A Dangerous Job

The news is always filled with stories of police officers who are injured or killed. Yet statistically a corrections officer has a higher rate of assault and injury.

Here's an excerpt from a story in the Dallas News covering the increase in assaults on Texas CO's:

A snapshot of a typical month in Texas prisons – last March, for example – provides a look at the dangers inherent in the job:

•The Telford Unit in New Boston, Texas, went on lockdown in March after 62 inmates – some using broken brooms, socks filled with dominoes and commissary hair gel and dented trash cans as weapons – were found fighting in a dayroom at the facility. Corrections officers used blast dispersion and rubber ball grenades to quell the fight. Four inmates were injured.

•Two weeks later, at the Beto Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas, 17 inmates fought near their cells, resulting in two guard injuries. Nearly six ounces of Top Cop, a type of pepper spray foam, was used.

•And in March at the Beto facility, a 19-year-old female guard was punched in the face by an inmate who had a nail hidden in his fist.
The guard suffered a gash on the left side of her face. The inmate – 49-year-old T.J. Jones, who is serving a five-year sentence for burglary – was transferred to another unit.
The all-male prison, which houses more than 3,300 inmates, has nearly 500 security guards, only a fraction of what the unit says it needs.

*Thanks to AFSCME's Dean Enge for bringing this article to my attention.

New Agreement Passed

The New Agreement has passed overwhelmingly. Thank you!

Tentative Agreement

A tentative agreement has been reached with Hennepin County for our 2008-2009 Agreement.

The negotiating committee strongly recommends the membership accepting this when the ballots come out. Here's the highlights:

-Shift differential to increase $.05 in 2008 & 2009.
-Weekend differential to increase $.05 in 2008 & 2009.
-FTO pay to increase from $1.00/hour to $2.00/hour.
-Vacations: You will be able to cash out up to 40 hours of vacation a year.
-Sick Leave: Add to definition of immediate family the following language, "a person residing in the employees immediate household."

SALARY RATES:

Detention Tech: 2.25% steps in range, 3.4% at max rate in 2008 & 2009.

Radio: 2.25% steps in range, 3.9% max 2008
2.25% steps in range, 3.4% max 2009

Detention Deputies: 2.25% steps in range, 4.4% max 2008
2.25% steps in range, 3.4% max 2008 **
**This would be the largest increase we've ever received and puts our top pay at about $27.24 in January 2009! It also places us back in our historical #2 place behind Ramsey County.

HEALTH INSURANCE RATES:

Employee Only Single: $15 a month - raising to $25 in December 2009
Employee Plus Spouse: $337.18/mo
Employee Plus Child(ren): $258.27
Family: $375.39/mo

HOLIDAYS: The letter of understanding dictating us being able to bank 24 hours of Deferred Holiday will now be added to the Agreement so we don't have to renegotiate this every time.

The negotiating committee strongly recommends the membership accepting this when the ballots come out.

Sword Stolen

A good friend of mine's house was burglarized in Minneapolis and this sword was stolen. It is handmade and one of a kind. The blade is black steel with silver Rune symbols on it, the handle is wood. Should you run across anyone with this sword. Contact the Minneapolis Police Department (612 673-5714) and notify me. MPD case #07-391781.

Funeral for Helen Ann Omodt

Helen Ann Omodt, wife of former Sheriff Don Omodt and mother of Lt. Chris Omodt has passed away.

There will be a Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, November 26, at 11 a.m.
The funeral will be held at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Edina with visitation one hour prior to the service at the church and also 4 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, November 25, at Washburn-McReavy Funeral Home, Edina Chapel, West 50th Street and Highway 100. The phone number to the funeral home is 952-920-3996. There will be a private internment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

Our thoughts are with the Omodt family during this time.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Also don't forget our Local 320 Holiday Party and Membership Meeting

Teamster Building - 3001 University Avenue Minneapolis, MN

Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Door Prizes Awarded! - A Gift for Everyone!Food and refreshments: 6:00 - 7:00 pm
Membership meeting: 7:00 pm

Workhouse inmate dies of drug overdose

The Star Tribune is reporting that inmate Jefferey Berg died in solitary confinement at the workhouse.

John Berg said initial toxicology reports showed Valium, cocaine and Oxycontin in his son's system. Berg said he received that information Wednesday evening from an investigator with the Hennepin County medical examiner's office.

"Is it possible that he could have gotten contraband?" Fine (Corrections Administrator) said. "It's possible. We're not hermetically sealed. ... We try to do everything we can to make sure that contraband doesn't get in, but occasionally it does."

Wisconsin prison hostage freed safely

AP- WAUPUN, Wisconsin: A prison dental technician was taken hostage by an inmate early Wednesday but was released unharmed, shortly before the inmate surrendered, authorities said.

Full Story

Thank You Veterans!

Thank you to all of you who have served and are serving. Happy Veterans Day!

Mike Opat Carjacked

Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat got robbed of his Jeep, wallet and Blackberry last Tuesday. I first saw this on Fox 9 News last night and the Star Tribune has the story this morning. The Fox 9 video is available here.

Orange County Sheriff Pleads Not Guilty to Corruptions Charge

Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona, his wife and a former mistress pleaded not guilty this morning in a federal corruption case that accuses them of misusing his public office to enrich themselves.-LA Times

Weingarten Rights - Request for a Shop Steward

Weingarten Rights - Request for a Shop Steward

If you are called into a meeting with a management representative and you have reason to believe that disciplinary action against you may result, you have the right to have a steward present during this meeting. Read the statement below to the management representative, and contact your steward immediately.

READ THIS STATEMENT TO MANAGEMENT:
“If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I request that my union representative, officer, or steward be present at the meeting. Without representation, I choose not to answer any question.
“This is my right under a U.S. Supreme Court decision called Weingarten.”

This right is especially important should you get called into Internal Affairs (I.A.).
Always take a steward with you even if you are not the focus of the investigation, that focus can change!

