You'd call it a lobbyist, The Sheriff's Office would call it a Contract and Grants Manager!

Apparently our drinking and driving lobbyist is being replaced. Yeah, they're calling the position a Contract and Grants Manager for the Sheriff's Office, but read the description and qualifications and tell me what you'd call it!


Job Title:
Contract and Grants Manager - Sheriff's Office
Closing Date/Time:
Fri. 08/31/07 5:00 PM Central Time
Salary:
$56,016.00 - $85,272.00 annually
Job Type:
Full-time
Location:
Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota
Department:
Sheriff's Office

This job is closed. Print Job Information
Description Benefits Supplemental Questions

We are one of Minnesota's premier law enforcement agencies, based in Minneapolis. Over 800 men and women of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office invite you to join them in the career challenges offered by our agency which seeks to reflect the diversity of the communities it serves. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is dedicated to increasing public safety through leadership, integrity, and strong partnerships. The vision of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is outstanding public safety through exemplary leadership, collaborative dynamic partnerships, and innovative resource management. The primary duties/responsibilities of this position include:
Develop and implement coordinated face-to-face and written outreach and educational campaigns, related to Public Safety, for the County Board, other elected officials, department heads within Hennepin County, and the public.
Develop relationships with members of the Minnesota Legislature as well as the Governor and his Administration.
Develop relationships and potential legislative programs with Minnesota’s Congressional delegation for the purpose of identifying, securing and maximizing federal resources for coordination and provision of law enforcement services throughout the County.
Develop a coordinated effort among Sheriffs and Police Chiefs throughout the State to promote public safety and to coordinate Homeland Security efforts.
Research policy and legislative bills and advise the Sheriff on official positions with respect to their potential impact on law enforcement and public safety in the County. Make recommendations to the Chief of Staff and the Sheriff regarding such proposals and issues.
Analyze and evaluate departmental policies and procedures and formulate new or revised ones when necessary. The ideal candidate will have:
Juris Doctorate AND
Four or more years of experience in Government Relations work at the MN Legislature. Selection Process: Invitations to interview will be based on an assessment of education and experience.

Agency:
Hennepin County
Address:
Hennepin County Government Center 300 South Sixth Street Minneapolis, Minnesota 55487 Map/Directions
Phone:
612-348-2163
Web Site:
http://hennepin.jobs/
E-mail:
HR.Dept@co.hennepin.mn.us

AFSCME Workhouse Negotiaions

This is an update from our Workhouse counterparts. It's where negotiations are with them:


Council 5 Local 1719

8-30-07

To: Membership of AFSCME # 1719
From: Dean Enge, your President D. Enge
Subject: Negotiations and other issues

Negotiations at this Time

Currently the status of negotiations is that the county has given us a proposal that is unacceptable to the union. The county has offered little in pay and a lot of take aways from our current contract. One of the things that they would like to be able to do is have supervisors be able to bump back into the bargaining unit with their seniority from when they started working for the county. So if they laid some off or demoted some they would be protected. While this has never happened in recent memory an example where we would be hurt is a closing of a department unit like the Home School. If the Home School were closed and the students privatized then the Correctional Supervisors there would be surplus. Would our department then decide some of them could replace some of ours at the ACF and if so this language could affect you? Currently once supervisors have passed their probation as a supervisor they have lost their seniority rights in the bargaining unit. The county also would like to deposit your severance pay and stability pay in a health care savings account instead of you getting it. While that proposal has some merits for those close to retirement, it would hurt those you would like to keep the stability pay for the holidays. The county would save a lot in not contributing to FICA and PERA on parts of this proposal. The county has also offered PTO again with take aways of two days a year for current employees and four days a year for new employees. The union’s position on PTO is no as it is currently being offered. After three meetings the county has not yet offered us their position on Health Insurance and is promising to offer one maybe at the next meeting Sept. 10. The only thing on Health Insurance that has been mentioned by the county is to suggest a high deductible plan with a VEBA for 2009. They have stated they want to meet on Sept. 10 for six hours to chat about their various issues and hopefully present the Health Insurance component.

Rally

On September 18, 2007 at the Plaza at the Hennepin County Government Center there will be a rally for all AFSCME members in Hennepin County. This noon rally is to show the strength of your union to the county board and management by expressing our solidarity and objection to what they have offered. If you are off on that Tuesday please join us in the rally so the strength can be shown to the public and the governing board. It was actions like this two years ago that helped to get the contract we did then.

The Eight Hour Day

From Workday Minnesota:

September 3, 1916 - Railroad workers won the eight-hour day. The legislation, called the Adamson Act, marked the first time a group of private sector workers had their working hours regulated by the federal government. It was one of many reforms pushed by the progressive movement of the early 20th century.

The Adamson Act, passed in 1916, provided workers with an eight hour day, at the same daily wage they had received previously for a ten hour day, and required time and a half for overtime. -Wikipedia

UK Prison Workers Strike

Libcom.org is reporting that, Some 20,000 prison officers in England and Wales took illegal unofficial action on Wednesday 29 August against Gordon Brown’s public sector wage cuts and the disastrous overcrowding in prisons.

Their laws are similar to ours in that Prison officers were banned from striking by a court ruling in early 1993, which found prison officers had powers and authority similar to those of the police and subsequently could not strike. That was written into law by the Tories in the 1994 Criminal Justice Act. Just as we are deemed "essential employees."

Why did they strike?

Wednesday's strike came after a pay review body recommended a rise of 2.5 percent this year but the government decided that it should be staged, with an initial 1.5 percent rise followed by another 1 percent six months later.

Big deal you say, they were proposed a low raise and staggered at that. Well the main point applicable to all of us is this:

Brian Clarke, chair of Birmingham POA, told Socialist Worker, “Our pay awards are meant to be according to performance. There is a growth in prison population but not in prison staff, so our performance is increasing.

As we begin our negotiations we need to remind the County that like our UK counter parts there's been an increase in inmates but not a proportionate increase in staff so our performance is also increasing.

While I am not advocating a strike. Philosophically I agree with Brian Caton, general secretary of the POA... “I believe every officer has human rights, and they include the right to withdraw their labour,” he said.

CRS Incorporated

I'm back from Chicago and opened my email to see that CRS Incorporated will be conducting a comprehensive jail staffing analysis. I looked on-line to do a little research and found this PDF of their work. As we all know the jail is short staffed. The primary reason being that the County Board has never funded quads 2 and 3 to be open, but high inmate counts have required their use. I hope this analysis convinces the Board to get us the required staff and doesn't just result in "creative" scheduling as a band aid. Especially with the RNC coming next year we'll need all the staff we can get.

RNC Update

Infoshop News is reporting that "Police attack Minneapolis Critical Mass and arrest around 20 cyclists" Read this article. I will post news relating to the upcoming RNC as I find it just so we know what to expect when it comes.

