INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS PUBLIC AND LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEES UNION

LOCAL 320
Fall 2015 Edition

Volume XVIII - Issue #3

TEAMSTERS IN ACTION!

IN THIS ISSUE...

2. Secretary-Treasurers Report, Brian Aldes

4. Presidents Report, Sami Gabriel

4. Vice Presidents Report, Curt Swenson

5. Know Your Rights, Paula Johnston

5. Recording Secretarys Report,
Craig Johnson

CHISAGO COUNTY
TEAMSTERS RALLY
AT BOARD MEETING
FOR FAIR CONTRACT!
PAGE 3

OFFICERS AND STAFF

Brian Aldes

Secretary-Treasurer and
Principal Officer
Sami Gabriel
President/Business Agent
Curt Swenson
Vice President/Business Agent
Craig Johnson
Recording-Secretary/
Business Agent
Marcia (Marty) Lamb
Trustee, St. Paul ISD 625
Richard Wheeler
Trustee, MSUAASF
Alston Dutchin
Trustee, U of M
Paula Johnston
General Counsel

Local 320 Business Agents

Amy Hill
Bob Kolstad
Michael Kopp
Roger Meunier
Terry Neuberger
Vance Rolfzen
Erik Skoog

Communications | Lobbyist
Gus Froemke

Support Staff

Susan Bastian
Ron Phillips
Suzanne Slawson
Joni Spaulding
Kristi Ziegler
Katie Ziembo

Minneapolis, MN
Local Union Office
8:00am - 4:00pm
P: 612-378-8700
F: 612- 331-8948
1-800-637-5430

Online
www.teamsterslocal320.org
Email
local320@teamsterslocal320.org

Published by
Teamsters Local 320
3001 University Ave SE #500
Minneapolis, MN 55414

LOCAL 320 SECRETARY-TREASURERS REPORT

TURNING UP THE HEAT

By Brian Aldes

University of Min-

nesota Teamsters
are turning up the
heat on an ungrateful
administration. The
contract negotiations
between Local 320
and the University have hit a crossroads.
In August, University Teamsters set up
informational pickets at Crookston, Duluth
and the Twin Cities campuses. Hundreds of
Teamsters and supporters marched on the
campuses in support of a fair contract.
We stood in solidarity with student groups
and faculty and received positive comments, thumbs up, and approving honks
from students and their families on movein day.
On Tuesday, September 15, Teamsters
joined by AFSCME Locals 3800 and 3937
delivered over 10,000 petition signatures in
support of raises and respect for front-line
workers at the University.
Unionized front-line workers delivered
the petitions to University of Minnesota
President Eric Kaler and Vice President for
Human Resources Kathy Brown. President
Kaler was unavailable to receive the petitions, but Vice President Brown accepted
the petitions in person and thanked frontline staff for their dedication to the University.
Currently Local 320 and the University are
in mediation and it is my hope that we can
reach a fair settlement soon. Teamsters decided to turn up the heat on the administration because front-line staff have not been
given a fair shake over the past several
years. University Teamsters felt it was time
to fight back.
United we bargain, divided we beg!
Page 2

CHISAGO COUNTY TEAMSTERS

RALLY FOR FAIR CONTRACT

In early summer 2015, Teamsters Local 320 solic-

ited contract proposals from four of the represented

bargaining units: Engineering Technicians, Highway, Health & Human Services and Government
Center Professionals in Chisago County. From the
beginning, wages and health insurance were the
priority along with various increases to benefit accruals. On July 30, Local 320 entered negotiations
armed with the support of the membership, but
negotiations quickly soured and Teamsters were
forced to file for mediation.
The Bureau of Mediation Services (BMS) appointed a state mediator and Teamsters were soon back
at the table, working towards a mutual agreement.
Then on August 31, the County provided a counter
proposal on wages which was 3 percent less than
was originally offered. The obvious insult did not sit
well with the Committee and Business Agent Erik
Skoog who provided an ultimatum to encourage
the County to re-think their offer.
As negotiations progressed, the County made
an offer which would include a 7 percent wage
increase over three years, maintain and absorb
all health insurance increases for 2016, absorb
up to a 10 percent insurance increase, and then
split any additional increase 50/50 for 2017 and
2018. Teamsters were successful in increasing the
comp bank to 60 hours, an additional $125 for the
highway boot allowance and $125 for their safety
glasses.
Page 3

Chisago County Commissioner Mike Robinson

made it very clear that his authority was set at 6
percent: however, he felt Teamsters made a compelling argument and was not interested in a strike.
He went ahead and convinced the other Commissioners that the Teamster agreement was in the
best interest of the entire County.
As a sign of support to Commissioner Robinson,
and to ensure the Boards ratification, 30 Teamsters attended the September County Board
meeting wearing their union t-shirts. After a short
discussion, Mr. Robinson made a motion to ratify
the Teamster agreements, and with acknowledgement and thank you from the rest of the Board, the
agreements were ultimately ratified.
In all the years I have negotiated contracts at
Chisago County, the members serving on this
committee were some of the best, says long-time
Teamster Steward Nancy Schroeder. Discussion
was lively and thoughtful at the same time. Two
key people guiding us to an agreement were our
Business Agent, Erik Skoog and a former Teamster, Commissioner Mike Robinson.
Please join Teamsters Local 320 and thank Nancy,
who has helped negotiate every Chisago County
labor contract for the past 25 years, for serving
Chisago County Teamsters so very well. Lets wish
her luck in her upcoming retirement!

