MN Progressive Project puts Stanek spending in perspective

A brief look at the list of travel charges leads one to start asking questions:
 
1) On 01/23/2012, $2,244.20 was spent at “MARRIOTT 33769″ in Washington DC, for the purpose of “JW DC NSA Conf Hotel – Stanek.” A online website lookup of this hotel says that the daily room changes range from $229 to $429. So it appears that Stanek took the most expensive room for 5 days. Is it the policy to take the most expensive room?
 

2) The number of Sheriff conferences seems high. Why did Stanek go to the WESTERN sheriffs conference?
 
3) On 03/22/2012, $1,327.20 was spent at Delta Air on a flight for and “Flight to DC and PHX”. Aren’t DC and Phoenix in the opposite directions from Minneapolis? Currently Delta Air round trips delta flights from Minneapolis to Washington are $559 first class. So was this charge for two round trip first class tickets?

 
4) On 08/14/2012, $183.98 was spent on a “Dinner with Fed Partners” at Sunsets Wayzata. An expensive meal at Wayzata’s Sunset restaurant would be $30. So did Staneck buy meals for 6 “Fed Partners”? Why didn’t “Fed Partners” use their own expense account?
 
And those questions are only from the first half page, the list goes on.
 
Stanek is Republican, so we shouldn’t be surprised that he spends other people’s money lavishly.

FULL STORY MN PROGRESSIVE PROJECT

Hennepin County Sheriff Stanek's Travel expenses

Post by Frizell for Sheriff.

Post by Frizell for Sheriff.

Post by Frizell for Sheriff.

Post by Frizell for Sheriff.

Post by Frizell for Sheriff.

Payroll Woes

As you all know when the contract was settled we were to receive all back pay on the October 10th check.

For most it didn't exactly happen that way. Some were paid their cost of living adjustment(COLA), but it appeared not all back pay was included. Some received their COLA, but not the Step increase due them. Several people said they didn't get the $350 lump sum due to people making less than $18 an hour.

On October 21, 2014, our MNPEA BA and three stewards met with Hennepin County Labor Relations to discuss this and some of our other grievances we've had with HCSO payroll.

The County admitted many did not get their Step increase on this check, and doesn't know why HCSO payroll sat on the ones who had their reviews done. Some of those missing their Step will get it on this check, but not all. Some will get it on the following check. One of our concerns was that the COLA was paid on the lower rate before the Step was included. They assured us the back pay Step will include the COLA adjustment on the higher amount when paid.

Steward Phil M stated that we can't read our paychecks as printed and we didn't trust them. He asked if those who believed their checks were wrong could get a line by line print out of how the amount was arrived at. The County said that would be too time consuming as each of our 205 members would have to have it done manually by payroll. The county said they would audit 5 members of our choosing, and if they found the back pay wasn't correct they would audit everyone and make it right.

As to the $350 members making less then $18.00 an hour were to receive, the offer was only to those making that amount before Jan 1st. Our union is fighting that.

Payroll has been a major issue, especially the Sheriff's Office payroll. There are months of unpaid weekend and night shift differentials. When contacted Sheriff's payroll either says it will be on the next check or flat out says you don't get it. Further emails bounce back. Grievances have reached the county level and I won't be surprised if they reach arbitration.

One has to wonder why the Sheriff's Office uses Workforce rather then APEX like the rest of the county and why no one can read their checks.

I think a State audit is overdue.

Ebola...Does our jail have a protocol?

Dallas County Deputy in Contact 

With Duncan's Apartment Taken to Hospital   NBC Dallas

A Dallas County sheriff's deputy in Frisco who said he was feeling ill and who had been in the apartment of Thomas Eric Duncan, the man who died Wednesday of Ebola, has been hospitalized.

NBC 5 has confirmed the man is Sr. Sgt. Michael Monnig with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.

I remember all of the Swine Flu protocol...is there one for Ebola?

How to contain it? 

How many staff would stay home?

Just food for thought.

Gov. Candidate Jeff Johnson thinks you get paid TOO much

This is the video of the Hennepin County Board approving our contract. The single NO vote came from Minnesota Gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson. 

He believes the step raises are"too much."

Too much for Detention Staff working in a dangerous environment and for stressed out 911 Dispatchers.

