Workers allege poor conditions at Humane Society: Staff claims inadequate facilities; officials agree, refute other allegations

Workers claimed their decision to blow the whistle was not influenced by ongoing currently labor negotiations with humane society officials, but rather because they could no longer stand silent while animals were subjected to such deplorable conditions.

Vaughn Hyndman, a dispatcher for the animal control service, said she hoped speaking out would compel President Ken White and the rest of the nonprofit’s executive board to take action and address the issues raised.

“We don’t do this for the money, this isn’t about the contract, this is about the job environment and this is about the animals,” she said.

White is out of the country and unavailable for comment, but society spokeswoman Michele Moyer said in an email some of the concerns regarding the facility are merited.

“We agree with the union’s concern that our Coyote Point Shelter needs to be upgraded. We have been lobbying very hard for years on this and we have worked diligently with the county of San Mateo on plans for a new shelter at that location,” she said. “We are deep in the planning stages and hope to break ground in the very near future.”

But she refuted allegations from workers and union representatives that animals held at the shelter have been exposed to dangerous conditions for an extended periods of time, resulting in two dogs suffering injuries earlier this month after getting caught in broken kennels which had been previously reported as dysfunctional to administrators.

Moyer claimed the injuries to one of the dogs were self imposed and minor, as the canine had tried to chew out of his cage shortly after being taken in for care, which is relatively common for animals in distress.

Earlier this year, some kittens died due to complications from malnutrition after being handed to volunteers, because workers claim the facility was too short staffed to properly administer care.

That the kittens were handed off to volunteers points to their relative collective health, said Moyer.

“The fact that the kittens were healthy enough to be released from the shelter into the care of a trained volunteer to provide individualized care, indicates that overall they were doing well and receiving excellent care,” she said. “In total, three kittens died in three separate litters, but 24 survived and were adopted or are still in foster care.”

A dog picked up to be transported across the country died due to heat exhaustion in the back of a society truck, said Dylan Skiles, an animal control worker who claims the tragedy could have been avoided if the vehicle was equipped with air conditioning.

Moyer said the death of the dog was caused by inappropriate care from workers.

“Had the employee followed procedure, including bringing the dog directly back to the shelter, we believe the dog would be alive,” she said.

Skiles said the job challenges are compounded because so few staff members are available, often requiring workers to make difficult time management decisions, potentially putting animals and residents at risk. He said the animal control team is staffed only half full from the level it should be, causing many to work long hours and cover huge regions of the county.

“Until management takes action, public safety will continue to suffer and we will not be able to offer the level of service that the taxpayers pay for,” he said.

When the issues are raised, Skiles said management is dismissive and slow to attempt to resolve the concerns. Rather than fix the problems raised, staff claims management is more likely to blame workers for animals being injured or killed.

The result is a contentious job environment, in which workers regularly feel undervalued and uncomfortable with the short cuts sometimes made in animal care, said Tim Jenkins, a spokesman for Teamsters 856, the union representing staff.

He suggested management should allocate more money toward ensuring the society’s facilities are adequately staffed and accommodations are safe for animals, rather than set aside sizable sums for executive compensation.

“There has to be a change in the culture of leadership at Peninsula Humane Society,” he said. “They are paying a president so much money, while you can’t keep the animals safe, there is something wrong with those values.”

Moyer said the incidents pointed to by union representatives or workers are isolated and not tied to understaffing.

Jenkins alleged White and the rest of the society’s management team is unwilling to meet with the workers and address their concerns so long as union representatives are present.

So while the standoff continues, as it is has for more than one year, Jenkins said the care of animals taken in by the Peninsula Humane Society will suffer to the chagrin of workers.

“If you care about animals, it’s hard to see them suffer because you cannot take care of them properly,” he said.

Moyer though claims the shelter is committed to addressing the concerns raised through the collective bargaining process.

“Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA is negotiating in good faith and will continue to follow all rules set forth by the National Labor Relations Act,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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