Photo from Indymedia

Happy Labor Day

Used with the permission of Mike Konopacki

Input Needed

By now you should have received a letter from Teamsters Local 320 asking for your input into the upcoming contract negotiations. This is your chance to let us know what's important to you!

Jeff Grates at the bridge

As we all know on 8/1/07 the 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi river. We've heard many tales of rescue workers and people helping out. I asked detention deputy Jeff Grates to write down his story so I could publish it as a testimony of his contribution. Jeff is a detention deputy, a union member of Teamsters Local 320 and also in the Air Force Reserves. This is his story:


On August 1, 2007 at 1800 hours, I finished up my shift at the jail and was on my way home for the evening. As I approached the Stone Arch Bridge, I overheard an excited voice on the overhead speakers at the Lower St. Anthony Falls Damn Lock Master area. I could not make out exactly what the individual was saying and continued on my way. As I reached my vehicle at the north end, I began to see emergency vehicles arriving to the area. I called back to the jail and spoke with Deputy Murto, who informed me that the Interstate 35W Bridge had just collapsed.

Sensing that help may be needed, I went to the area and met up with Minneapolis Police Sergeant, Bill Chaplin, who works out of the 3rd Precinct. I explained to Sgt. Chaplin that I was a member of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and offered my assistance. I will note that from this point forward, I left my work Identification exposed in order to identify myself and proceed to assist where I was needed. Sgt. Chaplin had to leave the area to attend to another detail and left a police reserve officer in his place. Approximately 15 minutes went by and the scene remained chaotic. Vehicles, pedestrian traffic and individuals on bikes were blocking the path of emergency vehicles and personnel from getting to the area. My years of experience and training in the United States Air Force directed me to ask the Minneapolis Police Reserve Officer to find an individual in charge to ensure that the perimeter was secure. Not finding anyone, I took it upon myself to locate Sgt. Chaplin, who was at the rivers edge assisting in the disaster. I explained to Sgt. Chaplin that the integrity of the perimeter was in jeopardy. He took my information and called for additional assistance to the area.

As this was being done, I went to MPD Officer Robert Greer of the 2nd Precinct and requested medical exam gloves so I could prepare to offer my assistance with wounded individuals. Officer Greer was standing off to the side securing the first body recovered from the collapse site. Officer Greer was concerned about his partner and also their police cruiser, as the vehicle was still running and was nearly a half mile away from his location. I obtained a description of his partner and explained to him that I would locate her.

I walked back up to the Stone Arch Bridge and located Officer Greer’s partner, who was securing this entry point to the area. I told her where Officer Greer was located and that he instructed me to find and secure their police cruiser. She could not leave her position and gave me the squad number and general area where I could find the vehicle. I went in search of their vehicle and located it at the far side of Metal Matic. The doors were locked and the car was running. I recognized Minneapolis Police Inspector Skomra, who was my uncle’s partner, approached him and identified myself as a member of the Sheriff’s Office. I explained what I was detailed with by Officer Greer and that I could not gain entrance to Officer Greer’s police cruiser. Inspector Skomra handed me a master key to the squad car. I went back to the car, unlocked it, turned it off, took the key out of the ignition and secured the doors. I returned Inspector Skomra’s keys and returned to the Stone Arch Bridge area.

I located Officer Greer’s partner and explained to her what I did and handed the key to their police cruiser to her. I then went back down the hill to the river’s edge and met back up with Officer Greer. I explained to Officer Greer that I located his partner and their vehicle and that both were fine. Officer Greer was in the process of moving a deceased victim to the corner’s vehicle and asked for my assistance. Officer Greer completed the necessary paperwork requested from the corner and I assisted in moving the victim to the corner’s vehicle. Officer Greer explained to me that this was going to be the staging area for the remaining victims, if any, and asked if I could stand by to assist him. I remained on scene and assisted Officer Greer with the remaining three victims as they were recovered from the wreckage.

At approximately 2200 hours, rescue crews were finishing up their duties for the evening. I explained to Officer Greer that I needed to remove myself from the scene in order to get home and rested for the next days work with the Office. Officer Greer thanked me for my assistance and I cleared at approximately 2230 hours.

Arbitration Date Set

Arbitration has been set for October 8th, 2007 at 9 AM.

RE: TEAMSTERS LOCAL 320 AND HENNEPIN COUNTY BMS CASE #06PA0844 (HOROBIN #3234)

This is a case involving an SRT cell extraction that resulted in a 10 day suspension. It is the Union's opinion there is no just cause.

Protesters Have Lawyers, You Should Too

The Star Tribune is reporting:

A small armada of corporate attorneys, many of them partners in the area's most prestigious law firms, have begun meeting and strategizing ways to defend thousands of protesters expected to flock to the Twin Cities next September. And not for $500 an hour, but for free.

Pro bono, or volunteer, work is common for attorneys, but observers are impressed by this effort, which was mobilized by the Minnesota affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Don't be alarmed, be prepared. All full dues paying Detention Deputy members of Teamsters Local 320 are protected by Team Legal. The fallout from mass arrests could persist a long time after the 2008 RNC ends.

On Vacation

I will be on vacation 8/5 through 8/16. In my absence if you need a steward contact one of these stewards:

Phil Miles
Ted Westerdahl
Ashley Horobin
Mike Nielson

Tech Steward: Rick Kuster

2008 RNC Welcoming Committee-ANARCHIST

This is from a myspace site http://www.myspace.com/rnc2008welcomingcommittee
This is what we can look forward to!

The RNC Welcoming Committee is an anarchist/anti-authoritarian organizing body formed to prepare for the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. The RNC-WC, composed primarily of Twin Cities-based anarchists and anti-authoritarians, will function as an informational clearinghouse and organize a spokescouncil for RNC resistance. We will coordinate logistics (food, housing, transportation), and engage in education and outreach.
Without falling prey to the centralized, hierarchical tendencies that have dominated such convergences in the past, we hope that the RNC-WC will maintain a unified, anti-authoritarian presence at the 2008 RNC. Our numbers are huge, and it’s time that our actions reflected that. Following are our points of unity. We invite all individuals and groups committed to these ideas to participate in the Welcoming Committee. Those who work with the RNC Welcoming Committee must agree to:
1. A rejection of Capitalism, Imperialism, and the State;
2. Resist the commodification of our shared and living Earth;
3. Organize on the principles of decentralization, autonomy, sustainability, and mutual aid.
4. Work to end all relationships of domination and subjugation, including but not limited to those rooted in patriarchy, race, class, and homophobia;
5. Oppose the police and prison-industrial complex, and maintain solidarity with all targets of state repression;
6. Directly confront systems of oppression, and respect the need for a diversity of tactics.Though the RNC-WC is focused on a specific event, we hope that our work transcends the convention by contributing to the development of anti-authoritarian movements and mutual aid networks both locally and globally. We are no more opposed to the Republican Party than we are to the Democratic Party. Affiliations and labels aside, we invite all who share our vision to join us in resistance.

