Court forces Teamsters Local 320 to return ill gotten dues and Pension news.

Teamsters officials forced to return every dollar, plus interest, of fees seized by the union from the court workers

Minneapolis, MN (September 10, 2018) – A federal First Amendment lawsuit brought by National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys for two Minnesota court employees against a Teamsters local union has ended with the workers winning a settlement that will return to the workers all forced union dues seized by union officials. The refund is a result of the Foundation-won U.S. Supreme Court Janus v. AFSCME decision, which held that the First Amendment prohibits mandatory union fees for public sector workers.

Carrie Keller and Elizabeth Zeien, employees of the State of Minnesota Court System, filed the lawsuit after Teamsters Local 320 union officials and Minnesota state officials forced them into union ranks without a vote and against their desire.

FULL STORY

Plus Pension News

Craig Johnson, Teamsters Local 320 BA tries to take credit for protecting our Pension last year! Everyone who's been following this blog knows Brian Aldes, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 320 "signed off" on CUTS to the PERA Correctional Plan. Only after this author and MNPEA went to bat was our 2.5% COLA maintained. Had Johnson and Aldes had their way it would have been only 1.4% this year.

The following letter from Craig Johnson of Teamsters Local 320 was shared with me by our Ramsey County CO readers of this blog. Note the last sentence; "...we worked on the Omnibus Pension Bill to secure PERA remains strong...."

They had agreed to cap our pension at 1.5%! They and AFSCME called it shared sacrifice. Sorry Craig, we don't don't need that kind of "work" on our pension.

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! 

Oak Park Heights MCF CO Parise ruled a homicide

The death last month of Oak Park Heights CO Joe Parise has been ruled a homicide,

In other Oak Par Heights news, 2 CO's were hospitalized yesterday after an altercation with 2 inmates.

The Star Tribune article goes on to say that the inmates involved were placed in restrictive housing  and Oak Park Heights is on lock down.

Let's hope the 2 inmates don't get the early release treatment from seg MCF OPH has been famous for lately.

Officer safety should be the top priority.

Full Cost of Living Raise for PERA CO's

Good news.

Social Security recipients will receive a 2.8% Cost of Living raise in 2019.

PERA CO's COLA is tied to the Social Security cost of living increase-100% of Social Security COLA capped at 2.5%.

This means PERA Correctional Plan Retirees will receive the full 2.5% increase in 2019.

Never forget Teamsters Local 320, AFSME and LELS had all agreed to a lower cap (1.5%) without ever consulting 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.

Watch your addresses, again.

Remember when AFSCME "organizers" got our addresses and showed up at our doorsteps? Well my Teamster insiders tell me 320 just hired a new organizer. 

Don't be surprised if they use the same list AFSCME scumbags and pedophiles used to show up at our houses. 

If they show up, ask their names and ask how they got your address. Don't sign anything. It isn't to get more information (as they'll say), it's to authorize a decertification vote. 

If you want to know what Teamster organizers are like contact our new MNPEA members, the Sherburne County C.O.'s.

Of course there's always what happened to the Memphis Tennessee P.D. at the hands of Teamsters:

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office, Everson accepted $5,000 in the form of a check drawn on the account of a Teamsters local to provide and help install hidden surveillance cameras at a youth camp run by the rival Fraternal Order of Police.  FULL STORY AP

If they show up, let me know. They play a lot dirtier than the AFSCME amateurs, but something tells me they are working together for now.

What they don't get is that the best "organizers" are happy members. Take care of them, and the rest falls into place.

Remember, these are the guys trying to weaken our pension!

Teamsters to MNPEA, Lest Ye Forget

page 17, 2011 IBT Delegates

There's a lot of hand wringing going on about the MNPEA "raiding" Teamsters and AFSCME groups. How did this come about?

To the left you see WHO the Teamsters Local 320 Delegates were to the 2011 Teamsters International Convention. The names you see BEAT the Sue Mauren Slate, Secretary Treasurer of Local 320. They ran as the Anyone But Hoffa Slate, and won.

Yes, members, it can be done.

You will notice that some of the delegates are now officers of the MNPEA, Dave Deal and Mike Golen,  Some of the other delegates like Wade Laszlo and Carol Orcutt are now members of bargaining units that have left Teamsters for the MNPEA. 






How did this begin? What was the catalyst?

At the 2009 Steward training there was a MNTLEL meeting. The topic of discussion was the Correctional Pension. We voted and decided that the priority should be a raise in the benefit, which hadn't been raised since its' inception, and to get a corrections officer on the PERA board.

Instead, Mike Carey and Erik Skoog decided that correctional officers being  licensed was to be the priority. Union Steward Dave Deal was part of MNTLEL and was never consulted. Angered by the repeated ignoring of member votes by Local 320's leadership, Dave Deal ran a slate, the Members for a Better Union Slate, against Sue Mauren's Unity Slate, in the local board election. Sue Mauren's slate won, but then quickly turned on the members who dared to run against Sue and those who supported them. 

You can read some of their bullshit here, Teamsters Local 320 Election Result, it documents some of their personal attacks on members like me, who voiced support for Deal in the election.

This catalyst of ignoring members, then turning on them for exercising their rights as dues paying members resulted in several of us running against the Hoffa supporting Sue Mauren slate in the 2011 Delegate Election. We sought to represent the members of Local 320 as Delegates to the 2011 International Brotherhood of Teamsters Convention. We ran as the Anyone But Hoffa Slate, and as you see on the attachment, we won. Unlike other years, Local 320 did not picture us on their magazine or publish widespread who won. To this day many don't know Sue Mauren even lost to us.

The election was ugly and Sue Mauren's slate cheated. The Federal Elections Supervisor found their slate in violation of elections rules. They used Brian Aldes', non-union, brother in law's business, Razworks, to to make a free website for their slate. Sue Mauren was found guilty by Election Supervisor, Richard Mark. 

