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!

Hold on to your Wallet!

Recently many of you (and me) received a letter from the MMRA (Minnesota Municipal Retirement Association).

They talked about "cuts" to your pension's COLA from 2.5% to 1%, but for $5 a month they would fight for your raise!

This sounded like a money making scam to me so I contacted them and asked what they were doing for PERA Correctional Plan members. The response was, " MMRA is restricted to represent only PERA General members. "

Fact: the PERA Correctional Plan cost of living raise is still 2.5%. 

This raises several questions.

1. Why did they send this to PERA Correctional Plan members?
2. How did they get our addresses?
3. Why are they soliciting money from the PERA Correctional Plan members?

The 'why' seems to be a way to scam people into paying $5 a month for nothing!

How they got the addresses is a mystery. PERA does not give those out. My guess, a former Union of ours (not MNPEA) sold them the addresses.

The 'why solicit' is it's just a way to skim money from people they will never assist.

To sum this up. The PERA Correctional Plan's COLA is 2.5%. The MMRA does not lobby for you.
Why should any retiree have to pay someone to 'protect' the pension they paid into for years?
That is your Union's job. 

Of course we know Teamsters, AFSCME and LELS were perfectly happy to reduce  the PERA Correctional Plan to 1.5%. Only MNPEA fought the cut, and won.

So if you received this letter from MMRA, throw it away!

2019 Retirement Benefit Increases Announced

2019 Retirement benefit increases announced

October 12, 2018

Good news for retirees

Retired members of the PERA General Plan will receive a 1.4 percent increase in their PERA retirement benefits, effective Jan. 1, 2019.

The 1.4 percent increase reflects 2018 legislative changes to PERA’s retirement plans. The General Plan cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will be equal to 50 percent of the increase announced by Social Security. Social Security announced a 2.8 percent benefit increase for 2019. The 1.4 percent increase is good news for PERA retirees since the previous increases were at 1 percent for many years.

Members of the Correctional Plan will receive a 2.5 percent increase in their PERA retirement benefits, effective Jan. 1, 2019. This increase is a result of the legislative change calling for the Correctional Plan COLA to be equal to 100 percent of the increase announced by Social Security, with a maximum 2.5 percent increase.

The Correctional Plan can provide a larger increase to plan members since the plan is relatively better funded than the other plans PERA administers.  In the future, the Correctional Plan COLA maximum could be reduced to 1.5 percent if the plan’s funding status declines.

The Police & Fire Plan members will continue to receive a 1 percent increase in their PERA retirement benefits.  The Police & Fire COLA is not currently tied to an inflation index.

Source: MNPERA.org

I again must point out that AFSCME, Teamsters Local 320 and LELS all had agreed to the lower 1.4% for the Correctional Plan as "shared pain".  And that without ever bringing it to their members! 

Beware LELS, Law Enforcement Labor Services!

Hey Minnesota CO's, all representation is not the same.

LELS has a pitch to Corrections Officers on their website.

That's funny because LELS (Sean Gormley and David Metusalem) , Teamsters Local 320 (Brian Aldes) and AFSCME all signed off on allowing PERA CO's to take a Pension cut just a few months ago. Thank God MNPEA and I caught it.

They are also pitching their Legal Plan. I'm not sure how it's working now, but back when Hennepin County Detention was with them it didn't apply to Detention Deputies, only sworn officers. I'm also sure it doesn't apply to off duty like MNPEA's plan does. Hell, they didn't even support the PERA Correctional Officers Pension when we were working on it. Dan Wells sat behind me at a meeting and laughed!

We are in a time when CO's are leaving the likes of Teamsters Local 320 and AFSCME, just be careful you go to a Union that will represent Corrections. Not just take your dues for Police only.

CO's safety takes a back seat, again.

KSTP is reporting that  the industry area at Stillwater Prison is reopened.

It's the area where CO Joseph Gomm was murdered by an inmate with a hammer, while other inmates held the doors.

Stillwater CO's had complained for years about the lack of safety and it fell on deaf ears to both management and their union, AFSCME.

Well, the industry area is reopened and now KSTP is reporting some CO's are refusing to work there.
Now management is wanting business as usual, but AFSCME is actually, at least verbally, asking for more cameras in the area.

Tim Henderson, Associate Director for AFSCME is quoted as saying they want more cameras and a partner on rounds so no one has to go solo.

Sadly, before the death of Joseph Gomm, according to Stillwater CO's, AFSCME was more interested in releasing inmates early from segregation,even though it led to an increase in assaults on staff, supporting the Governor's staffing cuts, and backing BLM against law enforcement!

