Department of Corrections in fight over definition of Disaster

This is a story about Shelley Koski.

Koski is one of the few certified American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health volunteers in the country. She’s also a clinical therapist with the Corrections Department at Moose Lake....

A 1994 state law allows state employees to take up to 15 days a year with pay to provide Red Cross disaster services. Koski has provided her services after hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, among other natural disasters.

She’s now involved in counseling returning veterans and their families through Red Cross workshops. When she sought approval from her bosses to use a portion of the 15-day allotment for a workshop, the department said no; counseling veterans does not qualify as disaster relief.  

Full Story: Star Tribune

This will be interesting to follow. I've had to argue with our employer over the definition of Emergency in our contract. One time the HCSO was drafting two people to fill some ADAM program overtime. They objected, arguing that it wasn't an emergency and couldn't be drafted. The employer responded with, "Anytime there's a slot on the schedule to fill it's an emergency." Traditionally the employer won't define these terms in a contract, which gives them great latitude to apply them.

Something to keep in mind with our Night Shift Differential grievance.

County bitch slaps HCSO Detention deps, Techs and 911 operators

Hennepin County made an offer to AFSCME, but not to the essential employees in the Hennepin County Jail and dispatch (911).

After three so called negotiating sessions they refused to negotiate money!

MNPEA then filed for Mediation.

Sitting down to talk and then not negotiating is called an unfair labor practice!

Under the Public Employee Labor Relations Act (PELRA) MN Statute 179A.07 subd. 2 The Law states,

Under Statute 179.13 UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES it states:

Subdivision 1.Actions.

(a) The practices specified in this section are unfair labor practices.

and in subdivision 2.

(5) refusing to meet and negotiate in good faith with the exclusive representative of its employees in an appropriate unit;

If we weren't essential employees this would be legal grounds for a STRIKE!

Today a former steward used employer email to vent about what he doesn't understand. Out BA asked members at our last union meeting following the negotiation to not use employer email for union purposes. I have a lengthy response on our Detention Chatter egroup.  If you wish to discuss on non-employer email join that private egroup.  Don't use employer email, it is not secure.

email me at wade.laszlo@gmail.com and ask to join. You must be a detention deputy, tech or dispatcher. 

Leather Griveance settled..in our favor

Today I woke up and checked my bank account, Hennepin County finally reimbursed me for switching from brown to black leather in accordance with our contract.

To make a long story short in 2007 Sheriff Stanek ordered all Licensed and Detention Deputies to switch from brown to black leather.

That was fine and our contract says if the uniform is changed in color, type or style the employee pays the first $65 and the employer pays the rest.

The employer didn't want to pay their part so we grieved it and won. The settlement was anyone still wearing brown could remain in brown leather, but once you switched you had to remain in black.

Then suddenly in December of 2014 the administration decided the three remaining Detention Deputies still wearing brown had to switch to black leather. Again they didn't want to pay their portion, and again we grieved.

The employer denied the grievance. MNPEA filed for arbitration on Dec. 31, 2014. There it rotted on the vine. After repeated complaints to our lawyer and business agent in  August of 2015,I finally appealed to the MNPEA board. On August 11, 2015 an arbitrator was chosen. Suddenly the HCSO was interested in settling. MNPEA President Dave Deal contacted Hennepin County Labor Relations and they agreed to settle it.

Then I received a settlement proposal, however it limited the employer's cost to $65 rather than the employee as specified by the contract. We rejected that.

Finally, they agreed to reimburse us for all of our expenses over $65 as specified by the contract. But our business agent was dragging his feet on signing the settlement. I was suspecting some sort of back door deal with number one.

Again I contacted the MNPEA Board and it was finally signed by our BA.

Today I received the reimbursement I was entitlement to.

I'm glad it's over. It's too bad the employer's initial reaction was to not follow the contract. It's also too bad our last BA let it drag out for almost a year. Thank you MNPEA Board for being responsive to members. MNPEA President Dave Deal, now our new BA promised that will never happen again.

Thanks.

MNPEA files for Mediation with Hennepin County

Hennepin County Government Center

Today, November 12, 2015 Hennepin County and MNPEA met for the THIRD time to "negotiate" the contract for the Detention Deputies, Telecommunicatiors, and Techs.