These You Tube Videos are meant to educate you about anarchy and for your enjoyment.

Uniform Update

*Important*

Inspector Cooper has issued a memo stating that detention personnel have until "February 28, 2008 to comply with wearing all black leather gear..."

Our contract states:

"Article 32, Section 2.If the basic clothing provided by the EMPLOYER is changed in type, color or style by order of the EMPLOYER, the EMPLOYER will bear any replacement cost in excess of $65.00 per calendar year, the employee to be responsible for the first $65.00 of replacement cost."

The Union's position in conformance to the contract is that the employer is to pay 100% of costs for employees under one year and detention techs, and all but the first $65 for all detention deputies who have completed one year. THIS INCLUDES SHOES! Also note the contract says "replacement," not dye.

While inspector Cooper's memo does not state what the revised policy is, I would advise our members to hold off on switching to black leather until we are sure the new policy conforms to our Agreement with Hennepin County.

Staffing-A Meeting With The Sheriff

We've all been hearing the talk of trimming back staff due to the huge amount of overtime. Over the last week I've had a couple of talks with the Captain, asked them to raise the 16 hour overtime cap to 20 (Inspector Cooper just approved this) and Teamsters 320 has mailed the Administration and the County a letter stating that cut backs in staff would be an officer safety issue.

Today I sat down with Sheriff Stanek and Senior Policy Advisor John Cooney. The talk was productive. I stressed officer safety and I came armed with our schedules which showed exactly why and where the overtime is being used. We have several employees on active military duty and these spots must be covered, this is out of our control. We have a couple of employees temporarily assigned to water patrol, the Sheriff says they're coming back, but one of the biggest chunks of our overtime seems to be "unfunded beds." That's because when the County Board decided to operate two facilities rather then one they never provided the Sheriff's Office with the funds to operate quads two and three. The reality is our counts are above 800 and frequently above the 841 beds we have, including using quads two and three. The solution is not to run thin, but to increase the number of detention deputies to reflect the reality of the count.

I used this example, when you cut the number of cops on the street, crime and incidents go up, and the majority of citizens are not criminals. All of the jail's inmates are criminals, if you cut staff, assaults will increase between inmates, assaults will increase on staff, and liability will increase for the county.

The Sheriff asked me what I would do. I said I'd tell tell the County Board to give us the staff to run quads two and three without overtime. If they didn't, I'd close them down and return to the policy of releasing all non-violent misdemeanors no bail required. Then when the downtown business owner complained that the aggressive panhandler arrested five hours earlier was back in front of his shop I'd direct him to the County Board to provide the funding so we can keep them off of the streets.

The Sheriff is not quite as aggressive as I am on this approach, he's not ready to close down quads two and three, but said he is going to the Board requesting 30 more staff.

All in all I think he and Mr. Cooney were receptive to our concerns. Let's hope the County Board is.

When People Are Prosecuted Falsely

Are people ever prosecuted falsely? Well in the Duke case not only did the three accused get off but the over zealous prosecutor is now sitting in a court room. Why? Weak evidence:Benjamin W. Himan, the Durham detective who was lead investigator on the case, said in testimony for the ethics prosecutors on Tuesday that Mr. Nifong had acknowledged to him that the case was weak and relied on the word of a woman hired to strip at a lacrosse team party.

Could this happen in Hennepin County to our employees? The answer is yes. It happened to a couple of our own detention deputies a few years ago when the Sheriff's Office violated their federal Garrity rights. See

State of Minnesota, Appellant,
vs.
Shelly Ann Gault, Respondent,
Peter Stuart Zielke, Respondent.

Speaking of the elephant in the room, another one of our own has been out since November. As of the writing of this posting he has yet to even enter a plea. Over zealous prosecution on the part of the Sheriff's Office? Time will tell. It all seems, like the Duke case, to ride on the word of an unreliable witness and the Sheriff's Office does have a history of going overboard.

Preferential Treatment For Paris Hilton & Other Celebs?

The city attorney whose office prosecuted her case, Rocky Delgadillo, said it was a case of preferential treatment for a celebrity. He asked the judge to order Ms. Hilton back to jail and asked the sheriff’s department to show why it should not be held in contempt of court for letting her go in the first place.

Read the whole story in the New York Times

PARIS HILTON GOES BACK TO JAIL! Exclusive Video

Learning crowd control from the German's as we approach the RNC

G-8 Rioting Has Germans Second Guessing Policing Strategy
By Charles Hawley in Berlin

Is it possible to avoid violence at the G-8? For years, police in Europe have been trying to perfect their riot-control strategies. But Saturday's rioting in Rostock has the Germans questioning what they've learned.

Full story Spiegel Online

Your help needed!

Detention Deputy Burnham has been out on medical leave. As she is a fairly new employee her sick time is exhausted. You can donate vacation for sick time to help her along. She may not be back until the end of July. If everyone donated only a couple of hours it would pull her through.

The forms are in a red folder on the bulletin board.

Watch Your Computer Use-They Are!

This week I had the misfortune of sitting with a member who received a day off for using a computer for non-work related use. I cannot stress enough that you will not win this fight. The computers are the employers property and the employer has made it clear their computers are for work use only. Misuse can lead to discipline.

The employer can discipline you only for "just cause."

Some elements of just cause are:
Was the work rule clear.
Was the employee aware of the rule.
Was the employee warned before.

As far as computer use for non-work activities goes, no one working in the jail can say they don't know the rule. If you are disciplined it will stick and the only thing the Union can do for you is to make sure your discipline is consistent with others who have done the same thing.

Fox TV had an interesting piece on this. (Click Here)
People have lost jobs over this.

Sheriff Stanek Replies to KMSP TV

Click here for Sheriff Stanek's reply to KMSP TV's reports in the previous blog.

The point of interest to us is the Sheriff's willingness to waive the 16 hour work rule. A rule heavily enforced on those of us making far less money then Sen. Ortman and more dependent on overtime.

Conflict in the front office?

Channel 9 has an interesting piece on our new Financial Officer Sen. Julianne Ortman
Click Here

Combine this with our former Lobbyist Ryan Griffin featured here.

Together this makes for some very interesting news.

On Merkel

AFSCME forwarded the following letter to me at home:

I am pleased to announce the selection of Tom Merkel as the new Corrections Director, effective May 21st. Tom has a long and distinguished career in criminal justice with a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and a law degree. Tom has served as the Inspector in charge of Adult Detention in the Sheriff's Office since July, 2001. Prior to that he was the Deputy Director of Corrections in Shawnee County, Kansas. Please join me in welcoming Tom into his new responsibilities.

Richard P. Johnson Acting County Administrator

They wanted to know what we thought of him. I know that under his hand discipline was very heavy handed. Prior to his arrival if someone made a mistake they might get a letter of reprimand, if it was bad maybe a day off, if severe (and rare) a three day suspension. Under Inspector Merkel, 6 and 10 day suspensions were common. This was a man who once fired a woman just for filing a workers comp claim when he was Deputy Director in Kansas.

