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Unfair punishment at DCFA Times Editorial© St. Petersburg Times published April 26, 2003 Whatever favors Department of Children and Families Secretary Jerry Regier thought he was performing for a state senator, he did his agency - and his own reputation - no good by firing six employees who supposedly mistreated the senator's grandmother. Regier, who took over the embattled DCF with a vow to give workers renewed support, came off looking like a leader ready to sacrifice employees at the drop of a hat - or the mere whisper of a miffed politician. Pressed by reporters, Regier backtracked Thursday and said he would re-examine the firings to "do what is appropriate." He should keep that promise and give the canned employees the fairness they were owed in the first place. The flap started when an aide took the grandmother of Sen. Rudy Garcia, R-Hialeah, to a South Florida welfare office run by DCF. The aide said the employees acted rudely; others said the aide would not wait her turn. An irritated Garcia - who sits on the Ethics and Elections Committee, which weighs in on gubernatorial appointees, and the appropriations subcommittee that oversees DCF's budget - reported the incident when he met with Regier to discuss his pending confirmation. Within the week, six employees, including five who had been with DCF for more than 15 years each and had good ratings, were summarily fired. No one would argue that rude state employees should go undisciplined. All DCF clients deserve respect, no matter whose relative they happen to be. But the punishment meted out to boorish workers should be fair and proportional and not based on some politician's peeve. Regier says he did not order the firings and that the employees' misconduct was confirmed by a subsequent "mystery shopper." E-mails from Tallahassee to DCF's interim Miami district administrator, however, leave little doubt that Regier's people pressured the administrator into firing "everybody in the chain of command," despite her recommendation that they instead receive counseling and training. Regier's employees deserved due process at the very least. They didn't get it from the man who swore he would be their champion.
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From the Times Opinion page |
