LOCAL 320

Summer 2013 Edition Volume XVI - Issue #2

INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS PUBLIC AND LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEES UNION

STRONG BUDGETS = SECURE FUTURES

IN THIS ISSUE... 2. Secretary-Treasurers Report, Brian Aldes 3. Presidents Report, Joanne Derby 4. Vice Presidents/DRIVE Report, Sami Gabriel 5. Recording-Secretarys Report, Curt Swenson 6-7. 2013 Scholarship Recipients/Summer Meetings

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OFFICERS AND STAFF

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

Brian Aldes

LOCAL 320 SECRETARY-TREASURERS REPORT

STRONG BUDGETS = SECURE FUTURES

By Brian Aldes
I am very happy to report that many Local 320 employers advanced considerably this legislative session economically. Strong budgets set forth by Governor Mark Dayton strengthened financial standing for many institutions that Local 320 Teamsters depend on for their economic security and livelihoods. With over a decade of funding deficiencies and budget cuts, the state university system (U of M and MnSCU) experienced a substantial capital investment restoring its finances to 2000 levels. The actual biennial increase was $250 million. The Judiciary System and Board of Public Defense have been underfunded for many years, but now can look forward to a $52 million increase over the biennium. Local school districts, formerly neglected, received an extraordinary increase of $485 million over the biennium. The budget increased Local Government Aid (LGA) funding by $80 million and County Program Aid (CPA) funding by $40 million. A total of $120 million in additional aid to local governments for the biennium. Please note that all the funding increases are for base-line budgeting, not one-time increases. With Gov. Daytons revenue overhaul of Minnesotas wealthiest earners we can now anticipate steady revenue and balanced budgets on the horizon. Our Local Union fought hard for these critical public investments and we will continue to secure our members futures.
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Local 320 Business Agents

Craig Johnson Leland Johnson Michael Kopp Roger Meunier Terry Neuberger Vance Rolfzen Kari Seime Erik Skoog

For Police Week, Beltrami County Minn. Sheriffs Deputies David Brook, Jamie Scherf and Anthony (Tony) Petrie were honored by the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) for their bravery in attempting to rescue three children from drowning. I am so proud of these three members of Local 320 and the Minnesota Teamsters Law Enforcement League, MNTLEL. From their actions they have honored their Union, their employer, their state and their country. Deputies Petrie, Brook and Scherf have received Honorable Mentions from NAPO. Please join me in thanking these heroic Deputies for their courage and quick actions.

Communications Director
Gus Froemke

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

Support Staff

Minneapolis, MN Local Union Office

8:00am - 4:00pm P: 612-378-8700 F: 612- 331-8948 Toll Free 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 PRESIDENTS REPORT

