Unions Try To Push Alcoholism 'Out of Closet'; Confidential Help And Paid Coverage Key To Successes

Unions Try To Push Alcoholism 'Out of Closet';
Confidential Help And Paid Coverage Key To Successes

By GINGER ADAMS OTIS

Rock bottom for Don Perks came in the late 1980s, when his longtime drinking habit nearly cost him his job, his family, and his life in a drunk-driving accident.

HBO Films 'ALCOHOLISM SNEAKS UP ON YOU': Don Perks credits the innovative substance-abuse program started in 1986 by his union, Steamfitters' Local 638, with saving his life. Mr. Perks, who successfully overcame his alcohol addiction after going through detox, 30 days of impatient treatment and a year of peer counseling - all provided by his union - will retire in April after 45 years on the job. Frightened and depressed, Mr. Perks, a member of Steamfitters' Local 638 in Long Island City, reached out to Mickey Diamond, head of the union's then-groundbreaking substance-abuse rehabilitation program.

'Had a Place to Call'

"Everything had collapsed at that point, but thank God I had a place to call," Mr. Perks said during a March 1 interview.

"I think I called him on a Monday night, and the next day I was in detox. He would've put me in that night but I wouldn't go - he said if need be he would pick me up and bring me there himself," Mr. Perks said. "No wiggle room with Mickey - you call for help, you're getting help. I did five days' detox and 30 days' in-patient rehabilitation."

Mr. Perks, clean and sober and now head of Local 638's substance abuse recovery program, said he initially fought becoming an in-patient.

"Alcoholism sneaks up on you. It starts out slow, and you don't see how it gets control of you, the damage it does," he recalled. "It got to the point where if my eyes were open, I had a drink in my hand."

Mr. Perks' journey, and the innovative program started by Steamfitters' Local 638 in 1986, is chronicled in the upcoming HBO documentary Addiction, which will air March 15.

The 14-part series examines Americans' dependency problem from various perspectives, and is aimed at increasing awareness about the prevalence of substance abuse nationwide.

Increasing Awareness

According to recent figures from a national survey on drug use and health, one in four Americans has a primary family member struggling with addiction. Nearly one in 10 Americans over the age of 12 is classified with substance abuse or dependence. More than 18 million adults suffer from alcohol-use disorders.

Mr. Perks said that substance abuse continues to be a problem on many job sites around the city today, but there's been significant improvement over the past 21 years.

"When I came on the job in 1962 it was pretty blatant and out there - mainly alcohol, and it was pretty much in all trades," he said. "It was normal to have a beer before lunch, during lunch, after lunch. At that point we really thought that by covering for a member who was drunk on the job or who had a problem with alcohol, we were doing them a favor. Our focus was on making sure they kept their job, that they got a paycheck. We thought we were helping. We didn't realize we were helping them hurt themselves."

But the toll was apparent in the number of preventable accidents that occurred on sites. For Steamfitters in particular, the risks were high. They work in teams of two because of the degree of danger that comes from installing heavy heating, cooling and ventilation systems. To prevent accidental burns while welding, for example, one team member welds and one watches for spark-induced fires.

Safety Risk

"If your safety guy is passed out in the corner or unable to work with you on the job, you're in danger as much as they are," said Mr. Perks. "Enough accidents happened that in 1986 the Mechanical Contractors' Union and our union got together and said, 'Let's make this program.' At that time there was really nothing for our members."

The then-president of Local 638, Ed Malloy, was enthusiastic, said Mr. Perkins, and brought in Mr. Diamond to oversee the program. Mr. Diamond had successfully established a program for Sanitation Workers the year before, and he brought experience and expertise with him.

Mr. Diamond handed the steamfitter program over to Mr. Perks in 1992, and now, as Mr. Perks prepares to hand it over to Roger Ross, the union's member-run rehabilitation and recovery program is among the most successful in the nation. A recent study showed that more than 70 percent of the workers who turn to the program for help are able to maintain sobriety.

Peers Keep Them Honest

A large part of that, Mr. Perks said, is due to the regular substance-abuse meetings that members who go through the detox and 30-day treatment program are eligible to attend.

"These sessions between members are really good. The members work together and they know each other," he said. "If someone comes in to a meeting and starts talking crap, or offering excuses, they're gonna call him on it. It's not with judgment, it's not a threat. Nobody is going to kick someone out of the program. Everyone is safe here, and everything is confidential. They're just gonna say, 'Hey, I work with you, I know you, cut the crap.' And it works."