Too much for a job class that has had 5 years of wage freezes.

 In Jeff Johnson's world you should start at one rate and stay there forever, except for small occasional cost of living raises to keep you exactly where you started as inflation occurs.

This is a no vote from a man who has made the largest most dangerous jail in the State the lowest paid in the seven county metro area.

This coming from one of the highest paid County Commissioners in the State. A man making six figures a year and one of the only County Board members with a tax payer paid take home car!

Is this the man we want for Governor?

Remember this at the polls in November.

Member Contribution on Social Security Vote

This is a member contribution regarding the Big Change in Correctional Pension post.

For people who are not self-employed, 12.4% of gross income is contributed to Social Security.  6.2% by the employer and 6.2% by the employee.  So, to place it in perspective, for every $1000.00 a person earns, $62 goes into SS from a person's paycheck and their employer pays in another $62.

Here is my take on the benefits and the drawbacks of opting out of paying into Social Security...

The benefits of continuing to pay into SS:

-6.2% is employer paid.

-employees would keep their full SS benefits (contingent upon how much Congress decides to pay)

-PERA employees would keep a good amount of money that was paid into SS as opposed to only receiving back 3 years worth from the IRS if they opt out.

-Most people aren't responsible enough to save or invest if there were no SS tax.

-Older employees would not see a reduction in benefits even if they joined PERA after 1999.

-SS has been, and can continue to be beneficial as supplemental income for millions of people.

-SS is income insurance for when people stop or no longer can earn an income.

The benefits of Opting out of SS:

-6.2% more money to invest in a pre-tax IRA (deferred comp.)

-money paid into SS prior to joining PERA would still be available.

-You would have more money that would not be controlled by government bureaucrats to squander.

-SS is controlled by congress, bureacrats decide how much you will be paid out per month and when you should get a cost of living adjustment.  Funds in an IRA and personal savings are controlled by the individual, not the government.

-SS payouts are taxable income, (so you would end up paying taxes on a tax, (which seems a little asinine to me) as opposed to post-tax investments such as a Roth IRA.

-The SS fund is currently used to fund retirees, disabled people and the children of disabled people, and, for some reason, to pay back Treasury Bonds, to  fund wars, subsidies, and other government programs.

-By 2033, the SS fund is projected to be depleted.

-SS grows at a rate of approximately 4.4% from bond interest, while the stock market has grown an average of approximately 10% over the last 50 years despite the crash of 2008-09.

-with compounding interest, which equates into higher growth on money you control, taking the money you would have paid into SS and investing it in good growth stock mutual funds that have a long track record of growth would, and should, yield exponentially more money than placing it in the hands of Congress.

-with only an estimated 49% of the U.S. population paying income taxes, how can SS be sustained?

On my last pay stub, the amount that I paid into OASDI\EE amounted to $184.44.  That is $184.44 I could have placed into my deferred compensation accounts, or $138.33 into my post-tax Roth IRA. 

Honestly, does anyone feel comfortable with the government managing their money, placing it into an insolvent fund when there is annual deficits and over $17 trillion in national debt?  I personally do not.  The benefits of opting out, for me, far outweigh the benefits of continuing to pay in. Forget the so-called "three legged stool" of SS, savings, and investments, I would rather stand on my own two legs with savings and more to invest!

 Contributed by Noel Schlitter

Contract Vote Passes

The membership has accepted the County's offer. Traditionally, the County Board will approve it the second week of September and the raises will go into effect in October.

This means Detention Deputies will get the following raises:

Those in steps, will get your step plus 2.5% Cost of Living (COLA) 2014 and 2015
Those at top pay 3.5% COLA 2014 and 2015

All Dispatchers, even those in steps will get a 4.5% raise plus steps in 2014
and 2.5% plus steps in 2015.

Corrections News & Views August 2014

Contents: PERA Social Security Opt Out, Grievances, Schedules and More!

Big Change in Correctional Pension

Correctional Plan referendum on Social Security set for December
Correctional Plan members are currently participating in both PERA and Social Security. However, members who did not originally transfer to the plan from the Coordinated Plan in 1999 will be voting in December on whether to retain their Social Security coverage.