You also have Garrity Rights:Protection Against Self Incrimination

Because the 5th Amendment applies to Public Employees:Public employees have certain constitutional rights that apply in their employment that may not apply to private employees. For example, in Garrity v. New Jersey, the Supreme Court held that statements obtained in the course of an investigatory interview under threat of termination from public employment couldn’t be used as evidence against the employee in subsequent criminal proceedings. If, however, you refuse to answer questions after you have been assured that your statements cannot be used against you in a subsequent criminal proceeding, the refusal to answer questions thereafter may lead to the imposition of discipline for insubordination. Further, while the statements you make may not be used against you in a subsequent criminal proceeding, they can still form the basis for discipline on the underlying work-related charge.
There are two prongs under the Garrity rights. First, if an officer is compelled to answer questions as a condition of employment, the officer's answers and the fruits of those answers may not be used against the officer in a subsequent criminal prosecution. Second, the department becomes limited as to what they may ask. Such questions must be specifically, narrowly, and directly tailored to the officer's job.

In 1996 the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office was found to have violated the Garrity rights of two detention deputies.

If the investigation is criminal do not talk to anyone without contacting a Team Legal Attorney!
Call 1-800-367-4321 to get an attorney. TEAM LEGAL ATTORNEYS ARE FREE FOR FULL DUES PAYING MEMBERS!

DRIVE Response to Follow the Money

After a flurry of phone calls and here it is.

1) DRIVE did not endorse Sheriff Stanek. His name did not appear in any mailings, newspaper adds or literature.


2) DRIVE is a PAC. It is separate from Teamsters Local 320. No Teamster Local 320 money was given. Only members who pay into DRIVE.

3) The check was written after the election by a lone DRIVE representative, Don Gerdesmeier. I can't imagine why.

4) Joint Council 32 claims no foreknowledge of Don Gerdesmeier's decision to write the check. Apparently as a DRIVE rep he doesn't have the power to endorse but has discretion in writing a check. It is claimed that Sheriff Stanek isn't the only unendorsed politician to receive such a check.

The basic gist I gathered is it's DRIVE's money and their business how to spend it. If we want a say we can join DRIVE. (I don't think so).

All of this appears to be fact, however, I maintain that of all people, Don Gerdesmeier knowing our poor relationship with former Sheriff McGowan (and the many times he backed doored us through Don) should have out of any respect for us, the rank and file, at least let Sheriff Stanek demonstrate a good relationship with us before just handing him their money giving the appearance of Teamster support. It is moves like this that will forever make me leery of DRIVE and it's intentions. The average politician doesn't know the difference between DRIVE and the Local, he just views money as support.

Knowing Don's relationship with the former Sheriff, I still believe, at least on his part, that while we were wanting to maintain neutrality during the election Don was nodding and winking at a politician and then giving him money. Moves like this make politicians think that they can trample on our members and our contract because the money will flow no matter what.

Follow The Money

This post has been edited from it's original form. The crux of what set me off is this:

While checking on the campaign contributions to Sheriff Stanek I noticed that Teamsters Joint Council 32 gave the maximum contribution of $500 to Sheriff' Stanek's campaign! That's not all, it was given on 12/20/2006 AFTER the election!

See the next post for their explanation.

Where do we rank in pay?

Here's Carver County's range. Here's Dakota County's range. Keep in mind we are the busiest jail in the state and Carver and Dakota County also provide free parking. They're also Teamster shops with the same pension.

Minnesota Corrections United

Tired of playing second fiddle to cops? The purpose of this group is to promote a statewide united front for those in the corrections field to pass legislation and policies that affect County Corrections Officers and Detention Deputies in the State of Minnesota. Things like equal pay and pensions with cops and others in dangerous occupations. Equal protection in internal affairs and discipline,etc. There's a new e-group in town! Join this statewide movement!

MINNESOTA CORRECTIONS UNITED



alt="Click here to join correctionsunited">
Click to join correctionsunited

October 23rd Negotiations

We met again today with Hennepin County and the Sheriff's Office. The items were discussed with no real progress. We meet again on November 20th.

Hennepin County's Proposal

Today October 16th we met again to negotiate with Hennepin County. They gave us their proposal. These are the highlights of their proposal:

Pay increase-1.5% pay increase for 2008 and 1.5% for 2009

Replace Vacation and Sick Leave with PTO (Personal Time Off)

Insurance Rates for Employees:

Single Coverage to pay $25 per month
Employee plus spouse-$340.49/mo
Employee plus children- $260.80/mo
Family-$398.45/mo

*Of special interest
They want to engage in a non-binding discussion of the black leather change
Ditto for 12 hour days

They are ending the Retiree Health Insurance provision. Employees hired after the execution of this Agreement will not receive this benefit. Those of us now employed may continue with this.

12 Hour Day Update-Meeting With Hennepin County

Today Teamsters business agent Tom Perkins and myself met with Hennepin County Labor Relations about the 12 hour day memo circulated by jail administration. This is being moved up to Bill Peters of Hennepin County. Some points brought up include:

First, Article 10, Section 4 of our Agreement. Reads “For Detention Deputies, worked hours in excess of the assigned work shift of eight (8) or more hours or an averaged eighty (80) hours per payroll period, with the exception of the twelve mandatory training hours for employees on a 6-3 schedule, shall be overtime and compensated at one and one-half (1 1/2) times the employee's base pay rate, or one and one-half (1 1/2) hours compensatory time for each hour worked, subject to the provision that no employee shall be eligible for overtime premium unless prior approval of the overtime work was granted by the Sheriff or his designee.”
* The same article in the Licensed Deputy Agreement has added language to the effect that the Employer retains the right to assign shifts of more then eight hours…That language IS NOT in our contract.

Second is the language relating to our holidays in ARTICLE 3 – DEFINITIONS section 3. It should be remembered that we took a 1.5% pay cut when we entered into the Agreement to get the holiday schedule we now have. It relates to an inconvenient work schedule (i.e. working weekends and holidays). We would expect that 1.5% to be restored. We would also expect to be paid the time and one half holiday premium on all hours worked on holidays.

Third, the shift bid Article 10, sec. 4. You cannot randomly assign people to new permanent 12 hour shifts without a bid. The dates for that bid are February 15th and August 15th.

Fourth, since we are required to dress in a uniform and pick up keys we would consider our shift as starting the minute we entered the locker room and ending when we returned our keys. So a detention deputy would enter the locker room at 6AM, dress, and look up his /her assignment, get keys and travel to their duty station. Once shift relief was there the relieved deputy would then have to travel to the key room and return their keys. This would easily require a half hour of overtime every day.

Fifth, training. Would this also happen on days off? More overtime.

