Teamsters Local 320 Newsletter Spring 2015

LOCAL

INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS PUBLIC AND LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEES’ UNION

320Spring 2015 Edition Volume XVIII - Issue #1

IN THIS ISSUE... 2. Secretary-Treasurer’s Report, Brian Aldes 3. Farewell to long-time Teamster Joanne Derby and welcome Craig Johnson to Local 320’s Executive Board 4. Vice President’s Report, Sami Gabriel 4. Recording Secretary’s Report, Curt Swenson 5. Know Your Rights, Paula Johnston 5. Dennis Wagner, Teamster Steward and Inductee to Minnesota Softball Hall of Fame 6. Support Governor Dayton’s Budget, Gus Froemke 6. Growing our Membership and Activism, Josh Intemann 7. Sign up for Local 320’s Website and Action Alerts 7. Save the Date: May Membership Appreciation Meeting

TEAMSTERS AT THE CAPITOL

Special EditionCollector’s Item!

Teamsters Local 320’s last newsletter

in print

LOCAL 320 SECRETARY-TREASURER’S REPORT

Page 2

By Brian Aldes

Teamsters Local 320 is gaining steam as a powerful Local Union in both Joint Council 32 and the International Brother-hood of Teamsters.

We have come a long way since our first Lobby Day in 2013 when only 30 Team-sters participated. I had an overwhelming feeling of pride for Local 320 when I saw all of the black Teamster vests walking the halls of the State Capitol. We’re spread-ing the messages of workers’ issues and coming together with the Minnesota labor movement.

Being involved in the legislative process is important to secure strong contracts and to protect our jobs. We see what is happen-ing around the country where hard working men and women are losing their collective bargaining rights and their position in the middle class.

In Wisconsin, after Governor Scott Walker ended collective bargaining for public em-ployees, he then went after all union work-ers (public and private) with a so-called “right to work” law. So-called “right to work” simply means that a union worker can quit paying union dues but still gets the benefits and representation of union membership. To have a union where no workers have to pay dues will plainly lead to the underfund-ing of the very services union workers de-pend on. The surest way to weaken a union is to take away its ability to collect dues.

So-called “right to work” laws have been proposed in Missouri, New Hampshire and New Mexico. Laws to end or restrict collec-tive bargaining for public employees have been proposed in both Iowa and Kansas. The war on workers rages on and on with no end in sight.

OFFICERS AND STAFF

Brian AldesSecretary-Treasurer and

Principal OfficerJoanne Derby

President/Business AgentSami Gabriel

Vice President/Business AgentCurt Swenson

Recording-Secretary/Business Agent

Marcia (Marty) LambTrustee, St. Paul ISD 625

Richard WheelerTrustee, MSUAASFAlston Dutchin

Trustee, U of MPaula Johnston

General Counsel

Local 320 Business AgentsAmy Hill

Craig JohnsonBob Kolstad

Michael KoppRoger Meunier

Terry NeubergerVance Rolfzen

Kari SeimeErik Skoog

Communications | LobbyistGus Froemke

Lead OrganizerJosh Intemann

Support StaffSusan Bastian

Ron PhillipsSuzanne Slawson

Joni SpauldingKristi ZieglerKatie Ziembo

Minneapolis, MN Local Union Office8:00am - 4:00pmP: 612-378-8700F: 612- 331-89481-800-637-5430

Onlinewww.teamsterslocal320.org

[email protected]

Published by Teamsters Local 320

3001 University Ave SE #500Minneapolis, MN 55414

At our Lobby Day we met with Minn. Rep-resentative Ryan Winkler (DFL - Golden Valley) to discuss Teamster issues. Rep. Winkler spoke to us about our issues and gave us advice on how to strike back against hostile, anti-union legislation and bad actors at the State Capitol.

Rep. Winkler also discussed the broader issues affecting working people in today’s political economy. He said that we must join together with other unions, community groups, student groups, social advocates, and even non-union workers who are distressed over the direction of the country. We must join together in a coalition to fight against anti-union and anti-worker policies, and to fight for the rights of all workers.

After Wisconsin became the 25th “right to work” state, Minnesota is now surrounded by other “right to work” states. North Da-kota is a “right to work” state with no public sector collective bargaining; South Dakota is a “right to work” state with limited public sector collective bargaining and no bind-ing arbitration; and Iowa is a “right to work” state with narrow public sector collective bargaining rules compared to Minnesota.

The rich billionaires, the anti-government crowd and the corporate plutocracy are keeping a fixed eye on Minnesota and its politics, and they will rear their heads again when they think the time is right. Rest as-sured that Teamsters are looking right back at them!

