To the Integral Care CEO and Board of Trustees:
We, the undersigned employees of Austin Travis County Integral Care, urgently call on you to support and adopt the Union’s proposal for Integral Care Employee Service Rules and an Employee Ombudsman.
As public servants and government employees we deserve the same rights and protections afforded other public servants in Central Texas. State government employees at the Austin State Hospital and Austin State Supported Living Center, City of Austin employees, and Travis County employees are all employed “for cause,” meaning they have the legally protected right to due process on the job when it comes to job security and personnel issues. They also have the ability to appeal grievances and personnel disputes to an independent decision-maker outsider their regular chain of supervision. We are only asking for the same rights as them.
Currently, all Integral Care employees are employed “at-will” instead of “for cause.” We can be fired without any kind of due process, transparency, or even an explanation. This at-will status creates a workplace culture where potential whistleblower employees are often afraid to raise concerns or speak out because we have little protection against retaliation.
Having an Employee Ombudsperson that would report directly to the Board would give us access to an unbiased decision-maker, outside the regular chain of supervision, who could resolve disputes over personnel issues and work-related grievances.
We are asking that the Integral Care Board of Trustees quickly adopt the proposals already put forward by the United Workers of Integral Care, which would afford us the same protections as other government employees in Central Texas.