The following day, August 21, 1998, Major Thomas Merkel, the jail administrator, telephoned the claimant and terminated claimant supposedly for reasons not related to her worker's compensation claim. Claimant filed a grievance in reference to the termination and was reinstated to her job on September 22, 1998. (McCall v. Shawnee County)

We haven't seen the last of him though. He will be subpoenaed to be at an arbitration regarding a 10 day suspension of an SRT member and over the breakfast issue. I do hope his replacement is a little more employee conscious. If you take the time to read the 2006 annual report it says that employee retention is a problem and that it's cheaper to retain employees then to continuously hire and train new ones. The ball's in their court.

Pictures From The HCSO Open House 5/17

Sheriff's Office Must Change Tactics To Handle Protesters

We've all received the memo informing us that all days off and vacations will be cancelled during the Republican National Convention.

Sheriff Fletcher in Ramsey County is preparing and planning on 3,000 arrests.He has asked their county board for 3.9 million in protester related costs including $550,000 for a possible open-air, fenced detention facility to hold protesters next to the Ramsey County Workhouse; $1.7 million for overtime, and $62,000 for biohazard decontamination equipment. (Source: Star Tribune).

Us? The Hennepin County Board has yet to ask for a convention budget, and the Sheriff's Office has not yet developed one, said Sheriff Rich Stanek. He said he was unaware of protest arrest estimates in Minneapolis.

My concern is less the budget then our policies. The current Sheriff's Office policy of writing a full fledged use of force incident report anytime we touch an inmate will be crippling in a mass arrest situation. Imagine this, a bus with sixty protesters arrives. They refuse to walk and we have to carry them. Now imagine the man hours wasted as multiple detention deputies write individual use of force reports on all sixty inmates! That bus will take hours to be emptied under current policy. Of course if we don't follow Inspector Merkel's memo that requires reports for any physical contact, and an arrestee complains, the staff is subject to discipline.

As I see it, either we had better quadruple the intake staff to accommodate the report writing, or go back to making only a behavior note entry unless directed by a supervisor to write a report. How many times have we been told that the intake video is documentation to protect us? The Sheriff's Office should use it as that, let us quit typing redundant reports, and let us get back to the job of booking in inmates.

The Elephant In The Room

I have refrained from comment on the ongoing case involving our fellow detention deputy for the very fact it is an ongoing investigation. However, I will say that I believe he will land on his feet. This is also an example of what it means to be a union member. While the employer puts you on the spot, you have the union to represent your interest during internal investigation, and Team Legal to provide the best lawyers in the state for your criminal defense. All with your interest in mind. Anyone of us, at any time, can be traveling down this road because of the accusation of an inmate. We only need look as far as Philander Jenkins to see how much trouble one lie can cause. So the next time someone says, What does the union do for us." Reply, "We have your back."

House Passes Employee Free Choice Act in Spite of Hostile Campaign Resembling Unionbusting

WASHINGTON, March 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last ditch efforts by
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the final days before yesterday's vote on
the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800) failed to stop the U.S. House of
Representatives from passing the labor law reform legislation. Some 241
members, including 13 Republicans, supported the bill. "Hard-line business
groups were tripping over each other and sparing no expense to bully
lawmakers, misinform the public, and oppose free choice for workers," says
American Rights at Work Executive Director Mary Beth Maxwell.
In a relentless effort to defeat the bill, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
purchased radio ads in 51 districts to target lawmakers. In an article
earlier this week about the expensive ad buy, Congress Daily quoted a U.S.
Chamber spokesperson who said, "We're making people feel pain."
In the weeks preceding the House floor vote, a well-financed and
coordinated message machine that included industry associations and
right-wing think tanks flooded the public debate with misinformation about
the bill's provisions. Conservative pundit George Will was a late recruit
to help obscure the existence of employer coercion during union organizing
campaigns.
"House members got a taste of the relentless attacks workers endure
every day when they stand up for themselves and support unions," says
Maxwell. "Can you imagine how a nurse with kids to feed feels when faced
with this kind of intimidation? This is exactly why workers need the
Employee Free Choice Act."
Concludes Maxwell, "Hardworking men and women can celebrate today
because Congress stood up for them and American democracy."
American Rights at Work (http://www.americanrightsatwork.org) is a leading
labor policy and advocacy organization. For more information on how
opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act are misinforming the public,
visit: http://www.antiunionnetwork.org.
s.server=server()
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s.pageName="House Passes Employee Free Choice Act in Spite of Hostile Campaign Resembling Unionbusting"
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Related links:
http://www.americanrightsatwork.org
http://www.antiunionnetwork.org

City of Minneapolis should apologize to Lt. Kroll!

Minneapolis P.D. Lt. Kroll is in hot water for allegedly referring to Congressman Keith Ellison as a terrorist. The Star Tribune is reporting that during a required ethics class Lt. Kroll implied that U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison is a terrorist. The article goes on to say: Chief Tim Dolan sent an e-mail to all employees saying the comments were unacceptable and unflattering to the department. Dolan also issued a public apology to Ellison, a Democrat from Minneapolis and the first Muslim elected to Congress.

What! First of all Keith Ellison is a public figure. As such anyone can comment on him. This is First Amendment protected speech. The same speech that allows an anti-Bush person to call the President a baby killer for invading Iraq (that no one apologizes for). Secondly, Mr. Ellison was a member of Louis Farrakahn's, anti-Semitic & anti-white racist organization the Nation of Islam. He also is associated with, and received campaign money from the Hamas connected organization CAIR. The U.S. government considers Hamas to be a terrorist organization. Ellison is also a cry baby who called the police on a fellow congressman for smoking.

The Tribune goes on quoting Ellison: On Thursday, Ellison said: "The alleged comments don't reflect the diversity of our city, or the warm embracing attitudes of those who live in the Fifth District. I'm grateful to Mayor Rybak and Chief Dolan for setting the right tone. The alleged comments don't reflect the Minneapolis Police Department, who I respect as well."

In my opinion Rybak & Dolan are cowards for apologizing to Ellison, and Ellison's comment that he respects the Minneapolis Police Department is a lie. Ellison's problems with the MPD including his association with local gangsters the likes of Shariff Willis during the murder of police officer Jerry Haaf are well known. He's also been booked into the county jail himself!

The bottom line is this. Ellison is a public figure. Ellison associates with, and receives money from organizations with ties to terrorists. Ellison was a member of a racist organization (the Nation of Islam is every bit as racist as the KKK). Ellison is an associate of criminals, criminals that have murdered Minneapolis' own officers. Lt. Kroll is entitled to speak his mind about a public figure. I believe Minneapolis Mayor Rybak and police Chief Dolan owe the citizens of Minneapolis an apology for their anti-American, anti first amendment conduct. In short, the City of Minneapolis should apologize to Lt. Kroll.

