Vital Information

Remember to fill out the Dues Authorization Card and return it to payroll ASAP so full dues can be deducted for MNPEA, otherwise the county will automatically deduct only fair share and you will not have the legal coverage as fair share.

Also be sure to mail your $25 initiation fee to MNPEA or get it to a steward to mail it.

There was some confusion on the Dues Authorization Card, because it says to take $64 the first check and $39 for checks after that. That's because MNPEA wanted to save you the trouble of mailing the initiation check and just have it come out payroll deduction. Unfortunately Hennepin County will not do this, yet every other City and County MNPEA has was able to do this.

New MNPEA members

Today the University of Minnesota Police left LELS and became MNPEA members. Welcome U of M Police.

Last Thursday, November 10, 2011 the City of Owatonna essential supervisors voted to be represented by MNPEA. Welcome.

Hennepin County Offer to AFSCME

This is Hennepin County's Offer to AFSCME for their members to vote on:


The bargaining team agreed to be "neutral" on the settlement.
In place of the strike training on November 21st. There will be a master
committee meeting on November 21st 5:30 PM at the Minneapolis Central Labor Union
312 Central Ave SE in Minneapolis.  All dues paying members are eligible to attend
this meeting.  Table team members will answer questions about the settlement.

Below is a summary of the settlement from Hennepin County:

$500 Lump sum payment to all benefit earning employees the first pay period of 2012

We as a bargaining unit have to decide if we want 1.5% COLA and steps for 2013
or everyone gets a 2.5% COLA for 2013.

Stability pay remains intact.

Single health insurance will remain at $40 per month until December 2012 at which time
it will go to $60 until December 2013 at which time it will go to $75.

We had a lot of improvement of meet and confer language.

Health Partners, Children's, and North Memorial will remain in "tier one" for 2012.
In 2013, the county and Preferred One will review the tiers and make changes after
consulting the Labor-Management Health Care committee.

Tier 2 and Tier 3 providers will have deductibles in 2013, but the deductibles will be offset
by the co-pays going down $5.

The entire settlement should be available online at the council 5 website as soon as
they are able to get it on there.

552 members are welcome to call me, Patrick Guernsey @612-596-0493 with questions.
Other AFSCME Members should call their union representatives.

Patrick Guernsey
President
AFSCME Local 552
HCPC

Grievance Filed

A grievance has been filed regarding the unpaid night shift differentials on overtime.

See egroup files to view grievance.

Meeting

MNPEA MEETING(S)

NOVEMBER 10, 2011

ROOM C-2350 HENNEPIN COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER

DOGWATCH TIME: 6:50- 8:00 AM

MIDDLESHIFT TIME: 12PM – 1:10 PM

DAYSHIFT TIME: 2:50 PM – 4:00 PM

MNPEA Update

I met with the MNPEA board today. Here's the scoop.

The County is being emailed a list of the stewards. I'm restored as Chief Steward. This is in effect until a steward election is held. A nomination sheet will go up within a week.

They will have meetings with the members ASAP

I passed on the following as important issues for our group. Feel free to add more when they meet with all of us.

1. Steward Elections
2. Contract
3. Sick Time
4. Night Shift differentials
5. 28 day schedule issues
6. Unresolved past grievances

By weeks end they will be dropping off grievance forms. Cards are being printed with important numbers for members.

In solidarity,
Wade Laszlo
Chief Steward

P.S. All Detention Deputies and Techs are being considered members and were covered by the MNPEA Legal Defense Plan effective Saturday July 29th. Click on the link and familiarize yourself with it. You now have on and off duty protection. You are also entitled to bring our attorney with you to I.A.

Message from MNPEA

Hello All & Congratulations on today's victory! Thank you!

This email is to inform you and the members that as of Saturday you are covered by both MNPEA as your union and our Legal Defense Plan with the Robert Fowler Law Firm. Please call me if you need a Business Agent or call Rob Fowler if you need to speak with our Legal Counsel. Also we plan to reinstate all of the current stewards on Monday Oct. 31st and then have steward elections when we have the mailing list in November. I am meeting with Hennepin HR this coming Tuesday to work out the dues collection. We are also preparing to have a Unit Clarification Hearing at the BMS to try and separate out the Dispatchers into their own bargaining unit and will update you on when we can get a Hearing Date and have a pre-meeting with the Dispatch members to help us prep for the hearing.

Mike Golen

Director

Rob Fowler

Legal Counsel

MNPEA Overwhelming Victory

Our new exclusive representative is MNPEA . 

The official tally at the BMS was 110-1  http://www.bms.state.mn.us/documents/electionresults/12PRE0198.pdf

In addition to us so far today Washington County ,  the City of  Albert Lea , and  Freeborn County   have decertified Teamsters Local 320 for MNPEA.

There are other groups still in the process. Congratulations to everyone on a new beginning.

Freeborn County, First MNPEA Victory

Congratulations Freeborn County Sheriff's Patrol Sergeants!


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


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

MNPEA Ballots Coming

On October 17, 2011, the Bureau of Mediation Services will be mailing the ballots out to determine who will be our exclusive representative.

I urge you to vote for MNPEA.

A vote for MNPEA is a vote for dues of only $39 a month.

The best labor attorney in the State, Rob Fowler.

A superior Legal Defense Plan, covering on and off duty.

And real representation on the job.

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

Members Of The Minnesota Fraternal Order Of Police:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gary Cayo
MN FOP President

Paul Dooley
MN FOP Treasurer

Vote for Fred Gegare this week!