When created in 1999, it was assumed new correctional officers would be covered for retirement, disability and survivor benefits by both PERA and Social Security, just as were original participants in the plan. Only recently was it learned that the Social Security Administration requires a referendum for that to happen. PERA has prepared a Question and Answer sheet that explains the reason for the vote, the referendum process, and the impact of a “Yes” or “No” vote.

From PERA http://www.mnpera.org/

12 hour days?

I came back from vacation last week and landed in the land of the 12 hour day scuttlebutt. 

Background

5 years ago the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office took us off of the 6/3 schedule, and with the pound of a fist put us on the 28/8 schedule.

For 5 years the Sheriff's Office  REFUSED to discuss or entertain other options. As recently as a few weeks ago at negotiations with MNPEA Detention Deputies and Dispatchers they again refused citing, "employer right."

For some very relevant background read my post form 2005, Schedule Facts For Teamsters (we were Teamsters then.)

It seems an odd coincidence that once the HCSDA endorsed challenger Ediie Frizell for Hennepin County Sheriff that the current Sheriff is suddenly interested in changing from the unpopular 28/8 schedule.

All of the sudden there's a steamroller blazing the way to a 12 hour day. 

Fact 1

While refusing to talk to MNPEA Detention Deputies about alternate schedules for 5 years, a letter from Chief Deputy Carlson reveals they have been discussing just that with the HCSDA (licensed deputies) since last February!

They then added some Detention Deputies to this committee a couple of weeks ago, that as far as I can tell is only interested in a 12 hour schedule and how best to implement it. THERE WAS NO SURVEY OF DETENTION DEPUTIES! It is a piggyback onto seven months of licensed deputy talks. When I questioned Sheriff Stanek about this when he addressed us at a "meet and greet" on July 29th he said, "If it's good for the licensed deputies, it's good for detention, right?" 

Not so fast.

In an effort to find out what schedule preferences our members want a survey is going out with the contract vote ballots this week. We want to know what you want. To be sure some want 12's and some don't. To properly represent we need to know.

Bum Rush

Major Storms told the committee that they need an answer by this Wednesday. According to one of our stewards, when informed that the survey being mailed out wouldn't be back by then, Major Storms said to just verbally ask our members, because they needed to know it by Wednesday in time to implement the shift bid.

So for five years they won't discuss the schedule now they want an answer pronto. 

Sounds more like they are trying to appease themselves and implement a new schedule like they did the 28 day, but if it proves unpopular they can say, "This was the Union's idea."

Fact 2

The schedule is an inherent managerial right. (Minnesota State Statute 179A.07, Agreement Article 6, Sec. 1.)

The Sheriff can put us on whatever schedule he sees fit. Any schedule is ultimately the Sheriff's.

However,

That schedule must fall within the guidelines of the contract.

Here's what our contract says:

ARTICLE 10 - WORK SCHEDULES - PREMIUM PAY 

Section 1. This Article is intended only to define the normal hours of work and to provide the basis for the calculations of overtime premium and other premium pay. Nothing herein shall be construed as a guarantee of hours of work per day or per week. 

Section 2. A payroll period shall be an averaged eighty (80) hours. 

Section 3. Work shifts, work breaks, staffing schedules and the assignment of employees thereto, shall be established by the EMPLOYER. 

Section 4. For Detention Deputies, worked hours in excess of the assigned work shift of eight (8) or more hours or an averaged eighty (80) hours per payroll period, with the exception of the twelve mandatory training hours for employees on a 6-3 schedule, shall be overtime and compensated at one and one-half (1 1/2) times the employee's base pay rate, or one and one-half (1 1/2) hours compensatory time for each hour worked, subject to the provision that no employee shall be eligible for overtime premium unless prior approval of the overtime work was granted by the Sheriff or his designee
(bold type mine)

As long as a 12 hour schedule equals 80 hours a pay period, the Sheriff can impose it. The problem is every pattern I've seen laid out in the string of emails is 84 hours a pay period. That's an increase of 104 hours a year more at work.

There are two ways around it. One, pay that extra 4 hours as time and a half or make one workday every two weeks an 8 hour day.

Problems

1).There is an idea floating around that the union can just get a Letter of Understanding with the Sheriff to make the extra 4 hours a pay period straight time. That is not true. It is solid contract language and as such can only be NEGOTIATED at contract time. They let that window pass, and the next time that can be opened is in 2 years, but hey, for the last 5 they had no interest in discussing it.