Sheriff Stanek's Makes the News

The Star Tribune has an article dated February 26th in which Sheriff Stanek gives a hint of the direction he's leading the department. I'd recommend reading it.

A Meeting With The Sheriff

Today I had coffee with Sheriff Stanek and Chief Deputy Good. It's the first time we've sat down and talked since he took office. It was an informal meeting at Caribou Coffee that lasted about 45 minutes. The Sheriff called the meeting to get to know me and our bargaining unit. There was no agenda. We pretty much covered the gamut. I told him about the positive aspects of working at the jail, the good staff we have and the pride we take in our job. We also discussed Teamsters structure and our current grievances. We discussed where things soured between us and the last administration and I believe he's interested in establishing a good working relationship. I know we won't always see eye to eye, but this was a good step in opening communication.

Lunch During Training Issue Resolved

I'm happy to report that after meeting with the jail Captain we were able to resolve the issue of being able to eat in staff dining during eight hour training shifts. Teamsters Local 320 no longer considers the Sheriff's Office to be in violation of article 36 of the Agreement.

You can once again eat lunch in staff dining when you are assigned to work eight hours of training at the PSF!

Currrent Grievances

The following is the list of current grievances filed against the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office:

*New* Grievance filed by a member given a suspension for uttering a profanity 6 months ago! While the Sheriff's Office was reviewing a 6 month old tape of intake for an unrelated reason, a member was heard to utter a profanity while talking to another detention deputy.

Grievance filed by a member given a 10 day suspension for allegedly using excessive force during an SRT extraction witnessed by 4 supervisors who reported nothing wrong.

Grievance filed after management unilaterally ended the decades long past practice of having breakfast foods available before shift without negotiating with the union.

Although no formal complaints have been filed for internal discipline or criminally, a member has been left at home for months on administrative leave by the Sheriff's administration.

Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Violation of the Agreement

Article 36 of the Agreement between Teamsters Local 320 and Hennepin County reads:

ARTICLE 36 - JAIL MEALS
Section 1.
Employees assigned to work in the jail for a work shift of eight (8) hours or more may share in a meal in the jail provided by the EMPLOYER during their assigned shift.

On 2/16/07 the jail administration issued a memo stating :
Staff Dining is not available to Jail Staff attending in-service training, including but not limited to: Basic Emergency Care, First Responder Refresher, SRT Training, Licensed Deputy In-Service, Supervisor In-Service, and other In-Service training conducted at the PSF for Sheriff’s Employees...

The memo ended with:
ALL employees attending training conducted at the PSF will need to make arrangements on their own for the afternoon meal. Students attending in-service training will be given enough time to complete their afternoon meal outside of the ADD.

The contract is clear, if you are assigned a shift of 8 hours in the jail you can have a meal. The result of this is that our members, often ordered to attend eight hours of training on a day off, are by being denied a meal guaranteed by our contract.

ALL TEAMSTER MEMBERS ATTENDING TRAINING OF 8 HOURS OR MORE AT THE PSF ARE ADVISED TO SAVE YOUR RECEIPT FROM YOUR PURCHASED OUTSIDE MEAL AND FILE A GRIEVANCE!

Before You Dye or Buy New Leather

Inspector Cooper has issued a memo stating that:

"All licensed and detention personnel, if they wish, may immediately begin wearing all their black leather gear."

Be aware that the Sheriff's Office has not yet spelled out how this change from brown to black leather is to be paid for. While the Sheriff has the right to make this change it is the union's position that this is a certified contract item. As such it's implementation must conform to the contract. As stated in our contract, Article 1, ...the AGREEMENT is entered into between the County of Hennepin...and Teamsters Local 320.

While the Sheriff may change a uniform item, a uniform committee composed of the Sheriff's administration and a few employees (even if representatives of bargaining units), does not have the the ability to change the terms of a ratified contract. This contract is owned by Teamsters Local 320!
Article 2 of the AGREEMENT and Minnesota Statue 179A.06 expressly forbids the employer from entering into any agreement with members of the bargaining unit which conflict with terms and conditions set forth in this AGREEMENT, except through the certified representative. That representative is our Business Agent Tom Perkins.

You are advised to wait on purchasing new leather or dying your leather gear until the financial aspect is clear.

It is the union's position that according to the contract:

1). The contract provides for the employer to replace changed items not dye or refurbish existing items.

2). The employer must cover 100% of all the cost for new leather for detention techs and 100% of the cost for detention deputies still in their first year of employment. For detention deputies over one year of employment the detention deputy is responsible for the first $65 and the employer for the rest.

You can read the contract language regarding uniform allowance in a previous post by clicking here.

Further food for thought. A few years ago the detention deputies asked the Sheriff's Office permission to change from the then brown uniform, to the tan and brown one we wear now. It was approved, but we had to pay for the change ourselves because the change was at the request of the employees. Now the employer is changing the leather gear and once again trying to pass 100% of the cost on to the employee.

The union recommends not making any changes until this is ironed out. Don't get caught holding the bag. If you have already purchased new black leather save your receipts.

IMPLEMENTING THIS CHANGE AND PASSING THE COST ON TO OUR MEMBERS IS AN EXPRESS VIOLATION OF THE AGREEMENT!

Follow up to Stillwater C.O. Death.

The Star Tribune is reporting today that the Stillwater Correctional Officer who died was 41 year old Steven J. Jensen, an employee since 1989. It's being investigated as a suicide.

Interestingly, they also are reporting that an inmate filed a complaint against Jensen in October, but it was not substantiated and the file was closed Dec. 5. She said there have been no layoffs at the prison, but she didn't know if Jensen had any other work-related issues that could have been a factor.

Anyone in our line of work can testify to the stress caused by being investigated by the employer when an inmate makes a false claim. Unfortunately this may be the result of just such an investigation. While an allegation must be investigated, I believe the employer has a responsibility to treat the employee fairly, not to drag out the investigation, or let the rumors run wild destroying the CO's reputation before an investigation is complete. I don't know that Stillwater handles it's investigations as our Sheriff's Office does, but most of you know exactly what I'm talking about. While an allegation may eventually be deemed not substantiated the Correctional Officer's reputation may never recover. There has to be a better way then treating the employee like a criminal during an investigation then saying, "OK we couldn't find anything wrong so go back to work."

Stillwater Correctional Officer Dies At Work

Today I was at the YMCA I work out at. Frequently I run into a sergeant from Lino Lakes MCF there. Today he said, "Did you hear the news today?"

"No," I replied.

"A C.O. at Stillwater died today."

"How"? I asked.

"He was supposed to work the tower today. When he got his gun he walked behind a pillar and blew his head off."

"Why?"

"I don't know." He said, "I heard he had problems with depression and was having some problems at work. Hell of a line of work we've chosen. If you don't get killed at work you end up killing yourself."

