Sheriff Stanek's Makes the News

The Star Tribune has an article dated February 26th in which Sheriff Stanek gives a hint of the direction he's leading the department. I'd recommend reading it.

A Meeting With The Sheriff

Today I had coffee with Sheriff Stanek and Chief Deputy Good. It's the first time we've sat down and talked since he took office. It was an informal meeting at Caribou Coffee that lasted about 45 minutes. The Sheriff called the meeting to get to know me and our bargaining unit. There was no agenda. We pretty much covered the gamut. I told him about the positive aspects of working at the jail, the good staff we have and the pride we take in our job. We also discussed Teamsters structure and our current grievances. We discussed where things soured between us and the last administration and I believe he's interested in establishing a good working relationship. I know we won't always see eye to eye, but this was a good step in opening communication.

Lunch During Training Issue Resolved

I'm happy to report that after meeting with the jail Captain we were able to resolve the issue of being able to eat in staff dining during eight hour training shifts. Teamsters Local 320 no longer considers the Sheriff's Office to be in violation of article 36 of the Agreement.

You can once again eat lunch in staff dining when you are assigned to work eight hours of training at the PSF!

Currrent Grievances

The following is the list of current grievances filed against the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office:

*New* Grievance filed by a member given a suspension for uttering a profanity 6 months ago! While the Sheriff's Office was reviewing a 6 month old tape of intake for an unrelated reason, a member was heard to utter a profanity while talking to another detention deputy.

Grievance filed by a member given a 10 day suspension for allegedly using excessive force during an SRT extraction witnessed by 4 supervisors who reported nothing wrong.

Grievance filed after management unilaterally ended the decades long past practice of having breakfast foods available before shift without negotiating with the union.

Although no formal complaints have been filed for internal discipline or criminally, a member has been left at home for months on administrative leave by the Sheriff's administration.

Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Violation of the Agreement

Article 36 of the Agreement between Teamsters Local 320 and Hennepin County reads:

ARTICLE 36 - JAIL MEALS
Section 1.
Employees assigned to work in the jail for a work shift of eight (8) hours or more may share in a meal in the jail provided by the EMPLOYER during their assigned shift.

On 2/16/07 the jail administration issued a memo stating :
Staff Dining is not available to Jail Staff attending in-service training, including but not limited to: Basic Emergency Care, First Responder Refresher, SRT Training, Licensed Deputy In-Service, Supervisor In-Service, and other In-Service training conducted at the PSF for Sheriff’s Employees...

The memo ended with:
ALL employees attending training conducted at the PSF will need to make arrangements on their own for the afternoon meal. Students attending in-service training will be given enough time to complete their afternoon meal outside of the ADD.

The contract is clear, if you are assigned a shift of 8 hours in the jail you can have a meal. The result of this is that our members, often ordered to attend eight hours of training on a day off, are by being denied a meal guaranteed by our contract.

ALL TEAMSTER MEMBERS ATTENDING TRAINING OF 8 HOURS OR MORE AT THE PSF ARE ADVISED TO SAVE YOUR RECEIPT FROM YOUR PURCHASED OUTSIDE MEAL AND FILE A GRIEVANCE!

Before You Dye or Buy New Leather

Inspector Cooper has issued a memo stating that:

"All licensed and detention personnel, if they wish, may immediately begin wearing all their black leather gear."

Be aware that the Sheriff's Office has not yet spelled out how this change from brown to black leather is to be paid for. While the Sheriff has the right to make this change it is the union's position that this is a certified contract item. As such it's implementation must conform to the contract. As stated in our contract, Article 1, ...the AGREEMENT is entered into between the County of Hennepin...and Teamsters Local 320.

While the Sheriff may change a uniform item, a uniform committee composed of the Sheriff's administration and a few employees (even if representatives of bargaining units), does not have the the ability to change the terms of a ratified contract. This contract is owned by Teamsters Local 320!
Article 2 of the AGREEMENT and Minnesota Statue 179A.06 expressly forbids the employer from entering into any agreement with members of the bargaining unit which conflict with terms and conditions set forth in this AGREEMENT, except through the certified representative. That representative is our Business Agent Tom Perkins.

You are advised to wait on purchasing new leather or dying your leather gear until the financial aspect is clear.

It is the union's position that according to the contract:

1). The contract provides for the employer to replace changed items not dye or refurbish existing items.

2). The employer must cover 100% of all the cost for new leather for detention techs and 100% of the cost for detention deputies still in their first year of employment. For detention deputies over one year of employment the detention deputy is responsible for the first $65 and the employer for the rest.

You can read the contract language regarding uniform allowance in a previous post by clicking here.

Further food for thought. A few years ago the detention deputies asked the Sheriff's Office permission to change from the then brown uniform, to the tan and brown one we wear now. It was approved, but we had to pay for the change ourselves because the change was at the request of the employees. Now the employer is changing the leather gear and once again trying to pass 100% of the cost on to the employee.

The union recommends not making any changes until this is ironed out. Don't get caught holding the bag. If you have already purchased new black leather save your receipts.

IMPLEMENTING THIS CHANGE AND PASSING THE COST ON TO OUR MEMBERS IS AN EXPRESS VIOLATION OF THE AGREEMENT!