#Colorado Overtime Laws

[constant-gunfire]

In a country divided and confused, it is often considered, adding fuel to the fire to bring up something such as our second amendment rights. There seems to be a huge disconnect between logical thinking and controlled thinking. Logical thinking, reveals that God himself gave man the right to defend himself, his property, and his family. Logical thinking is what occurred when the founding fathers took the principles that God had given man and place them into a document that would hold them as guidelines and God-given rights for our country. The things that are happening in Aurora, Colorado and other places across our country should remind us of the great need for a citizenry bearing arms. Without that we are simply left without recourse in many situations. So logically thinking we do not want to be in a position where our lives, our homes, and our families are left to the whims of our fractured and self-centered government .

Control thinking tells you that guns are the problem. And that the second amendment can be changed to fit what the all knowing government believes. We are limiting free speech to quill pens. We should not be limiting the right to Bear arms to muskets. Sure, I know that we have not yet made that move, but we have systematically been conditioned to believe that automatic, firearms and certain components of other firearms violate the right to bear arms. This didn’t happen in a moment, but rather it happened overtime as the government and the media pull on your heartstrings using our children. The same government, mind you, that allows the slaughter of innocent children in the womb on a daily basis tells us that it is our moral duty to ban firearms in certain capacities and configurations for the sake of our babies. What hypocrisy! What absolute godless brainwash.

As a summarize the thought processes dominate our culture, or the lack there of I should say… Let me remind you that Venezuelan gangs have taken over multiple apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado, USA with very little, if any resistance. Law enforcement has done very little. The government has done nothing. Except the state of Colorado has passed some of the most liberal anti-constitutional gun control bills in the country. They have disarmed the populous, the people! You know the ones our founding fathers found it necessary to protect the right to bear arms for. But, of course our weak and brainwash government knows best. Carry On!

[trashboatprince]

As is tradition since I think I started this account in 2012, I tend to do a post about all the more interesting things that happened in the year and what I hope happens in the next so...

Yeah.

Here we go.

Met David Tennant and got not only my photo taken with him and his signature, but I also got three hugs from him. He is a very lovely man, and gosh is he pretty in person. <3

Met Rhys Darby in person and made him burst out laughing when I told him I recognized him as the freaking Pistachio King from Milo Murphy's Law. He wasn't expecting that role of all things.

Last day of my trip for the con I discovered a lump on my chest that really hurt and for two and a half months I was stuck in a constant state of anxiety because they thought it was inflammatory breast cancer. Turns out it was just a really bad infection that had very similar symptoms.

Lost our oldest dog in October :(

My mom did get a pug puppy a few months beforehand tho, as she had been wanting a pug for years

Had probably one of the most absolutely obnoxious family reunions this year, but was able to go up into the mountains and had a lovely time in nature. And I got to pick huckleberries, which I've never done before. That was nice.

Went to Colorado and sat the Monsters of Metal tour's last show there, with Mastodon (third time seeing them) and Gojira (first time seeing them)

Had a fucking experience listening to The Chant live at that showing and it was just... impossible to describe. It was beautiful.

Went to the Devil's Tower on the way to Colorado, it was pretty dang cool. Lots of alien shit everywhere, the area really loves to play up on that. Also went to the Denver Zoo and Meow Wolf, both of which were delightful. :D

Went to my little brother's high school graduation, cannot believe he's out of high school.

Experienced season two of Good Omens and am still recovering.

I was there when EVERY happened, in just ten minutes it was known and then quickly NO LONGER SPOKEN ABOUT. That was a fun hour of panic from the fandom. :)

Watched OFMD season 2 and... eh.

Watched all four of the new Doctor Who specials when they dropped and now Fourteen and Fifteen are my favorite Doctors. I love them.

Had probably some of the most stressful months I've ever had with my job because we were down to just three people for a staff that is meant to run a home that is 24/7. I'm still dealing with the stress from it even after we got more people hired. My paychecks were beautiful tho, so much overtime...

Apparently I got a stress fracture on Thanksgiving, happened in my sleep. I should be out of the boot officially next week.

Participated in a David Tennant-themed zine

Absolutely dumb thing to add, but my mom got me a DT cutout who now lives in my room. He's wearing a paper crown from a Christmas cracker because he's a king Plans for the next year:

Going to see Hozier in August

Probably going to go back to Colorado, I want to see the aquarium

Going to ECCC for the third year in a row, going to get Jodie Whitaker's autograph

Hopefully I'll get to see my girlfriend again

Hopefully I'll get to finally see my best friends irl (We need to plan this better, guys!)

See if I can finally get my second tattoo

[melodiiesxfmadness]

Lourdes Cecilia Rasmussen.