I haven't seen this on the news yet. I don't know if it will make the news. I'll bet there will be no covered shields and bagpipes for him. Ours is the branch of law enforcement no one sees. Everyone sees the cop drag the criminal off of the street. Then as far as the public is concerned it's over. There's an article entitled The Forgotten Cop that sums up our work and there's also a Corrections Officer's Memorial for those who die in our line of work. Take the time to read these and be careful. This line of work can be stressful avoiding danger at work and psychologically.

Sheriff's Chair Missing!

Felicia Chesmer put out the following request:

During the move of the Administration from Room 6 in City Hall to Room 815 of the Grain Exchange, Sheriff Stanek's personal chair was misplaced.
The chair we are looking for is a leather high-back black chair. If anyone has seen a chair like this, please give me a call (Felicia Chesmer ).

Come on guys, if ya know where it is give it up!

Teamsters Local 320 2006 Legislation & IBT 2007 Goals

Click here to see the things our Teamsters local 320 accomplished in 2006 legislatively.

Then click here to see Teamsters national political goals for 2007!

Uniform Changes

The new sheriff's administration has formed a uniform committee with the idea of changing our current brown leather to black. All bargaining units affected by this proposed change were asked for a representative. Union Steward Michael Turner is representing us on this committee. Our goal as stewards is to make sure the contract the members ratified is protected. Our contract reads:

"ARTICLE 32 - CLOTHING ALLOWANCE
Section 1.
Newly hired employees in the Detention Deputy class shall during the first year of employment, be provided basic uniform clothing items of the quantity, type and style prescribed by the EMPLOYER. Each Detention Deputy, after having completed one (1) full year of service, shall be eligible for a uniform clothing allowance in an amount not to exceed $485 in 2006 and $495 in 2007. The uniform shall be worn only when performing official duties as directed by the EMPLOYER or upon such special occasions as the EMPLOYER may authorize. Employees shall wear and maintain the uniform as specified by the EMPLOYER. Upon termination of employment, all uniform clothing equivalent in quantity or value to the original issued shall be returned to the EMPLOYER. Upon termination of employment, all I.D. cards, insignia and any other County property issued to, or in the possession of the employee, shall be returned to the EMPLOYER.
Section 2.
If the basic clothing provided by the EMPLOYER is changed in type, color or style by order of the EMPLOYER, the EMPLOYER will bear any replacement cost in excess of $65.00 per calendar year, the employee to be responsible for the first $65.00 of replacement cost.
Section 3.
Any uniform items found by supervisory inspection to be worn out or damaged shall be turned in to the EMPLOYER"

(Highlights in red provided by me for emphasis)

The first meeting of the uniform committee was today and I'm proud of the way Steward Turner represented us.

Important: Vote in the PERA elections!

Yeah I know it's a boring piece of seemingly junk mail that comes to your home, but take the time to VOTE, our retirement depends on it.

Teamsters 320 worked hard to get Detention Deputies the 55 retirement and these are the people they recommend we vote for on the PERA board of trustees:

Louise (Lou) Olson for Retiree Representative
Larry Bodnar for At-large Representative
Gary Lavelle for At-large Representative

Sheriff McGowan Retires

Sheriff McGowan is retiring to Arizona. We've had some big battles over the years, but I wish him well. An excerpt from a Star Tribune article ends with:

McGowan said he's not naive enough to believe that all of the more than 800 Sheriff's Office employees loved him.
"I just hope they felt I was fair and honest. Maybe not the brightest or best, just fair and honest," he said. "I would like that on my tombstone."

Does Hennepin County Encourage Lawsuits?

We've all heard the tales of the inmate brought to the jail who then complains about his treatment and then walks away with a fistful of dollars. Does this really happen? Well I visited the Hennepin County Board's site for the December 12, 2006 meeting and found this:

County Attorney Claims on behalf of:
(a) Michael Undlin (2)
(b) Triple L Transportation Inc.
(c) Harold Shepard 06-c226

I don't know who (b) or (c) are, but (a), Michael Undlin, was booked into our jail and was less then happy with his stay. He was able to obtain 27 hours of our internal jail video, apparently it's not considered protected (a great idea for anyone wanting to start a reality show huh?). Now he's found his way to father Hennepin for some taxpayer dollars.

Then there's the Philander Jenkins saga. He originally claimed four of our members sexually assaulted him. The case was investigated by the BCA, then sent to the Washington County attorneys office. The claim was proven to be false. In a rare moment Hennepin County went after Jenkins for filing a false report. Hennepin County was not able to convince the jury. One reason why may be found on the Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) website:

Philander^s cases--the cafe case and the arraignment on the "false" reporting charges--were in court last week. The county dropped one of the charges in the "false" reporting case right away, since HC jail staff aren^t officially "law enforcement" officers (since they must have known that, why did they charge him in the first place?).

If the CUAPB website is correct then the Hennepin County attorney's office dropped the ball right from the gate. If we aren^t officially "law enforcement" officers, then by whose authority do we perform our duties? Another fine example of Amy Klobuchar's work!

The bottom line is this, we perform our duties under the color of law on behalf of the citizens of Hennepin County. We process, or book in, people who are lawfully arrested by police officers. Every one who comes to jail is booked against their will. Unfortunately due to the County's propensity to hand out money rather then make these people prove they were wronged, only encourages this behavior. It's the old penny wise, pound foolish saying. It may be cheaper in the short run, but in the long run it's very costly, both to the taxpayers who foot the bill and to the detention deputies (corrections officers) who feel they get no backing from the county they serve. Our clientele are tenacious, Philander Jenkins is now going after our guys in civil court. I wish Hennepin County were as dedicated to defending us, as our inmates are in going after our money. After all, they apparently have nothing to lose for trying!

As long as Hennepin County keeps handing out money, giving away internal security tapes, and not backing it's employees, the taxpayers will keep hemorrhaging money to criminals who destroy the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

Normally I don't publicly comment on ongoing cases, but hey, this stuff is already published on the internet, so as far as I'm concerned it's fair game.

The Stanek Administration

Sheriff Rich Stanek has named his new administration. Here's the line-up:

Chief Deputy- Orono Police Chief Stephany Good

Inspectors:
Cooper
Merkel
Jeff Storms- Current HCSO Lieutenant
Minneapolis police Lt. Mike Carlson

Blood Borne Pathogens Report

As many of you know we wrote, lobbied and got passed the Blood Borne Pathogens Bill some time ago after an inmate refused to give a blood sample to be screened for disease after exposing one of our members. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office had one and a half years until the bill took effect in July of 2006. That date came and went without the Sheriff's Office having a plan for implementing by July 1 as stipulated by the law.

The reason we wrote this bill was to prevent what is still occurring. A detention deputy gets a significant exposure to an inmate's blood or body fluids, the inmate refuses to give a blood draw, the detention deputy is then left with the choice of taking several months of medications guaranteed to make them sick and tired, or roll the dice and hope they didn't get anything.

