MN Progressive Project puts Stanek spending in perspective

A brief look at the list of travel charges leads one to start asking questions:
 
1) On 01/23/2012, $2,244.20 was spent at “MARRIOTT 33769″ in Washington DC, for the purpose of “JW DC NSA Conf Hotel – Stanek.” A online website lookup of this hotel says that the daily room changes range from $229 to $429. So it appears that Stanek took the most expensive room for 5 days. Is it the policy to take the most expensive room?
 

2) The number of Sheriff conferences seems high. Why did Stanek go to the WESTERN sheriffs conference?
 
3) On 03/22/2012, $1,327.20 was spent at Delta Air on a flight for and “Flight to DC and PHX”. Aren’t DC and Phoenix in the opposite directions from Minneapolis? Currently Delta Air round trips delta flights from Minneapolis to Washington are $559 first class. So was this charge for two round trip first class tickets?

 
4) On 08/14/2012, $183.98 was spent on a “Dinner with Fed Partners” at Sunsets Wayzata. An expensive meal at Wayzata’s Sunset restaurant would be $30. So did Staneck buy meals for 6 “Fed Partners”? Why didn’t “Fed Partners” use their own expense account?
 
And those questions are only from the first half page, the list goes on.
 
Stanek is Republican, so we shouldn’t be surprised that he spends other people’s money lavishly.

FULL STORY MN PROGRESSIVE PROJECT

Hennepin County Sheriff Stanek's Travel expenses

Post by Frizell for Sheriff.

Post by Frizell for Sheriff.

Post by Frizell for Sheriff.

Post by Frizell for Sheriff.

Post by Frizell for Sheriff.

Payroll Woes

As you all know when the contract was settled we were to receive all back pay on the October 10th check.

For most it didn't exactly happen that way. Some were paid their cost of living adjustment(COLA), but it appeared not all back pay was included. Some received their COLA, but not the Step increase due them. Several people said they didn't get the $350 lump sum due to people making less than $18 an hour.

On October 21, 2014, our MNPEA BA and three stewards met with Hennepin County Labor Relations to discuss this and some of our other grievances we've had with HCSO payroll.

The County admitted many did not get their Step increase on this check, and doesn't know why HCSO payroll sat on the ones who had their reviews done. Some of those missing their Step will get it on this check, but not all. Some will get it on the following check. One of our concerns was that the COLA was paid on the lower rate before the Step was included. They assured us the back pay Step will include the COLA adjustment on the higher amount when paid.

Steward Phil M stated that we can't read our paychecks as printed and we didn't trust them. He asked if those who believed their checks were wrong could get a line by line print out of how the amount was arrived at. The County said that would be too time consuming as each of our 205 members would have to have it done manually by payroll. The county said they would audit 5 members of our choosing, and if they found the back pay wasn't correct they would audit everyone and make it right.

As to the $350 members making less then $18.00 an hour were to receive, the offer was only to those making that amount before Jan 1st. Our union is fighting that.

Payroll has been a major issue, especially the Sheriff's Office payroll. There are months of unpaid weekend and night shift differentials. When contacted Sheriff's payroll either says it will be on the next check or flat out says you don't get it. Further emails bounce back. Grievances have reached the county level and I won't be surprised if they reach arbitration.

One has to wonder why the Sheriff's Office uses Workforce rather then APEX like the rest of the county and why no one can read their checks.

I think a State audit is overdue.

Ebola...Does our jail have a protocol?

Dallas County Deputy in Contact 

With Duncan's Apartment Taken to Hospital   NBC Dallas

A Dallas County sheriff's deputy in Frisco who said he was feeling ill and who had been in the apartment of Thomas Eric Duncan, the man who died Wednesday of Ebola, has been hospitalized.

NBC 5 has confirmed the man is Sr. Sgt. Michael Monnig with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.

I remember all of the Swine Flu protocol...is there one for Ebola?

How to contain it? 

How many staff would stay home?

Just food for thought.