Paychecks, Pensions, Contracts and Respect

PAYCHECKS

There are some basics to the employer/employee relationship. Getting paid is one of them. The Star Tribune is reporting what we already know, "Glitch delays Hennepin County employee paychecks." Most of realized Friday morning we had not been paid. As the day wore on some were paid and others not. Some only received $50, others checks were hundreds short. 
“Nobody lost any money but they didn’t get paid in a timely fashion,” Dave Lawless, the county’s director of finance and budget, said Saturday. “We’re still running down what happened and it should all be worked out by Monday, Tuesday at the latest. It was a case of ‘I got your money rather than getting mine.’ ”

“We will be talking to U.S. Bank about waiving any fees assessed to people who were affected by this error,” he said. He added that the county would consider paying any overdraft fees to an employee, should the bank balk. "   (Star Tribune)

In this day of Direct Deposit, many also have automatic withdrawals on payday.Car loans, mortgage payments, &c. No deposit means overdrafts and overdraft fees. Nice to know our employer will "consider" covering them.

When I left work I had already spoken to a Sheriff's Office payroll employee, who will remain anonymous, he said that County Payroll left work on time on Friday and wouldn't be back until Monday! If this is true it certainly shows a lack of respect for their employees and the hardships this causes. 

PENSIONS

It appears there is a move to add other people to our Correctional Pension. You can read about it here: 

Pension Commission Considers Bill to Expand Correctional Plan

CONTRACTS

As you know we are currently in contract negotiations with Hennepin County. AFSCME has reached a tentative settlement with the County. The 2.5% cost of living offered for 2014 and 2015 is behind the 3% State Corrections received and the 1% Market Adjustment for 2014 & 2015 amounts to only about 27 cents a year. 

Had we not been so far behind this would be a decent offer, but we are the lowest paid corrections officers in the metro area and this offer will not change that.

MNPEA is asking for a $3.00 an hour market adjustment. We are currently $2-4 an hour behind all of the other smaller seven county metro area jails. See previous blog article.

RESPECT

The current situation is this. Our pay is miles behind our nearest counterparts, Our employer, rather than viewing our jobs as essential and dangerous has said, " that deputy jobs at the sheriff’s office are often entry-level and become a steppingstone for positions at other law enforcement agencies." 

Our paychecks were screwed up, which we all know can happen in the electronic age, but the employer doesn't make payroll stay the weekend to fix it, because apparently our overdrawn checking accounts can wait until Monday or Tuesday.

 The word peon comes to mind. 

County Budget and Raises

Yesterday, Sheriff Stanek made a presentation to the County Board. There's an article in today's Star Tribune that covers that.

I'll lift a couple of paragraphs and comment:

Opat noted that county employees didn’t have a complete pay freeze over the last few years because many received lump-sum bonuses and increases at higher pay scales. The pay-scale step system also provided some annual bumps, he said.

You are right commissioner Opat, while other county's gave their employees raises, Hennepin gave out couple hundred dollar lump sums. Hardly a help with monthly bills.

Freeman, who asked for a 2.5 percent increase, said his office has the lowest starting salary for a first-year assistant county attorney out of the seven metro-area counties. That salary is $52,000, compared to $71,000 for a first-year assistant city attorney in Minneapolis, he said. Anoka and Ramsey counties pay first-year attorneys $52,000 and $58,436 respectively.

A Detention Deputy in Dakota County starts at $19 an hour, in Ramsey County $22 an hour. Hennepin County starting Detention Deputy pay is $17 an hour. The five years of pay freezes Hennpin County inflicted on their employees has caused the pay for the largest, busiest jail in the State to be dead last in pay for the seven county metro-area. Hardly the job of first choice. Ramsey Conty Detention Deputy pay is $31 at five years. Hennepin tops out at $27 in eight years, IF there are no freezes. Currently we have Detention Deputies making $22 an hour after seven years. They could start at Ramsey at that salary.

County Sheriff Richard Stanek echoed Freeman’s issues, saying a large percentage of the more than three dozen dispatchers, deputies and jail clerks who left his office did so because of low wages. He hoped to receive the board’s approval to use an unexpected $500,000 windfall on applications for permits to carry guns to put toward compensation.