On Monday December 4th our business agent Tom Perkins and myself met with Captain Wresh and County Attorney Beitz to get things moving. I believe progress was made. Obviously our concern is getting the Sheriff's Office to apply this law to protect our members. They are figuring out the proper procedures. The county attorney seemed to struggle with the "constitutional" issues. I guess I'd be more worried about being sued by a member that the Sheriff's Office failed to protect. With any luck, this should be up and running soon.

Inmate Dies of Excited Delirium

A Ramsey County workhouse inmate who died after struggling with guards earlier this year suffered a fatal condition known as "excited delirium," officials said Wednesday.

Read whole story at Star Tribune

November Update

These are some of the issues we are currently dealing with:

1) A ten day suspension of an SRT member is going to arbitration.

2) The unilateral pulling of our breakfasts is headed to arbitration as a past practice violation.

3) We are working to get the Sheriff's Office to implement the Blood Borne Pathogens Bill that took effect July 1st, 2006.

4) We are representing a few members in internal affairs investigations.

Reminder: There are 65 cameras and an unknown amount of microphones monitoring our every move and word 24 hours a day. These can, and have been obtained by the public.

Important:
Do not go to Internal Affairs without a steward.
Do not talk to an investigator without a Team Legal lawyer.

Hoffa Wins Again!

James Hoffa has won another term as General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. I look forward to another term of his excellent leadership.

Click on the link below for results:

http://www.teamster.org/resources/election/electionresults.pdf

and this one for a breakdown by Locals:

http://www.hoffa2006.com/splash.html

Rich Stanek Wins Hennepin County Sheriff's Race

Rich Stanek has won the race for Hennepin County Sheriff. Come January he will occupy room 6 as our new boss. There will be a learning curve for Sheriff Stanek. There are marked differences between a police agency like the MPD he comes from, and the functions of the Sheriff's Office. Let's work together to make this a smooth and fruitful transition.

Juan Lopez Invitation

Click on image for full size!

Click here for more info on Lopez for Sheriff

Walking the Line With Mesaba's Unions

Today I took a day off of work and spent it walking a picket line with the Mesaba Labor Coalition, which includes the Air Line Pilots Association, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association. There were about 150 people protesting Judge Kishel's ruling outside of the federal courthouse in Minneapolis. There were Teamsters like myself, as well as UAW workers from the Ford plant in St. Paul, people from the Restaurant Workers Union and pilots from Northwest and other airlines, and probably others I didn't recognize.

Why? I don't work for Mesaba. How does this affect me? It affects all working Americans! The right to strike is a fundamental of the labor movement. Judge Kishel voided the union's contracts with Mesaba. Then when Mesaba stated they wanted the unions to cut their wages by 17.5% the unions threatened to strike. Judge Kishel then decided they could not strike! What would happen to a union worker if they disobeyed this ruling? They could be jailed! Let me paint the picture crystal clear. The government voids your contract, your bosses say they're cutting your wages, and the government further strengthens management's hand by threatening to jail you if you don't go to work! This has to be stopped in it's tracks. The right to strike is not some privilege granted by the government. It's what working men and women do when they've had enough.

Working people understand tough times and having to tighten belts. However those cuts need to be negotiated. If the employees need to cut back, then so does management. The sacrifice needs to be equitable. Too many time we see employees taking pay cuts and management getting bonuses. The right to strike is a great equalizer. Judge Kishel wrongfully took that right away leaving management in total control.

In 1886 union members died in the Haymarket Riot in Chicago fighting for the eight hour day. Even the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads, Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. If judge Kishel's ruling doesn't equate to involuntary servitude, I don't know what does.

Being a union member is about more then just our bargaining unit. It's about securing living wages and good benefits for all workers. We must stand together or be picked off alone. We've had two decades of the government and companies telling workers they didn't need unions. What did we get? Jobs being outsourced to other countries. Good paying union jobs being replaced by Walmarts paying substandard wages with no benefits. We've seen small raises being out paced by rising health insurance costs. All while the health insurance executives walk away with billion dollar umbrellas. Now today we have federal judges ruling workers can't strike even when their contract has been voided. It is time for America's workers to wake up, organize and fight back.

One final note. At todays rally I saw not one politician. Not one of these politicians asking for, or touting the Labor Endorsement. Listen up, the Labor Endorsement doesn't just mean free mailings. It means you stand with us. If you don't, we'll find people who do!

Support Mesaba Protesters

Last week U. S. Bankruptcy Judge Gregory Kishel threw out the union contract of Mesaba airline employees. The company wants to cut their wages by 17.5 %. They were going to strike but yesterday U. S. Bankruptcy Judge Gregory Kishel ruled they could not.

This is a serious thing. A contract voided and then the employees right to strike denied.

Mesaba's union employees are staging a rally on Thursday October 26th at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Minneapolis at 11:30 AM. They are asking for a show of support from other unions. If at all possible please attend and show your solidarity. The government's anti-union, anti-worker action has to be stopped.

"We will not stand for this injustice," said Captain Tom Wychor, chairman of the ALPA unit at Mesaba. "Under the law, if your contract gets rejected, you don't have to perform under that contract. No bankruptcy court has recognized any exception under the statutes until today." -Workday Minnesota

NLRB UNDERMINES WORKERS' RIGHTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 03, 2006
CONTACT:
Sarah Massey
(202) 445-1169



NLRB UNDERMINES WORKERS' RIGHTS

WASHINGTON, DC – In a series of cases widely viewed as among the most important the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will decide this decade, the Board ruled to undermine workers’ rights to union representation. The Bush Board’s new definition of supervisor significantly departs from past interpretations and could have the result of depriving millions of workers the opportunity to choose to unionize because they are classified as a supervisor. It is yet another decision by the current Board that sides with business, directly against the interests of workers, and that explicitly professes to be unconcerned with the far reaching consequences of its interpretation of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

“This decision continues the Labor Board’s alarming trend of eroding workers’ rights in America,” says Mary Beth Maxwell, Executive Director of American Rights at Work, a workers’ rights advocacy organization. "In the last few years, the Bush-appointed Board has utterly failed to do its job and protect workers’ rights."

In 2001, the Supreme Court rejected the Board’s method of determining supervisory status in the Kentucky River case, forcing the Board to reexamine the issue. In three cases, Oakwood Healthcare, Golden Crest Healthcare, and Croft Metals, the Board tested the determination of who is a supervisor. Under the new test as explained in the Oakwood decision, the assignment of routine tasks is sufficient to confer supervisory status, even if the assignment is a reflection of professional judgment and even if the employee in question has no input into the general allocation of work assignments.

Dissenting Labor Board members aptly expressed their grave concern about the ruling, stating that, “The result could come as a rude shock to nurses and other workers who for decades have been effectively protected by the NLRA, but who now may find themselves treated, for labor-law purposes, as members of management, with no right to pursue collective bargaining or engage in other concerted activity in the workplace.. ..The majority’s decision thus denies the protection of the Act to yet another group of workers, while strengthening the ability of employers to resist the unionization of other employees.”