Sixth, Lieutenant Johnson states in his memo that, “Both options are an 84 hour pay period. Agreements between labor and administration would need to be made on how to handle those 4 hours.” Teamsters Local 320 has recently won an arbitration to that effect. The arbitrator’s decision was that those hours are to be paid as overtime.

One of the main contentions is the method by which this is coming about. Our contract states:

Article 2-Recognition, sec 3 states: "The EMPLOYER, in accordance with the provisions of Minnesota Statutes 179A06 agrees not to enter into any agreements covering terms and conditions of employment with members of the bargaining unit under jurisdiction of this AGREEMENT either individually or collectively which in any way conflict with the terms and conditions set forth in this AGREEMENT, except through the certified representative."

The contract is NOT between the Sheriff's Office and the Detention Deputies, it is between Hennepin County Labor Relations and Teamsters Local 320. The proper method is for the employer to approach the county's Labor Relations office, then for Labor Relations to set up meet and confer meetings with the Business Agent of Teamsters Local 320.

Horobin Grievance Settled!

Detention Deputy Horobin grieved a 10 day supension he recieved while participating in an SRT cell extraction. The grievant and union maintained there was no just cause. An arbitration was scheduled for today October 8th. The county offered to give deputy Horobin 7 days back and he accepted the offer.

12 Hour Day Response

Regarding Lt. D. Johnson's 12 hour day memo, a meeting has been set up with Labor Relations, our business agent and myself for this Monday, October 8th. We are not for it.

As you know, Inspector Cooper issued a memo on October 3rd, 2006 regarding the RNC stating , “vacation time and regular days off will be cancelled for all HCSO employees during August 28 - September 6, 2008.” We accept the fact that this comes during Prime Time Vacation, we also accept the fact that as essential employees we are called upon to work these hours. However, we should be compensated at time and one half for all hours worked past our regular 8.5 hour shift, whether as 12 hour shifts or on days off. It is unacceptable to ask us and our families to give up vacation time and days off during the summer only to work longer shifts for straight time. This schedule seems to be designed to deprive us of just compensation.

RNC Update

Infoshop News is reporting that the strategy for the upcoming RNC is as follows:

On the first day of the convention, participants will employ a three-tiered direct action strategy to disrupt the RNC. The tiers are organized in order of priority according to the number of participants; if a small number of participants show up, only the first tier will be carried out, but if the numbers are on hand, all three tiers will be in effect.

Tier One: Establish 15-20 blockades, utilizing a diversity of tactics, creating an inner and outer ring around St. Paul’s Excel Center, where the RNC is to take place.

Tier Two: Immobilize the delegates’ transportation infrastructure, including the busses that are to convey them.

Tier Three: Block the five western bridges connecting the Twin Cities.

Read the whole story at Info Shop News

Other RNC update links:

RNC Welcoming Committee

PreRNC Report Back

AFSCME to Strike?

WorkdayMinnesota is reporting that AFSME may strike.

Who?

The six AFSCME locals representing workers at Hennepin County include: Local 34 (Social and Health Services), Local 552 (Probation and Parole), Local 1719 (Adult Corrections Officers), Local 2822 (Clerical and Related), Local 2864 (Professional Librarians) and Local 2938 (Legal Unit).

This means there will be no clerks or pretrial probation officers at the jail if they do strike.

Why? According to the WorkdayMinnesota article:

"It's take-backs, take-backs and more take-backs," Poehler said, updating the noon-hour rally on contract negotiations. Poehler told the crowd that Hennepin County negotiators are proposing several contract changes:

• making County employees pay more out-of-pocket for health care;

• threatening to cut full health coverage;

• converting some full-time jobs to part-time jobs with reduced health benefits;

• allowing supervisors to take on union work;

• denying some health benefits to future employees.

One interesting note is that hundreds of AFSCME workers picketed at the government center on the 18th and I saw no mention in the main stream press.

Negotiations: Our Initial Proposal

Labor Rally at Government Center

News from AFSCME Local 1719

When: This Tuesday the 18th at Noon in the Hennepin County Government Center Plaza there will be a rally by AFSCME Council 5 Hennepin County employees and others concerned about negotiations. I have been informed that Postal Employee Union Members and Teamsters will be there also supporting this rally by their attendance. Everyone is welcome to help support this rally to show the county board how serious we are in these negotiations.

Issue: After three meetings the county still has not given employees a health care proposal or moved on any issues. There are only three negotiations scheduled until we go to mediation. The more people that appear at this rally will show the county board that this negotiation time is a serious time where they must pay attention. I know in my local union at least 31 people are free that day or not working during the time of the rally. I hope every one of them show up to demonstrate that we as union members are serious about this contract.

Thanks for attending I hope to see you there on Tuesday,

Dean Enge 1719

I would encourage any of our members availabe to attend. What affects them affects us. This is day one of our negotiations.

Wade

RNC Welcoming Video-theirs(funny)

September Update

Contract Negotiations Begin September 18th

The Leather Issue has not yet been resolved

The grievance filed after management unilaterally ended the decades long past practice of having breakfast foods available before shift without negotiating with the union is still headed to Arbitration.

The grievance filed by a member given a suspension for uttering a profanity heard only after the Sheriff's Office was reviewing a 6 month old tape of intake for an unrelated reason is still active.

The Blood Bourne Pathogens bill we wrote is still not being utilized.

Arbitration has been set for October 8th, 2007 at 9 AM. RE: TEAMSTERS LOCAL 320 AND HENNEPIN COUNTY BMS CASE #06PA0844 (HOROBIN #3234)
This is a case involving an SRT cell extraction that resulted in a 10 day suspension. It is the Union's opinion there is no just cause.

You'd call it a lobbyist, The Sheriff's Office would call it a Contract and Grants Manager!

Apparently our drinking and driving lobbyist is being replaced. Yeah, they're calling the position a Contract and Grants Manager for the Sheriff's Office, but read the description and qualifications and tell me what you'd call it!