PRESIDENTS REPORT

GROWING SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC DEFENDERS

By Sami Gabriel

From law enforcement to

State Legislators to judges -we all agree public defenders

do some of the greatest work
moving the wheels of justice
in American society. Without
public defenders justice would
be denied to millions of Americans and the U.S.
Constitution would not live up to its ideals of justice
for all.
All Minnesota state public defenders are Teamsters.
Popular comedian and talk show host John Oliver
exposed the nationwide crisis for public defenders
on his HBO television show Last Week Tonight.
Oliver questioned whether defenders can make a
proper defense while being extremely overworked.

Local 320 recognizes that Minnesotas public defense

employees are indeed overworked and an arbitrator
stated the following in BMS Case No. 12-PA-0194:
A lack of adequate state funding for constitutionally
mandated public defender services requires assistant
public defender attorneys to work long and stressful
hours on a shoestring budget.
Please join Local 320 in support of a national petition to
excuse all education debt for practicing public defenders.
Online at: http://www.alternet.org/video/john-oliver-if-yourerelying-your-public-defender-youre-fcked

VICE PRESIDENTS REPORT

CHILDREN OF UNION MEMBERS FARE BETTER

By Curt Swenson

A study titled Bargaining for

the American Dream: What

Unions Do for Mobility, says
children who grow up in union
households have a greater
chance at economic success
than children growing up in
non-union households.
As Teamsters know, unions lead to a better quality
of life. The study demonstrates the following:

Union jobs may be more stable and predictable, which could produce a more stable living
environment.
Union jobs are more likely to provide family
health insurance.

Union workers make more money than comparable non-union workers what economists
call the union premium and when parents
make more money, their children tend to make
more money which economists refer to as
the intergenerational earnings elasticity.

The study notes that while statistics suggest a

strong correlation between unions and mobility,
further study is needed before a causal relationship
can be proven.
Nevertheless, the study concludes that unions often
advocate for policies that benefit all working people,
such as minimum wage increases and increased
spending on schools and public services.

Page 4

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: WHAT IS A TENNESSEN WARNING?

LOCAL 320 ATTORNEY & GENERAL COUNSEL

By Paula Johnston
During an investigatory interview, a public employer often asks for information that would be
classified as private or confidential under state
law. Before the start of an interview where such
information is collected (or before any other type of
interview or request for such information), a public
employer is required by Minn. Stat. 13.04, subd.
2, to provide the employee with a Tennessen warning.
The Tennessen warning must contain the
following:
(1)
The purpose and intended use of the
requested data within the collecting government
entity;
(2)
Whether the individual may refuse or is
legally required to supply the requested data;
(3)
Any known consequence arising from supplying or refusing to supply private or confidential
data; and
(4) The identity of other persons or entities authorized by state or federal law to receive the data.

The employer may use another name for the warning, such as privacy notice or request for private or
confidential data. No specific name is necessary, so
long as the four requirements listed above are met.
Most employers give a written Tennessen warning that
an employee must sign and date, but the law does not
require that the warning be in writing.
An employer is not required to give a Tennessen
warning if the data being requested is not about the
individual being asked. For example, if an employee
is merely a witness to an event and is not questioned
about anything that she herself did, no warning is
required. (Some employers take a better safe than
sorry approach and give warnings to every employee
that is questioned during an investigation. This is not
harmful to the employees and in fact provides a benefit to them).
If an employer fails to give a Tennessen warning before requesting private or confidential data, it may not
use or store the information for any purpose unless it
obtains the employees informed consent to do so.

RECORDING SECRETARYS REPORT

#MPLSWORKS!
By Craig Johnson
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy
Hodges launched the Working Family Agenda during her
State of the City speech in
April. The City Council responded and passed a resolution to create a workgroup
to develop policy proposals
around two major issues that low-income workers
are facing: fair scheduling and earned sick time.
Teamsters Local 320 supports the Working Family
Agenda to bring up standards for the working poor.

Fair Scheduling
A proposal for an ordinance to require employers
to post all employees schedules 28 days (or one
month) in advance of the shift. Employer must pay
predictability pay for any change of schedule
within those 28 days.
Earned Sick Time
A proposal for an ordinance to require employers
to pay one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours
worked by an employee to use for illness, medical
care and care of family member with illness.
Teamsters Local 320 also expects to see some
upward movement on the Citys minimum wage and
action against employers who commit wage theft.
Page 5

The Teamsters Service Bureau provides FREE

CONFIDENTIAL services for you and your family.

Our professional counselors

can help you with:

We can assist you with balancing and managing many

of lifes challenges.

Remember... Problems and stress can and do happen!
Call the Service Bureau today. Were here to help!
612-676-3700 (or 24-hour toll free 1-800-979-9725)

Emotional Concerns
Financial Problems
Family/Marriage Issues
Chemical Dependency
Stress/Anxiety and
Depression
Legal Concerns