For the THIRD TIME THE COUNTY WOULDN'T DISCUSS WAGES!

WTF! How can you bargain in good faith and not be prepared to discuss wages after three meetings?

The County with the highest paid Sheriff in the State, at $158,000 a year, and the highest paid County Board at $104,000 a year keeps the essential employees in the largest jail in the state, and their 911 operators as the LOWEST PAID in the seven county metro area.

Apparently public safety doesn't rank high on the list of the Hennepin County Board!

OFFICER SAFETY-CUFF KEY BELT!!

Today I discovered a handcuff key in a pocket on the inside of an inmate's belt. It is located in the middle of the belt. So if an inmate/arrestee is arrested and cuffed behind his back he has easy access!

Stay safe!!

P.S. I asked a sergeant for permission to get my cell phone and take these pictures.

AFSCME protest over Hennepin County low wages

This is a video of AFSCME's protest. They make the same points we do. Hennepin County has the lowest paid employees in the seven county metro area. Not an AFSCME fan, especially after they attacked our Union MNPEA, but this protest makes a good point.

Shift Differential Update

I'm re-posting this message from a MNPEA steward regarding the so called Shift Differential Grievance Settlement. I last posted about this on September 24th in the post:

Shift Differential Shaft

The County has a restricted interpretation version of the settlement language that is apart from that of MNPEA .  The County states they will only pay the NIGHT differential on overtime hours up to 3.9 hours worked and any time over that the differential will not be paid.  That goes back to their original stand that the 4.0 hour overtime worked is another staff’s shift hours and is not considered an extension / continuation of the shift hours that the employee has already worked.  In other words there is no Night differential overtime back pay to make as according to the Payroll audit of the entire jail unit record no staff worked over 2.7 hours and those specific staff have already been paid or will be for their time.  The employees that were expecting the back pay for Night differential overtime hours of 4.0 hours or more will not be getting any.  MNPEA has argued the language interpretation of the settlement during  the ongoing contract negotiations and the proposed contract language is to take the settlement language problem into account when we finalize any of the differential clause.  MNPEA is hopeful that there will be an amicable agreement for the new contract but the Night differential  overtime back pay for now is not going to change.  The Weekend differential overtime is being paid and was on the Oct 23 payroll.The County has a restricted interpretation version of the settlement language that is apart from that of MNPEA .

So my advice is to ARBITRATE. This is not the agreed upon settlement to the grievance.

LA Corrections Officers and Deputies get 10% raise!

Los Angeles County supervisors today unanimously approved a 10 percent pay raise for firefighters, deputy sheriffs, criminalists, correction officers, coroner investigators, probation officers, supervising child support officers and deputy district attorneys.

The raise will be spread out over three years, according to labor pacts the county reached with unions representing those workers.

FULL STORY:  LA Daily News

Negotiation Priorities

Let's quit wasting time about a schedule we can neither negotiate or control.

Here's some priorities I think our stewards and union should concentrate on. 

1) Wages. Let's get to where we should be. The largest jail in the State shouldn't be the lowest paid in the metro area..

2) More wages. Let's negotiate that people in steps be brought up to where they should be in pay. Those who should be at a higher step, but aren't, because of the past wage freezes should be made current. The county already saved their money during "the great recession."

3) Prime Time Vacation violation. The Chief Deputy put out an order saying that all days off and vacation will be cancelled from June 23-30th for the Sheriff's Convention. This falls during Prime Time Vacation and is spelled out clearly in the contract. If the Sheriff wants to cancel vacations during prime time, he must NEGOTIATE it! 

Let's negotiate what we can! Priorities!

There's a MNPEA union meeting on November 12th at 6:60 PM

Attend and let your voice be heard!

2233 N Hamline Ave 
Roseville, MN 55113

Basement meeting room, by the pool

My response to the newest 12 hour survey!

By now most of you have seen the employers email being used to survey Detention Deputies about a 12 hour day. This has been polled to death. The last time went out last year and only 22 people wanted a 12 hour day.