Job Title:
Contract and Grants Manager - Sheriff's Office
Closing Date/Time:
Fri. 08/31/07 5:00 PM Central Time
Salary:
$56,016.00 - $85,272.00 annually
Job Type:
Full-time
Location:
Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota
Department:
Sheriff's Office

This job is closed. Print Job Information
Description Benefits Supplemental Questions

We are one of Minnesota's premier law enforcement agencies, based in Minneapolis. Over 800 men and women of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office invite you to join them in the career challenges offered by our agency which seeks to reflect the diversity of the communities it serves. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is dedicated to increasing public safety through leadership, integrity, and strong partnerships. The vision of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is outstanding public safety through exemplary leadership, collaborative dynamic partnerships, and innovative resource management. The primary duties/responsibilities of this position include:
Develop and implement coordinated face-to-face and written outreach and educational campaigns, related to Public Safety, for the County Board, other elected officials, department heads within Hennepin County, and the public.
Develop relationships with members of the Minnesota Legislature as well as the Governor and his Administration.
Develop relationships and potential legislative programs with Minnesota’s Congressional delegation for the purpose of identifying, securing and maximizing federal resources for coordination and provision of law enforcement services throughout the County.
Develop a coordinated effort among Sheriffs and Police Chiefs throughout the State to promote public safety and to coordinate Homeland Security efforts.
Research policy and legislative bills and advise the Sheriff on official positions with respect to their potential impact on law enforcement and public safety in the County. Make recommendations to the Chief of Staff and the Sheriff regarding such proposals and issues.
Analyze and evaluate departmental policies and procedures and formulate new or revised ones when necessary. The ideal candidate will have:
Juris Doctorate AND
Four or more years of experience in Government Relations work at the MN Legislature. Selection Process: Invitations to interview will be based on an assessment of education and experience.

Agency:
Hennepin County
Address:
Hennepin County Government Center 300 South Sixth Street Minneapolis, Minnesota 55487 Map/Directions
Phone:
612-348-2163
Web Site:
http://hennepin.jobs/
E-mail:
HR.Dept@co.hennepin.mn.us

AFSCME Workhouse Negotiaions

This is an update from our Workhouse counterparts. It's where negotiations are with them:


Council 5 Local 1719

8-30-07

To: Membership of AFSCME # 1719
From: Dean Enge, your President D. Enge
Subject: Negotiations and other issues

Negotiations at this Time

Currently the status of negotiations is that the county has given us a proposal that is unacceptable to the union. The county has offered little in pay and a lot of take aways from our current contract. One of the things that they would like to be able to do is have supervisors be able to bump back into the bargaining unit with their seniority from when they started working for the county. So if they laid some off or demoted some they would be protected. While this has never happened in recent memory an example where we would be hurt is a closing of a department unit like the Home School. If the Home School were closed and the students privatized then the Correctional Supervisors there would be surplus. Would our department then decide some of them could replace some of ours at the ACF and if so this language could affect you? Currently once supervisors have passed their probation as a supervisor they have lost their seniority rights in the bargaining unit. The county also would like to deposit your severance pay and stability pay in a health care savings account instead of you getting it. While that proposal has some merits for those close to retirement, it would hurt those you would like to keep the stability pay for the holidays. The county would save a lot in not contributing to FICA and PERA on parts of this proposal. The county has also offered PTO again with take aways of two days a year for current employees and four days a year for new employees. The union’s position on PTO is no as it is currently being offered. After three meetings the county has not yet offered us their position on Health Insurance and is promising to offer one maybe at the next meeting Sept. 10. The only thing on Health Insurance that has been mentioned by the county is to suggest a high deductible plan with a VEBA for 2009. They have stated they want to meet on Sept. 10 for six hours to chat about their various issues and hopefully present the Health Insurance component.

Rally

On September 18, 2007 at the Plaza at the Hennepin County Government Center there will be a rally for all AFSCME members in Hennepin County. This noon rally is to show the strength of your union to the county board and management by expressing our solidarity and objection to what they have offered. If you are off on that Tuesday please join us in the rally so the strength can be shown to the public and the governing board. It was actions like this two years ago that helped to get the contract we did then.

The Eight Hour Day

From Workday Minnesota:

September 3, 1916 - Railroad workers won the eight-hour day. The legislation, called the Adamson Act, marked the first time a group of private sector workers had their working hours regulated by the federal government. It was one of many reforms pushed by the progressive movement of the early 20th century.

The Adamson Act, passed in 1916, provided workers with an eight hour day, at the same daily wage they had received previously for a ten hour day, and required time and a half for overtime. -Wikipedia

UK Prison Workers Strike

Libcom.org is reporting that, Some 20,000 prison officers in England and Wales took illegal unofficial action on Wednesday 29 August against Gordon Brown’s public sector wage cuts and the disastrous overcrowding in prisons.

Their laws are similar to ours in that Prison officers were banned from striking by a court ruling in early 1993, which found prison officers had powers and authority similar to those of the police and subsequently could not strike. That was written into law by the Tories in the 1994 Criminal Justice Act. Just as we are deemed "essential employees."

Why did they strike?

Wednesday's strike came after a pay review body recommended a rise of 2.5 percent this year but the government decided that it should be staged, with an initial 1.5 percent rise followed by another 1 percent six months later.

Big deal you say, they were proposed a low raise and staggered at that. Well the main point applicable to all of us is this:

Brian Clarke, chair of Birmingham POA, told Socialist Worker, “Our pay awards are meant to be according to performance. There is a growth in prison population but not in prison staff, so our performance is increasing.

As we begin our negotiations we need to remind the County that like our UK counter parts there's been an increase in inmates but not a proportionate increase in staff so our performance is also increasing.

While I am not advocating a strike. Philosophically I agree with Brian Caton, general secretary of the POA... “I believe every officer has human rights, and they include the right to withdraw their labour,” he said.

CRS Incorporated

I'm back from Chicago and opened my email to see that CRS Incorporated will be conducting a comprehensive jail staffing analysis. I looked on-line to do a little research and found this PDF of their work. As we all know the jail is short staffed. The primary reason being that the County Board has never funded quads 2 and 3 to be open, but high inmate counts have required their use. I hope this analysis convinces the Board to get us the required staff and doesn't just result in "creative" scheduling as a band aid. Especially with the RNC coming next year we'll need all the staff we can get.

RNC Update

Infoshop News is reporting that "Police attack Minneapolis Critical Mass and arrest around 20 cyclists" Read this article. I will post news relating to the upcoming RNC as I find it just so we know what to expect when it comes.

Photo from Indymedia

Happy Labor Day

Used with the permission of Mike Konopacki

Input Needed

By now you should have received a letter from Teamsters Local 320 asking for your input into the upcoming contract negotiations. This is your chance to let us know what's important to you!