You can read it here: http://www.ibtvote.org/protests/2010/2011esd087.htm  She was forced to pay for the website and post this message for 30 days on their slate's website:

Richard W. MarkElection Supervisor
The Election Supervisor has found that Sue Mauren and the Mauren slate violated the Election Rules by accepting web design and hosting services for the Mauren website from Razworks LLC, a commercial web design and hosting service. Campaign contributions from non-members are strictly prohibited by the Rules. The Election Supervisor has directed Mauren to pay Razworks its usual and customary charges for the services provided and to cease using non-member contributions to campaign.

The Election Supervisor has issued this decision in Laszlo, 2010 ESD 87 (January 27, 2011). You may read this decision at http://www.ibtvote.org/protests/2010/2011esd087.htm.

You can read more about Mauren's and Hoffa's corrupt campaigns here.

A Federal Elections Supervisor ended up having to supervise Local 320's delegate election to ensure fairness. With Federal oversight at the ballot count, the Anyone But Hoffa Slate won. Interesting is the fact that many of the same people on the winning slate had lost in the local election just weeks earlier. It made many of us question the legitimacy of 320's local board election.

The convention was outrageous. Watch videos of Hoffa supporters here, including delegates walking out as Fred Gegare was nominated:
http://detentionhome.blogspot.com/2011/07/teamsters-local-320-delegates-at-ibt.html

At the convention we succeeded in our goals of getting Fred Gegare and Sandy Pope on the national ballot to challenge Hoffa.. Hoffa won the national election.

Having lost faith in the Teamsters to represent their members, some of the Anyone but Hoffa slate and their supporters formed the MNPEA. A labor organization dedicated to representing the members, not over paid so called "labor leaders." Many of  Teamsters large corrections  bargaining units decertified Teamsters to join the MNPEA.  Groups like Hennepin County Detention Deputies and Washington County Corrections.  You can see  MNPEA's groups here at http://mnpea.com/

In a strange turn of events, Teamsters Local 320 is once again working against corrections officers! You will remember that the initial catalyst of the strife was their unwillingness to support the corrections officers with their pension. Now they are working against corrections officers by proposing letting non-essential probation officers and security guards into it!

I'd like to make one final point. The Anyone But Hoffa Slate people who left for the MNPEA are not anti-labor or even anti-Teamsters. We were the reformers who won in the delegate election, we believe in labor and are proud of the labor movement's and Teamsters' history. We simply believe that the current Teamsters structure and  leadership has lost the way paved by great men like Jim Hoffa Sr. They no longer represent members, just themselves. 

The Thunder and Lightning has left for the MNPEA.

P.S. If any reader has any doubts as to my former loyalty to the Teamsters over the years scroll back through the history of this blog. Local 320 leadership caused the rift. At the end of the day the members are most important, and if one labor organization has forgotten who represents who, then it's time to move on to one that will.

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.

Freeborn County, First MNPEA Victory

Congratulations Freeborn County Sheriff's Patrol Sergeants!


On October 13, 2011 the Freeborn County Sheriff's Patrol Sergeants became the first group to become members of MNPEA!


There are more then a dozen other groups poised to do the same in the next few weeks!

Letter from the FOP regarding Teamster attacks on MNPEA attorney Rob Fowler

Members Of The Minnesota Fraternal Order Of Police:

As some of you know, our general counsel Robert Fowler has been working hard to add membership to our organization. He is general counsel to a new labor union, MNPEA, that will bring roughly 250 officers into the FOP and our Legal Defense Plan (LDP) this year alone. MNPEA is not officially affiliated with the FOP - we remain unaffiliated with any labor group, but MNPEA will be offering to it's sworn law enforcement members the FOP's LDP. Many of the bargaining groups being brought into MNPEA are from the Teamsters.

Recently, bulk emails were sent out by a group sponsored by Teamsters 320 that is trying to discredit MNPEA's Business Agents and our own FOP Attorney. The emails state Mr. Fowler was fired from his previous employer and has been accused by the MN Attorney General's Office for stealing money from the FOP. I understand that any labor group has a right to maintain their membership numbers, but I take exception to this false accusation. Fowler's contract with the FOP started in 2005.

We have always had a system in place where we pay Mr. Fowler a flat rate for each LDP member, plus an annual vehicle allowance that started several years ago. He has never had access to our bank accounts or finances. Paul and I can say with absolute certainty that Rob Fowler has never stolen money from our organization - that would be impossible.

As your President, I contacted the AG's Office and even though they could not comment directly on this accusation, I was told that their office "would not investigate this type of complaint". I can also state with certainty that Mr. Fowler was not fired from his previous law job with Pat Kelly's Office, this was acknowledged during the bidding process for the FOP contract.

We are concerned because these false emails could cause our own members to question whether our organization or legal defense plan are worthwhile. Our legal defense plan and the services offered by our attoney are without question invaluable, and Mr. Fowler has always maintained high integrity. Please forward this out to your fellow lodge members and correctly inform anyone in your workplaces who may have heard this type of false misinformation. Let them know that the accusations are false.

As President, I also feel that you should know that there is a new labor union option out there. Mr. Fowler is MNPEA's general counsel so you will be assured quality legal representation. We have had some issues in the past with Teamsters coming close to crossing the line into FOP matters, and I feel that this latest attack clearly does cross that line. I feel you should question whether representation by Teamsters is appropriate for you, as law enforcement officers, when such clearly false and defamatory accusations are being made against our FOP attorney.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and feel free to contact Treasurer Dooley or myself if you have questions.

Gary Cayo
MN FOP President

Paul Dooley
MN FOP Treasurer

320 Begs You to Stay

Decertification Video