Academy Award winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple, who directed the Steamfitter segment for the HBO series, called the union's program remarkable, noting that the success rate for recovery programs done through managed care was about 10 percent.

'Shows Power of Unions'

"This really is a success story and a testament to the power of unions," she said. "Usually what happens with addiction is you try to keep it a secret. But what I was able to film and what I hope will come across was that [the Steamfitters' program] eliminated the stigma. It allows people to feel okay, to go on with their lives. They're trying to bring addiction out of the closet."

Although Steamfitters' Union Local 638 was among the first in organized labor to create a member-assisted program, many others have followed suit.

Transport Workers' Union Local 100 started a program in 1986 that provides coverage and job security for members who come forward and ask for help. They are enrolled in a substance-abuse program, and the counselors contact the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to arrange for leave time.

Members' confidentiality is protected as well, and they are allowed to return to work without loss of seniority when they are ready.

MTA Policy Tough

The MTA has a more punitive policy if a worker is caught using drugs or alcohol on the job. A first offense results in a suspension. A repeat offense, or a positive result from a drug screening test after an accident, will result in automatic dismissal.

Teamsters Local 237 offers a member-assisted program through the AFL-CIO New York City Central Labor Council, which provides help to the members and families of its more-than 400 affiliated locals.

Tania Lambert, Local 237's media director, sends out a newsletter every April reminding members that it's Alcohol Awareness Month. She lists the phone numbers for employer-run assistance programs that Local 237 members are eligible for, but also includes the Central Labor Rehabilitation Council number that puts members in touch with Gary Fishbein.

Mr. Fishbein, as the program coordinator, handles substance-abuse inquiries from union members or their families. From July 1, 2005 through last June 30 he helped 186 individuals find treatment. The year before that he helped 202. The program's also known as "the Social Services arm of the Trade Union Movement."

Assesses, Refers

He stressed that the CLC Rehabilitation Council doesn't treat people's addiction problems, but performs assessments and finds appropriate programs that are covered by the member's insurance plan.

While many people who turn to him for assistance are eligible for treatment under programs administered by their employer, Mr. Fishbein said a perceived threat to confidentiality holds some workers back.

"I am not saying that an employer-assisted program is going to violate people's confidentiality at all, but people are often concerned about that. There's an image that many union members and some union reps have of there being a conflict of interest for an EAP that's affiliated with management," Mr. Fishbein said. "Union reps will often send people to us because they know we have no affiliation with management. Documentation goes only to the union and only with [a] written release from the union and the permission in writing from the member would anything ever be released to management."

Unions Gain Coverage

Many of the public- and private-sector unions in the city have been able to collectively bargain for insurance plans that allow members to seek unlimited substance-abuse treatment, but for many other Americans, lack of coverage is a major obstacle. The problem is so prevalent that HBO included it in its series: one segment is titled "Insurance Woes."

Mr. Perks said a key element to the success of the Steamfitters' program was its early decision not to bother with outside insurance.

"We're fortunate that the union is so progressive and we've got such top-flight leadership that we took all that insurance stuff away. We're self-insured. We don't leave it up to the insurance programs because they'll stop payment," he said. "If we need outpatient benefits, we got 'em. We get what we need for our members, and in doing that, we take away a lot of excuses that can be used to not seek treatment."

District Council 37 also has a confidential program set up for its members, though many of them are also eligible for referral under the CLC program.

"[DC 37] offers mental health treatment and case management to the members through the Personal Services Unit Employment Assistance Program and coordinates the care that they also receive through their health insurance coverage," said DC 37 spokesman Rudy Orozco.

Internal Programs

Firefighters and Police Officers are covered under programs run by their employers, so the Uniformed Firefighters' Association and the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association haven't developed union-run treatment centers, although both groups will help members enroll in the employer programs upon request.

Mr. Perks said there were several other trade unions that hadn't developed their own programs, which concerned him because it could leave members with nowhere to turn. "When their guys get in trouble, they don't know where to go. They call the union and the union's like, 'Huh?','' he said. "Our program is completely voluntary, and I think that's part of the success. We can't force people to come, but if they do, we can help. I'd like to shout it from the rooftops - it's a formula that's so basic, so simple, not expensive and the results are incredible. You're putting families back together. You're helping a broken individual heal."