Jeff Grates at the bridge

As we all know on 8/1/07 the 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi river. We've heard many tales of rescue workers and people helping out. I asked detention deputy Jeff Grates to write down his story so I could publish it as a testimony of his contribution. Jeff is a detention deputy, a union member of Teamsters Local 320 and also in the Air Force Reserves. This is his story:


On August 1, 2007 at 1800 hours, I finished up my shift at the jail and was on my way home for the evening. As I approached the Stone Arch Bridge, I overheard an excited voice on the overhead speakers at the Lower St. Anthony Falls Damn Lock Master area. I could not make out exactly what the individual was saying and continued on my way. As I reached my vehicle at the north end, I began to see emergency vehicles arriving to the area. I called back to the jail and spoke with Deputy Murto, who informed me that the Interstate 35W Bridge had just collapsed.

Sensing that help may be needed, I went to the area and met up with Minneapolis Police Sergeant, Bill Chaplin, who works out of the 3rd Precinct. I explained to Sgt. Chaplin that I was a member of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and offered my assistance. I will note that from this point forward, I left my work Identification exposed in order to identify myself and proceed to assist where I was needed. Sgt. Chaplin had to leave the area to attend to another detail and left a police reserve officer in his place. Approximately 15 minutes went by and the scene remained chaotic. Vehicles, pedestrian traffic and individuals on bikes were blocking the path of emergency vehicles and personnel from getting to the area. My years of experience and training in the United States Air Force directed me to ask the Minneapolis Police Reserve Officer to find an individual in charge to ensure that the perimeter was secure. Not finding anyone, I took it upon myself to locate Sgt. Chaplin, who was at the rivers edge assisting in the disaster. I explained to Sgt. Chaplin that the integrity of the perimeter was in jeopardy. He took my information and called for additional assistance to the area.

As this was being done, I went to MPD Officer Robert Greer of the 2nd Precinct and requested medical exam gloves so I could prepare to offer my assistance with wounded individuals. Officer Greer was standing off to the side securing the first body recovered from the collapse site. Officer Greer was concerned about his partner and also their police cruiser, as the vehicle was still running and was nearly a half mile away from his location. I obtained a description of his partner and explained to him that I would locate her.

I walked back up to the Stone Arch Bridge and located Officer Greer’s partner, who was securing this entry point to the area. I told her where Officer Greer was located and that he instructed me to find and secure their police cruiser. She could not leave her position and gave me the squad number and general area where I could find the vehicle. I went in search of their vehicle and located it at the far side of Metal Matic. The doors were locked and the car was running. I recognized Minneapolis Police Inspector Skomra, who was my uncle’s partner, approached him and identified myself as a member of the Sheriff’s Office. I explained what I was detailed with by Officer Greer and that I could not gain entrance to Officer Greer’s police cruiser. Inspector Skomra handed me a master key to the squad car. I went back to the car, unlocked it, turned it off, took the key out of the ignition and secured the doors. I returned Inspector Skomra’s keys and returned to the Stone Arch Bridge area.

I located Officer Greer’s partner and explained to her what I did and handed the key to their police cruiser to her. I then went back down the hill to the river’s edge and met back up with Officer Greer. I explained to Officer Greer that I located his partner and their vehicle and that both were fine. Officer Greer was in the process of moving a deceased victim to the corner’s vehicle and asked for my assistance. Officer Greer completed the necessary paperwork requested from the corner and I assisted in moving the victim to the corner’s vehicle. Officer Greer explained to me that this was going to be the staging area for the remaining victims, if any, and asked if I could stand by to assist him. I remained on scene and assisted Officer Greer with the remaining three victims as they were recovered from the wreckage.

At approximately 2200 hours, rescue crews were finishing up their duties for the evening. I explained to Officer Greer that I needed to remove myself from the scene in order to get home and rested for the next days work with the Office. Officer Greer thanked me for my assistance and I cleared at approximately 2230 hours.

Arbitration Date Set

Arbitration has been set for October 8th, 2007 at 9 AM.

RE: TEAMSTERS LOCAL 320 AND HENNEPIN COUNTY BMS CASE #06PA0844 (HOROBIN #3234)

This is a case involving an SRT cell extraction that resulted in a 10 day suspension. It is the Union's opinion there is no just cause.

Protesters Have Lawyers, You Should Too

The Star Tribune is reporting:

A small armada of corporate attorneys, many of them partners in the area's most prestigious law firms, have begun meeting and strategizing ways to defend thousands of protesters expected to flock to the Twin Cities next September. And not for $500 an hour, but for free.

Pro bono, or volunteer, work is common for attorneys, but observers are impressed by this effort, which was mobilized by the Minnesota affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Don't be alarmed, be prepared. All full dues paying Detention Deputy members of Teamsters Local 320 are protected by Team Legal. The fallout from mass arrests could persist a long time after the 2008 RNC ends.

On Vacation

I will be on vacation 8/5 through 8/16. In my absence if you need a steward contact one of these stewards:

Phil Miles
Ted Westerdahl
Ashley Horobin
Mike Nielson

Tech Steward: Rick Kuster

2008 RNC Welcoming Committee-ANARCHIST

This is from a myspace site http://www.myspace.com/rnc2008welcomingcommittee
This is what we can look forward to!

The RNC Welcoming Committee is an anarchist/anti-authoritarian organizing body formed to prepare for the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. The RNC-WC, composed primarily of Twin Cities-based anarchists and anti-authoritarians, will function as an informational clearinghouse and organize a spokescouncil for RNC resistance. We will coordinate logistics (food, housing, transportation), and engage in education and outreach.
Without falling prey to the centralized, hierarchical tendencies that have dominated such convergences in the past, we hope that the RNC-WC will maintain a unified, anti-authoritarian presence at the 2008 RNC. Our numbers are huge, and it’s time that our actions reflected that. Following are our points of unity. We invite all individuals and groups committed to these ideas to participate in the Welcoming Committee. Those who work with the RNC Welcoming Committee must agree to:
1. A rejection of Capitalism, Imperialism, and the State;
2. Resist the commodification of our shared and living Earth;
3. Organize on the principles of decentralization, autonomy, sustainability, and mutual aid.
4. Work to end all relationships of domination and subjugation, including but not limited to those rooted in patriarchy, race, class, and homophobia;
5. Oppose the police and prison-industrial complex, and maintain solidarity with all targets of state repression;
6. Directly confront systems of oppression, and respect the need for a diversity of tactics.Though the RNC-WC is focused on a specific event, we hope that our work transcends the convention by contributing to the development of anti-authoritarian movements and mutual aid networks both locally and globally. We are no more opposed to the Republican Party than we are to the Democratic Party. Affiliations and labels aside, we invite all who share our vision to join us in resistance.

