said in an interview. “And they feel like this isn’t fair to the individuals. It isn’t fair to us. Who’s lying, what’s really going on, what’s really happening? We just need to have a real conversation.”
Christina Sydenstricker-Brown, a caregiver in an Oregon Department of Human Services group home and president of AFSCME Local 1246, stands outside the Oregon State Capitol on Sept. 30, 2024. The union, which represents about 650 group home workers, has launched a vote of no confidence in Oregon Department of Human Services Director Fariborz Pakseresht.
Ben Botkin / Oregon Capital Chronicle
Asked about the union’s statements and vote, Pakseresht provided the Capital Chronicle with a statement that there are “no other planned closures.”
Pakseresht’s statement didn’t directly address the vote, but he said the unit fulfills a critical need and the program will not end despite the two home closures.
“After an assessment of the physical conditions and operational efficiency of these homes, ODHS determined that consolidating and closing the two vacant homes would allow our staff to provide better care to residents and allow us to focus on services and supports instead of covering the cost of maintaining those homes,” Pakseresht said in a statement.
The two homes that will be shuttered can serve up to nine people total.
With the closures, the program can serve 91 people in 18 group homes instead of 100 people in 20 group homes. Currently, 86 people are enrolled in the program, the agency said.
Budget pressures cited
In a Friday email to staff, Pakseresht said the unit could face budget reductions in the next two-year fiscal period, though no decisions have been made. The unit is on a list of possible budget reductions set by lawmakers, he said, citing rising costs for the unit.
“If reductions are needed, there would be a comprehensive planning process before any changes are made,” Pakseresht said in the email.
Overtime costs have increased from $3.6 million in fiscal year 2014 to $14.6 million in fiscal year 2024. Costs per resident have increased from about $40,000 a month in 2016 to more than $103,000 a month.
Overall, the unit is on track to exceed its current budget by an estimated $20.5 million, he said, adding the agency needs a financially sustainable model for that work.
Concerns remain
Even so, the closures of two homes still raise concerns among other union leaders and professionals who serve vulnerable Oregonians.
Dr. Simrat Sethi, a staff psychiatrist at the Oregon State Hospital and President of AFSCME Local 3327, which represents physicians at the psychiatric hospital, said it’s critical for the unit to continue running at full capacity.
“Closing SACU, in whole or in part, could have detrimental effects on our community,” Sethi said. “We need every residential bed in the community. This is the wrong time to be closing any beds as the patients would likely end up in the already overloaded emergency rooms, community psychiatric units and then possibly at the Oregon State Hospital.”
Ballots will be counted Monday.
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