News Affecting Us

In the Star Tribune today there's an article entitled:

Minnesota officials take dramatic steps to restore order at Anoka-Metro mental hospital

The gist is,

"Influx of inmates and surge in violent assaults prompt state to limit county-jail admissions to Minnesota’s second-largest psychiatric hospital."

The article deals with increased assaults on staff by violent criminals and the hospital wanting to do something about how to deal with it. Of course this is in sharp contrast to the jails where we've felt we were the dumping ground for the mentally ill.

"The move to limit admissions, however, already has aroused concern from the Sheriffs’ Association. The group strongly supported the 48-hour rule because of long-standing concerns that jails had become de facto holding pens for people with mental illnesses. With their mental disorders untreated, jail inmates sometimes would lash out violently."

The next item is a recent court decision regarding the gathering of meta-data by law enforcement. From the ACLU:

Why Today’s Landmark Court Victory Against Mass Surveillance Matters

In a landmark victory for privacy, a federal appeals court ruled unanimously today that the mass phone-records program exposed two years ago by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is illegal because it goes far beyond what Congress ever intended to permit when it passed Section 215 of the Patriot Act.

It recognizes that Section 215 of the Patriot Act does not authorize the government to collect information on such a massive scale.

Click on the link for the full story. We all know of our Sheriff's Office KIngfish system. This could reign it in. It's one thing to get a warrant to track a criminal. It's another thing to wholesale gather citizen information.

Finally, remember Dale Blom, the AFSCME 1134 President who showed up at our homes after AFSCME unlawfully obtained our addresses to harass our members? Well, the City Pages has a nice article on him. 

Hennepin County Correctional Officer Dale Blom Is a Convicted Sex Offender

Click on the picture for the full story. My favorite quote is from Chester Cooper, director of Hennepin County Community Corrections and Rehabilitation. The county considered the nature of Blom's offense and decided he was rehabilitated enough to work as a corrections officer. "He has been an excellent employee for more than 15 years."

 What is "rehabilitated enough?" 

Sex offender visits Sheriff's Home

Ok, so a convicted sex offender shows up at the Sheriff's house..his wife answers the door...scary shit. No one in public safety wants a convicted sex offender at the door..it cuts right to the primal core of protecting our families....the man was eventually arrested and charged with terroristic threats.

Yet when the same thing happened to the Hennepin County Detention Deputies and 911 Dispatchers just a few months ago...Hennepin County did nothing! The County even supplied our names to AFSCME organizer Ryan Hanson who then went to our homes with convicted sex offender Dale Blom. An Internal Affairs investigation was launched that went nowhere. No charges, no nothing.

It's the same old same old. It only matters if someone important is affected. Then it's front page news.


KMSP-TV

An Open Letter To AFSCME Members Seeking To Join MNPEA

Let me preface this by saying that I am a CO and a Union Steward. I am a member of the MNPEA, not an employee. This is based on my experience of us Hennepin County Detention Deputies decertifying Teamsters Local 320 two years ago and us than certifying the MNPEA as our exclusive rep.

Once your current Union discovers that you are filling out cards to leave, the propaganda begins. Teamsters sent out a mailing telling us we could lose our seniority, benefits and that the contract would be non-existent until it was negotiated from scratch with the new Union. 

Fact: The contract is between you and the employer. The ONLY thing changing is who you have to represent your interest in your part of the contract. 

Every aspect of the contract between you and the employer stays the same.

Once the Bureau of Mediation Services (BMS) has your cards authorizing an election they will mail out a ballot to every member of your bargaining unit. Each individual will vote in the privacy of their home and mail the ballot back to the BMS.

The BMS will set a date to count the ballots. On that day witnesses from the MNPEA and AFSCME will watch the BMS count the ballots. Whoever gets at least 51% of the ballots returned will be your groups Exclusive Representative. Teamsters Local 320 only got one vote when we voted them out.

Representation changes hands at midnight that night if the MNPEA wins, and your legal coverage begins. If the MNPEA loses then nothing changes with you and your current Union.

Prior to the election your present Union MUST continue to represent you in grievances, discipline, etc. If they do not they are open for a Failure to Represent Lawsuit. Larger Unions have been known to threaten members. That is not legal. 

Once the change was made with us, the MNPEA held Steward elections (some of us had been removed as Stewards by Teamsters) then we proceeded to negotiations.

I really hope the Hennepin County Workhouse CO's come over. You are essential employees and have been forced to bargain with the non-essentials. To my knowledge AFSCME never gave you a contract arbitration. If you chose the MNPEA you will bargain only with and as essential employees. Your salary will not be comparable to the non-essentials.

If any of you has a questions feel free to email me at wade.laszlo@gmail.com

In solidarity,

Wade Laszlo

Officer Safety Warning

There are people who are knocking on the doors of the Hennepin County Detention Deputies, Techs and Dispatchers from AFSCME. We believe they have improperly obtained non-public data to do this. There is an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.

WARNING: One of the people going to our homes is a CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER. The victim was just 14 years old. We do not know the criminal  backgrounds of the rest of them. USE CAUTION IF THEY APPROACH YOUR HOME.

This the sex offender's mugshot:

Click here for his most recent picture.

Just yesterday a Maricopa County Detention Deputy was murdered in his driveway as he prepared to go to work. Use Caution.

There is a special meeting being held Monday. Please attend, it is posted on the bulletin boards at work.

Ryan Hanson, AFSCME, Publish Corrections Officers Addresses

This is Ryan Hanson. He is an organizer with AFSCME. His card has been left at the homes of  our Hennepin County Detention Deputies and Dispatchers.

He, along with Hennepin County Workhouse Corrections Officer Dale Blom, Minnesota  State Patrol 911 Dispatcher Megan Hennessey, and Minnesota DOC Stillwater Prison Corrections Officer Bill Stephens are visiting our homes with lists they claim are "public information." 

I then must ask the question. How would Minnesota State Correctional Officers, Minnesota State Patrol 911 Operators and Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility Corrections Officers feel if their names and home addresses were published? As fellow Corrections Officers isn't this a major security violation? How unnerving would it be to your family to have two strangers at their door asking for you by name as a CO? Do you really trust a Union that thinks this is OK?

Would you have a problem if your private data was passed out for people to knock on your door? 

This tells me AFSCME has no respect for workers, and especially no regard for the safety of Corrections Officers.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

AFSCME people have been coming to members doors. If they/when they show up get their name, a picture if you can and ask how they got your address.

Let a steward know we are compiling a comprehensive list of everyone they have visited at home or called.

The information they are using is not public.

There will be a meeting in the near future with a VERY important announcement.