These You Tube Videos are meant to educate you about anarchy and for your enjoyment.

Uniform Update

*Important*

Inspector Cooper has issued a memo stating that detention personnel have until "February 28, 2008 to comply with wearing all black leather gear..."

Our contract states:

"Article 32, Section 2.If the basic clothing provided by the EMPLOYER is changed in type, color or style by order of the EMPLOYER, the EMPLOYER will bear any replacement cost in excess of $65.00 per calendar year, the employee to be responsible for the first $65.00 of replacement cost."

The Union's position in conformance to the contract is that the employer is to pay 100% of costs for employees under one year and detention techs, and all but the first $65 for all detention deputies who have completed one year. THIS INCLUDES SHOES! Also note the contract says "replacement," not dye.

While inspector Cooper's memo does not state what the revised policy is, I would advise our members to hold off on switching to black leather until we are sure the new policy conforms to our Agreement with Hennepin County.

Staffing-A Meeting With The Sheriff

We've all been hearing the talk of trimming back staff due to the huge amount of overtime. Over the last week I've had a couple of talks with the Captain, asked them to raise the 16 hour overtime cap to 20 (Inspector Cooper just approved this) and Teamsters 320 has mailed the Administration and the County a letter stating that cut backs in staff would be an officer safety issue.

Today I sat down with Sheriff Stanek and Senior Policy Advisor John Cooney. The talk was productive. I stressed officer safety and I came armed with our schedules which showed exactly why and where the overtime is being used. We have several employees on active military duty and these spots must be covered, this is out of our control. We have a couple of employees temporarily assigned to water patrol, the Sheriff says they're coming back, but one of the biggest chunks of our overtime seems to be "unfunded beds." That's because when the County Board decided to operate two facilities rather then one they never provided the Sheriff's Office with the funds to operate quads two and three. The reality is our counts are above 800 and frequently above the 841 beds we have, including using quads two and three. The solution is not to run thin, but to increase the number of detention deputies to reflect the reality of the count.

I used this example, when you cut the number of cops on the street, crime and incidents go up, and the majority of citizens are not criminals. All of the jail's inmates are criminals, if you cut staff, assaults will increase between inmates, assaults will increase on staff, and liability will increase for the county.

The Sheriff asked me what I would do. I said I'd tell tell the County Board to give us the staff to run quads two and three without overtime. If they didn't, I'd close them down and return to the policy of releasing all non-violent misdemeanors no bail required. Then when the downtown business owner complained that the aggressive panhandler arrested five hours earlier was back in front of his shop I'd direct him to the County Board to provide the funding so we can keep them off of the streets.

The Sheriff is not quite as aggressive as I am on this approach, he's not ready to close down quads two and three, but said he is going to the Board requesting 30 more staff.

All in all I think he and Mr. Cooney were receptive to our concerns. Let's hope the County Board is.

When People Are Prosecuted Falsely

Are people ever prosecuted falsely? Well in the Duke case not only did the three accused get off but the over zealous prosecutor is now sitting in a court room. Why? Weak evidence:Benjamin W. Himan, the Durham detective who was lead investigator on the case, said in testimony for the ethics prosecutors on Tuesday that Mr. Nifong had acknowledged to him that the case was weak and relied on the word of a woman hired to strip at a lacrosse team party.

Could this happen in Hennepin County to our employees? The answer is yes. It happened to a couple of our own detention deputies a few years ago when the Sheriff's Office violated their federal Garrity rights. See

State of Minnesota, Appellant,
vs.
Shelly Ann Gault, Respondent,
Peter Stuart Zielke, Respondent.

Speaking of the elephant in the room, another one of our own has been out since November. As of the writing of this posting he has yet to even enter a plea. Over zealous prosecution on the part of the Sheriff's Office? Time will tell. It all seems, like the Duke case, to ride on the word of an unreliable witness and the Sheriff's Office does have a history of going overboard.

Preferential Treatment For Paris Hilton & Other Celebs?

The city attorney whose office prosecuted her case, Rocky Delgadillo, said it was a case of preferential treatment for a celebrity. He asked the judge to order Ms. Hilton back to jail and asked the sheriff’s department to show why it should not be held in contempt of court for letting her go in the first place.

Read the whole story in the New York Times

PARIS HILTON GOES BACK TO JAIL! Exclusive Video

Learning crowd control from the German's as we approach the RNC

G-8 Rioting Has Germans Second Guessing Policing Strategy
By Charles Hawley in Berlin

Is it possible to avoid violence at the G-8? For years, police in Europe have been trying to perfect their riot-control strategies. But Saturday's rioting in Rostock has the Germans questioning what they've learned.

Full story Spiegel Online

Your help needed!

Detention Deputy Burnham has been out on medical leave. As she is a fairly new employee her sick time is exhausted. You can donate vacation for sick time to help her along. She may not be back until the end of July. If everyone donated only a couple of hours it would pull her through.

The forms are in a red folder on the bulletin board.

Watch Your Computer Use-They Are!

This week I had the misfortune of sitting with a member who received a day off for using a computer for non-work related use. I cannot stress enough that you will not win this fight. The computers are the employers property and the employer has made it clear their computers are for work use only. Misuse can lead to discipline.

The employer can discipline you only for "just cause."

Some elements of just cause are:
Was the work rule clear.
Was the employee aware of the rule.
Was the employee warned before.

As far as computer use for non-work activities goes, no one working in the jail can say they don't know the rule. If you are disciplined it will stick and the only thing the Union can do for you is to make sure your discipline is consistent with others who have done the same thing.

Fox TV had an interesting piece on this. (Click Here)
People have lost jobs over this.

Sheriff Stanek Replies to KMSP TV

Click here for Sheriff Stanek's reply to KMSP TV's reports in the previous blog.

