DRUG TESTS

Zero Tolerance Is The Right Policy Both For The City And Its Employees

In 1996, the city of Charleston started random drug testing of 150
employees who hold commercial drivers' licenses. Since that time, 14 city
employees have tested positive for drugs.

That's about 10 percent.

With heavy hearts, City Council's rules and ordinances committee has just
recommended passage of an ordinance to expand drug testing. If the full
council agrees, about 800 city employees in safety-sensitive positions
would be required to take both pre-employment and random drug tests.

One strike and the employee is out.

The tests would cost the city about $26,000 a year.

This will not be popular with city employees, the overwhelming majority of
whom don't do drugs. It will probably be of no comfort to them that the
members of the rules and ordinances panel clearly agonized over the decision.

But agonize they did. The issue received thorough consideration.

Council members David Molgaard and Mary Jane Lopez argued for a second
chance, lamenting that since more young people use drugs, a first-strike
rule could mean a loss of young people in the city's work force. They
suggested the city require employees who test positive to pay for their own
drug counseling and test negative before returning to work.

But that would leave the city in the position of having to hire temporary
replacements.

If as much as 10 percent of the work force had the problem, that could
significantly increase the city's costs.

Councilman Charles Loeb argued that giving drug users a second chance is
too dangerous.

He's right. Drug-impaired employees are a danger to themselves, to other
employees, to the public -- and ultimately to taxpayers, who get stuck with
the costs of living dangerously.

A drug-testing program that costs the city $26,000 a year could save it
hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, workers' compensation,
and damage judgments in a single year. Any money the city must spend on
those costs is money it can't spend to hire people, improve pay, keep
decent equipment or secure pensions.

There is no right to do drugs and keep a city job.

Zero tolerance, one strike and you're out, is the right policy -- not just
for the city, but for employees as well.