2).The cynic in me can see the Sheriff claiming the 12 hour day can't work without concessions, concessions that can't be made outside of contract negotiations, and then blaming the Union because it couldn't work. I suspect this is a ploy to either feign wanting another schedule or a ploy to get your first 104 hours of overtime at straight time.

3). According to steward Phil M., Major Storms said that 16 hour days were a possibility if we were short.

4). Drafts on days off are possible. Currently at Dispatch they are on a 10 hour day schedule, 4 on 3 off. Well, not exactly. Due to short staffing they work overtime almost every day and are often forced to work 1 and sometimes 2 of their days off. This could happen to us if we go to 12's.

Reality is, going to 12's would be a hardship to anyone with kids in daycare, anyone who wants to attend their kids activities and anyone trying to go to school.

If implemented as I've seen emailed, you would be at work 104 more hours a year than now. There are 80 hours in a pay period, that's almost two and a half weeks MORE time at work!

At first there would be little to no overtime. Then the extra deputies would be transferred to the very short Courts Division.

Again, OK at first.

Then as staff continues to leave due to low pay, and maybe some due to the 12 hour day our compliment will fall.

Now add in some 2 man hospital guards, sick calls, and prime time vacation and you have 16 hour days and drafts on days off. Suddenly you aren't off, "half the year," as I hear some proponents saying.

Speaking of sick time, vacation time and holidays. This is how it would work with current contract language. Which again, can't be changed for 2 years if they actually choose to negotiate.

If you call in sick you will burn 12 hours a day. If you stay home 2 days to care for a child with the flu you just burned 24 hours. It'll take you 3  months to get that back, and let's not forget how quickly you will hit their 96 hour sick time limit.

If you take a vacation day, again you burn 12 hours.

Sick and vacation accruals WILL NOT CHANGE. It is a county wide benefit and accrues as hours, not days. 

Holidays would work like this. If you work a Holiday you would get paid 12 hours at time and a half and still get only 8 hours of either Deferred Holiday or Deferred Holiday paid out.

If you took the Holiday off, you would receive ONLY 8 hours of Holiday pay. I don't know how the other 4 hours would be accounted for. 

These are just some of the problems I see with a 12 hour day. 

I will not hide the fact I am no fan of 12's, but if the survey comes back and a majority of our members want it, as a steward I will support you.

I just want you to go in with both eyes open.

Video of Eddie Frizell speech 7/29/14

Video of Stanek 7/29/14 speech

Eddie Frizell Speech to MNPEA 7/29/14

Thanks to Dave Bentzen for providing audio wav.

Rich Stanek Speech to MNPEA 7/29/14

Thanks to Dave Bentzen for providing audio wav.

Candidate Websites for Hennepin Co. Sheriff

These are the official websites for both candidates running for Hennepin County Sheriff. Both candidates will be at the Meet and Greet on the 29th. Come, listen, ask questions.

EDDIE FRIZELL

http://www.frizellforsheriff.com/





RICHARD STANEK

http://sheriffstanek.com/

Hennepin County Sheriff Race Headlines

Hennepin deputies endorse Sheriff Stanek's opponent, MPD's Frizell Fox 9

Mpls. deputy chief of police to run for Hennepin County sheriff Star Tribune

Frizell Beats Stanek In Henn. Co. Sheriff’s Deputies Assoc. Vote  CBS

Meet and Greet-MNPEA Release

Contributed by Mike Golen

Attention all Detention Deputies, Detention
Technicians, Henn Co, MPLS & Edina Dispatchers 
and MNPEA Members living in Hennepin County. 

Come and join us for a “Meet and Greet” party 
with fellow union members & co-workers. MNPEA 

Director Mike Golen and MNPEA Vice President Tom Perkins will both be there. 

We have invited the candidates running for Sheriff 
to come for part of the meeting and speak to us and
answer questions. 

4PM Rich Stanek – 4:30PM Eddie
Frizell - for approx 20 minutes each. 

Come and be better informed on what is happening 
with your union. 

Where: Di Noko’s Pizza - 420 S 4th

(Next to Goldberg Bail Bonds)

When: July 29th

*25% discount on all food with work ID - Happy
Hour from 3-7PM.