The point of interest to us is the Sheriff's willingness to waive the 16 hour work rule. A rule heavily enforced on those of us making far less money then Sen. Ortman and more dependent on overtime.

Conflict in the front office?

Channel 9 has an interesting piece on our new Financial Officer Sen. Julianne Ortman
Click Here

Combine this with our former Lobbyist Ryan Griffin featured here.

Together this makes for some very interesting news.

On Merkel

AFSCME forwarded the following letter to me at home:

I am pleased to announce the selection of Tom Merkel as the new Corrections Director, effective May 21st. Tom has a long and distinguished career in criminal justice with a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and a law degree. Tom has served as the Inspector in charge of Adult Detention in the Sheriff's Office since July, 2001. Prior to that he was the Deputy Director of Corrections in Shawnee County, Kansas. Please join me in welcoming Tom into his new responsibilities.

Richard P. Johnson Acting County Administrator

They wanted to know what we thought of him. I know that under his hand discipline was very heavy handed. Prior to his arrival if someone made a mistake they might get a letter of reprimand, if it was bad maybe a day off, if severe (and rare) a three day suspension. Under Inspector Merkel, 6 and 10 day suspensions were common. This was a man who once fired a woman just for filing a workers comp claim when he was Deputy Director in Kansas.

The following day, August 21, 1998, Major Thomas Merkel, the jail administrator, telephoned the claimant and terminated claimant supposedly for reasons not related to her worker's compensation claim. Claimant filed a grievance in reference to the termination and was reinstated to her job on September 22, 1998. (McCall v. Shawnee County)

We haven't seen the last of him though. He will be subpoenaed to be at an arbitration regarding a 10 day suspension of an SRT member and over the breakfast issue. I do hope his replacement is a little more employee conscious. If you take the time to read the 2006 annual report it says that employee retention is a problem and that it's cheaper to retain employees then to continuously hire and train new ones. The ball's in their court.

Pictures From The HCSO Open House 5/17

Sheriff's Office Must Change Tactics To Handle Protesters

We've all received the memo informing us that all days off and vacations will be cancelled during the Republican National Convention.

Sheriff Fletcher in Ramsey County is preparing and planning on 3,000 arrests.He has asked their county board for 3.9 million in protester related costs including $550,000 for a possible open-air, fenced detention facility to hold protesters next to the Ramsey County Workhouse; $1.7 million for overtime, and $62,000 for biohazard decontamination equipment. (Source: Star Tribune).

Us? The Hennepin County Board has yet to ask for a convention budget, and the Sheriff's Office has not yet developed one, said Sheriff Rich Stanek. He said he was unaware of protest arrest estimates in Minneapolis.

My concern is less the budget then our policies. The current Sheriff's Office policy of writing a full fledged use of force incident report anytime we touch an inmate will be crippling in a mass arrest situation. Imagine this, a bus with sixty protesters arrives. They refuse to walk and we have to carry them. Now imagine the man hours wasted as multiple detention deputies write individual use of force reports on all sixty inmates! That bus will take hours to be emptied under current policy. Of course if we don't follow Inspector Merkel's memo that requires reports for any physical contact, and an arrestee complains, the staff is subject to discipline.

As I see it, either we had better quadruple the intake staff to accommodate the report writing, or go back to making only a behavior note entry unless directed by a supervisor to write a report. How many times have we been told that the intake video is documentation to protect us? The Sheriff's Office should use it as that, let us quit typing redundant reports, and let us get back to the job of booking in inmates.

The Elephant In The Room

I have refrained from comment on the ongoing case involving our fellow detention deputy for the very fact it is an ongoing investigation. However, I will say that I believe he will land on his feet. This is also an example of what it means to be a union member. While the employer puts you on the spot, you have the union to represent your interest during internal investigation, and Team Legal to provide the best lawyers in the state for your criminal defense. All with your interest in mind. Anyone of us, at any time, can be traveling down this road because of the accusation of an inmate. We only need look as far as Philander Jenkins to see how much trouble one lie can cause. So the next time someone says, What does the union do for us." Reply, "We have your back."

House Passes Employee Free Choice Act in Spite of Hostile Campaign Resembling Unionbusting

WASHINGTON, March 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last ditch efforts by
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the final days before yesterday's vote on
the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800) failed to stop the U.S. House of
Representatives from passing the labor law reform legislation. Some 241
members, including 13 Republicans, supported the bill. "Hard-line business
groups were tripping over each other and sparing no expense to bully
lawmakers, misinform the public, and oppose free choice for workers," says
American Rights at Work Executive Director Mary Beth Maxwell.
In a relentless effort to defeat the bill, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
purchased radio ads in 51 districts to target lawmakers. In an article
earlier this week about the expensive ad buy, Congress Daily quoted a U.S.
Chamber spokesperson who said, "We're making people feel pain."
In the weeks preceding the House floor vote, a well-financed and
coordinated message machine that included industry associations and
right-wing think tanks flooded the public debate with misinformation about
the bill's provisions. Conservative pundit George Will was a late recruit
to help obscure the existence of employer coercion during union organizing
campaigns.
"House members got a taste of the relentless attacks workers endure
every day when they stand up for themselves and support unions," says
Maxwell. "Can you imagine how a nurse with kids to feed feels when faced
with this kind of intimidation? This is exactly why workers need the
Employee Free Choice Act."
Concludes Maxwell, "Hardworking men and women can celebrate today
because Congress stood up for them and American democracy."
American Rights at Work (http://www.americanrightsatwork.org) is a leading
labor policy and advocacy organization. For more information on how
opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act are misinforming the public,
visit: http://www.antiunionnetwork.org.
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Related links:
http://www.americanrightsatwork.org
http://www.antiunionnetwork.org

City of Minneapolis should apologize to Lt. Kroll!

Minneapolis P.D. Lt. Kroll is in hot water for allegedly referring to Congressman Keith Ellison as a terrorist. The Star Tribune is reporting that during a required ethics class Lt. Kroll implied that U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison is a terrorist. The article goes on to say: Chief Tim Dolan sent an e-mail to all employees saying the comments were unacceptable and unflattering to the department. Dolan also issued a public apology to Ellison, a Democrat from Minneapolis and the first Muslim elected to Congress.