The perpetrators of this survey say:  “The Administration is again interested in staff input into possible changes to the shifts worked in the ADD.”

Fact, only the Sheriff, by law can control our schedule. If the Sheriff's administration wanted us on a different schedule we'd be on it. If, "The Administration" was interested in our input, THEY would survey the employees, not a couple of stewards without input from the other stewards or our business agent.

How is it these stewards are so close to the administration that they are allowed to violate county policy and conduct "union" bushiness on employer email?

It's rather strange. When I was a steward I once replied to a captain on a union issue and hit reply all. My response went jail wide and I received a letter of reprimand for conducting union business on employer email.

This blog is full of reasons not to go to a 12 hour shift, peruse if you want, I won't waste my time re-posting.

Look, we are the lowest paid in our job class in the seven county metro area. How about these stewards quit pursing their agenda and work towards getting us where we should be compensation wise.

Priorities!

Hennepin County Facts for Contract Negotiations

This post is derived from a comment I posted on Richard Deal's previous post about 12 hour days. Certain people are commenting anonymously and I'm entertained...anyways that led to this:

We are the largest jail in the State. The most dangerous jail in the State.

We are the lowest paid in the metro area, yet we have the highest paid Sheriff in the State and the highest paid County Commissioners in the State.

The Sheriff could give all of us more money by law and the County Board would have to pay it. Sheriff McGowan once gave an extra one percent to the licensed deputies over and above what detention and AFSCME got. Sheriff Stanek doesn't roll that way.

They have turned the HCSO into a farm league for the other local law enforcement agencies. Today I looked at our seniority list for Detention Deputies. Out of 182 Detention Deputies, 70 are under 2 years experience! That's almost half of our staff with under 2 years experience.*

That number speaks for itself. I conclude this is either by design or poor management, or a combination of both. 

They obviously want it this way. After all, the highest paid must be the best and the brightest.

$158,905 a year salary

So what is Sheriff Stanek's salary? In 2014 it was $158,905 a year! 

By contrast Governor Dayton's 2014 salary was $119,850!  

Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek makes $39,055 more than the Governor!

The Hennepin County Commissioners make $104,703. Also the highest paid in the State.

Now, one could argue that Hennepin County is, next to the State of Minnesota, the largest Government in the State, with the largest population and largest tax base. Such a large entity requires large salaries to attract and retain the best and brightest. 

Hennepin County Board salary
$104,000 a year

So why did they allow the Detention Deputies and Workhouse Corrections Officers to drop to the lowest paid in the seven county metro area? 

We run the largest jail with 839 beds and about 44,000 bookings a year and are the lowest paid. The highest paid, Ramsey County only houses 500 inmates.

Hell even the little Brooklyn Park Police lock-up pays more than Hennepin County does. They start at $23.10 an hour and top out at $30.10. That's starting pay $5 an hour higher then Hennepin, and a higher top pay. Oh, and they get there in 3 years, Hennepin County gets to their lower top pay in 8 years...unless there's wage freezes of course.

So Hennepin County and Sheriff Stanek, we do lead in one thing. The race to the lowest paid in our profession, led by the highest paid. 

Let's keep up the good work and do it again this time! Woo hoo!

*Seniority numbers edited 10/16/15

Welcome new B.A. Dave Deal!

MNPEA President Dave Deal is our new Business Agent at Hennepin County!

Who is Dave Deal? Besides President of MNPEA he is a Sergeant at the Washington County Sheriff's Office and a former Teamsters National Delegate to the 2011 International Brotherhood of Teamsters Convention. He was a reformer challenging Jim Hoffa's corruption on the Anyone But Hoffa Slate. Have you seen all of the Teamsters corruption in the news? Broke pensions, high salaries on the backs of members? He was against all of that.

After the Teamsters rejected our reforms, yes I was a delegate too, he helped form MNPEA as a Union to actually serve the members.

I, for one, look forward to his services. We need to hold Hennepin County and the Sheriff's Office to the contract and their agreements.

It is because of Dave and the Board that the leather grievance is finally signed and I expect Dave to hold them to their settlement on the Shift Differential grievance.

Welcome aboard.