full name: Lourdes Cecilia Rasmussen nickname(s): Lour, Des, Deź, Cece, C.C., Cilia, Mussen, Cartoon Lulu. date of birth: January 10th 1981 place of birth: Petoskey, Michigan zodiac sign ( west ): Capricorn — Element: Earth | Color: Brown, Black | Ruler: Saturn | Quality: Cardinal zodiac sign ( east ): Metal Rooster current residence: Greenville, South Carolina current occupation: bounty hunter — side job; serving subpoenas or divorce papers for local law firms income: $54,410 ( yearly ), $1,046 ( weekly ), $26.15 ( hourly ), 26.15 × 1.5 ( overtime ) = $39.22 ( hourly during overtime ). — Greenville, SC ( Carolina Bail Bonding Inc ) — Los Angeles, CA ( Absolute Bail Bonds - Lynwood ) — Las Vegas, NV ( Express Bail Bonds Las Vegas ) — Helena, MT ( Bad Boy Bail Bonds ) — Colorado Springs, CO ( Dennis Blackwell Bail Bonds ) — Atlanta, GA ( Red Eye Bail Bonds ) former occupation: united states marine, sergeant. — 1999 to 2003 ( + 2 years inactive duty ) formerly stationed/trained at: camp pendleton, california college degree: bachelor's degree in criminal justice, University of South Carolina Upstate ( class of 2007, high honors + paid in full by the military ) assigned to 1st Battalion 1st Marines, "The first of the First." Camp Pendleton, California. battalion years active: october 15th, 1975 to present ( june 1999 to june 2003, plus two years inactive reserve ) involved in: Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - 2001 to 2003. gender: female species: human orientation: heterosexual gray romantic status: highly selective ( multi ship. ) height & weight: 5'9" & 134 pounds hair & eyes: Light Brown & Hazel fight training: kung fu, tae kwon do, karate, Thai boxing, jujitsu and judo, plus bayonet and knife-fighting techniques. piercing(s): both ears & her right eyebrow. tattoos: — MCMLXXXI ( 1981 in roman numerals ); left forearm. — psalm 23; left tricep— sergeant chevrons; right bicep— inner forearm, lower right arm. education: Petoskey High School, class of 1999 — Summa cum laude in Spanish, French, Mathematics & Science. medical: Aerophobia is an extreme fear of flying in an airplane. — particularly taking off & landing – always had to be sedated. languages: English, Spanish, French, Greek, Russian, Mandarin, Arabic, Farsi, Pashto, ASL, Swahili/Kiswahili, Dutch, & German. heritage: Scandinavian ( Danish & Norwegian )/Spanish nationality: american ethnicity: caucasian / european extra: senior girl scout — grade 10 | sophomore, girl's track team — all four years – long distance runner. parents: Ixchel ( commonly referred to Chel ) Felicitas née Aguilar ( mother, alive ), Erling Hilmar Rasmussen ( father, alive ) siblings: Bridgett Cathryn – ( born May 1984; accountant ), Imogene Jillian — ( born October 1987; pediatric nurse – neé Rasmussen, married in 2012 to Lyle Domenic Knight ) pets: (2) Belgian Malinois ( brother & sister, both fixed ) Luna ( Moon; the female ) & Sol ( Sun; the male ). vehicle(s): 2018 matte gray Dodge Charger SRT weaponry: Glock 19, Remington 870 12-gauge shotgun, collapsible police baton. additional arsenal: bulletproof vest, handcuffs, flex cuffs, taser & pepper spray.

npc work partner: Lorenzo Arturo Rodríguez - formerly Criminal Investigations Division, District Of Columbia Metro PD.

npc ex boyfriend: Alejandro Luca Treyvant - Sergeant, Denver PD - SWAT | 2012 to 2018

important links: one two three four

added verses: comics & greywalker | dystopia/apocalyptic

[newyorkprelawland-blog]

States Vote To End Forced Labor

By Alyssa Brundage, Cornell University Class of 2025

November 13, 2022

The foundation and economic development of the United States have deep roots in slavery. Many assume that the passage of the 13th amendment in 1865 ended forced labor. Although the legislation took significant steps towards ending the practice for most, it excluded an important group. According to section one of the amendment, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” (1) Those convicted of a crime can be forced to work.

This exemption allowed for the creation of the prison industrial complex. This term describes the economic benefit industries can obtain from the exploitation of incarcerated people. These practices remained common from the Jim Crow Era and have perpetuated into contemporary society. Furthermore, companies prefer to use the lowest wages possible. Many discovered the pitiful prison wages and ability to force labor and use this to their advantage.  

Aside from incarcerated individuals facing forced labor, they also face poor working conditions. According to an ACLU report published earlier this year, more than 76% of incarcerated workers said that they must work or face punishment including solitary confinement or loss of visitation rights. More shockingly, this group of workers is not covered by minimum wage laws or overtime protection, cannot unionize, and often face unsafe conditions (2). On average, incarcerated workers' hourly wages are between 13 and 52 cents. But those abysmally low wages are not the final take-home pay, as the government takes up to 80% of those for costs. Because of these policies, 70% of incarcerated workers are unable to afford basic necessities (3). 

Many states and politicians are acknowledging these deplorable labor conditions and are pushing for reform. In 2018, Colorado became the first state to remove the exemption clause that allowed forced prison labor from the state’s constitution (4). Similar initiatives hit the ballot during the 2022 election cycle. Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee, and Vermont all approved the initiatives (5). Louisiana also voted on the issue, but voters faced a complex problem. During the legislative process, the proposed amendment was drastically altered to the point of convolution. Essentially, voting “yes” supported removing the clause that allows for involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime, but also expanding upon the section to say that prohibiting slavery “does not apply to the otherwise lawful administration of criminal justice” (6). There is vast debate over what this vague wording means. Some believe the ambiguous language could allow for the expansion of forced prison labor. The issues with the proposed change were so worrisome that its author, Rep. Edmond Jordan, urged voters to reject the proposal in hopes that Louisiana could try again in the future (7). Six out of ten voters agreed and decided to reject the proposed amendment (8). 

Forced prison labor has been normalized throughout the United States for hundreds of years. Fortunately, many are realizing that incarcerated people deserve better workplace protections than they currently receive. Although changing the legality of indentured servitude will be a long and challenging path, as Louisiana proves, states will continue to make strides against this issue. Furthermore, this reform is promising for incarcerated workers, as they could potentially see improved workplace conditions in the years to come. 

______________________________________________________________

“13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:     Abolition of Slavery (1865).” National Archives, 1 Sept. 2021,     https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/13th-amendment.

ACLU. “Captive Labor: Exploitation of     Incarcerated Workers | News & Commentary.” American Civil Liberties     Union, 15 June 2022,     https://www.aclu.org/news/human-rights/captive-labor-exploitation-of-incarcerated-workers. 

Ibid 

“Slavery Is on the Ballot for Voters in 5 US     States.” AP NEWS, 20 Oct. 2022, https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterms-13th-amendment-slavery-4a0341cf82fa33942bda6a5d17ac4348.

Gans, Jared. “Slavery as Punishment for     Crime Rejected by Voters in Four States.” The Hill, 9 Nov. 2022,     https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/3726915-slavery-as-punishment-for-crime-rejected-by-voters-in-three-states/.

“Louisiana Amendment 7, Remove Involuntary     Servitude as Punishment for a Crime from Constitution Measure (2022).” Ballotpedia,     https://ballotpedia.org/Louisiana_Amendment_7,_Remove_Involuntary_Servitude_as_Punishment_for_a_Crime_from_Constitution_Measure_(2022).     Accessed 12 Nov. 2022. 

Hutchinson, Piper, et al. “Louisiana Voters     Reject Ban on Slavery, Involuntary Servitude; Author Also Opposed It.” Louisiana     Illuminator, 9 Nov. 2022, https://lailluminator.com/2022/11/08/louisiana-voters-reject-ban-on-slavery-involuntary-servitude-author-also-opposed-it/.

