Around 100 Denver mental health workers picket Saturday afternoon demanding hazard pay, transparency and respect

By David Mullen February 20, 2021 | updated 4 years ago

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MHCD picket 2-20-2021 — Around 100 Denver mental health workers represented by SEIU 105 picketed Saturday outside the Mental Health Center of Denver off Federal Boulevard demanding hazard pay, transparency and respect.
David Mullen The Denver Gazette

Around 100 Denver mental health workers represented by SEIU 105 picketed Saturday outside the Mental Health Center of Denver off Federal Boulevard demanding hazard pay, transparency and respect.

People wore purple shirts, bandanas and masks while chanting in English and Spanish and holding signs reading “There is no MHCD without mental health workers,” “Value your workers,” and “MHCD is committing unfair labor practices.”

“Mental health workers provide essential services every day and during the pandemic demand for their services have skyrocketed,” said SEUI 105 President Ron Ruggiero. “All these workers want is to be treated fairly, have a little less stress in their life by being paid fairly and have decent benefits.”

Throughout the pandemic many of MHCD’s counselors have continued operating both in-person and virtually for their clients in need of services. But the picketers complained that despite their dedication to their work and clients, there has been no hazard pay for any of the employees.

Jade Werner, a Clinical Case Manager II who has been with MHCD two years, said workers have been told they don’t qualify for hazard pay.

“We’ve been told by management that ‘you’re safer at work than you are at home’ and that’s not only problematic, but extremely disrespectful,” Werner said.

“We’re the ones coming into the office every day, helping clients, and putting ourselves and our families at risk, while upper-management continues to work from home. But they’re telling us we’re not at risk? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Mar Perez, a residential counselor for MHCD, said there needs to be transparency and policies in place for COVID-19 protocols.

“They haven’t compensated, supported, or trained us on how to work in these conditions, and at the beginning of the pandemic I was pregnant, but still was the only person on my block that was going to work every day,” Perez said.

“It’s really hard because there hasn’t been around when people get sick and each location has different policies, so everyone is constantly on edge about possibly bringing this virus back home.”

Denver City Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca joined picketers Saturday afternoon and said it was important to show support her support for the city’s mental health workers, who want to have wages increase with inflation.

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“To know a CEO makes over $700,000 a year while there are people within the organization making minimum wage and are literally unable to pay their rent while continuing to help others is unacceptable,” said CdeBaca.

“I’m here to support our mental health workers who are so vital to our community, I’m here to support workers everywhere and to demand that essential workers are treated as such.”

The union and MHDC have been in new contract negotiations for nearly half a year.

MHDC President and CEO Dr. Carl Clark says they care about them and are committed to being fair.

“The Mental Health Center of Denver values our hardworking, compassionate staff who are dedicated to improving the well-being of our community,” Clark said in an email statement to The Denver Gazette.

“(MHCD) has a strong record of advocating for more pay for mental health workers to achieve parity with all health care workers. We are committed to fair and equitable salaries and offer employee compensation that is in line or above the industry average.”

Perez says the ongoing negotiations harm the patients the most.

“If we don’t feel like we are supported and feel like we are valued then we can’t really provide good mental health services, because we’re not in a good state of mind,” Perez said.

Perez, like many of her colleagues, said just wanted to be respected as an equal.

“We choose this job because we all want to help people and be supportive of those in our community who need help, but at the same time we want to be treated respectfully, make a living wage and feel safe in our job.”