Steward Election Results

Here's the results of your votes:

Detention Deputy Stewards:

Wade Laszlo-Chief Steward (763) 323-4610
Phil Miles
Ted Westerdahl
Mike Nielsen
Jodie Hannig
Chris Douglas

Detention Tech Steward:Tony Bennett

Teamsters 320 Business Agent:
Tom Perkins

Stewards are on the front line every day, working directly with members to make sure contracts are enforced, workers' rights are not being violated, and the workplace is a safe place to be. You are the face of the union, and your role as communicator is critical to solidarity and membership participation. (Teamsters IBT)

Correctional Officer’s / Detention Deputies Week Resolution

On April 8th, I had the honor of attending the Hennepin County Board Meeting along with Inspector Cooper, Captain Wresh and Captain D. Johnson as the Board passed the Correctional Officer’s / Detention Deputies Week resolution. The board members had many good things to say about us during the discussion period like, "You don't appreciate what we have until you see other jails around the country. It's because of the quality of our employees, the professionalism of the staff."

Most all of our work takes place out of sight of the public. Our work is as vital to public safety as that of the police and fire departments, the main difference being that we are out of sight and often out of mind.

On behalf of our Detention Deputies, Thank You County Board for your recognition.

The following Resolution was offered by Chairman Randy Johnson:

BE IT RESOLVED, that one week each May is officially designated as Correctional Officer’s / Detention Deputies Week by the American Jail Association. This year, Correctional Officer’s / Detention Deputies Week is May 4-10, 2008; and

WHEREAS, Community Corrections and the Sheriff’s Office supports the proposition that the men and women who perform the difficult task of supervising the County’s inmates deserve this recognition; and

WHEREAS, the Community Corrections and Sheriff’s Office recognizes that corrections and detention staff are professionals equal in status and importance to other professionals in the effective administration of justice;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, do hereby acknowledge the week of May 4-10, 2008 as “Correctional Officer’s / Detention Deputies Week” in Hennepin County in honor of the dedicated professionals who supervise the County’s inmate population.

Veteran's GI Bill OJT Meeting Date Set

Click on the picture to enlarge.

A meeting has been set for March 27th, 2008 with the Department of Labor and Industry, the VA's Field Representative for the State Approving Agency for the OJT Program and the Sheriff's Administration.

Hopefully the issue can be resolved and the OJT benefits restored to our vets.

Brown Leather Maintenance

Here's a how to, for those of you who need to know how to properly maintain your brown leather.

You'll need:


Fiebings brown leather dye (Available for about $8.95 at any shoe repair shop)

Nail Polish remover (Must contain acetate)

Brown Shoe Polish

I recommend doing all of your brown leather at once so the shade is consistent, unless of course you're talking about a new item.

Step 1: Strip off old polish with the nail polish remover. Use a damp a paper towel or cloth. (Remove belt buckle first if dying belt, it unsnaps)

Step 2: Using supplied applicator apply Fiebings brown dye over leather.

Step 3: Drink beer and/or smoke a cigar while dye dries.

Step 4: Apply a couple coats of brown polish and you're in business.

**This is a great time to use Brasso on your belt buckle and snaps.

Time lapse for steps 1 and 2 is about 30 minutes.
Keeping a good coat of polish on your leather gear will look good and extend the amount of time needed between dye jobs.

This also works for black leather using Fiebings black leather dye.

Veterans Still Cut From GI Bill's OJT Program By HCSO!

Last week I pulled down the post entitled: HCSO Not So Veteran Friendly after a call last Monday from someone I respect in the Teamsters saying the administration wanted to work to resolve the issue.

A week has gone by. The issue is not resolved. The administration has not even talked to our lawyers, the vets, our business agent, or myself so HCSO Not So Veteran Friendly is back up.

I find it regrettable that at the same time:

U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced its Minnesota Leadership Team. Congressman Jim Ramstad (R-03) and Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek will serve as Co-Chairs of John McCain's campaign in Minnesota,

the Sheriff's Office, under Campaign Co-Chair Sheriff Rich Stanek, would choose to drop out of participation in the GI Bill's OJT program for his detention deputy employees.

