Big Pension News Coming

As my readers know I have been keeping a close watch on the PERA Correctional Pension.
The only Union protecting the PERA Correctional Pension with me has been MNPEA.

Others are now trying to take credit. Others who were willing to accept cuts to our pension.

Real long story short (for full story go back in this blog). On December 14, 2017 I was at the PERA Board Meeting. They were voting on Pension Funding proposals to the legislature. It was proposed to cut the COLA increases for the PERA Correctional Pension retirees.

During the discussion it was stated all of the "stakeholders" had been talked to and were on board for the cut. Those consulted and approving were Teamsters Local 320, AFSCME and LELS.

I raised my hand and asked if  MNPEA, one of the largest stakeholders had been notified. They had not! Rebecca Otto then moved the Correctional change be tabled until Director Doug Anderson had a chance to talk to the stakeholders (MNPEA the only group not consulted).

Tom Perkins of MNPEA and myself subsequently met with Doug Anderson who then recommended our COLA cap remain at 2.5% not the 1.5% agreed to by the other so called stakeholders.

The PERA Board had a special meeting on January 9, 2018 and voted to approve the 2.5%.

I am attaching the documentation from PERA's website. You will see no Teamsters present. AFSCME and Dave Matuslaem (then with the MPPOA) were all on board to cut our pension.

It angers me to hear these other groups now claiming they fought for our pension. They did not, only MNPEA. I was there!

WATCH THIS BLOG. VERY BIG NEWS IS COMING!

Staff shortages and overtime

The Star Tribune is reporting that

Audit: Staff shortages, failure to track assaults contribute to danger in Minnesota prisons

The article says:

Staff shortages in Minnesota prisons are driving a glut in overtime hours for correctional officers, making the facilities more dangerous, while corrections officials have failed to properly track assaults — and they don’t know just how unsafe their facilities are for prisoners and staff.

A couple of weeks ago I was at a retirement at my former haunt, the Hennepin County Jail. I was told of massive overtime and even housing units on lock-down all weekend due to lack of staff.

 Overtime is at a high. 

Reality is working as a Detention Deputy or CO is a good job. Good pay, benefits and even a pension. The job is dangerous, but if you are professional you will never be let go and will have fewer problems with the clientele. 

Retention becomes a problem when staff is short. Excessive overtime leads to burnout. Albeit there will be a nice paycheck. 

The conundrum is public employee pay rarely keeps up with the private sector. So when the economy is good like now few people want to work in a jail,(I wouldn't work that crap job. Is a comment I used to hear), but when the economy is bad, people are jealous of the pay and benefits.

Oddly this may be the best time to get into this career. The economy goes up and down but Corrections is a long term steady job. Not for everyone, you won't get rich but you will have a good middle class income.