What! First of all Keith Ellison is a public figure. As such anyone can comment on him. This is First Amendment protected speech. The same speech that allows an anti-Bush person to call the President a baby killer for invading Iraq (that no one apologizes for). Secondly, Mr. Ellison was a member of Louis Farrakahn's, anti-Semitic & anti-white racist organization the Nation of Islam. He also is associated with, and received campaign money from the Hamas connected organization CAIR. The U.S. government considers Hamas to be a terrorist organization. Ellison is also a cry baby who called the police on a fellow congressman for smoking.

The Tribune goes on quoting Ellison: On Thursday, Ellison said: "The alleged comments don't reflect the diversity of our city, or the warm embracing attitudes of those who live in the Fifth District. I'm grateful to Mayor Rybak and Chief Dolan for setting the right tone. The alleged comments don't reflect the Minneapolis Police Department, who I respect as well."

In my opinion Rybak & Dolan are cowards for apologizing to Ellison, and Ellison's comment that he respects the Minneapolis Police Department is a lie. Ellison's problems with the MPD including his association with local gangsters the likes of Shariff Willis during the murder of police officer Jerry Haaf are well known. He's also been booked into the county jail himself!

The bottom line is this. Ellison is a public figure. Ellison associates with, and receives money from organizations with ties to terrorists. Ellison was a member of a racist organization (the Nation of Islam is every bit as racist as the KKK). Ellison is an associate of criminals, criminals that have murdered Minneapolis' own officers. Lt. Kroll is entitled to speak his mind about a public figure. I believe Minneapolis Mayor Rybak and police Chief Dolan owe the citizens of Minneapolis an apology for their anti-American, anti first amendment conduct. In short, the City of Minneapolis should apologize to Lt. Kroll.

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!

Follow up to Stillwater C.O. Death.

The Star Tribune is reporting today that the Stillwater Correctional Officer who died was 41 year old Steven J. Jensen, an employee since 1989. It's being investigated as a suicide.

Interestingly, they also are reporting that an inmate filed a complaint against Jensen in October, but it was not substantiated and the file was closed Dec. 5. She said there have been no layoffs at the prison, but she didn't know if Jensen had any other work-related issues that could have been a factor.

Anyone in our line of work can testify to the stress caused by being investigated by the employer when an inmate makes a false claim. Unfortunately this may be the result of just such an investigation. While an allegation must be investigated, I believe the employer has a responsibility to treat the employee fairly, not to drag out the investigation, or let the rumors run wild destroying the CO's reputation before an investigation is complete. I don't know that Stillwater handles it's investigations as our Sheriff's Office does, but most of you know exactly what I'm talking about. While an allegation may eventually be deemed not substantiated the Correctional Officer's reputation may never recover. There has to be a better way then treating the employee like a criminal during an investigation then saying, "OK we couldn't find anything wrong so go back to work."

Stillwater Correctional Officer Dies At Work

Today I was at the YMCA I work out at. Frequently I run into a sergeant from Lino Lakes MCF there. Today he said, "Did you hear the news today?"

"No," I replied.

"A C.O. at Stillwater died today."

"How"? I asked.

"He was supposed to work the tower today. When he got his gun he walked behind a pillar and blew his head off."

"Why?"

"I don't know." He said, "I heard he had problems with depression and was having some problems at work. Hell of a line of work we've chosen. If you don't get killed at work you end up killing yourself."

I haven't seen this on the news yet. I don't know if it will make the news. I'll bet there will be no covered shields and bagpipes for him. Ours is the branch of law enforcement no one sees. Everyone sees the cop drag the criminal off of the street. Then as far as the public is concerned it's over. There's an article entitled The Forgotten Cop that sums up our work and there's also a Corrections Officer's Memorial for those who die in our line of work. Take the time to read these and be careful. This line of work can be stressful avoiding danger at work and psychologically.

Sheriff's Chair Missing!

Felicia Chesmer put out the following request:

During the move of the Administration from Room 6 in City Hall to Room 815 of the Grain Exchange, Sheriff Stanek's personal chair was misplaced.
The chair we are looking for is a leather high-back black chair. If anyone has seen a chair like this, please give me a call (Felicia Chesmer ).

Come on guys, if ya know where it is give it up!

Teamsters Local 320 2006 Legislation & IBT 2007 Goals

Click here to see the things our Teamsters local 320 accomplished in 2006 legislatively.

Then click here to see Teamsters national political goals for 2007!

Uniform Changes

The new sheriff's administration has formed a uniform committee with the idea of changing our current brown leather to black. All bargaining units affected by this proposed change were asked for a representative. Union Steward Michael Turner is representing us on this committee. Our goal as stewards is to make sure the contract the members ratified is protected. Our contract reads:

"ARTICLE 32 - CLOTHING ALLOWANCE
Section 1.
Newly hired employees in the Detention Deputy class shall during the first year of employment, be provided basic uniform clothing items of the quantity, type and style prescribed by the EMPLOYER. Each Detention Deputy, after having completed one (1) full year of service, shall be eligible for a uniform clothing allowance in an amount not to exceed $485 in 2006 and $495 in 2007. The uniform shall be worn only when performing official duties as directed by the EMPLOYER or upon such special occasions as the EMPLOYER may authorize. Employees shall wear and maintain the uniform as specified by the EMPLOYER. Upon termination of employment, all uniform clothing equivalent in quantity or value to the original issued shall be returned to the EMPLOYER. Upon termination of employment, all I.D. cards, insignia and any other County property issued to, or in the possession of the employee, shall be returned to the EMPLOYER.
Section 2.
If the basic clothing provided by the EMPLOYER is changed in type, color or style by order of the EMPLOYER, the EMPLOYER will bear any replacement cost in excess of $65.00 per calendar year, the employee to be responsible for the first $65.00 of replacement cost.
Section 3.
Any uniform items found by supervisory inspection to be worn out or damaged shall be turned in to the EMPLOYER"

(Highlights in red provided by me for emphasis)

The first meeting of the uniform committee was today and I'm proud of the way Steward Turner represented us.

Important: Vote in the PERA elections!

Yeah I know it's a boring piece of seemingly junk mail that comes to your home, but take the time to VOTE, our retirement depends on it.

Teamsters 320 worked hard to get Detention Deputies the 55 retirement and these are the people they recommend we vote for on the PERA board of trustees:

Louise (Lou) Olson for Retiree Representative
Larry Bodnar for At-large Representative
Gary Lavelle for At-large Representative