Senator McCain's positions on veterans are clear:

PROVIDING VETERANS WITH THE BENEFITS THEY HAVE EARNED

John McCain strongly believes that it is our duty as a nation to provide our veterans, who dedicated their careers, risked their personal safety, and sometimes sacrificed their lives in order to protect us, with the benefits that we have promised them and that they have earned.

John McCain has voted consistently to increase funding for veterans' benefits, recognizing that the people who serve our country should get priority over the disgraceful amounts of spending on corporate subsidies and wasteful pork barrel spending. He also pushed for various initiatives to ensure that veterans who are eligible for benefits know what they are entitled to and have the resources to obtain their benefits.

Maybe we'll see some trickle down values.

You can contact the McCain Campaign at http://www.johnmccain.com/Contact/

Blood Borne Pathogens Bill Utilized For First Time!

This week an inmate was forced to give a blood draw after spitting in the eyes and mouth of one of our detention deputies. The inmate refused to give a blood test after a doctor determined that a "significant exposure" had occurred and the jail administration utilized the Blood Borne Pathogens Bill's expedited method to force a blood draw.

Hats off to the Hennepin County jail administration for utilizing this and saving our member and his family months of worry and possible unnecessary treatment.

This was possible due to the Blood Borne Pathogens Bill written and lobbied by Teamsters Local 320!

The history is that a few years ago a member of ours in the last half hour of a 12 hour shift ended up in a bloody confrontation with an inmate. Our member spent several hours at the hospital and two things happened, first the Sheriff's Office refused to pay overtime for the time at the hospital, and second the inmate refused to volunteer a blood sample. A grievance was filed and won, now if you get hurt at work and end up needing medical care you get paid for your time.

Then we wrote the Blood Borne Pathogens Bill. In a nutshell, if an inmate gives a corrections officer a significant exposure to their blood or body fluids and refuses to volunteer for a blood test then the facility commander can order a blood draw. This was authored and lobbied for by Teamsters Local 320. Our business agent Tom Perkin's worked with our lobbyist Bob Johnson and got the job done. The cost to our local was $65,000, the benefit to our members is priceless.

The bill took effect in July of 2006. To my knowledge this is the first time the law has been used in Hennepin County. Thank you Teamsters Local 320 for passing this bill that makes our dangerous job safer for all corrections officers. Thank you Hennepin County Sheriff's Office for your support.

What Happened to the Veterans Issue Post?

There is a behind the scenes effort to resolve the issue going on. The Veterans Issue Post is TEMPORARILY down while these efforts take place. Should the issue resolve itself in a positive way the post will disappear forever.

Hitchin' the Wagon

The McCain campaign has announced: U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced its Minnesota Leadership Team. Congressman Jim Ramstad (R-03) and Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek will serve as Co-Chairs of John McCain's campaign in Minnesota.

Hopefully Senator McCain's leadership on veterans issues will rub of!

I must have accidently posted this picture from when he endorsed Giuliani for President!

From Corrections USA-Assaults on Correctional Officers

There are no accurate statistics on the number of correctional officers assaulted by inmates. Some Department of Corrections do not keep records and others under-report. Correctional officers are routinely gassed, assaulted, injured, and sometimes killed in the line of duty.
To see a glimpse of the dangerous environment we work in behind the walls, please read the following news accounts:

Assaults, August 2007

Source: Corrections USA

HCSO Not So Veteran Friendly

Up until now I have kept this off of the blog and out of the public eye. As many of you know from our egroup the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office unilaterally dropped out of the GI Bill's OJT (On the Job Training)program for veterans. This is a program that costs the Sheriff's Office nothing because the veterans have paid into this as part of their military service. It's a way to attract and retain good employees at no cost to the Sheriff's Office.

In a nutshell, it pays a veteran a certain amount of money each month after returning to civilian life while they are gaining experience/training on the job. Kind of like a deferred compensation program for vets, it's their money. The Sheriff's Office had two year agreements with some of our veterans and the Veterans Administration to participate in this program. Many detention deputies have participated in this program over the years. Suddenly the Sheriff's Office has opted not to participate. While this is voluntary on their part it makes no sense. How often can you attract and compensate good employees at no cost to your bottom line?

The nastier part is that two of our veterans received letters from the VA over Veterans Day weekend informing them they were dropped, despite signed two year contracts. The Sheriff's Office didn't have the decency to tell them themselves.