SUPPORTING OUR COUNTIES & TOWNS

By Joanne Derby
The legislative session provided a massive boost from the state to local government budgets through Local Government Aid (LGA) and County Program Aid (CPA). Teamsters Local 320 represents employees from 104 municipalities and counties of the state. For your convenience we reviewed all the local governments where we have contracts and posted the former rate of aid for FY (FISCAL YEAR) 2012-2013 beside the increased rate of aid for FY 2014-2015. If you are employed by any of the following local governments please note the estimated increase from state aid for the coming biennium.
Government City of Aitkin Albert Lea Andover City of Anoka Babbit Bayport Beltrami Co. Benton Blue Earth Co. Breckenridge Brooklyn Park Carver Co. Cass Co. Champlin Chaska Chippewa Co. Chisago Co. Clay Co. FY 2012-13 $732,618 $4,724,618 $0.00 $901,095 $299,542 $335,228 $2,350,550 $1,543,519 $2,167,202 $1,168,004 $17,784 $2,441,819 $630,549 $0.00 $37,441 $523,280 $2,029,507 $2,364,447 FY 2014-15 $797,418 $5,264,438 $71,172 $1,421,025 $343,492 $440,978 $1,350,173 $2,919,633 $1,914,307 $2,690,745 $1,269,314 $21,954 $3,028,281 $787,381 $98,559 $757,501 $637,365 $2,517,018 $2,933,655 Government Clearwater Co. Coleraine Coon Rapids Dakota Co. Detroit Lakes Dodge Co. Douglas Co. Faribault Fergus Falls Freeborn Co. Glenwood Grant Co. Hastings Hennepin Co. Hubbard Co. Isanti Co. Kanabec Co. Kasson Lake Co. Le Center Le Sueur Co. Litchfield Long Prairie Mahomen Co. Mankato McLeod Co. Meeker Co. Minneapolis Mille Lacs Co. Moose Lake Morrison Co. Nobles Co. North St. Paul Olmsted Co. Otter Tail Co. Owatonna Park Rapids Pine Co. Polk Co. FY 2012-13 $662,146 $351,624 $0.00 FY 2014-15 $820,871 $410,934 $635,854 $1,936,575 $952,016 $749,682 $1,341,983 $5,475,018 $3,956,914 $1,446,395 $710,872 $291,356 $235,564 $688,520 $1,975,803 $997,131 $960,509 $416,596 $795,096 $1,012,413 $1,790,483 $838,882 $653,802 $7,417,567 $1,745,857 $966,533 $1,412,653 $672,519 $1,631,287 $689,633 $2,208,276 $6,453,233 $2,032,977 $3,920,284 $425,366 $1,610,522 $1,390,955 Government Pope Co. Ramsey Co. Red Wing Rice Co. Rush City Sartell City Sauk Centre Scott Co. Sherburne Co. Spring Lake Pk. Staples Stearns Co. Steele Co. St. Louis Co. Todd Co. Thief River Falls Wabasha Co. Wadena Co. Warroad Washington Co. West St. Paul Wright Co. FY 2012-13 $392,646 $12,936,831 $619,586 $2,479,588 $620,496 $3,554 $966,004 $3,749,492 $2,966,993 $0.00 $957,573 $5,893,655 $1,385,001 $8,854,750 $1,063,689 $2,418,906 $717,499 $693,327 $732,836 $6,984,949 $773,763 $4,214,434 FY 2014-15 $487,528 $16,117,987 $1,112,546 $3,075,730 $713,226 $482,444 $1,095,754 $4,651,574 $3,678,783 $60,949 $1,046,853 $7,313,046 $1,719,011 $10,997,138 $1,320,091 $2,676,516 $660,231 $890,585 $860,817 $785,876 $8,652,603 $1,361,913 $5,226,220 $218,287

Crow Wing Co. $1,555,257 $690,536 $603,959 $1,079,484 $4,772,748 $3,563,824 $1,164,520 $634,282 $234,617 $0.00 $552,857 $1,593,057 $809,095 $780,209 $335,205 $719,916 $815,799 $1,588,853 $735,532 $527,381 $6,228,727 $1,407,081 $778,393 $1,138,396 $588,789 $1,314,718 $554,550 $1,863,726 $5,199,545 $1,635,042 $3,153,124 $314,126 $1,297,041 $1,119,689

$12,723,541 $15,784,949

$25,484,658 $31,762,520

City of Wabasha $584,751

Yellow Medicine $175,105 Co.

Becker County $1,085,802

$64,142,268 $75,778,458

IF YOU DO NOT SEE YOUR EMPLOYER ABOVE PLEASE NOTE THAT NOT ALL LOCAL GOVERNMENTS QUALIFY FOR LGA FUNDING.

If you become permanently separated from work or on leave of absence for over 90 days please request a withdrawal card from the Local 320 Office...

NOTICE!

