Safety
'Lisa's Law' Honors Slain Union Member

Story by Mike Rosenbaum

When Michigan Family Independence Agency (FIA) worker Lisa Putnam was murdered during a home visit in 1998, co-workers and officials at Local 6000--which represents state employees in Michigan--pledged to honor her memory by protecting other FIA workers from similar attacks.

Union members know that dealing with sometimes hostile clients is an occupational hazard for FIA field workers, who are responsible for handling public assistance cases, child abuse and neglect, and other sensitive issues.

The best idea FIA management could come up with after Lisa was killed was to issue cell phones to each worker.

But when an FIA worker tried to call for help after a recent attack, his FIA-issued cell phone didn’t work. Fortunately, he escaped to his car and used his personal cell phone to summon assistance.

Local 6000 members had a better plan. For several years, they have been pushing for passage of ‘Lisa’s Law,’ and last September, they succeeded. Public workers will now have more than a dead cell phone to rely on when they need help with a difficult case.

Under the law, the FIA must provide field workers with training on how to recognize--and defuse--potentially dangerous situations. FIA workers will also have the right to take another trained worker or a law enforcement officer with them when they feel the need for back-up.

Following Putnam’s death, Local 6000 officials worked with Michigan Rep. Alan Sanborn, R-Richmond (now a senator), who introduced a bill to protect FIA workers.
Local 6000 and Michigan UAW-CAP fought FIA efforts to water down the bill by lobbying legislators, negotiating with the FIA and starting a publicity campaign to pressure the agency.

Local 6000 legislative liaison Alan Kilar said the FIA is now “working on developing training, in conjunction with the UAW, on safe home calls. They are allowing people to take safety partners on home calls.”

In addition, “the FIA is working with the local police to ensure that the people are prosecuted appropriately. In the past, if somebody would call up and threaten a worker, nothing would happen,” said Kilar.