“Four     States Voted to Abolish Slavery, but Not Louisiana. Here’s Why.” BBC     News, 10 Nov. 2022. www.bbc.com,     https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63578133. 

[reading-writing-revolution]

Heather Cox Richardson:

August 25, 2020 (Tuesday)

The Republican National Convention is designed to fire up the base to make sure its members vote, and to reassure wavering Republicans that they can vote for Trump without being racists but rather staunch Americans. And on both fronts, the first two days of this convention have delivered.

Yesterday, Don Jr. and his girlfriend Kim Guilfoyle offered up red meat to the base, warning that Democrats stand for “rioting, looting and vandalism,” while Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley promised that race relations aren’t really that bad in America after all.

Tonight, First Lady Melania Trump spoke soothingly of parenting and offered sympathy to coronavirus victims while offering a sanitized version of her own American dream. Trump offered American symbolism, using the might of the presidency. He was flanked by servicemen in the White House, naturalized five immigrants, pardoned Jon Ponder, a Black man who started a program that provides services for former convicts after he was convicted of robbing a bank.

The Trump team is not using half-measures; they are meeting head-on the criticisms of Trump and exacerbating them. They are campaigning by audacity. That is, after all, one of the characteristics Trump’s base likes most about him.

Tonight that audacity dovetailed with what appears to be the Trump family’s growing authoritarianism to make them broadcast that they are above the law. Tonight’s proceedings smashed all U.S. laws and traditions against using public property for partisan purposes. The power of the presidency, the physical space of the White House—the people’s house-- and the nation’s international standing are all enlisted to get this president, this one man, reelected.

Trump used the power of his office to pardon as a campaign stunt. He used a naturalization ceremony—the fundamentally non-partisan act of becoming an American citizen—to sell the idea he is not anti-immigrant. Melania Trump spoke from the White House Rose Garden, behind a podium that bore the presidential seal, to campaign for her husband. And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke virtually from an official trip to the Middle East.

There is a law—the Hatch Act—which prohibits all employees of the Executive Branch except the president and the vice president from engaging in partisan political activity. It also prohibits the president and the vice president from commanding any employee to work on behalf of any candidate. The act is designed to make sure that officials cannot leverage the power of their office to enhance their own power. Since the law’s passage in 1939, presidents of both parties have scrupulously adhered to it. Members of the Trump administration have violated that act repeatedly, but tonight’s performance celebrated and extended those violations.

Pompeo’s speech made it clear the violations were no accident. One of the State Department’s own legal memos says in bold letters: "Senate-confirmed Presidential appointees may not even attend a political party convention.” But Pompeo not only spoke at the convention, he did it on an official overseas trip paid for by U.S. taxpayers. Former Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who spent 35 years in the foreign service, told NBC News: "People are extraordinarily upset about it. This is really a bridge too far…. Pompeo is clearly ensuring the State Department is politicized by using his position to carry out what is basically a partisan mission."

Pompeo’s appearance with some of the religious sites of Jerusalem showing behind him was intended to highlight Trump’s outreach to evangelical voters like Pompeo himself. Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and the other day said: “We moved the capital of Israel to Jerusalem. That’s for the evangelicals.”

The State Department said Pompeo addressed the convention in his “personal capacity,” but even this is out of bounds. In February, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun wrote an email to department employees saying he would not talk politics even when responding “to emails from friends.”

The State Department says that the RNC will pay for “everything” associated with the talk, but four current and former high-ranking diplomats noted that the logistics of overseas travel make that unlikely: the planes, motorcades, security, and so on required for a Secretary of State’s travels is all paid for with taxpayer money.

Far from objecting to Trump’s lies or his violation of the law to use of the government to win reelection, Trump’s true believers will likely applaud both. The lies are a comforting story, made better by how much they upset non-believers—those “others”—and in their minds, the power of the government actually should be used to put down Trump’s unAmerican opposition.

A State Department official told NBC News, "It is outrageously un-American for a sitting secretary of state to participate in a political convention." At least the State Department indicated a little nervousness about using taxpayer money for partisan purposes. The White House has shown no such concern.

The first two nights of the convention have ranged far from the truth, keeping weary fact-checkers working overtime. But the gaslighting is not an accident, either; it is the point. Trump is selling the classic alternative reality of authoritarians who have little actual good news to report: he claims the country is in chaos, caused by lawless “others,” and he alone can solve the problem. He will return his supporters to the positions of authority they feel they have lost, ushering back in the good old days when the country was great.

Trump’s plan for a second term, though, will not necessarily benefit his supporters. He appears to intend to continue to act as he has done for the past three and a half years, slashing regulations and taxes, destroying the social safety net, and privatizing infrastructure, all in the service of freeing up capital to boost the economy.

That plan was in the news today as, in response to an inquiry from leading Democrats, the Chief Actuary for Social Security crunched the numbers behind Trump’s plan to end the payroll tax. Chief Actuary Stephen C. Goss said that the plan would end Disability Insurance in mid-2021 and Social Security by mid-2023.

Payroll taxes are just that: taxes that come out of your paycheck. In this case, the tax in question is the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) payroll taxes and the Self-Employment Contributions Act (SECA) taxes. These taxes provide the money that funds Social Security and Disability Insurance. Trump has talked about eliminating the taxes, arguing that getting rid of them would put more money in people’s pockets. It would, in the short term but, as Goss explains, it would almost immediately destroy Social Security and Disability Insurance.

A disregard for social welfare laws is not limited to Trump. In the New York Times yesterday, former chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen and Jared Bernstein, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Priorities, note that the Senate is on vacation while thirty million American households did not have enough food last week. “The economics of this moment are not complicated,” they write. The economy can’t recover and sustain itself until the coronavirus is under control. Until then, it is imperative for Congress to fund a relief bill to put money back into people’s pockets, both for moral reasons, and to keep the economy from grinding to a halt.

The House passed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill in May, but the Senate refused to take it up. The Senate turned to writing a bill in late July, just as the federal boost of $600 a week to unemployment benefits was due to expire, along with the moratorium on evictions. Quickly, though, it became clear the Republican caucus could not agree on a bill, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell turned the problem of negotiating a new bill over to White House leaders and congressional Democrats.