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LOCAL 320 VICE PRESIDENTS/ DRIVE REPORT

WORKERS GAIN AT LEGISLATURE

By Sami Gabriel
The legislature formally adjourned on Monday, May 20, ending an extremely productive session for working Minnesotans. Not only did Teamster employers benefit economically, but our entire state will profit from the actions of the legislature: State budget deficit of $650 million paid off; Workers compensation reform that increases benefits to injured workers and recognizes psychological trauma as a workplace injury; Unprecedented investments in E-12 education, including all-day kindergarten in every public elementary school; Closing corporate tax loopholes and reducing property taxes - $440 million in direct property tax relief for all Minnesotans; Eliminated sales tax paid by counties and cities frees up money for them to spend on services; Tax cuts for business insurance taxes cut for private employers by $346 million; A 26 week extension of unemployment benefits for union workers locked out of their jobs during a contract dispute; State will spend $450 million to build infrastructure in Rochester; State will spend $250 million on infrastructure near the Mall of America; Bonding Bill of $175 million that will pay for Capitol Repairs, but also pay for some good flood mitigation projects and repairs to Minneapolis Veterans Building.

As you can see for yourself there is much to be excited about and our Local Union in conjunction with Teamsters Joint Council 32 DRIVE helped make it happen. The only unfortunate aspect of the session is how the minimum wage has been left at the federal level of $7.25 per hour. Labor groups within the state fought to bring the wage up to $9.50 which is proportionate to inflation (please refer to graph below). Governor Dayton and the House supported the $9.50 per hour minimum wage, while the Senate only supported raising the wage to $7.75. In the end, an agreement could not be reached. You may ask why you as a union member should care about the minimum wage, and that is a perfectly good question. I will try to illustrate why it matters to all working peopleunion as well as non-union. First of all, unions sometimes peg their negotiated wages to the minimum wage. Some union contracts set starting union wages as much as fifteen percent higher than the federal minimum wage. Wage floors bring standards up for all workers. Secondly, a 2011 study by the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank finds that minimum wage increases boost consumer spending, triggering large purchases. The study examines 23 years of household spending and finds that for every dollar increase for a minimum wage worker results in $2,800 in consumer spending. Lets hope that we can get some movement on the minimum wage next session to further boost our wages and economy!

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LOCAL 320 RECORDING-SECRETARYS REPORT

MAKING SENSE OF COMPLEX LAW

By Curt Swenson
On May 22 benefits attorney Mark J. Kinney of the Kinney Law Firm presented Teamsters Local 320 officers and staff with an analysis of the intended impact that the Affordable Care Act: ACA (a.k.a. Obamacare) will have on public employees and future contract negotiations for our membership. The most important detail in understanding the law is to recognize that not all of its regulations and procedures have been implemented or comprehended by federal administrators or various employers. Most significantly, many items contained in the ACA are subject to further interpretation, modification and in some cases total elimination. The first area where coverage is subject to change involves what is called the employer responsibility rule. This section of the ACA forces employers with over 50 full-time employees to offer health coverage to all employees who work an average of 30 or more hours per week or pay a penalty. This area has a significant, unknown and unfunded liability. The employer responsibility rule allows subjected employers to exclude seasonal employees, if their workforce exceeds 50 full-time employees for 120 days or fewer during the calendar year, and has a special rule for educational institutions. The rule for educational institutions ascribes the academic year as the applicable employment period and excludes employment breaks (winter break, spring break, summer break) for determining average hours. However, the educational institution may credit hours during the break period equal to hours worked during the academic year (but not more than 501 hours need be credited). Another area of great change will come from the socalled healthcare exchanges where individuals may buy subsidized coverage on the open market, but only if an individual does not have affordable coverage provided by an employer. Affordability is determined by an individuals household income and cost of the employers plan. If employees are provided affordable coverage from their employer they can still purchase insurance through the exchange, but not at the subsidized rates. The healthcare exchange presents many challenges as employers in the private sector have eliminated employee coverage or cut employees hours to thrust workers into the system. According to Kinney, public sector employers will be less willing to violate the employer responsibility rule, eliminate coverage or cut work hours for employees. Another silver lining for union employees is how current collective bargaining contracts cannot be unilaterally revised to comply with any ACA regulations. Nevertheless, healthcare costs still continue to rise and outpace the rate of average wages.