Post by Steward R. Deal regarding 12 hour day bullshit

I had someone ask me the other day, "what is the union doing to get us on 12 hour days?". I replied "nothing". I then informed that Deputy it was already voted on twice and lost by a 2 to 1 margin. It appears someone is trying to sell a schedule that was already voted down by union members twice in a matter of months. Anyone can make an 28/8 work but not everyone can make a 12 work. With the commute alone will make your day longer than 12. People with family and kids will have a hard time finding daycare that will watch your kids for at least 13 hours. Not to mention, do you really want to have your kids in a daycare that long...REALLY. Then there's the issue of parking. Parking is going to skyrocket with the new stadium going up. They are making this a trendy area to attract people means higher parking rates. On a 12 hour day you will get fleeced on parking. I have been told that ESD love it. Easy for them when they are not as engaged in there work environment as we are. Have them sit in fingerprints, DS, CH housing, PORT and rover for 12 hrs. They don't pay for parking. Then you have the issue with the jail staffing. We run on minimums. As soon as we have extra bodies i fear the Sherriff would mess with the schedule more in order to not pay for extra bodies. Maybe cut hours or pay back days. License Deputies can cry all they want for 12's but remember...they have options if 12 doesn't work. They can bid out...not us. We are stuck with it. Remember, this was voted down twice!!!

Shift Differential Shaft

As most of you know, for the fourth check straight those expecting shift differential back pay didn't receive it. 

I spoke to a steward this morning who informed me that for most of you, the county is not going to pay it!

They are back to the,,"if you worked four hours overtime it wasn't your shift."

Of course that wasn't the settlement for the grievance was it?

Welcome to Hennepin County settlements. Many of you wondered why I held to the, "If they violate the contract arbitrate line." This is why. You can't negotiate a compromise to a contract violation. A compromise is a slippery slope and still a violation.

What should you do? Contact the MNPEA stewards, email your MNPEA Business agent Mike Golen at mgolen@mnpea.com. 

Demand they hold the line on the agreement! 

My band recently released  a music video entitled Hold The Line. It's about Hungary holding the line against the so called refugees. I think it applies here. HOLD THE LINE!

Florida Prison's Can't Keep Staff

An article in Correctionsone.com states they have "hired over 2,200 correctional officers in the last year, but lost another 1,400 to turnover."

and

“Our agency is paying for the training and so they work for our department for two or three years and then leave,” she told the House committee. “The agency is unable to attract and retain a professional and high-quality staff.”

Why you might ask?

The article answers that, "Their review found that the Florida Department of Corrections lost 7,600 officers from 2012 to 2014 and the primary reason was pay."

Sound familiar? Hennepin County pays it's Detention Deputy's at the jail and it's CO's at the workhouse the lowest wages in the seven county metro area.

They can't figure out why there is such high turnover or overtime!

Another Hennepin County Grievance Settlement

Happy Labor Day! Joe Hill

Joe Hill 

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
Alive as you or me
Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead,"
"I never died," says he.
"I never died," says he.

"In Salt Lake, Joe," says I to him,
Him standing by my bed,
"They framed you on a murder charge,"
Says Joe, "But I ain't dead,"
Says Joe, "But I ain't dead."

"The copper bosses killed you, Joe,
They shot you, Joe," says I.
"Takes more than guns to kill a man,"
Says Joe, "I didn't die,"
Says Joe, "I didn't die."

And standing there as big as life
And smiling with his eyes
Says Joe, "What they forgot to kill
Went on to organize,
Went on to organize."

"Joe Hill ain't dead," he says to me,
"Joe Hill ain't never died.
Where working men are out on strike
Joe Hill is at their side,
Joe Hill is at their side."

From San Diego up to Maine,
In every mine and mill -
Where working men defend their rights
It's there you'll find Joe Hill.
It's there you'll find Joe Hill.

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
Alive as you or me
Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead",
"I never died," says he.
"I never died," says he.

Brooklyn Park Police Department hiring Detention Deputies.