TEAMSTERS GAINING STEAM

By Brian Aldes

Joanne Derby has served Teamsters Local 320 with exceptional distinction and wherewithal for as long as I have known her. She has been a staunch advocate for collective bargaining and the Team-sters she served. As a negotiator, she was fierce in her convictions and always promoted basic fairness and equity. Joanne is retiring and will be missed.

Joanne first became a Teamster in 1977 when she was hired as the Wadena County Assistant Zoning Administrator. She became a Local 320 Steward for the Wadena County General and Essential Unit in September of 1991.

In 1995 Joanne was hired as a Business Agent for the Local Union and has served in that role since. In 1996 she was appointed Recording Secretary and in 2002 was elected Vice President of Local 320. Joanne was elected President in January of 2008 and will have served for over seven years.

Due to Joanne’s retirement, Sami Gabriel will be President, Curt Swenson Vice President, and Craig Johnson will become Recording Secretary of Team-sters Local 320 effective May 1st, 2015.

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WE SAY GOODBYE TO JOANNE DERBY, PRESIDENT AND BUSINESS AGENT

Joanne Derby with Teamsters Local 320 Steward Berhane Gebre

Business Agent Craig JohnsonIncoming Recording Secretary

Craig Johnson has been a Teamster since 1992 when he was hired at the Hennepin County Home School in juvenile corrections. He became a Busi-ness Agent with Local 320 in 2011. Prior to 2011, Craig was a Teamster Steward in Hennepin County.

“I enjoyed my time at Hennepin County where I worked with some very strong Teamster brothers and sisters. I was elected steward and enjoyed a long run in that position. Being a shop steward is a calling that I am proud of,” says Craig. “I was happy to serve on the front line and help coworkers main-tain strong Teamster contracts.”

Craig is a two term school board member in Princ-eton, Minn. where he lives with his teenage daugh-ter Hannah. Craig is originally from Newbury Park, Calif. where he was a ranch manager overseeing a horse breeding and training facility.

PLEASE WELCOME CRAIG JOHNSON TO THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

LAST PRINT EDITION FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

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VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT

By Sami Gabriel

Teamsters Local 320 has decided to move its news-letter from print to a com-pletely electronic form. We made this decision based on turnaround, accuracy, less waste and affordability.

Documents or letters pertaining to contract nego-tiations, grievances and membership meetings will continue to be sent by U.S. Postal Service. Business Agents will have the discretion to make changes to this policy based on a particular situation or accommodation.

Make sure to sign up for the website and action alerts to get news and information about our Local Union. More on page 7.

RECORDING SECRETARY’S REPORT

Moving from PrintAdvantages of Digital Media1. Shorter turnaround.2. Every print is the same.

More accurate counts and less waste.

3. Digital offers accurate proofs since you see an actual sample of the printed piece.

4. Without question, digital media offers the most af-fordable way to customize documents and files.

COALITION BUILDING AT UNIVERSITY OF MINN.By Curt Swenson

At the University of Minne-sota, Teamsters have been involved in lots of activity. We are gearing up for our upcom-ing contract negotiations and have high expectations.

Teamsters Local 320 commissioned an economic impact study from St. Cloud State University to gauge the impact of Teamsters’ wages and ben-efits on the broader state and local economies. For every dollar spent on wages and benefits, $2.90 in economic activity is generated. In addition to the direct benefits of a five percent increase in wages for Teamsters, it is estimated that a COLA of this size would contribute an additional 22 new, perma-nent jobs statewide and increase economic output by nearly $3,000,000.

Local 320 teamed with Labor Education Services to put together a video to illustrate the economic dis-parities U of M Teamsters face on a daily basis. The video also described the benefits of a five percent COLA and how it pays for itself in general economic output. In February, Local 320 joined with AFSCME and community groups to hold a forum for University workers to educate both State Legislators and the broader community. In March, Local 320 joined again with AFSCME and community groups in addition to U of M Academics United (SEIU) and student associations to protest the election of the Board of Regents. This coalition is becoming powerful and the University administration is taking notice. We need to stand together on a united front or the administration will divide and conquer.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: GENERAL COUNSEL

Page 5

By Paula Johnston

Public employees have important legal rights that are meant to provide due process in the event of seri-ous discipline. The Louder-mill hearing is one of those rights.

In Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill,

470 U.S. 532 (1985), the U.S. Supreme Court held that before a public employee can be terminated, a pretermination meeting must be held. The Court reasoned that the need for such a meeting was “...evident from a balancing of the competing interests at stake. These are the private interest in retain-ing employment, the governmental interest in the expeditious removal of unsatisfactory employees and the avoidance of administrative burdens, and the risk of erroneous termination.”Id. at 542-43.

