NAPE/AFSCME member Mike St. Cin, a Program Coordinator for the Department of Health and Human Services, prevailed in a grievance challenging his unsatisfactory 2023 performance evaluation.
Mike reached out to NAPE/AFSCME union steward Rene Botts (DHHS, Lincoln) as soon as he received his unsatisfactory evaluation.
“I saw Rene as a mentor when I switched into the department with her,” Mike said. “I learned a lot from Rene about the power of our union so I knew she was the person to ask about not being rated satisfactorily.”
Rene and Mike knew that Mike’s work throughout the year should have earned him at least a 3.0 on his performance evaluation.
“I’ve got about 40 years of service in either governmental or nonprofit organizations and I’ve never had a poor performance appraisal so I honestly didn’t know what to do about it,” Mike said. “In my evaluation, I was praised for being positive, welcoming, and an asset to our team. But then I was rated unsatisfactory for ‘not being a team player’ and not having the training I was told I needed.”
Rene noted that throughout the year Mike attempted many times to access this training but his requests were largely ignored.
Mike did the right thing by contacting his union steward right away.
“I was always happy to help my friend and union brothers and sisters,” Rene said. “I’ll always be an advocate in the workplace – even if it’s a tough uphill battle to protect one another.”
After winning the grievance, Mike’s 2023 performance evaluation was adjusted to “satisfactory,” meaning he received the three-step pay increase that went into effect July 1, 2024.
“The grievance process works and people need to trust our union leaders to guide them through the process if they need to file a grievance,” Mike said. “It’s more important than ever for employees to become members. No matter what your political beliefs are, people need to understand that workers’ rights are being eroded and once they’re gone, they’re gone. We need to stand together to protect those rights.”
