Yakamas Begin Drug And Alcohol Tests Checking Employees’ Consumption Is ‘Wake-Up Call,’ Says Tribal Official

The Yakama Indian Nation instituted a policy of mandatory drug and alcohol tests of all its employees Thursday, beginning with its 27 elected officials.

“I think it’s a wake-up call that the tribe is really serious about taking the lead in getting this implemented,” said Simon Sampson, the tribe’s personnel manager. “It just shows the leadership is truly in favor of getting this off the ground and moving forward.”

Starting next month, the tribe will randomly test employees and new hires for drug use or alcohol abuse.

The testing policy has long been in the works. The tribe’s General Council, comprised of all voting-age tribal members, voted in 1994 to set up the drug-testing program and has asked about progress on the program each year since, Sampson said Wednesday.

The program was delayed over worries of legal issues as the tribal officials examined policies used by other tribes as well as private businesses before developing their own policy involving both testing and counseling.

People who test positive will be asked to leave their job or seek treatment, the cost of which would be shared by the employee and the tribe.

At a cost of $25 per test, the tribe expects to spend about $50,000 per year on the program, Sampson said. Employment numbers fluctuate through the year, ranging from about 950 people currently employed to about 1,500 during the spring and summer.

The tribe has previously tried drug testing programs on a small scale.

Oliver Pimms, manager of the tribe’s forest development program, suspected some of his crew was smoking marijuana on the job last spring. He required them to take drug tests, and nearly half of the 26 workers tested positive for cocaine or marijuana, Pimms said.

“I sure wouldn’t want any of these guys using a chain saw around me when they’re high,” Pimms said.

He said he was glad the Tribal Council voted in August to make the drug policy uniform.

“We used to say this was a problem for Granger or Mabton or Sunnyside, but it’s in our homes now,” Pimms said. “And when they bring it to work with them, it’s dangerous for everybody.”