A charge of sex discrimination in employment has been filed against the Sioux Trails Mental Health Center here.

Jackie Peterson, Route 1, New Ulm,an alcohol counselor at Sioux Trails whose job was terminated early this month, filed the complaint with the State Department of Human Rights.

SIOUX TRAILS Director Arlyn Vierkant said Mrs. Peterson was fired solely because funds were no longer available for the position of alcohol counselor.

Mrs. Peterson is the only woman and non-college degreed counselor at the center. She has worked there four years and was earning $7,300 yearly when discharged.

Her complaint charges three instances of discrimination.

They concern the hiring of an alcohol coordinator in October, 1973; termination of her post before the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 1975); and refusal to switch her over to the general center program.

MRS. PETERSON says that when the position of alcohol coordinator was created at Sioux Trails in October 1973 she applied for the job. The job description did not require a college degree and she had three years experience at Sioux Trails and about two years of college with a psychology major.

She says the personnel committee voted to require a master’s degree, thus closing her out. Joe McDonough, the only other applicant, was hired for the job at a salary of $13,000 and the board waived the degree requirement for him.

Mrs. Peterson says her experience equaled McDonough’s.

The Sioux Trails Executive Board Monday, in reviewing the Sioux Trails response to the complaint, noted McDonough was a recovering alcoholic and this was a very important element. He had been the alcohol coordinator at the Mankato mental health center during the organization of the Mankato detox center, prior to coming to Sioux Trails.

HER SECOND complaint of discrimination is that her job is being terminated before the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 1975) although her salary is budgeted through the end of that year.

She notes that her salary is the lowest in the alcohol program budget, $7,300, while the alcohol coordinator earns $13,500.

The current coordinator, John Wera,has a master’s degree in counseling and is a recovered alcoholic. He had several months’ experience as an alcohol coordinator before coming to Sioux Trails last June.

Vierkant said Mrs. Peterson was hired under a one-year federal drug grant. Since then her job has been funded by general Sioux Trails money but the state is now requiring that federal alcohol treatment money be used. This would involve county welfare departments purchasing the services of the Sioux Trails alcohol personnel but the welfare departments don’t have money to spare for this and have their own alcohol counselors (or are hiring such people).

Of the $54,000 budgeted cost for the alcohol-drug program this year only about $21,000 has been received from the state and five participating counties, thus the need for an immediate cutback, Vierkant said.

The alcohol coordinator job may also be ended if no county welfare departments agree to purchase this service from Sioux Trails.

THE THIRD item in the discrimination claim is that Mrs. Peterson is the only female therapist on the staff and her request to remain and work in general programs was denied even though there was 100 percent staff support for such a move. The Sioux Trails answer to this, as approved by the executive committee Monday, was that Mrs. Peterson did not have the academic preparation and training for general counseling,since her only training has been in alcohol counseling.

It was noted that she had been encouraged to take the post of director of the detox center which opened in New Ulm Last July but had declined. That job paid $8,500 compared to her salary of $7,300 as alcohol counselor.

The Sioux Trails answer said Mrs. Peterson has been encouraged to take a technician post at the detox center but that she has declined due to the pay of $2.50 per hour and the shift work involved.

THE ANSWER noted Sioux Trails “feel the need for a trained, experienced female therapist” and will interview such person for a recent opening for a social worker-psychologist-psychiatric nurse. The Sioux Trails answer will be submitted to the state human rights department for consideration. If it is decided the complaint has any validity it will be presented to the state human rights commission at a hearing.

Vierkant told the executive committee,”In no way did the idea of sex discrimination ever cross my mind in this.”

The New Ulm Daily Journal

Dec. 17, 1974