With Republicans on the sidelines, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows refused to budge from their $1 trillion starting point even after the Democrats offered to meet them halfway. Trump declared the negotiations over and dramatically claimed to be handling the most crucial problems with executive actions. His use of the nation’s disaster relief fund to pay for a $300 weekly bonus in unemployment benefits to people in 30 states (so far) will not last more than five weeks, even as it drains our capacity to respond to the California and Colorado wildfires, the Iowa derecho, and the two tropical storms bearing down on Louisiana.

Reality looks a lot less triumphant than tonight’s tawdry performance in the house that has sheltered Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, and which belongs not to the Trumps, but to the American people.

[deliakernen]

Marijuana as an Aid for the Growing U.S. Incarceration Rate

23 April 2018

One of the biggest issues in the United States today is the staggering rates of incarceration. More than 1 of every 100 Americans are in jail, holding the country in first place of the highest prison rates in the world. Nearly 2.3 million people, including juveniles, are behind bars in 5,961 prisons and correction centers across the country (Wagner 1). Many people may not understand why exactly this is an issue, but the fact that the U.S. holds 25% of the world’s prisoners and incarceration rates are 3.5 times higher than they are in Mexico where there is a brutal ongoing drug war, there is clearly a flaw in the system (Wyler 1). A solution to this nationwide issue is to decriminalize marijuana in every state. Nonviolent people incarcerated for marijuana possession are suffering the ghastly effects of prison, and taxes for funding of these prisons take a huge toll on everyday citizens; many prisoners live more comfortably than Americans living under the poverty line. 

In 2016, more people were arrested for possession of marijuana than any other crime, including ones deemed violent by the FBI (“Persons” 1). In 1973, Oregon was the first state to begin decriminalization of marijuana by making the possession of less than 1 ounce a civil violation, which only calls for a maximum $100 fine. After five years, ten more states passed the same law, causing a nationwide surge in the fight to decriminalize (Single 456). Today, 21 states have decriminalized certain marijuana offenses. Alaska, Colorado, Washington D.C., Oregon, and California have completely legalized certain adult usage and cultivation of marijuana (“States” 1). Although America has taken gradual steps in the right direction for awhile now, the reality is that there is clear corruption in the criminal justice system in which nonviolent, innocent people are being imprisoned on a mass scale. The DOJ reports that over 70,000 inmates are sexually abused each year, and inmates with diseases like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress are not eligible for medication, causing severe and almost debilitating suffering. The conditions of prisons can sometimes cause these mental diseases to develop overtime, even for a person with no history of mental health issues, which could actually turn these wrongly imprisoned people into societal threats when released (“The Effects” 1). Additionally, decriminalizing marijuana will lessen tax dollars needed for prison funding. $1.2 billion of America’s taxes go towards marijuana-related incarceration, and between $7.5 and $10 billion go to the arresting and prosecution of marijuana-based offenses annually (NORML 1). These tax dollars could be distributed successfully throughout various government funding entities, like public school districts; Colorado has increased their public school funding by $300 million through taxing marijuana sales (Whaley 1). Decriminalizing marijuana is not only the right thing to do in order to give justice to these wrongly imprisoned people, but it will also improve many aspects of the United States, including lowering the poverty rate and bringing money back into its school districts.

There are a plethora of valid arguments against decriminalizing the drug. For example, people against marijuana usage in general believe that the fear of penalties can prevent people from using it. Penalization often leads people with drug problems in the right direction: one-third of treatment referrals come from the criminal justice system (AmerQuarterly 1). Another reason is that illegality of marijuana, like other illegal drugs, means prevention of risky behavior sometimes associated with its usage, but illegalization of marijuana does not reduce its usage, in the same way that decriminalization or legalization does not increase it. Deborah Hasin, Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center, found that teenagers between the ages of thirteen and eighteen from the years 1991 to 2014 did not use marijuana more after its legalization in certain states. In fact, in California, there has been a slight decrease in usage among teenagers since the drug became legal (Borchardt 1). The reason for this could be that there is a certain thrill in doing things that have punishments; many teenagers live to break the rules, and decriminalization could actually decrease usage of marijuana among adolescents for that reason alone. As for adults, many are fervent in their beliefs and will regularly use marijuana, regardless of whether or not it is legal. 

Additionally, one might argue that being high means being out of touch with reality. A person may not act rationally, make proper decisions, perform everyday functions, or simply be able to enjoy trivial aspects of life when using marijuana. In terms of long term brain function, though, marijuana is harmless. In fact, marijuana is proven to prevent Alzheimer’s, and can even improve brain connectivity. According to a study of regular users and non-users done by researchers at the University of Colorado and the University of Kentucky, crucial parts of the brain including the nucleus accumbens, hippocampus and cerebellum have little to no differentiation between the two groups (Stern 1). 

American people are forced to pay mass amounts of money in tax dollars to fund people who are incarcerated for something as harmless as possessing marijuana. The money spent on mass incarceration could be used for a plethora of national funding, including public schools, which are in dire need of large scale improvements, specifically in inner cities. Imprisonment for marijuana possession is doing more harm than good in the United States, even though marijuana is not nearly as harmful as alcohol and tobacco, both of which are fully legal, and create huge economic revenue. Decriminalizing marijuana will raise more money for necessary funding, release innocent people from jail, and bring the United States’ incarceration rates down to a more reasonable level.

Works Cited

*AmerQuarterly. “Decriminalization Would Increase the Use and the Economic and Social Costs of Drugs.” America’s Quarterly. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 April 2018. 

Borchardt, Debra. "Legalized Medical Marijuana Doesn't Increase Teen Usage, Study Finds." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 15 June 2015. Web. 22 April 2018. 

"NORML.org - Working to Reform Marijuana Laws." Marijuana Decriminalization Talking Points -. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 April 2018.. 

“Persons Arrested.” 2016 Crime in the United States, FBI, 25 Aug. 2017, ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2016/crime-in-the-u.s.-2016/cius-2016/topic-pages/persons-arrested?55.

*Single, Eric W. “The Impact of Marijuana Decriminalization: An Update.”Journal of Public Health Policy 10.No. 4 (1989): 456-66. Paul Macmillan Journals, 6 Mar. 2011. Web. 19 April 2018. 

“States That Have Decriminalized.” NORML. N.p., 2016. Web. 20 April 2018. 

Stern, Ray. Daily Marijuana Use Doesn't Really Change Brains of Adults or Teens, Study Finds. Phoenix New Times. N.p., 28 May 2016. Web. 22 April 2018.