The Department of Labor even went to the HCSO and met with them in an attempt to get them to continue with the GI Bill program. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office re-affirmed their request to cancel, claiming that detention deputies are fully trained/qualified after 3 months!

Team Legal attorney's have been assisting our veterans with this struggle. I can think of few things lower then screwing over veterans, especially during a time of war.

Nominations For Union Steward

A nomination sheet will be posted for anyone interested in being a Teamsters Local 320 Union Steward.

You must be a full dues paying member to be eligible- no fair share.

The sheet will be posted through 3/14 at 1430. All interested members must put their own name on the sheet.

What does a steward do?

Stewards are on the front line every day, working directly with members to make sure contracts are enforced, workers' rights are not being violated, and the workplace is a safe place to be. You are the face of the union, and your role as communicator is critical to solidarity and membership participation. (Teamsters IBT)

Member in Hospital

I received a call around 3 AM this morning informing me that Trent J. was involved in a rollover accident and was airlifted to North Memorial Hospital. He's in intensive care, I managed to get connected to his room and spoke to him and his wife. He said he has some broken ribs and a laceration on his face, but should recover.

Please send your thoughts and prayers to him and his family.

Inspector Cooper's Response Re: Brown Leather

Today I emailed Inspector Cooper and explained to him the situation outlined in the previous post. He responded:

I will make sure that the jail supervisors understand that those detention deputies who have not switched over to black leather would have the option to stay in their brown leather.

Included in his response to me were Captain Wresh and Captain Roberts.

You Can Stay Brown!

Middle shift supervisors are telling detention deputies to be changed to black by 2/28 or be "dealt with accordingly."

On December 10th 2007 in response to a detention deputy wanting to be reimbursed for buying black leather Inspector Cooper wrote:

"Sheriff's Administration, however, decided that those Detention Deputies who have been issued brown leather could stay in their brown leather."

Furthermore at a meeting on January 31, 2007 with Teamsters Business Agent Tom Perkins, Hennepin County Labor Relations attorney Greg Failor and myself, I told Inspector Cooper that his memo was still posted in the jail ordering us to switch to black. He said that it was still posted because the licensed deputies still had to switch, but that he would be sending out an email shortly.

I will be contacting Hennepin County Labor Relations and Inspector Cooper tomorrow.

Furthermore, the December 10th email informing detention deputies they could stay in brown was also sent to Captain Wresh, Captain Roberts, and Lt. June Johnson, who should be aware!

THIS IS BULLSHIT!

Teamsters Endorse Obama

According to a press release issued by the Teamsters on February 20, 2008, Teamsters has endorsed Barack Obama.

Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa says, “Senator Obama understands the challenges working people face every day,” Hoffa said. “He is the candidate in the best position to lead our movement to restore the American dream for working people in this country. Senator Obama will fight for better wages, real health care reform, stronger retirement security, fair trade and an end to the outsourcing of good jobs. He understands the importance of giving workers a voice at work and will fight for strong unions to help rebuild America’s middle class.”

Labor News/Headlines

Twin Cities security officers vote overwhelmingly to authorize strike

HealthPartners, SEIU reach tentative contract agreement

Improved Stimulus Package Fails in Senate By Single Vote; Chamber Passes GOP Alternative Instead

Sure, We Might Fire You Suddenly to Cut Costs. But We Gave You a Pair of Black Jeans!

Writers Reach Tentative Deal With Producers

Internal Affairs Primer

Most of you at one time or another will be called into Internal Affairs at some point in your career. It can be a nerve racking experience so I've put together a little primer to make your trip to I.A. a little easier.

How does an Internal Affairs investigation begin?

There can be several reasons.
-A complaint from an inmate.
-A complaint from the public.
-A complaint from a co-worker or other employee.
-An investigation fueled by the Administration.

Rule #1 always bring a Union Steward!

This is your right under Weingarten. The Steward will make sure your rights are protected as well as add moral support by being with you.

You will be asked to sign a Garrity/Tenneson form.

What is Garrity?