I have to wonder if AFSCME's sudden backing of members is because after years of ignoring them they suddenly care, or because of the Janus v AFSCME ruling they are losing money, err, I mean members?

I'm guessing the later.

Watch this site for big news on how some of the bigger Unions tried to work against Corrections Officer Pensions.

Big announcement coming in the first part of December!

Some Details

As with most of you, I am a fiscal conservative. I have watched pension plans crash and burn. Like the Teamsters Central States pension.

To Minnesota's Credit, the PERA Board and legislature have historically done a great job of keeping our pensions solvent.

The last eight years were not particularly good for many pensions. The MSRS Correctional Plan, PERA Police and Fire, TRA (Teachers Union) and Judges pensions are not doing so well
and wisely some adjustments are being made to insure they remain solvent into the future.

Among proposals by Sen. Rosen in SF545 is to reduce the Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) of some of the plans, but not equally. Among them is to cut MSRA Correctional from a 2% annual COLA to 1.5% and to cut our PERA Correctional COLA from 2.5% to 1.5% so they are uniform.

Wait a minute. MSRA Correctional is way under funded and only gets a .5% reduction in it's COLA. The PERA Correctional Plan which is funded at 95.7% is asked to take a 1% cut in COLA!

The Legislative Commission's own actuarials on the PERA Correctional Plan state, "The funded status of the plan will increase gradually towards a 100% funded ratio."

It's disturbing to see Republicans like Sen. Rosen and her counterpart in the House, Rep. O'Driscoll, wanting to make things uniform. That sounds more like socialism than conservatism. Sadly, the vote was 100% in the Senate for this.

I can understand the cut to the MSRA Correctional Plan, but not the PERA Corrections Plan. They are two separate pensions, separate funding and one plan is anemic, the other healthy. Why give the healthy plan the bigger cut? This is unfair to County Corrections Officers.

Here's a large part of the problem. The largest Unions representing County Corrections Officers are MNPEA and LELS. We had no input!

The two groups that had input were Teamsters Local 320 (who lost almost all of their CO's) and AFSCME.  They were more interested is shoring up the pensions of their General Groups and Police, which make up a majority of their members.

AFSCME actually threw their approximately 100 CO's at the Hennepin County Workhouse under the bus. On their AFSME Council 5 website they call for shared sacrifice! Cutting our COLA does not help MSRS! If I were a Hennepin County Workhouse CO I'd scream bloody murder at AFSCME.

I leave you with a picture from AFSCME Council 5, calling for shared sacrifice! They plan on working against County CO's again in 2018. We have much work ahead.

Welcome Minneapolis 911 to MNPEA!

MNPEA Welcomes the Minneapolis Dispatchers!

AFSCME challange to MNPEA dismissed with Prejudice

This is a re-post from MNPEA's Facebook page. AFSCME and Teamsters Local 320 brought a challenge at the Bureau of Mediation Services challangeing MNPEA's right to status as a public employee union. They wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars for the hearing at the State, wasted their members dues money on attorneys and wasted MNPEA member resources. 

Brian Aldes, Teamsters

Why? Because Brian Aldes (Teamsters Local 320), 

Eliot Seide, AFSCME

Eliot Seide and Eric Lehto (AFSCME Council 5) were afraid of the MNPEA continuing to attract their members.

When they realized they weren't going to win, they threw in the towel.. Here's the post:

"Concerning AFSCME and Teamsters 320 claim that MNPEA should be de-certified as a Public Sector Union:

The Bureau issued a ruling that Council 5 and MNPEA shall share the cost of the hearing transciption equally and that there is not a reasonable appearance that MNPEA presently fails to comply with any of the requirements of sections 179.18 to179.231.

We'll have the COMPLETE Transcripts posted soon. You're going to love this!

That's Right! We're still here in spite of Brian Aldes from Local 320 bragging to members and others that we would be removed and in spite of AFSCME spending tons of member's dues money on the bogus hearing! Nobody from 320 even showed at the hearings, they sent a hired gun atty at the expense of their members. At least AFSCME's bureaucrats (appointed non-elected by the way, that's why we call them bureaucrats) had the courage to be there and go on record. 320 talks a lot of smack in the background but won't put anything in writing or go on record....

We're still $39 per month including On and Off Duty Legal Defense for members and their spouses."

BMS Decision

Corrections News & Views, January 2014 Edition

Why we left Teamsters and joined MNPEA

There's a lot of propaganda being spread about MNPEA by Afscme and the Teamsters. Those of you seeking to leave the dinosaur unions for MNPEA might find our experience helpful in making your decision.