Brooklyn Park PD is hiring Detention Deputies for their lock-up. They start $5 an hour more than Hennepin County and top out higher also. Here's their posting:

Job Title:	Detention Officer - Patrol Division
Closing Date/Time:	Sun. 08/23/15 11:59 PM Central Time
Salary:	$23.43 - $30.10 Hourly $4,061.20 - $5,217.33 Monthly $48,734.40 - $62,608.00 Annually
Job Type:	Regular Full-Time
Location:	Brooklyn Park Police Department - North Station, 5400 85th Avenue North, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
Department:	Police

Here's the link to the application and posting:

https://secure.governmentjobs.com/view_job.cfm?JobID=1216143&hit_count=Yes

I hope MNPEA and AFSCME keep this in mind as they negotiate to keep Hennepin County Detention the lowest paid in the metro area, and now even less than small municipalities!!!

Arbitration Date for Brown Leather Grievance

On August 11, 2015 MNPEA asked the chosen Arbitrator, Gerald E. Wallin, for a date for the long over due grievance over brown leather.

Let me be clear. This has dragged out for eight months! I will not accept anything less than an arbitrators decision or a written settlement agreed to by myself and the other two grievants.

Here's a little history for those following at home:

Way back in 2007 the HCSO decided to switch from brown leather to black. According to our contract if the employer changes the uniform in color type or style, the employee pays the first $65 and the employer pays the rest.

The HCSO thought otherwise. We grieved it and it was won, deciding that any still in brown leather could remain in brown. Here's the links documenting that history:

Black or Brown??

Inspector Cooper's Response Re: Brown Leather

You Can Stay Brown!

Before You Dye or Buy New Leather

Then, years later the HCSO decided the rest of us who weren't in black needed to switch. Violating the old grievance settlement. Again this was grieved and on Dec. 31, 2014 MNPEA filed for arbitration.

Arbitration Filed Over Brown/Black Leather 

The 2015 State of the Unions in Hennepin County

This is a look at the State of Public Employee labor unions in 2015 representing Corrections Officers/Detention Deputies' in Hennepin County Minnesota. 

AFSCME Local 1719 represents the Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility (the workhouse). They are the anchor responsible for holding down the prevailing wage of corrections officers in the Seven County metro area. How? 

Rather than having the essential employees, corrections officers, negotiate separate from the non-essentials, they lump CO's in with clerks and negotiate one raise.

Because AFSCME is the largest union Hennepin County has to negotiate with, they settle quick, and then declare a pattern, holding the rest of Hennepin County's essentials to.  In reality AFSCME is the only union Hennepin County negotiates with.

The result is that even though Hennepin County is the most populous county in the state, and the downtown Hennepin County jail is the largest in the State, they are the lowest paid in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area along with all of Hennepin County's corrections groups.

Conclusion: AFSCME, rather than bettering the wages of essential members is actually holding them down. This is opposite of what a union should do for organized employees.


Teamsters Local 320. Represents the CO's at the Hennepin County Juvenile Center. Typically settles early with AFSCME also anchoring metro CO wages down.

Teamsters Local 320 was decertified by the Detention Deputy's in the Hennepin County jail in 2011.

When we were with Teamsters Local 320, they actually worked against the dues paying members! Go to, Why we left Teamsters and joined MNPEA for more info. This is why we decertified Teamsters for MNPEA. For a full history read, Teamsters to MNPEA, Lest Ye Forget

Teamsters have also worked against their other members robbing union members of pension benefits. This is the result of Jim Hoffa's poor management along with his cronies from 320, Sue Mauren, and current Hoffa supporter Brian Aldes.

Teamsters Local 320 has a history of meeting with management behind member backs.


Minnesota Public Employees Association (MNPEA). Represents the Hennepin County Detention Deputies and Techs in the Hennepin County Jail and the Hennepin County Dispatch (911). This is by far the largest Correctional Group in Hennepin County, well over 200 members, almost 300 when you add in the techs and Dispatch.

MNPEA has been unsuccessful in overcoming AFSCME and Teamsters race to the bottom for wages. Typically MNPEA gets whatever AFSCME gets. 

The Hennepin County Detention Deputies overwhelmingly left Teamsters Local 320 a few years ago. MNPEA promised early negotiations, arbitrations for grievances within four months, low dues and a good legal plan. 