My understanding from the Detention Deputy steward who was at the board meeting is that there was no mention of the 18 Detention Deputies who left in 2012-13 for better paying jobs. The number for our Dispatchers who left is 10. Dispatch is running with 37 dispatchers when there are supposed to be 52. 

Opat countered that deputy jobs at the sheriff’s office are often entry-level and become a steppingstone for positions at other law enforcement agencies.

Mr. Opat, Detention Deputies sign on to work in the jail. Corrections is not the same thing as police work. Yes, a certain percentage use that job as a stepping stone, but for many of us it is our job. 

The current practice of staffing the jail with more Licensed Deputies is a boondoggle. First off it costs the County taxpayer $1,000 a month more to have a Licensed Deputy do a Detention Deputy's job. 

Second the over staffing of the jail with Licensed staff has factored into the turnover rate. In 2006 there were 181 Detention Deputies in the jail and 39 Licensed Deputies.. Now there are 142 Detention Deputies and 93 Licensed, remember at $1,000 a month more! 

Detention Deputies want to work in the jail. Most of the Licensed staff want out. When there were 39 Licensed Deputies assigned to the jail they could transfer out in 1 to 2 years. Now, with the over staffing it takes 5 to 6 years for them to leave a job they don't want. So many of the Licensed spend their first years looking for a cop job that doesn't make them work in a jail.

The pattern has been to staff the jail with very expensive licensed help that doesn't want to be there, then freeze the pay of Detention staff and Dispatch (who want those jobs) and wonder why people are leaving for better paying jobs in their chosen field.

Maybe the County Board and the Sheriff needs a lesson in economics.

Why we left Teamsters and joined MNPEA

There's a lot of propaganda being spread about MNPEA by Afscme and the Teamsters. Those of you seeking to leave the dinosaur unions for MNPEA might find our experience helpful in making your decision.

Watch the video I made in September of 2011 while we were in the decertification process. It states  why the Hennepin County Detention Deputies, Telecommunicators and Techs were leaving the Teamsters for MNPEA. Some of what happened to us might be happening to you. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Contract Negotiation Update

Below is a copy of our response to Hennepin County's initial offer:

MNPEA Response to Employer's Initial Proposal from Oct. 29'2013

1) Duration. MNPEA is open on this issue.

2) Wages- 3% General Increase in each year of contract to all unit members (also
referred to as a "COLA"), applies to all steps. See also #3,4 & 5 below.

3) Steps- All unit members not at tcp of range receive steps each year of conlract,
' General lncrease (or "COLA's" ) percenta ge in #2 above shall apply and increase to
all step levels. Steps will not be contingent on any perforrr,ance review or merit.
In addition, certain employees were in recent past o'frozen". For these employees,
two step movements will occur in2014 with the applicable percentage increase.
Applies only to employees employed at time of freeze.

4) Change $18.01 from employers proposal to $20.01, and change $300 lump sum to
$500.

5) Market adjustment- all step grids to ittcrease by $3.00 per hour
.
6) I\{NPEA is ready to sign.

7) Employers proposal is acceptable.

8) Employers proposal is acceptable.

9) No as proposed. Statutory right.

l0) Hold for further discussion- but as drafted, No.

1l) Employers proposal is acceptable.

CHANGES OR ADDITIONS from MNPEA's Initial Proposal

A) MNPEA will drop item under Article l1- Holidays

B) Article 2l- Insurance, see above, ready to sign.

C) All other proposals remain as originally stated or as modified in response to employer
items above. MNPEA reserves the right to add or modify its position and proposals.

D) NEw- 28 day schedule. Want written rules on applicability and procedures in
contract

E) NEW- Telecommunicators Bid- "on or about Nov. 1" language. Add language stating
"on or about means at most a one week grace period from Nov. 1"

An interesting side note. While waiting to go upstairs for our negotiations we ran into a couple of fine folks from AFSCME. You know the guys who got our addresses and came to our homes accompanied by a pedophile.