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LOWELL D. LYNCH 2013 SCHOLARSHIPS

APPLICANTS NAME
Abigail Anderson Allyson Anderson Alexander Augedahl Jeni Bergstrom Anna Bestul Zachery Blonigen Kelly Braun Angel Dahl Jonathan Dalman Magdalend Engelhart Michael Fix Nicholis Fix Beau Gerding Maddy Gosselin Brandon Gray Brady Hansen Andrew Heredia Alexa-Jane Hoidahl Aubri Johnson Alexis Landherr Emma Larson Shelby Larson Mikayla Lindell Alexis Lund Emily Madsen Kerry McCallum Kelsey McKanna Laura Mitlyng Ezequiel Nava Alicia Olsen Marisa Olsen Lucas Pedersen Connor Peterson Darbwij Quirk Becker Gabriel Roach Grayson Roers Stephanie Root Jake Sanders Mary Sanders Jocelyn Scherbel Holly Schumacher Eric Scott Kelsey Shea Patrick Shea Tina Streit

MEMBERS NAME
Todd Anderson Christopher Anderson Katie (Kathleen) Augedahl Renee Berstrom Janice Bestul Judy Blonigen Elke Braun Jonathon Dahl Pamela Dalman Susan Engelhart Janine Fix Janine Fix Robyn Gerding Kim Gosselin Cindy Gray Jere Hansen Shelley Heredia Karl Hoidahl Kim Johnson Christine Landherr Lynn Larson Rich Larson Jodie Lindell Kristen Lund Jeanette Madsen Charles McCallum Richard McKanna Debra Mitlyng Patricia Johnson Karen Olsen Jeannine Olsen Geralyn Pedersen Deann Peterson Pamela Quirk Becker Judy Roach David Roers Richard Root Kristen Sanders Laurie Sanders Karl Scherbel Sheri Schumacher Gregory Scott Kimberly Shea Kevin Shea Diane Streit
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BARGAINING UNIT
MAC State of MN - Public Defender Dakota County Becker County City of Faribault Eden Valley-Watkins ISD LeSueur-Henderson ISD St Louis County Becker County Rosemount ISD Rochester ISD Rochester ISD Stearns County U of M Rice County City of Fergus Falls City of Brooklyn Park City of West St Paul Rosemount ISD Sherburne County Otter Tail County City of Coon Rapids City of Albert Lea State of MN - Court Reporter U of M City of Minneapolis Crow Wing County - CMCC State of MN - MSUAASF State of MN - C.A.T. West St Paul ISD Ramsey County Ramsey County State of MN - Court Reporter St Paul ISD State of MN - CAT City of West St Paul U of M Sherburne County Otter Tail County Minneapolis SSD #1 Eden Valley-Watkins ISD U of M City of Fergus Falls State of MN - Public Defender Eden Valley-Watkins ISD

LOWELL D. LYNCH SCHOLARSHIPS CON.

APPLICANTS NAME
Kathryn Swanson Sarah Tester Evan Vanden Avond Krista Vogt Shelbie Werden

MEMBERS NAME
Gregory Swanson Amy Tester Gail Vanden Avond Diane Vogt Joe Werden

BARGAINING UNIT
Ramsey County Rosemount ISD State of MN - Court Reporter Nobles County City of Rosemount

Teamsters Joint Council 32 Keegel - Yates Education & Scholarship Fund

APPLICANTS NAME
Emily Madsen Alicia Olsen Evan Vanden Avond

MEMBERS NAME
Jeanette Madsen Karen Olson Gail Vanden Avond

BARGAINING UNIT
U of M West St Paul ISD State of MN - Court Reporter

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WINNERS & MEMBERS! LOCAL NO. 320 PUBLIC & LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEES GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS WWW.TEAMSTERSLOCAL320.ORG BRAINERD Meeting held at Lum Park: Pavilion 1 Tuesday, June 11th 5:30 p.m. ROCHESTER Meeting held at Essex Park Tuesday, July 9th 5:30 p.m. DULUTH Meeting held at 4895 E Pike Lake Rd Duluth, MN Tuesday, August 13th 5:30 p.m. COMO ZOO FAMILY PICNIC Held at Como Zoo 1225 Estabrook Dr, St Paul, MN Sunday, August 18, 2013
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