American Rights at Work strives to inform the public about the NLRB, the federal agency that makes critical decisions affecting workers’ lives and freedoms. Through its website feature, “Workers’ Rights Watch: Eye on the NLRB,” the labor policy group monitors and publicizes the insufficiency of U.S. labor law to ensure employees the freedom to exercise their legal rights to organize. With these rulings decided, workers now anticipate similar judgments in the 135 cases pending at the Board.

###
American Rights at Work is a leading labor policy and advocacy organization dedicated to educating the American public about the barriers that workers face when they attempt to exercise their rights to organize and engage in collective bargaining.

Keith Ellison Speaks For Terrorist Organization!

On October 14th Keith Ellison went to Florida to be the keynote speaker at an event sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). According to a FrontPage magazine article this organization has already raised between $15,000-$20,000 for his campaign. In a separate FrontPage article they describe Mr. Ellison's association with CAIR and describes "CAIR’s ties to the terrorist organization Hamas, given the fact that four CAIR representatives have previously been charged by the U.S. government with terrorist activity, and given the fact that CAIR is being sued for its role in the attacks on 9/11."

Powerline also has a great article on CAIR and Mr. Ellison. They report that, "The Council on American-Islamic Relations or CAIR was founded by three leaders of a front for the terrorist organization Hamas, in June of 1994....and Four of CAIR’s officials have been charged with terrorist activities, in relation to Hamas and Al-Qaeda. Two of those officials are behind bars in the United States; the other two have been deported."

Do not support terror! If you live in the fifth district vote for anyone but him for congress!

When to Talk & When Not to Talk

The nature of our profession requires us to use force and compel inmates to do things they do not want to do: Get booked in, go to court, etc. Many inmates we deal with are drunk, high, or just plain angry. Not to mention the large percentage that are mentally ill. Often they have agendas, such as manufacturing a tale of abuse to collect money.

Good documentation is your best friend. A well written report right after a use of force incident can go far to dispel a false accusation. While most of our facility is under video and audio surveillance, the recording isn't always your friend. Often the camera angels are poor and obstructed by either things in the facility or other people. The audio isn't always great either. In some places it's so good it can pick up a whisper, but in others it sounds garbled. Concrete and steel can make for poor acoustics. In intake by the BAD cells, only the interior of one cell is visible on camera. So an inmate can sound as if he's being "abused" on audio, when in reality nothing wrong is going on, or the sounds are actually coming from another inmate in another cell.

If you get called into a supervisors office to be questioned, ask if this conversation can lead to discipline. If the answer is yes, you have the right to a steward. This is your Weingarten right. The same goes for Internal Affairs (I.A.). Never go without a steward. The steward can provide moral support, act as a witness, and make sure your rights are protected. In internal affairs you will be asked to sign a Garrity warning. The Garrity warning waives your 5th amendment right to remain silent, but in return anything gleaned from your statement can only be used for internal discipline, not criminally against you. You must talk in internal affairs, and you must be truthful.

Outside investigations: You do not have to talk. I advise you never to talk until you have consulted with a Team Legal attorney. All statements made to an outside investigator can be used against you both criminally and internally. Remember too, a detective can legally lie to coerce you to talk. They can say others have said something they have not, they can pretend "this is no big deal, I'm just tying up loose ends." In short they can lie. Often our attorneys recommend not making a statement at all. The burden is on the investigator. You cannot be ordered to talk to an outside investigator. You cannot be punished or harassed for not talking to one.

Know your rights. Know when to talk and when not to. In my experience, the investigator (I.A. or outside) often has a preconceived idea of what happened, and sometimes the administration wants them to find someone to blame. You always have the right to have a steward present if it's an I.A. or a conversation that could lead to discipline, and you always have the right to an attorney and a steward if it's more then a disciplinary hearing. The attorney will protect your legal rights and the steward will protect your contractual rights. Don't be naive. The union has your best interest in mind, an investigator and the administration may not.

Teamster Scholarship Open

The Harold Yates Scholarship is available now for Teamster members. If you have a high school senior with a B average click here: Scholarship

The scholarship competition begins October 1st of each year, with an application deadline of February 15.

Walmart fined for violating labor laws.

Just another reason why union people should avoid Walmart, these are excerpts from a NY Times article:

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's biggest retailer, must pay at least $78 million for violating Pennsylvania state labor laws by forcing employees to work through rest breaks and off the clock, a jury said Friday.

''One of Wal-Mart's undisclosed secrets for its profitability is its creation and implementation of a system that encourages off-the-clock work for its hourly employees ...''

Interestingly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. shows a revenue of $312.4 billion so far for 2006! They are a prime example of what business will do if unchecked by organized labor. Trickle down economics don't exist for their employees. Don't reward Walmart by shopping there.

The Hoffa Slate is good for you!

"WTF!"

So let me see, once again we have an inmate lie and make false accusations against some of our members. The inmate recants, but yet our members must still be investigated. The last one, Philander Jenkins, ended up being acquitted of his charge of filing a false report, because apparently that only applies if they complain to the cops, not the "Sheriff's Office" internal affairs. But when an inmate exposes our members to blood and body fluids our impotent county attorney, Amy Klobuchar, can't seem to charge all but a fraction of the inmates, and even then the charge usually gets dropped or plead away or at best the inmate gets only 90 days for a felony 4th degree assault on a correctional officer. Speaking of correctional officers, after one of our members got exposed to an inmate's blood a couple of years ago and the inmate refused to give a blood draw, we, Teamsters Local 320 lobbied for and passed the Blood Borne Pathogens Bill. It took effect July 1st, 2006 and enables our facility commander to order a blood draw if the inmate refuses to voulntarily give one after one of our members has a significant exposure, but of course that hasn't been enforced either because they're not sure the phrase "corrections officer" applies to us. Why would it? We only wrote the bill!

Where is our protection? Why doesn't Amy Klobuchar charge out complaints when our members are assaulted? Why is it that even if you get falsely accused by an inmate you are in deep trouble, but when an inmate assaults you with shit, piss, blood or spit no one knows if the laws apply?

This is not over. It is not part of our job to be assaulted either physicaly or with blood and body fluids. It is not part of our job to be falsely accused of crimes. We are not the criminals. Apparently the powers that be fear violations of inmate's rights, well they better start being afraid of violating our rights or standing idly by and allowing that from inmates. We are working to get these laws enforced. As Chief Steward I advise you, do not give a statement to internal affairs without a union steward present. Do not talk to a supervisor without a steward present if it could result in discipline. These are your legal rights under Weingarten.

Do not talk to an outside investigator without a Team Legal attorney present. A statement to an outside investigator could lead to criminal and civil charges as well as internal discipline. Just say no! This is your 5th Amendment right. Call Team Legal. These are your rights as a union member.

Strikers rehired with backpay!!

Supreme Court sides with Detroit newspaper workers fired in '90s strike
Associated Press
Last update: October 02, 2006 – 11:06 AM