Well we told them we didn't appreciate Ryan Hanson and Dale Blom's antics. One of them then had the nerve to ask us to sign a bunch of cards they had.soliciting THE PUBLIC for signatures to get them a raise. I told them we were pissed and wouldn't sign anything with AFSCME on it.

AFSCME scumbag Ryan Hanson

Remember when AFSCME obtained our addresses and sent pedophiles to our homes? The dirtbag who started the ball rolling was Ryan Hanson, AFSCME organizer.

Well I made a Freedom of Information Act request and here's the answer I got from Hennepin County:

Pursuant to your data request from our office, please see the information below:

1.       Who made the request from the County or Sheriff’s Office.

a.      The request was made to Hennepin County Human Resources by Ryan Hanson.  

2.       The date of the request.

a.      The request was made in late May 2013 and the information was provided on June 5, 2013.

3.       A copy of everything that was provided for them.

a.      I have attached an electronic copy of the information provided to Mr. Hanson.

Here's his contact info:

Phone: 

(651) 287-0588

I have NEVER heard of a Union obtaining the names and home addresses of Corrections Officers before and then visiting their homes. Of course all AFSCME has is lies and bullshit. How many members do you have left in Wisconsin Ryan? How many Minnesota members have already left for MNPEA?

Just keep working with the recycled lies of Teamsters and Met Council member Ed Reynoso and keep losing members. And good luck at your third attempt at the Bureau on the 14th. It didn't work when the Arrowhead Regional Corrections and the City of Jordan left AFSCME and it won't work now.

Welcome City of Zumbrota PD

Welcome aboard the MNPEA juggernaut. Nice to see another former Teamsters MNTLEL group leaving for real Law Enforcement representation!

Welcome to MNPEA Sherburne County

Congratulations Sherburne County on joining the MNPEA juggernaut! I feel a certain personal connection to you. Like Hennepin, the vote to leave Teamsters Local 320 was overwhelming...only 2 voted to keep Teamsters!

Like Roger and Natalie, I was also removed as a Union Steward without due process by Teamsters Local 320 Secretary Treasurer Sue Mauren, even though elected by the members. We both learned of Teamsters Democracy!

Back when I still believed the Teamsters could change and actually represent the members, Sherburne County supported me in my winning bid to be a delegate to the 2011 Teamsters Convention on the Anyone But Hoffa Slate. Of course even that election would have been corrupted had we not received Federal oversight.

So for these and so many more reasons I say welcome aboard. You will love the fact that members actually control their destiny and the legal protection is unprecedented.

In solidarity,
Wade Laszlo

New Corrupt Challange

This is a sad tale. The MNPEA has been a good hardworking Association for us for over two years. It has grown into one of the largest Corrections, Law Enforcement, Public Employee  Associations in Minnesota. 

On November 14th the Bureau of Mediation Services, for the third time, will be holding a hearing at AFSCME's request challenging the MNPEA's right to exist. The following is from MNPEA's Facebook site:

AFSCME is making its 3rd feeble attempt to remove MNPEA as a union! Instead of getting off their butts and doing the job that their members pay dues for they're spending $1000s and $1000s to attack us. The usual 1950s BS union tactics. Rest assured, this attack will fail. We will continue to liberate public employees in MN from the neanderthal unions that have enslaved them for so long. Join us in the 21st century. You know its time for a change.www.mnpea.com

AFSCME went as far as telling Pine County Public employees looking to join MNPEA, that MNPEA is not going to be recognized as a Union, their bullshit challenge, so don't bother voting for them. The vote at Pine County went to AFSCME by one vote. Our attorney challenged this due to AFSCME's lie and the status quo order has been reinstated so they can vote again with the FACTS.

My question to the Bureau of Mediation Services is this:

How many times must MNPEA be certified? How many times will they have to sit through bullshit hearings? Why don't you tell AFSCME that that decision has already been made? Or do you owe favors to Eliot Seide of AFSCME? Is the Bureau only for the large Unions like AFSCME and Teamsters who are losing members? Or representing working citizens and the Unions they choose without prejudice?

As organized Public Employees we need to have trust in the Bureau. If it appears to be in the pocket of other entities then it serves no purpose.