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!