"The Effects of Incarceration on Mental Health." GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog. N.p., 19 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 April 2018.

Wyler, Grace. “The Mass Incarceration Problem in America.” VICE News, 26 July 2014, news.vice.com/article/the-mass-incarceration-problem-in-america.

Wagner, Peter, and Bernadette Rabuy. “Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2017.” Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2017 | Prison Policy Initiative, www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2017.html.

[phoenixjobs8]

Highway Patrol Pilot

SUMMARY STATEMENT:

Participates in Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZ P.O.S.T.) Basic Training Curriculum and other training designated by the Department of Public Safety to learn general duty police work. Performs related duties as assigned. Upon successful completion of training and certification as a peace officer by AZ P.O.S.T., the incumbent is reclassified to State Trooper. This is a competitive classification.

POSITION AGREEMENTS:

Department of Public Safety sworn personnel are stationed throughout Arizona with some individuals living in Utah, California, Nevada, and Colorado. State Troopers may be assigned to any of these positions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Must be a U.S. citizen and a high school graduate or have a GED. Must be at least 21 years of age at the completion of AZ P.O.S.T. BASIC TRAINING CURRICULUM . By the starting date, must be a resident of the state of Arizona and possess a valid Arizona driver’s lic ense.

Employees who are hired into the classification prior to the start of the training academy will be placed at step 1 of the salary range. All employees in the classification will be placed at step 2 of the salary range while actively assigned to the training academy.

Must successfully complete the examination process.

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Job Requirements:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (not intended to be all-inclusive):

Learns patrol, investigation, traffic control and safety, police methods, first aid, and community and police relations.

Learns federal, state, and local traffic and criminal laws.

Learns Department policies and procedures.

Learns to prepare clear, concise, and grammatically correct reports.

Participates in a physical fitness program to develop the physical skills necessary for the job.

Learns proper work habits, appearance, and interpersonal skills.

REQUIRED:

KNOWLEDGE OF:

English grammar and composition

SKILL IN:

the operation of a vehicle

ABILITY TO:

analyze situations or information and adopt quick, effective, and reasonable courses of action.

maintain composure and work effectively under highly stressful conditions.

read and understand complex written information.

observe and recollect details.

understand and follow oral directions.

work independently.

establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

work any hours including weekends, holidays, rotating shifts, call-outs, and overtime.

perform work for extended periods of time in environments of extreme heat or cold, or wet conditions.

use specialized protective equipment or clothing.

perform the physical requirements of the work (e.g., run and/or jump over rough terrain and obstacles; physically take custody of persons; subdue and apprehend combative suspects; safely search persons and places; push or pull heavy objects and apply force with upper and lower body; reach, bend, stoop, kneel, twist, and turn, etc.).

perform basic mathematical and statistical calculations.

communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.

operate a computer to input and retrieve information.

YOU CAN ALSO APPLY BY TEXTING “JOBS” TO (833) 256-8880 

The post Highway Patrol Pilot first appeared on Valley of the Sun Jobs. source https://valleyofthesunjobs.com/other-general/highway-patrol-pilot-6409061664/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=highway-patrol-pilot-6409061664

[myweddingsandevents]

Open SmartNews and read "For Farmworkers, the Fight for the 8-Hour Day Isn’t Over - Federal labor laws exclude farmworkers from overtime pay and other protections. After years of advocacy by farm labor groups, lawmakers in Oregon, Washington and Colorado are working to change that." here: https://share.smartnews.com/d9puF

To read it on the web, tap here: https://share.smartnews.com/zL7Lt

[pucksonnet]

290 - Shawn Matthias

Former Vancouver Canuck Shawn Matthias joins the show this week to discuss his NHL career. We discuss his time in Florida and being traded to the Canucks in the Roberto Luongo deal.

They discuss his eventful seasons in Vancouver. Being coached by John Tortorella, Willie Desjardins and his unceremonious exit from the Canucks. They discuss his time with Mike Babcock on the Toronto Maple Leafs, his brief stint in Colorado being coached by Patrick Roy and what life after hocker is like.

Get your brand new Pucks On Net merchandise here!

Support the show on Patreon! Pledge a coupla bucks ($5+) and get instant access to all our bonus content including our brand new bonus episode 'PON Book Club: Burke's Law'  and our weekly 5 Minutes For Paying. On this week's bonus segment: it's a video watch along as the gang watches overtime between Ottawa and Vancouver while telling stories the worst lies they told their dads growing up.

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[phoenixjobs8]

Cadet State Trooper

SUMMARY STATEMENT:

Participates in Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZ P.O.S.T.) Basic Training Curriculum and other training designated by the Department of Public Safety to learn general duty police work. Performs related duties as assigned. Upon successful completion of training and certification as a peace officer by AZ P.O.S.T., the incumbent is reclassified to State Trooper. This is a competitive classification.

POSITION AGREEMENTS:

Department of Public Safety sworn personnel are stationed throughout Arizona with some individuals living in Utah, California, Nevada, and Colorado. State Troopers may be assigned to any of these positions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Must be a U.S. citizen and a high school graduate or have a GED. Must be at least 21 years of age at the completion of AZ P.O.S.T. BASIC TRAINING CURRICULUM . By the starting date, must be a resident of the state of Arizona and possess a valid Arizona driver’s lic ense.

Employees who are hired into the classification prior to the start of the training academy will be placed at step 1 of the salary range. All employees in the classification will be placed at step 2 of the salary range while actively assigned to the training academy.

Must successfully complete the examination process.

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Job Requirements:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (not intended to be all-inclusive):

Learns patrol, investigation, traffic control and safety, police methods, first aid, and community and police relations.

Learns federal, state, and local traffic and criminal laws.

Learns Department policies and procedures.

Learns to prepare clear, concise, and grammatically correct reports.

Participates in a physical fitness program to develop the physical skills necessary for the job.

Learns proper work habits, appearance, and interpersonal skills.