In reality the contract negotiations are whatever AFSCME gets, in Hennepin County.

MNPEA is also following the old Teamsters pattern of letting arbitrations die on the vine and the Teamsters Local 320 history of appeasing management. To be fair, there are plenty of step 2 grievance meetings, but if a grievance is unresolved, the promise of arbitration in four months doesn't happen, The result being the employer knows most grievances will just go away.

The dues are low, $39 a month and the legal plan is top notch for anyone in our field. 

In summary, organized labor for corrections in Hennepin County is holding down the prevailing wage for all corrections groups in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area. All of the Unions tend to try to please management rather than member concerns.

The two largest unions, AFSCME and Teamsters settle contracts quick and MNPEA doesn't have the clout to overcome it. Typically getting locked into the pattern.

What can be done? If AFSCME workhouse members joined MNPEA , AFSCME's pattern would be broken for essential employees. This would force Hennepin County to negotiate with all of the essential groups.

Also MNPEA should aggressively arbitrate contract violations in Hennepin County and get their attention and respect. As always, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is met with compromise and ignored grievances when they violate the contract. 

Until any of these happen, expect the largest county corrections groups in the State to have the lowest compensation. Wages will continue to favor management,  regardless of being essential, and the contracts will be unenforced, unless it applies to members.

In solidarity,
Wade

The Annual Star Tribune Overtime Article

Ah yes, time for the annual Star Tribune overtime article where us public employees earnings are aired for all to see.

There are two parts to this expose. If you click on:

Explore overtime pay for metro area public employees

You can type in the name of yourself, or your favorite Sheriff's Office employee and get a 5 year total of their overtime income and what percentage of their total income the overtime amounted to, as well as their gross wages for 5 years.. For instance I made $57,000 in overtime over the last 5 years which amounted to about 15.4% of my income according to the Star Tribune. 

The comments in this section are priceless:

Supervon2 says, This is structured by the Unions so their top brass gets the most out of the deal. The Star should show who the highest earners and surprise! They will turn out to be the Union power brokers.

Ah yes, those infamous Union power brokers! Hey dipshit, I mean Supervon2, the overtime is the result of Department of Corrections minimum staffing levels. The more inmates in custody, the more staff MUST by law, be there to deal with them. This isn't Belarus! If there are duty stations that must be filled, they are filled with overtime. If someone doesn't volunteer, someone is FORCED to fill it. Therefore ALL overtime is MANDATORY.  If employee A doesn't sign up for it, they or employee B will be forced. At the end of the year no matter how much or how little overtime was worked by one person, the taxpayer will have covered the same amount of hours that year. Quit making employees who volunteer to work longer hours at a dangerous job look like thieves. By the way, it is common to be forced to stay several times a week. Thought you were going to your kid's game or going to that movie? Think again. Your 8 hour shift just became a 12, and you can't leave until you are relieved, so it might get even longer.

jbpaper says, The Strib should do a story on how the overtime effects their pensions and what that will cost the taxpayers in the long run. 

I can answer that. It's like most things in life. The more we earn the more we PAY IN! Like Social Security or a 401K, therefore the more we get out. You wouldn't suggest the State take the extra money we pay into our pension would you? Would you? 

The other article you can click on is:

Overtime costs soaring at Twin Cities agencies as they struggle toward full employment

This article is an overview of the metro Sheriff's Offices and their various amounts of overtime. Some excerpts of interest are:

Excluding undercover officers, the Star Tribune found that overtime payments in Hennepin County nearly doubled from $2.3 million in 2010, when it accounted for 5 percent of the payroll, to more than $4.5 million in 2014, when it accounted for 9 percent.

The Hennepin County Board has criticized Stanek for his rising overtime bills and hired a consultant from California for $100,000 to analyze personnel spending, which accounts for about 80 percent of the sheriff’s budget. The analyst’s report is due in September.

Let me make a couple of observations. We endured 5 years of wage freezes during the great recession. The cost of living went up, wages did not. How does a wage earner support their family? The American way, we work more hours. 

During that time Hennepin County Detention Deputies fell to the lowest wages in our job class in the seven county metro area. When the job market opened up, people left for better paying jobs. As people left, shortages occurred which had to be filled with overtime! That is not rocket science.