You should receive a ballot from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters this week for the general election. I encourage you to vote, and to vote for the Fred Gegare slate. I was a delegate to the 2011 Teamsters Convention and fully support him and his entire slate.


My, our beef, is with Teamsters Local 320 not the International. Yes, we are in the process of decertifying 320, they won't have a local election for two years and we can't take another two years of their abuse. Give a gift to our brothers and sisters in the labor movement, vote in someone who wants to return the power of the Teamsters to the members. Hoffa needs to go!


By the way, thank you Teamsters local 320, because you "protested" the list of names provided to the Bureau of Mediation Services we will all still be able to vote in the Teamsters General election!

Removed as Union Steward

Today I received a letter from Teamsters Local 320 Principle Officer Sue Mauren, removing me as a union steward. I want to thank all of you who have elected me to represent you as a union steward for over 12 years and most recently as a delegate to the 2011 Teamsters Convention. 


I have worked hard all these years to represent you and to improve our profession.  


I look forward to running as a union steward again under the Minnesota Public Employees Association.


In solidarity,
Wade Laszlo

320 Begs You to Stay

MAINTENANCE OF STATUS QUO ORDER

Decertification Video

NOTICE

On September 6th, 2011

CARDS WERE FILED WITH THE BUREAU OF MEDIATION SERVICES TO DECERTIFY TEAMSTERS LOCAL 320 AS THE EXCLUSIVE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HENNEPIN COUNTY DETENTION DEPUTIES, TELECOMMUNICATORS AND DETENTION TECHS AND TO CHOOSE THE MINNESOTA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION (MNPEA) AS THE EXCLUSIVE REPRESENTATIVE.


*The number of cards filed was an overwhelming majority.

Happy Labor Day

Labor Day is the day the United States honors it's workers. In 2011 things seem to have gotten worse for U.S. workers. Our right to collective bargaining is under attack, things as basic as sick time use are under attack and the very Unions born out of the last century's labor struggles have grown into large corporate style behemoths too often in bed with the government, corporations, and employers that have forgotten their roots and too often only view their members as a source of income for their overblown salaries.

Let's remember our roots this Labor Day and take back the Labor movement that is rightfully ours! We are the Union, in solidarity we stand!

1934 Minneapolis Truckers Strike pt. 1

pt 2

pt 3

In solidarity,

Wade Laszlo

Contract Proposals

Today I (and you) received a letter asking for contract proposals from our Business Agent of 5 months, Mike Carey.

Even though he has never come out to meet the rank and file members he did meet with all of the Stewards on May 4th. We were very straightforward.

At that meeting we asked that a copy of the contract be mailed to all of the members. He said it would be. It has not, yet you are now asked to make proposals on a contract many of you don't have a copy of.

On May 4th we also discussed the very contentious 28 day schedule and the shift survey we filled out. He told us that overwhelmingly 6/3 was the choice and he'd be sending a letter out to the members. That has not happened either.

At the end of the meeting Mike Carey said to me, "We have to make this work." When I got home a message about me was posted on the Internet (under one of 320's many aliases): LASZLO, JENSON AND DEAL CAN GO FUCK THEMSELVES! Posted at 1:29 PM, right as we were leaving the building.

On August 9th there was a step 2 grievance hearing with Hennepin County Labor Relations regarding the monitored sick time issue. Mr. Carey was not there.

He has however found the time to meet several times with management about the new dispatch center.

On August 4th I wrote him a very detailed letter asking several questions. He has not responded.

At the Teamsters Convention right before the State shutdown, Ed Reynoso our DRIVE representative (lobbyist) told me, one of your elected delegates, "Fuck You Wade" every time he saw me for the first three days of the convention. He never left the convention even when the State shut down! However he did write a full page article in the Joint Council 32 magazine about the shutdown as if they gave a rats ass.

Maybe the folks we pay to represent us should find the time to mail out copies of the contract, address the shift preference survey, and answer the questions asked in the letter. Unless of course they are too busy attacking members on the Internet.

You cowards like to hide behind fake ID's on the Internet, I challenge you to answer this using your real names.

Teamsters had a big drive this summer to "Stop the War on Workers." Maybe Teamsters Local 320 should stop the war on its' members.

You can reach your Business Agent Mike Carey at mcarey@teamsterslocal320.org or call him at 612/378-8727

August Updates

1. A grievance has been filed regarding the crackdown on sick time use. More specifically the use of monitored sick time without any previous warning to members.

2. Lexipol . What you say? Yesterday Lt. Mathison and Sgt. Hughes gave myself, stewards from the AFSCME clerical unit, HCSDA and the Detention Sergeants an overview of our new policy and procedures. They've contracted with a Risk Management Company calledLexipol and redid the Policy and Procedure Manuel and in the process DOUBLED the amount of P&P's we have. It's all about risk management through better P&P's. Of concern is that they pay a per employee cost, I hope they don't try to consider this an employee cost come contract negotiations.

One of it's features is that our P&P Manuel will ONLY be accessible via the Internet and we will be getting Daily Training Bulletins (DTB's). That's right 30 a month, but we will only have to complete 5-10. I was quick to point out the Jail has no Internet access. It's a problem they will have to address. I also pointed out it's been a problem for completing the Health Care questionnaires for lower co-pays. Maybe some benefit will come to us.

See our e group for more 'private' matters. As we continue to do more with less.

In solidarity,

Wade