REQUIRED:

KNOWLEDGE OF:

English grammar and composition

SKILL IN:

the operation of a vehicle

ABILITY TO:

analyze situations or information and adopt quick, effective, and reasonable courses of action.

maintain composure and work effectively under highly stressful conditions.

read and understand complex written information.

observe and recollect details.

understand and follow oral directions.

work independently.

establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

work any hours including weekends, holidays, rotating shifts, call-outs, and overtime.

perform work for extended periods of time in environments of extreme heat or cold, or wet conditions.

use specialized protective equipment or clothing.

perform the physical requirements of the work (e.g., run and/or jump over rough terrain and obstacles; physically take custody of persons; subdue and apprehend combative suspects; safely search persons and places; push or pull heavy objects and apply force with upper and lower body; reach, bend, stoop, kneel, twist, and turn, etc.).

perform basic mathematical and statistical calculations.

communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.

operate a computer to input and retrieve information.

YOU CAN ALSO APPLY BY TEXTING “JOBS” TO (833) 256-8880 

The post Cadet State Trooper first appeared on Valley of the Sun Jobs. source https://valleyofthesunjobs.com/other-general/cadet-state-trooper-6404365434/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cadet-state-trooper-6404365434

[anntyler3]

State Ballot Measure Takeaways

California's Prop 22 Passes

The costliest state ballot measure at issue was California's Proposition 22, which allows gig companies like DoorDash, Lyft, and Uber to designate their drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. Its passing is seen as a loss for workers' rights. As employees rather than contractors, workers would be granted sick pay, overtime, and a guaranteed minimum wage.

These gig-based driving companies spent over $188 million in advertising to lobby for the passing of Prop 22, which means they can continue to pay their workers lesser wages. Instacart and Doordash workers were sometimes instructed to deliver food to customers in bags that promoted the ballot measure or to give them pro-Prop 22 stickers.

Drug Law Reform

The citizens of Montana, South Dakota, Arizona, and New Jersey all voted to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. South Dakota also voted to legalize medical marijuana, becoming the first state to vote on recreational and medical use of cannabis on the same ballot.

Oregon and Washington, D.C., legalized both medical and recreational cannabis in recent years. Now, both have taken steps to permit the usage of psilocybin or "magic" mushrooms.

In Oregon, the mushrooms have been legalized and will be available for limited use in controlled environments to treat mental illness. In D.C., the substance has been decriminalized ? meaning that possession of the mushrooms no longer will be penalized as severely.

The Future 51st?

Puerto Rico may not be a state right now, but that may change in the near future. In the latest nonbinding referendum, 52% of voters supported statehood. While this does not set any statehood procedures in motion, it does indicate that most voters in Puerto Rico are in favor of becoming the 51st state.

Referendums in both 2017 and 2012 showed that a majority of voters supported statehood, though the results of these referendums were questioned. If Puerto Rican politicians decide to start pushing for statehood, their first step will be to push statehood legislation through Congress.

Abortion Law Updates

Louisiana voters passed an amendment to their state constitution which makes it clear that the right to an abortion and state funding for abortions are definitively not guaranteed by the constitution.

In Colorado, meanwhile, voters defeated a ballot measure that would outlaw abortions after 22 weeks. Colorado remains one of seven states that does not limit when an abortion is allowed during a pregnancy.

Interesting State Measures

Voters across the country approved or defeated a variety of ballot measures. Here are a few of the most interesting:

Oregon increased tax rates for tobacco and e-cigarettes

Florida's hourly minimum wage will rise to $15 over the next few years

Rhode Island shortened its official name to "State of Rhode Island" from "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations"

Franklin County, Alabama, passed a "stand your ground" that will allow for the use of deadly force in self-defense on church grounds

Related Resources:

Voters Decriminalize Harder Drugs Than Just Pot (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)

Could States Really Secede from the Union? (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)

Can You Legally Celebrate Thanksgiving With Family This Year? (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8246803 http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2020/11/state-ballot-measure-takeaways.html

[stephenmccull]

‘Is This Worth My Life?’: Traveling Health Workers Decry COVID Care Conditions

This story also ran on The Guardian. It can be republished for free.

David Joel Perea called from Maine, Vermont, Minnesota and, ultimately, Nevada, always with the same request: “Mom, can you send tamales?” Dominga Perea would ship them overnight.

That’s how she knew where her 35-year-old son was.

The traveling nurse had “a tremendous work ethic,” routinely putting in 80 hours a week, said his brother, Daniel.

But when Perea took a job at Lakeside Health & Wellness Suites — a Reno nursing home that has received dozens of safety citations since 2017 from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Dominga was “scared silly.”

During Perea’s stint, nearly one-fifth of Lakeside’s residents were infected with COVID-19, according to state health records. Lakeside’s “top priority is the safety of those who live and work in our facility,” a spokesperson said.

When her son didn’t respond to her text on April 6, Dominga knew something was wrong. Perea had COVID-19. He died days later.

As COVID-19 surges across the country, health care systems continue to suffer critical shortages, especially among non-physician staff such as nurses, X-ray technicians and respiratory therapists.

To replenish their ranks, facilities have relied on “travelers” like Perea. Staff agencies have deployed tens of thousands nationally since March outbreaks in the Northeast.

Now the virus is tearing through rural areas — particularly in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain states — stressing the limited medical infrastructure.

Rural hospitals have relied largely on traveling nurses to fill staffing shortages that existed even before the pandemic, said Tim Blasl, president of the North Dakota Hospital Association. “They find staff for you, but it’s really expensive labor,” he said. “Our hospitals are willing to invest so the people of North Dakota get care.”

The arrangement presents risks for travelers and their patients. Personnel ping-ponging between overwhelmed cities and underserved towns could introduce infections. As contractors, travelers sometimes feel tensions their full-time colleagues do not. Frequently employed by staffing agencies based thousands of miles away, they can find themselves working in crisis without advocates or adequate safety equipment.

In 2020, the upsides of their jobs — freedom and flexibility — have been dwarfed by treacherous conditions. Now the ranks of travelers are thinning: The work is exhausting, bruising and dangerous. Thousands of front-line health workers have gotten the virus and hundreds have died, according to reporting by KHN and The Guardian.

On April 17, Lois Twum, a 23-year-old traveling nurse from New Orleans, was one of four passengers on a flight to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.

When the self-described “adventure-seeking adrenaline junkie” arrived for her first shift at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center, she said, she was assigned four patients on a COVID-19 unit. (Intensive care nurses typically care for two or three patients.) As these “constantly crashing” patients required resuscitations and intubations, “there was practically no one to help,” Twum said, because “everyone’s patient was critical.” The hospital did not respond to requests for comment on the workplace conditions and treatment of travelers.