Because the 5th Amendment applies to Public Employees:Public employees have certain constitutional rights that apply in their employment that may not apply to private employees. For example, in Garrity v. New Jersey, the Supreme Court held that statements obtained in the course of an investigatory interview under threat of termination from public employment couldn’t be used as evidence against the employee in subsequent criminal proceedings.

In short if they don't allow you to sign a Garrity then DON'T TALK! It is a criminal matter, call Team Legal !

What is the Tenneson Warning?

The Tenneson warning lets you know what information may become public.

Once you have signed the Garrity/Tenneson form you must cooperate with the investigation and you must be truthful. Lying in I.A. can get you fired.

That being said here's some advice.

If you wrote a report read it and refresh your memory. Many I.A. investigations happen months after the event.

Keep your answers short like in a deposition. One word answers are best. Yes, no or if you don't remember say, "I don't recall." While they don't like the "I don't recall" response remember this, you are most likely on video and audio and if you say something was said or done that conflicts with their video you have a whole new can of worms. Again, many investigations take place months after the event.

The longer your answers are the more fishing line you give them. You have to be truthful, but if they don't ask for something you do not have to volunteer it. Almost every I.A. ends with them asking, "Is there anything you'd like to add?" Unless you have something critical you think should be on the record your answer should be "no." Otherwise you'll open up a whole new line of questioning.

The interview will be recorded and you will be allowed to read over the transcript when it is done.

What will be the outcome?

The investigator determines whether the accusation is "sustained" or "unsustained" and passes their findings on to the Chief Deputy. If it is sustained the Chief Deputy and usually the jail Inspector will determine what discipline may be administered.

Things to keep in mind.

They can lie and will lie to you! That's right, they can legally say things like:
"Other people have said they saw you."
"That's not what the video shows."
"The last three people in here said something else. Why is that?"

You can only testify about things you know. Questions like, "What do you think he was thinking when he did that?" Can't be honestly answered. You can't know what someone else is thinking. Only testify about things you yourself have seen or heard. Simply say, "I can't know what he was thinking." Or they may ask, "Why do you think he did that?" Again, you can't know why someone did or didn't do something, only whether you saw them do it or not.


More I.A. Tricks.

Lately they've been trying to start the interview without having people sign the Garrity/Tenneson form. Why? This leaves them the option of also using your statement in a criminal case against you!

They may say things like, "You're not the focus" or "We only need to ask you one or two questions." Don't buy it. The focus can switch to you at anytime. Protect yourself.

They may play good cop and try to appear as your friend, "Yeah I worked in the jail. I know what it's like." Giving the impression you're sharing information with a friendly sympathetic co-worker. First off, none of them have any idea what the jail is like now. Secondly, they are not "friendly co-workers," they are investigating you, and often with an agenda from the Administration.

They may play bad cop and seem angry with you, "C'mon, I know what happened. Just come clean!" Do not be intimidated. Answer honestly even if they don't like the answer.

Finally:

Never, never talk without a Union Steward and without signing a Garrity/Tenneson form. An Internal Affairs investigation will always take place while you are on the clock in the I.A. office. Remember, under the Stanek Administration I.A. is staffed by Detectives. My fear is the temptation for them to blend an internal and criminal investigation. That's why now more then ever you need to bring a Union Steward with you.

We Are Not Alone! DNC Protest!

As we gear up for this summer's RNC protests in Saint Paul, see nornc.org. Denver can now prepare for their own protests! See DNC Disruption 08.

Black or Brown??

In an email response from Inspector Cooper on December 10th, 2007 he wrote:

"Sheriff's Administration, however, decided that those Detention Deputies who have been issued brown leather could stay in their brown leather."

Today after an unrelated meeting I asked why his memo ordering the switch to black leather by February 28th was still posted. He said that's because the licensed deputies will still be required to change by then, but that he will be sending out an email to everyone shortly.

He also told me the return of uniform inspections will be coming very soon.

Excerpts from the Strib

A jury failed to reach a verdict Wednesday in the case of a Hennepin County jail deputy accused of criminal sexual conduct with a former inmate...

Defense lawyer Trevor Oliver said he hoped the prosecutor would reconsider pursuing another trial, but he didn't expect to agree to a plea bargain. He also didn't expect a second trial to be better for either side. "Both sides laid everything out as far as they could," Oliver said.

Source: Star Tribune click for full story