What's really fun is to go to Data Mine and type in the name of your favorite high up elected official and see how their salaries went up. For Instance Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek's salary over the same 5 year period covered by the Star Tribune (2010-2014), went from $149,483 to $158,905. That's salary, not wages and overtime.  

The County Commissioners had more modest raises over that period. Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat went from $97.194 to $104, 703.

The biggest winners by far were the  Minnesota State Commissioners. They got between 20 and 30%  raises this year! 

Unlike us jailers who earn higher wages with grueling 12 hour shifts, the politicians and their cohorts got big raises for putting in the exact amount of time they always have. 

So Supervon2, you just keep looking for the evil Union power brokers and at the men and women putting in long hours, while the people you elect, and the people they appoint, laugh all the way to the bank.

The I.A. Blues

Based on a true story! Enjoy.

Internal Affairs Confusion

A few days ago I received a letter from Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Internal Affairs. Why is not important. The mechanics of what transpired is.

Our MNPEA attorney was not available to be there with me on the date and time they wanted. I informed I.A. and THEY moved it to a time my Union Attorney could accompany me. (Keep in mind they moved the date so my MNPEA attorney could be there).

All was well until my MNPEA attorney and I appeared at I.A.

The Supervisor of I.A said, pointing at me, "You can come in." Then pointing at our attorney, "You cannot."

I explained that he was my Union representative and I was entitled to have him with me.

He looked at our lawyer and said, "He's just a witness and doesn't need representation."

 I cited Weingarten and said because I could be subject to discipline I was entitled to Union representation. I explained that with my many years as a Union Steward  I've seen times in I.A,. where someone who was just a witness suddenly became the focus and was subject to discipline. I also noted that if they accused me of lying I could be subject to discipline.

He still insisted I was "just a witness." I then brought up the Correctional Officers Discipline Procedures law. It states if a correctional officer is giving a formal statement they are entitled to representation.  A recorded statement in I.A. IS a formal statement. All to no avail.

I then said, "Look, I'm here, my rep is here, let's just go in and get this done.."

His reply was, "We'll tell you if you need representation".  

I finally stated, that I was willing to give a statement but that I wanted my rep or I would refuse.

He said "no," so I left.  

Some additional facts. Everyone else called in on this investigation was allowed our attorney, except me.

Remember again, the original date of the interview was changed so my union could be there!

The Law is Clear! 

Your right to representation is guaranteed by Weingarten. 

In addition to guaranteeing the right to a union representative, Weingarten also states:

If the employer denies the request for union representation, and continues to ask questions, it commits an unfair labor practice and the employee has a right to refuse to answer. The employer may not discipline the employee for such a refusal.

and

MSS 241.026 CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES

States:

(b) "Correctional officer" and "officer" mean a person employed by the state, a state correctional facility, or a local correctional or detention facility in a security capacity.

(c) "Formal statement" means the questioning of an officer in the course of obtaining a recorded, stenographic, or signed statement to be used as evidence in a disciplinary proceeding against the officer.

Subd. 4.Place of formal statement.

The formal statement must be taken at a facility of the employing or investigating agency or at a place agreed to by the investigating individual and the investigated officer.

Subd. 5.Admissions.

Before an officer's formal statement is taken, the officer shall be advised in writing or on the record that admissions made in the course of the formal statement may be used as evidence of misconduct or as a basis for discipline.

Subd. 10.Rights not reduced.

The rights of officers provided by this section are in addition to and do not diminish the rights and privileges of officers that are provided under an applicable collective bargaining agreement or any other applicable law.

An Internal Affairs Interview conducted by Detectives in I.A. and recorded is a Formal Statement that can result in discipline!

and

Article 34 of our contract:

Section 3. Employees will not be questioned concerning an administrative investigation of disciplinary action unless the employee has been given an opportunity to have a union representative present at such questioning. An employee desiring such opportunity shall promptly notify the EMPLOYER and arrange for such representation in a timely manner. The employee shall cooperate fully in such questioning providing full disclosure of all pertinent facts.

 This is why you pay union dues. Union representation is your right.