Meanwhile, as hospital employees got sick, quit or were furloughed amid budget cuts, travelers picked up the slack. They were redeployed, Twum said, assigned more patients as well as the sickest ones.

“It was like we were airdropped into Iraq,” Twum said. “Travelers, we got the worst of it.”

On social media and in email groups, recruiters for travelers circulate photos of sun-splashed skylines or coastlines emblazoned with dollar signs, boasting salaries two or three times those of staff nurses. They promise signing bonuses, relocation bonuses and referral bonuses. They make small talk, ask about travelers’ families and suggest restaurants in new cities.

But when it comes to navigating workplace issues, “these people can just disappear on you,” said Anna Skinner, a respiratory therapist who has traveled for over a decade. “They are not your friends.”

Caught between the hospitals where they report for duty and remote staffing agencies, their worker protections are blurred.

For instance, under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, providing protective equipment is the agency’s responsibility — but the travelers who spoke with KHN said agencies rarely distribute any.

Perea’s family said they believe David did not have adequate PPE. His employer said it was the nursing home’s responsibility to provide it. “It is up to each of our clients to provide PPE to our staff while they are working assignments through MAS,” said Sara Moore, a spokesperson for Perea’s agency, MAS Medical Staffing.

Sometimes travelers are assigned to emergency rooms or intensive care units with which they have little experience. Skinner, a pediatric specialist, said she landed in adult ICUs when deployed to the University of Miami Health System in April. She received an hour of orientation, she said, but “nothing could have prepared me for what I had to deal with.”

Over five weeks, she said, she intubated one patient after another; suctioned the blood pouring into patients’ lungs and out of their noses and mouths; and dealt with families who were aghast, angry and afraid. Under the stress, Skinner said, she couldn’t sleep and lost weight. The hospital did not respond to requests for comment on workplace conditions for travelers.

Travelers often face “incredibly onerous” hurdles to the overtime, sick leave or workers’ compensation they are entitled to under the Fair Labor Standards Act, said Nathan Piller, a lawyer at Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky, an employment and business litigation firm.

Even the number of hours they can count on working is out of their control, Skinner said. Contracts reviewed by KHN authorize travelers to work a set number of hours, but only a fraction of those hours are guaranteed, and must be approved by on-site managers. The guaranteed hours may be compensated at rates hovering around minimum wage, and may require working holidays, which are not uniformly recognized.

The terms can be “modified from time to time during employment,” according to the contracts.

In 2018, AMN Healthcare, one of the country’s largest travel nursing agencies, agreed to a $20 million settlement for wage violations involving nearly 9,000 travelers. Violations “appear fairly commonplace across the industry,” said Piller, who worked on the settlement.

Travelers, Skinner said, are left to advocate for themselves to managers they might have just met — and “complaining just isn’t an option.”

KHN reviewed travel nursing contracts issued by Aya Healthcare, a large staffing agency, and found that any disputes — wrongful termination claims; claims of discrimination, harassment or retaliation; wage claims; and claims for violation of federal, state or other laws or regulations — must be settled out of court, in arbitration.

Officials at the Service Employees International Union, the American Nurses Association and National Nurses United said their constituents have been suspended or fired from traveling worker agencies for speaking to the news media, posting on social media or otherwise voicing concerns about unfair practices.

Matthew Wall, a longtime traveling nurse, knows this all too well. In July, two days into his assignment at Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge, Georgia, Wall said, he reported to hospital administrators “undeniably unsafe” conditions for himself and patients, including inadequate PPE, long hours and high patient-to-staff ratios.

Instead of addressing his concerns, Wall said, the hospital — which is under investigation by the federal government for workplace safety issues after another traveling nurse died of COVID-19 in mid-March — canceled his contract. “Travelers are treated like dog chow,” Wall said. “The second you become a liability, they dispose of you.”

“We continue to closely follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines paired with our best practices in patient care and safety for all,” said John Manasso, a hospital spokesperson, who declined to comment on Wall’s case.

Some see an impossible choice. “We all know, if not for us, these patients would have no one,” Twum said, “but watching each other get sick left and right, it makes you wonder, is this worth my life?”

Skinner, for her part, took a job as a staff nurse in Aspen, Colorado. After his current contract in New Orleans ends, Wall is planning a break from nursing.

It was like we were airdropped into Iraq.

Lois Twum

Dominga Perea finally received a text back the night of April 6: “Don’t panic, Mama, I have the COVID.

“Pray for me.”

She saw David over FaceTime on Easter. “He struggled even eating mashed potatoes” she said, “because he couldn’t breathe.” The next morning he went on a ventilator and never woke up.

Months later, Lakeside hadn’t filled Perea’s position. “Ideal candidate must be a caring individual dedicated to providing high quality care,” the job listing read, and “able to react to emergency situations appropriately when required.”

KHN Mountain States editor Matt Volz contributed to this report.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).

‘Is This Worth My Life?’: Traveling Health Workers Decry COVID Care Conditions published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

[gordonwilliamsweb]

‘Is This Worth My Life?’: Traveling Health Workers Decry COVID Care Conditions

This story also ran on The Guardian. It can be republished for free.

David Joel Perea called from Maine, Vermont, Minnesota and, ultimately, Nevada, always with the same request: “Mom, can you send tamales?” Dominga Perea would ship them overnight.

That’s how she knew where her 35-year-old son was.

The traveling nurse had “a tremendous work ethic,” routinely putting in 80 hours a week, said his brother, Daniel.

But when Perea took a job at Lakeside Health & Wellness Suites — a Reno nursing home that has received dozens of safety citations since 2017 from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Dominga was “scared silly.”

During Perea’s stint, nearly one-fifth of Lakeside’s residents were infected with COVID-19, according to state health records. Lakeside’s “top priority is the safety of those who live and work in our facility,” a spokesperson said.

When her son didn’t respond to her text on April 6, Dominga knew something was wrong. Perea had COVID-19. He died days later.

As COVID-19 surges across the country, health care systems continue to suffer critical shortages, especially among non-physician staff such as nurses, X-ray technicians and respiratory therapists.

To replenish their ranks, facilities have relied on “travelers” like Perea. Staff agencies have deployed tens of thousands nationally since March outbreaks in the Northeast.

Now the virus is tearing through rural areas — particularly in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain states — stressing the limited medical infrastructure.