The essential requirements of due process pro-vided by the Loudermill hearing are notice to the employee of what he or she is being accused of and an opportunity to respond to those allegations before being discharged.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: WHAT IS A LOUDERMILL HEARING?

The employer must also provide an explanation of the evidence it has gathered. The hearing does not need to be a formal adversarial hearing. The employee does not have the right to call or cross-examine witnesses. The purpose of the meeting is to inform the employee of what he or she is being accused of, and for the employee to refute those allegations by telling his or her side of the story.

Public employees have the right to union repre-sentation at the hearing. They also have the right to have that representative speak on their behalf. Members should work closely with their business agent prior to the hearing to determine the strategic advantage of having the union representative or the employee act as the speaker. The Loudermill case provides an important safe-guard against improper terminations, particularly when the employer has failed to conduct an ad-equate investigation. Because it provides constitu-tional protection, it applies regardless of whether any language regarding a pretermination hearing is contained in a collective bargaining agreement.

Dennis Wagner, Teamster Steward and Inductee to Minnesota Softball Hall of Fame

Dennis Wagner has been a Teamster Steward with Local 320 at the Osseo School District for over 15 years.

“Being a steward is very educational and my fellow ISD 279 workers have become my best friends,” says Wagner.

On January 3rd, 2015, Wagner was inducted into the Minn. Softball Hall of Fame for USSSA softball. He was nomi-nated by his peers and accepted by previous inductees who voted him in.

Dennis Wagner was recognized for his time with the “Grey Beards” softball team in Minneapolis. This is the single highest award for an athlete in USSSA softball.

Teamster Steward Dennis Wagner beinginducted into Minn. Softball Hall of Fame

Page 6Page 6

SUPPORT GOVERNOR DAYTON’S BUDGET

By Gus Froemke

Teamsters must get behind Governor Dayton’s budget. The GOP’s budget does not take into account the rising inflation workers are facing. Its budget doesn’t even back-fill what workers lost during the Great Recession!

Public sector workers bore the brunt of the Great Recession with cost shifts, pay freezes, budget cuts and staffing shortages. Revenues dried up as the need for public services only grew. Local govern-ments and public institutions squeezed their workers as they searched for cost containment.

Now that Minnesota has a $2 billion surplus, pub-lic sector workers are looking for investments that protect the middle class and the services and insti-tutions we all depend on.

Governor Dayton taxed Minnesota’s wealthiest incomes at a higher tax bracket to provide for criti-cal investments in E-12 education, higher ed, state courts and public defense. He restored state aid to local governments (LGA and CPA) after all of Gov-ernor Pawlenty’s harmful cuts from the last decade.

The surplus was created because Minnesota made the choice to protect the middle class. Before Gov-ernor Dayton taxed the wealthy, local property tax-es were increasing exponentially. The choice was between making the executives at General Mills pay a little more or to continue increasing property taxes. Tuition to public colleges and universities had become egregious. The choice was between making the executives at 3M pay a little more or to continue increasing student debt.

Minnesota made the choice to protect, preserve, and restore the middle class and Governor Dayton’s budget continues that agenda!

ORGANIZING FOR OUR FUTURE

By Josh Intemann

Last year when Local 320 adopted its strategic plan the purpose was to grow the union in members and power and make our contracts stronger. Local 320 is internally orga-nizing in its units so that we can get strong contracts with

good economic settlements. Business Agents are working with members to increase membership in every unit by converting “fair share” workers to full members. This is important because the Local gets strength from its members and fair share sends the message to the employer that we are not united.

At Saint Paul Public Schools we have been in-creasing membership and working with stewards to build a regional communication network so that it is easier for the over 80 worksites to communicate.

At the University of Minnesota we have grown membership by over 10% as we prepare to go into contract negotiations this spring. Members at the University are stepping up and becoming Volunteer Member Organizers to make the unit stronger and grow the membership. We have five trained VMOs and many others interested in organizing. VMOs have gone to the different food service locations and muster rooms to update members on the start of negotiations and sign up new members. Mem-bers also participated in a forum to bring our issues to the community and legislators. VMOs are now out organizing more new members and getting prepared for negotiations.

Local 320 is growing its membership. We are work-ing with units on building communication networks and giving members the opportunity to talk to community stakeholders about the issues that are important to their jobs and families. Members are taking action and becoming involved!

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MINNESOTA TEAMSTERS PUBLIC & LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEES’ UNION

LOCAL # 3203001 UNIVERSITY AVE SE STE 500

MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55414-9946