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.

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.