Watch the video I made in September of 2011 while we were in the decertification process. It states  why the Hennepin County Detention Deputies, Telecommunicators and Techs were leaving the Teamsters for MNPEA. Some of what happened to us might be happening to you. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Contract Negotiation Update

Below is a copy of our response to Hennepin County's initial offer:

MNPEA Response to Employer's Initial Proposal from Oct. 29'2013

1) Duration. MNPEA is open on this issue.

2) Wages- 3% General Increase in each year of contract to all unit members (also
referred to as a "COLA"), applies to all steps. See also #3,4 & 5 below.

3) Steps- All unit members not at tcp of range receive steps each year of conlract,
' General lncrease (or "COLA's" ) percenta ge in #2 above shall apply and increase to
all step levels. Steps will not be contingent on any perforrr,ance review or merit.
In addition, certain employees were in recent past o'frozen". For these employees,
two step movements will occur in2014 with the applicable percentage increase.
Applies only to employees employed at time of freeze.

4) Change $18.01 from employers proposal to $20.01, and change $300 lump sum to
$500.

5) Market adjustment- all step grids to ittcrease by $3.00 per hour
.
6) I\{NPEA is ready to sign.

7) Employers proposal is acceptable.

8) Employers proposal is acceptable.

9) No as proposed. Statutory right.

l0) Hold for further discussion- but as drafted, No.

1l) Employers proposal is acceptable.

CHANGES OR ADDITIONS from MNPEA's Initial Proposal

A) MNPEA will drop item under Article l1- Holidays

B) Article 2l- Insurance, see above, ready to sign.

C) All other proposals remain as originally stated or as modified in response to employer
items above. MNPEA reserves the right to add or modify its position and proposals.

D) NEw- 28 day schedule. Want written rules on applicability and procedures in
contract

E) NEW- Telecommunicators Bid- "on or about Nov. 1" language. Add language stating
"on or about means at most a one week grace period from Nov. 1"

An interesting side note. While waiting to go upstairs for our negotiations we ran into a couple of fine folks from AFSCME. You know the guys who got our addresses and came to our homes accompanied by a pedophile.

Well we told them we didn't appreciate Ryan Hanson and Dale Blom's antics. One of them then had the nerve to ask us to sign a bunch of cards they had.soliciting THE PUBLIC for signatures to get them a raise. I told them we were pissed and wouldn't sign anything with AFSCME on it.

Contract Talks Update

We meet again with Hennepin County on October 29th to receive their proposal. Our position is resolute. We need a market adjustment and a cost of living raise in addition to steps.

Hennepin County Detention Deputies and our counterparts at the Workhouse ARE THE LOWEST PAID IN THE 7 COUNTY METRO AREA!

This is unacceptable. A Ramsey County Detention Deputy starts at $22 an hour. A Hennepin County one starts at $17. At 5 years a Ramsey County Detention Deputy is at $31 an hour. Hennepin tops out at $27 an hour after 8 years, that is if there wasn't the 5 years of wage freezes we just had. Ramsey tops at $34 an hour.

We are the biggest busiest jail in the upper Midwest and the only ACA accredited jail in Minnesota, which means shit when it comes to more wages. It only means we get hours and hours of more training than our better paid counterparts.

Well, Hennepin County had better have a serious offer or this steward won't think twice about going to arbitration. After all, the only mint left on the pillow after we got screwed last time, was that we can compare ourselves to Ramsey County, and we will.

I hope the Workhouse gets on board and doesn't get stuck bargaining as clerical, instead of essential as AFSCME always does to them.

MNPEA response to AFSCME smack talk

Dear members,

AFSCME has been talking smack about us, claiming we're not a Union. Here's our MNPEA Business Agent's response:

Attention Minnesota Public Employees:

Because of our ongoing organizing of public groups in Minnesota there have been numerous rumors and statements originating from a couple of big unions about who we are, what we promise and what our service to members is. Here are some of the things being said and our response.

In a recent letter from the President of Local 82, AFL-CIO (MPLS Firefighters Union) he starts with the statement that MNPEA has been comparing itself to the AFL-CIO and AFSCME. Neither I nor the other Officers of MNPEA have ever compared ourselves to them. Why would we? They represent most of the things wrong with the Labor Movement in the 21st century. When I was President of Local 320 Teamster President James Hoffa, after years of requests from Teamster members and officers to leave the AFL-CIO, finally took a vote among the top two officers of all the Teamsters Locals. The desire was overwhelming to leave and we did. In the 34 years I've been involved in MN unions as a member, agent and officer, I have watched AFSCME roll over in contract negotiations time and again. Our members and many of theirs have voiced the same opinion. While the Teamsters left the AFL-CIO, they kept a non-raid pact with AFSCME or we would have had several of their groups cross over to Teamsters. Until MNPEA there has been a monopoly on most public jobs in MN by AFSCME and Teamsters.

