Members fight leads to win in unsafe policy
ALBANY — After months of CSEA members meeting with state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) management to resolve workplace safety and health issues that placed Motor Vehicle License Examiners (MVLEs) at potential risk for serious injury, the agency has agreed to a policy change.
In our October 2019 edition, we reported that Motor Vehicle License Examiners (MVLEs) were experiencing rampant workplace violence after giving road tests due to an agency policy that requires MVLEs to personally hand-deliver news of a pass or fail to test-takers immediately following the conclusion of the test, while enclosed in the test-taker’s vehicle.
Our members worked for months at meetings, surveys and data collection, working with our union’s Occupational Safety and Health Department, having frank conversations and sharing very personal, harrowing stories of violence and intimidation in the field.
After this strong advocacy, DMV management has agreed to let MVLEs exit the test-taker’s vehicle before they deliver results and change key parts of the policy.
A temporary fix
DMV management agreed to CSEA’s request to move to the much safer electronic notification system, but not until 2021, when an already expected new electronic system is expected to launch.
CSEA responded that is too long for our members to wait.
CSEA’s Occupational Safety and Health Department suggested a temporary fix, and DMV management agreed to this temporary change to the ‘Instant Notification’ system.
Given a deadline of November 1 to implement a ‘sealed envelope” system while they continue to work to put in place a permanent electronic fix, here is how it works:
DMV will conduct a six-month pilot program using CSEA’s suggestion to supply envelopes to MVLEs, who after exiting the test-taker’s vehicle, will place the results in the envelope, seal it and give it to the test-taker while the MVLE stands outside the vehicle. This test pilot began the week of November 18, 2019.
Work will continue
CSEA hopes this will naturally lead to a permanent solution, but our union is realistically looking at more work to hold the agency accountable and to ensure an extension after successful completion of the six-month pilot program.
“This is a good first step, but we can’t forget that this change is not due to the benevolence of DMV,” said CSEA Motor Vehicle (Albany) Local President Cindy Stiles. “It wasn’t just handed down out of the kindness of their hearts. We had to fight for this, and we have more to fight for to ensure we get all that we need.”
Stiles noted that to keep the agency’s management accountable, all MVLEs will need to be involved.
“Right now, we need all MVLEs to be on board to make sure DMV honors their commitment,” Stiles said.
“We will need all MVLEs to send us detailed descriptions of any issues that may arise so we can help solve them before anyone throws out the baby with the bath water.”
Stiles also said that although this is a victory and a testament to what we can achieve with collective action, CSEA does not see the sealed envelope as the final and best solution to MVLEs’ safety issues.
The goal remains that eventually electronic notification by the agency to test-takers would eventually relieve MVLEs of the requirement to deliver the test results in any format on the spot.
“All DMV Locals across the state need members to be active and involved in this issue,” Stiles said. “United, we can get what we want to stay safe while our customers are still served well. They are not exclusive of one another.”
If you have questions, please contact your local president or your CSEA region office to speak with your labor relations specialist cseany.org/csea-regions.
— Jill Asencio