Rural hospitals have relied largely on traveling nurses to fill staffing shortages that existed even before the pandemic, said Tim Blasl, president of the North Dakota Hospital Association. “They find staff for you, but it’s really expensive labor,” he said. “Our hospitals are willing to invest so the people of North Dakota get care.”

The arrangement presents risks for travelers and their patients. Personnel ping-ponging between overwhelmed cities and underserved towns could introduce infections. As contractors, travelers sometimes feel tensions their full-time colleagues do not. Frequently employed by staffing agencies based thousands of miles away, they can find themselves working in crisis without advocates or adequate safety equipment.

In 2020, the upsides of their jobs — freedom and flexibility — have been dwarfed by treacherous conditions. Now the ranks of travelers are thinning: The work is exhausting, bruising and dangerous. Thousands of front-line health workers have gotten the virus and hundreds have died, according to reporting by KHN and The Guardian.

On April 17, Lois Twum, a 23-year-old traveling nurse from New Orleans, was one of four passengers on a flight to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.

When the self-described “adventure-seeking adrenaline junkie” arrived for her first shift at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center, she said, she was assigned four patients on a COVID-19 unit. (Intensive care nurses typically care for two or three patients.) As these “constantly crashing” patients required resuscitations and intubations, “there was practically no one to help,” Twum said, because “everyone’s patient was critical.” The hospital did not respond to requests for comment on the workplace conditions and treatment of travelers.

Meanwhile, as hospital employees got sick, quit or were furloughed amid budget cuts, travelers picked up the slack. They were redeployed, Twum said, assigned more patients as well as the sickest ones.

“It was like we were airdropped into Iraq,” Twum said. “Travelers, we got the worst of it.”

On social media and in email groups, recruiters for travelers circulate photos of sun-splashed skylines or coastlines emblazoned with dollar signs, boasting salaries two or three times those of staff nurses. They promise signing bonuses, relocation bonuses and referral bonuses. They make small talk, ask about travelers’ families and suggest restaurants in new cities.

But when it comes to navigating workplace issues, “these people can just disappear on you,” said Anna Skinner, a respiratory therapist who has traveled for over a decade. “They are not your friends.”

Caught between the hospitals where they report for duty and remote staffing agencies, their worker protections are blurred.

For instance, under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, providing protective equipment is the agency’s responsibility — but the travelers who spoke with KHN said agencies rarely distribute any.

Perea’s family said they believe David did not have adequate PPE. His employer said it was the nursing home’s responsibility to provide it. “It is up to each of our clients to provide PPE to our staff while they are working assignments through MAS,” said Sara Moore, a spokesperson for Perea’s agency, MAS Medical Staffing.

Sometimes travelers are assigned to emergency rooms or intensive care units with which they have little experience. Skinner, a pediatric specialist, said she landed in adult ICUs when deployed to the University of Miami Health System in April. She received an hour of orientation, she said, but “nothing could have prepared me for what I had to deal with.”

Over five weeks, she said, she intubated one patient after another; suctioned the blood pouring into patients’ lungs and out of their noses and mouths; and dealt with families who were aghast, angry and afraid. Under the stress, Skinner said, she couldn’t sleep and lost weight. The hospital did not respond to requests for comment on workplace conditions for travelers.

Travelers often face “incredibly onerous” hurdles to the overtime, sick leave or workers’ compensation they are entitled to under the Fair Labor Standards Act, said Nathan Piller, a lawyer at Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky, an employment and business litigation firm.

Even the number of hours they can count on working is out of their control, Skinner said. Contracts reviewed by KHN authorize travelers to work a set number of hours, but only a fraction of those hours are guaranteed, and must be approved by on-site managers. The guaranteed hours may be compensated at rates hovering around minimum wage, and may require working holidays, which are not uniformly recognized.

The terms can be “modified from time to time during employment,” according to the contracts.

In 2018, AMN Healthcare, one of the country’s largest travel nursing agencies, agreed to a $20 million settlement for wage violations involving nearly 9,000 travelers. Violations “appear fairly commonplace across the industry,” said Piller, who worked on the settlement.

Travelers, Skinner said, are left to advocate for themselves to managers they might have just met — and “complaining just isn’t an option.”

KHN reviewed travel nursing contracts issued by Aya Healthcare, a large staffing agency, and found that any disputes — wrongful termination claims; claims of discrimination, harassment or retaliation; wage claims; and claims for violation of federal, state or other laws or regulations — must be settled out of court, in arbitration.

Officials at the Service Employees International Union, the American Nurses Association and National Nurses United said their constituents have been suspended or fired from traveling worker agencies for speaking to the news media, posting on social media or otherwise voicing concerns about unfair practices.

Matthew Wall, a longtime traveling nurse, knows this all too well. In July, two days into his assignment at Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge, Georgia, Wall said, he reported to hospital administrators “undeniably unsafe” conditions for himself and patients, including inadequate PPE, long hours and high patient-to-staff ratios.

Instead of addressing his concerns, Wall said, the hospital — which is under investigation by the federal government for workplace safety issues after another traveling nurse died of COVID-19 in mid-March — canceled his contract. “Travelers are treated like dog chow,” Wall said. “The second you become a liability, they dispose of you.”

“We continue to closely follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines paired with our best practices in patient care and safety for all,” said John Manasso, a hospital spokesperson, who declined to comment on Wall’s case.

Some see an impossible choice. “We all know, if not for us, these patients would have no one,” Twum said, “but watching each other get sick left and right, it makes you wonder, is this worth my life?”

Skinner, for her part, took a job as a staff nurse in Aspen, Colorado. After his current contract in New Orleans ends, Wall is planning a break from nursing.

It was like we were airdropped into Iraq.

Lois Twum

Dominga Perea finally received a text back the night of April 6: “Don’t panic, Mama, I have the COVID.

“Pray for me.”

She saw David over FaceTime on Easter. “He struggled even eating mashed potatoes” she said, “because he couldn’t breathe.” The next morning he went on a ventilator and never woke up.

Months later, Lakeside hadn’t filled Perea’s position. “Ideal candidate must be a caring individual dedicated to providing high quality care,” the job listing read, and “able to react to emergency situations appropriately when required.”

KHN Mountain States editor Matt Volz contributed to this report.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).

‘Is This Worth My Life?’: Traveling Health Workers Decry COVID Care Conditions published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/