He also stated that MNPEA doesn’t have political clout because we’re too small. MNPEA is already three times larger than the MPLS Firefighter Union. We haven’t had issues speaking with elected officials, their doors are open to us just like the others. The main difference is that we only endorse candidates if 70% or more of our members are in agreement. We report relevant information concerning political impact on their jobs to our members and let them decide who they want to support and/or vote for like adults. We don’t badger them with endless phone calls and mailings, wasting their dues money and time. Our members consider such behavior on the part of unions to be intrusive and insulting to their intelligence.

He then went on to say that people don’t have a voice with MNPEA and our 3 staff members. In fact our bylaws allow the members to over-ride Executive Board Decisions on grievances they want taken to arbitration if the Board isn’t recommending it! If 70% of the members in a bargaining unit want to arbitrate anyway we do it. He also said that we make promises we can’t keep! WE MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT WE CAN’T PROMISE BETTER CONTRACTS ETC, just that we’ll work harder and return all calls etc. What we do promise are $39 per month union dues through 2016 . No hidden costs. We invite Stewards to our Board meetings and if we ever need to raise dues they will be part of the decision process and we must have the members vote in the increase. We hold Steward elections after each contract is negotiated and approved by the members. The AFSCME groups up in the ARC that came to us were flabbergasted! All of the positions there were appointed under AFSCME!

Both Teamsters and AFSCME representatives have claimed that we aren’t elected. We started this association from scratch and are the first Executive Board Members. Our bylaws provide for elections just like theirs. All of the groups that have come to us elected to do so. That’s the process through the MN Bureau Of Mediation. Before I retired from Teamsters Local 320 myself, our President Dave Deal and several members ran against their Executive Board in the Teamsters Delegate Election in 2011 and WE WON! None of the 320 Board Members, Agents and members running with them got to go. WE represented the Teamster members at the convention. This had never happened to an existing Teamster Executive Board before. Change can be had if you have the courage and conviction to stand up, which we did and continue to do. Don’t let the big unions intimidate you, they’re not tough guys like some of them pretend to be unless lazy is the new tough LoL! You deserve better.

AFSCME is currently spending their member’s dues money paying several people to take off work and replacing their wages while they come out to places of work and member’s homes to spread lies about MNPEA. They are doing mailings, emails, home visits and phone calls 7 days a week. Many of the mailings and flyers have no author listed! Not much due process when anonymous letters and rumors lead the procession. The lies for the most part are down right childish. Silly things like your contract doesn’t go with you. You’ll lose your job. Anyone can call the MN Bureau Of Mediation, the State Agency that handles union and employer affairs, and ask them how things really work.http://mn.gov/bms/index.html Do you really want people that tell childish lies and slander instead of stepping up to the plate and making changes? We don’t go out and cold call groups. They contact us! For many years AFSCME and Teamsters have had a monopoly on Public Employees in MN. That is no longer the case and members all over are finding that out. We are being contacted all over the state.

One of the things big unions aren’t telling their members is how many paying members they have lost in Right To Work States. For example in Wisconsin AFSCME went from over 50,000 paying members to under 15,000! AFSCME wants to blame conservatives for their condition. NO! It’s the lack of service and the high monthly dues that are the downfall of big unions. We hear this constantly from workers calling us wanting to leave their outdated Neanderthal unions. Meanwhile Officers and Agents working for the big unions continue to receive multiple salaries and retirements. They continue to hold extravagant conferences around the country where they stay at fancy hotels with free drinks and food etc. It’s like the rats at the top are stealing everything they can before their ships sink.

We have a new vision for the 21st century instead of the archaic 1950s model the large unions use. 24/7 Legal Defense for our members and their spouses. Including not just Licensed Peace Officers but all public employee members! If a legal issue arises outside of work you call our attorneys. If your employer wants to question you and it can lead to discipline we send an attorney to represent you. We also have open financial dealings. Try to get the spending facts including “Miscellaneous Expenditures” from the big unions. It’s a very sad time in America when big union Executive Boards are corrupt as or worse than many corporate Executives Boards. Good luck to working Americans with that scenario.

You can chose to allow the same old same old or you can stand up and demand change. We are prepared to debate any big union officers, agents, employees etc anytime. Let them try to slander us and lie about us in a public forum. We’ll tell you what really goes on in these organizations and what they really do with your dues money and a whole lot more. Check us out at www.Mnpea.com.

Thank you for your time,
Mike Golen
MNPEA Director