State workers say they were gaslit by top brass over hazards at Albuquerque office

SANTA FE — Workers at a state-leased office building in Albuquerque have faced health issues and frustration after several workplace issues were largely ignored by top agency officials, according to labor union leaders.

The issues include a gas leak at the Homestead Building that caused employees to be sent home on paid administrative leave for four business days last month. Employees were later sent home early on another day when the problem persisted.

Dylan Pell, a Department of Health employee and the Communications Workers of America local union’s agency vice president, said the gas leak incident came after a toxic spray used in the building during work hours in April caused several employees to seek medical attention.

“There are a large number of workers who just don’t feel safe in the building,” Pell said this week.

The issues prompted CWA to file a grievance with Health Secretary Gina DeBlassie, in which the union’s president accused DOH officials of having “systematically endangered” its workforce by downplaying employee concerns and retaliating against whistleblowers.

Specifically, the grievance claims DOH initially responded to concerns about the toxic spray by asserting it did not pose a hazard to employees, while also instructing workers not to talk to one another about workplace safety issues.

A DOH spokesman said this week the agency has followed proper protocols in responding to the gas leak, including reporting the incident to the state Occupational Health and Safety Bureau.

DOH spokesman Robert Nott also said the agency has contracted with an outside company to perform an environmental assessment of the building to ensure the safety of its occupants, even after the leak was fixed.

“The New Mexico Department of Health takes these concerns very seriously,” Nott said in a statement. “We value the lives and contributions of all our employees.”

But another DOH employee, Jenn Schusterman, said top DOH officials have not been forthcoming about the workplace issues, including failing to initially say why the building was being evacuated after the gas leak was detected.

She also said she suffered from a headache and dizziness after the toxic spray incident, and was forced to work in a conference room instead of her usual desk space.

“They never were transparent with us to let us know what happened,” said Shusterman, who is an epidemiologist and CWA union steward.

“They’re not treating us like humans,” she added. “They’re treating us like cogs in a wheel.”

The Homestead Building is leased by the state for employees from two different agencies — DOH and the state Health Care Authority. Combined, the two agencies pay about $98,000 per month for the 30,000-square foot facility, according to General Services Department records.

In all, about 200 DOH employees are based at the building, according to the agency.

Meanwhile, the dispute over workplace safety comes more than two years after New Mexico state employees were ordered to return to in-person work by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration in February 2023.

That directive rescinded a telework policy negotiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, after it drew scrutiny from legislators and the public. Remote work is currently allowed only in limited circumstances to comply with federal law, meaning the DOH employees who were sent home after the gas leak was detected were not allowed to work while on leave.