Pubdate: Thu, 01 Jan 2009
Source: Register-Herald, The (Beckley, WV)
Copyright: 2009 The Register-Herald
Contact:  http://www.register-herald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1441
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)

ANOTHER WAY

Want To Drug Test Employees? Make It Known From The 
Start

A federal judge in Charleston this week granted an injunction filed
by a teachers union to stop the Kanawha County school board from
starting a random drug testing program for teachers.

Judge Joseph Goodwin said it was his opinion that it violated the
Fourth Amendment rights of those teachers.

Not that we agree, but if that is the case, then a better solution
would be one that is instituted by many employers, and will be
followed by many more in the future.

Make random drug testing a condition of employment from the
outset.

Let everyone know up front: If you are going to apply for this job
and work for us, these are the rules.

In the United States more than $100 billion is lost annually in the
workplace to problems directly associated with employees who have
drug and alcohol abuse problems.

Staggering.

Recently, when the coal industry was ramping up its workforce, one of
the biggest problems it reportedly faced in trying to fill openings
wasn't the lack of applicants, it was the lack of applicants who
could  pass a drug screening.

Substance abuse remains one of America's biggest deterrents to
progress. In addition to the damage it causes in the workplace, in
some fashion or another, it's the leading cause of criminal activity
and is a  major contributing factor to many health-related problems.

If today's employees don't want to take responsibility and choose to
continue to hide behind the Fourth Amendment, meaningful changes may
not be quickly achieved.

However, the parameters need to be put in place now for future
generations to prevent further erosion of our society.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin