Union picket to highlight need for increased staff, ramped-up training at Mount Vernon Developmental Center

For Immediate Release: Today, June 26, 2007

An informational picket will take place Wednesday, June 27 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Mount Vernon Developmental Center, 1250 Vernon View Dr., outside the front gate concerning the effects of new court-ordered admissions on staffing levels and the health and safety of residents at the center.

According to members of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association who work at the facility, new admissions of sometimes violent offenders, who require closer supervision, are draining staff from other areas of the center and causing widespread mandatory overtime of existing employees.

During tomorrow’s picket the union will be calling for increased staffing, enhanced training and the creation of a separate intake unit for court-ordered admissions to ensure the safety of all residents at the center.

Union employees will be joined at the picket by concerned community members, retirees, advocates and families.

The Ohio Civil Service Employees Association represents 36,000 public employees, including approximately 370 Therapeutic Program Workers, Licensed Practical Nurses, and food service and maintenance staff who work at the Mount Vernon Developmental Center in Mount Vernon.

For more information, contact Sally Meckling, 614-865-2602 or 614-404-3881 (cell).

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Download and Share Mount Vernon Developmental Center Picket Flyer (PDF)