 St, MPLS, MN

 (Tuesday) from 3PM till when ever...

Meet and Greet Union Mtg with Sheriff's Candidates

Shared by Carol Orcutt

Meet and Greet Union Mtg with Sheriff's Candidates

Attention all barganing units under the Sheriff's Office with MNPEA

Come and join us for a “Meet and Greet” party with your fellow union members and co-workers. Share some thoughts with our MNPEA Business Agent Michael Golen. He’ll be available to answer any questions about our union.

Also Sheriff Richard Stanek and Sheriff Candidate Eddie Firzell will be there to speak to us and answer questions from: 4 PM to 5 PM

Stop over even if you don't’ want to discuss union things and just hang out. If nothing else you’ll be better informed on what is happening with our union.

Where: Di Noko’s Pizza Next to Goldberg Bail Bonds 

When: July 29th (Tuesday) from 3PM till when ever…

There will be a 25% discount on all food with work ID and happy hour is between 3-7PM.

Let’s make it a fun informational gathering.

Eddie Frizell

Rich Stanek

What's it like being a corrections officer?

Each year over 33,000 Correctional Officers are assaulted. In the last year records were released on the prosecution rates of those assaults, only 10.9 percent resulted in prosecutions. Yet over 20 percent of the Officers assaulted required medical attention. How loud would the public outcry be if only one in 10 assaults on our city streets, where the assailant was clearly identified, were prosecuted? What would morale be like in our police departments if only one in 10 assaults of our cops were prosecuted? What would our communities be like if the criminal element knew they had only a one in 10 chance of being prosecuted, even if we knew who they were and could prove they committed the assault?

The number and severity of the assaults behind the walls has dramatically increased in the past decade. In the past six years, 47 of our brothers and sisters have died in the line of duty. With continued overcrowding, understaffing and more violent gang members being incarcerated, it will only continue to get worse. But, assaults aren’t the only problem we face.

FULL STORY CorrectionsOne

Arbitration FAQ

1. What happens in an arbitration? 

When essential employees and their employer deadlock in negotiations they file for arbitration. As essential employees we cannot strike.
The rules for arbitration are spelled out in Minnesota State Statute 

179A.16 INTEREST ARBITRATION

Both sides file their final positions to the arbitrator. 

A hearing is then held where both side present their positions to the arbitrator. It's much like a courtroom setting, testimony, witnesses and exhibits.

Briefs are filed by both sides, usually within a couple weeks of the hearing. The arbitrator then has 30 days to publish the decision.

An arbitrator is supposed to treat the arbitration as if the essential employees are on strike and make a decision considering what it would take to end a strike.

2. Will we get less than the employers offer that was rejected?

Not likely. The County's main argument is ALWAYS the pattern is set. They always compare  the three essential county corrections groups; the Workhouse, Juvenile Center and the Adult Detention Center.

As a matter of fact if you peruse the arbitrator decisions at the BMS site you will see that no one in any county has received less then the employers last 0ffer. arbitration! http://mn.gov/bms/arbitration_awards.html

For an example here's the arbitrator's decision for us from 2012: BMS Case No. 12-PN-0697

Here's a quote from that arbitration:

In the County’s view, MNPEA offered no compelling, different or special 
circumstances that would justify the MNPEA’s offer and granting the MNPEA’s offer 
would destroy the internal wage relationship that has existed for years with the County’s 
other correctional officers not represented by the MNPEA, such as the Juvenile 
Correctional Officers represented by the Teamsters and Correctional Officers at the Adult 
Correctional Facility in Plymouth represented by AFSCME

So there you have it, the County's game in their own words from the last arbitration. Both the County Correctional Officers and the Juvenile Correctional Officers received steps, a 2.5% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) and 1% Market Adjustment for those at the top step only for 2014 and 2015.  

The ONLY difference in the offers was that dispatch was to get a 2% market adjustment in 2014 only across the steps.  The county still wasn't deviating from the 2% market adjustment, just giving it all to dispatch the first year and including those in steps.

I still firmly believe dispatch deserves the market adjustment across the steps, but so does everyone in our bargaining unit.

The County will have to offer the market adjustment in arbitration, and even if they didn't we would argue it...only higher to get us where we should be.

I'm still voting no.