General Membership Meeting-AFSCME 404
March 15th, 2018
1030PM Redmen Club
Present:
Adam Castle, Jamie Sheppard, Emilio Florez, Crystal Kreklow, Eric Hesse, Antonino Guerrero, Matt Stenger, Steve Wilking, Luke Frederick, Kurt Crosby, Ryan Cates, Stacey Meuller, Marvin Sullivan, Jamie Sheppard, Karla Herzberg, Cassy Rydell, Jacob Dougherty
1. Secretary’s Report: Motion to accept Februarys Minutes by Hesse. 2nd by Florez Motion Passes.
2. Treasurer-Antonino Guerrero:
STATEMENT OF INCOME AND EXPENSES FOR MONTH ENDING: February 2018
CASH BALANCE BEGINNING OF MONTH: $ 73851.10
INCOME FOR THE MONTH: $ 7049.40
EXPENSES FOR THE MONTH: $ 8889.54
CASH BALANCE ENDING OF MONTH: $ 72010.96
SAVINGS: $ 54805.32
SUBMITTED BY: Antonino Guerrero
Motion to approve Treasurer Report subject to audit by Stenger. 2nd by Sullivan
3. Correspondence: DOTH is March 20th, DOC DOTH is April 18th. SEPC is April 27th. Let Eric Hesse know if you would like to attend.
Items from membership:
4. New Business: Eboard recommends sending 5 delegates and no alternates to international Convention. Voting for attendees at next general membership meeting and need to be present or send Hesse an email saying you would like to be on the ballot.
Marvin motion to send the number of delegates and pay per diem airfare, hotels, mileage and parking. 2nd by Emilio. Discussion. Kurt-expectation that if you go and don’t make it to the union activities, your per diem will be decreased accordingly. Motion passes.
Cates looking to move meetings from Hobbers to the Legion for 2019.
Marvin makes a motion for people to attend DOC DOTH and pay per diem and mileage. Matt adds amendment to pay any registration fees. 2nd by Emilio. Passes.
Marvin makes motion for policy committee attendees to have hotel paid for to attend SEPC the next day. Matt-saves gas mileage which would be the same price. 2nd by Emilio. Motion passes.
Marvin motions for per diem and mileage for anyone who attends SEPC. 2nd by matt. Motion passes.
5. Old Business: Matt-attended lobby week. Met with 12 different reps from house and senate. Will be putting out a report on who we met with. Pushing for MSOP boding bill and kitchen to upgrade HVC. Talked about contracts, pensions, 4th degree assault law. MSOP says bodily fluids. MSH has specifics but not spitting. Would like to combine the two.
6. Items from the membership: None
Good and Welfare:
7. Officer Reports
Presidents Report-Ryan Cates: 2-21, 22 and 23 Went to St Paul for Lobby Week
2-28 Met with HR and management about LPN issues
2-28 Weekly check in meeting
3-2 Presented 4 Step 3 grievances
3-7 Interest Based Problem Solving with Labor, management and HR
3-8 Meeting about formal vacation granting process
3-8 MSOP meet and confer
3-8 Meeting about MSOP south house
3-14 Weekly check in meeting
3-15 MSH Safety Committee
3-15 Forensic Meet and Confer
3-15 Interest Based Problem Solving- Process for assigning coverage in MSH
VP: Matt Stenger- This month I attended local push week at the capital were we met with both Democrats and Republicans in both the House and the Senate about our pensions, contracts, OSHA recordable injury numbers and to move MSH in the 5th degree assault law more in line to the language used for MSOP. Currently how the law is written in MSH it is broken down which bodily fluids counts towards a 5th degree assault where MSOP just simply says bodily fluids. I have also sat in on 2 Laudermill hearings and presented 3 grievances this month. Our local and management started a new meeting called the problem solving meeting, where we can take an issue and break it down to best work out a joint solution to that issue. In our first meeting we decided to address the new process of OD’s assigning a person to cover from one unit to another. We felt it wouldn’t be done fairly just like how A team and B team aren’t always done evenly or fairly when one person gets stuck doing A-team for 13 days in row. The local’s solution was to assign it to the unit, let the unit decide who’s going to cover and have them notify the OD so it can be added into the scheduling program. That way it gives management the tractability they need to meet licensing needs to keep track of which employees are working on a unit at any given time. Management is taking back to their side to see if they see any potential issues and our next meeting is set for April 19, 2018. In solidarity, Matt
VP: Eric Hesse- Update on the contracts. About three weeks back, a bill was introduced into the House to pass our contracts. After it was introduced, three anti-labor amendments were attached to the bill. One was to set up a legislative committee that would review our bargaining of insurance. Basically we would negotiate with the employer for insurance still, but once we were done, we would send it to the committee and if they didn't like any part of it, they would send it back to be renegotiated, so essentially making it that we would have to negotiate our insurance with the legislature. Second was they wanted to change the rules of the Subcommittee of Employee Relations (SER). As of now, once we ratify a contract, it gets sent to the SER and they have 30 days to act on it or it gets temporarily enacted. They want to change it so there is no time frame. This would make it that they would never be forced to meet on our contracts and stall it out. The last one was to get rid of fair share fees. They voted on the contract overwhelmingly in support, but then it was tabled to not get the amendments attached to the bill. So it will be brought up later in session, but more than likely will be held as a bargaining chip for the majority party to attempt to get something in return for a clean contract bill.
There is a bill that is going through the legislature right now that will full fund our pensions in 30 years. It is a shared sacrifice bill where all sides will see an increase. For the general plan, employees will see a .25% increase into what they pay and the employer will see a .375% increase. For the correctional early retirement plan (CERP), employees will see a .75% increase while the employer will see a 1.55%. It came out of the Legislative Commission for Pensions and Retirement will unanimous, bipartisan support, so it looks good that something will be done about our pensions.
I also attended on of the Local 404 Lobby Week days where we met with Senators Abeler, Lourey, and Frentz and discussed the bonding bill for MSOP, staff safety, pensions, and our contract with them. We also set up various meetings that day for the next day with multiple Representatives and Senators.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
In solidarity,
Eric Hesse
Vice President - Steward Coordiantor
AFSCME Local 404
Executive Board: Emilio Florez- Nothing new to report from me. I do suggest all employees are at their work area and ready to go at the time scheduled. This is still an issue in MSH.
Executive Board: Luke Frederick- Failed to Report
Executive Board: Steve Wilking- Hello Folks! There have been a lot of things happening over the last month. (3) Investigations, (2) grievances and dialog about LPN concerns within MSH. We offer the invitation to any or all of the LPN profession to please attend a General Membership meeting so that every officer can hear their concerns and have an intelligent dialog. We also had to conduct an urgent vote to send a case to arbitration. I have also taken many calls to inquire about union related questions. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions, comments or concerns. I attended Meet and Confer, presented a step 3 grievance on overtime distribution. Also, attended an interest based problem solving meeting with management and attended the e-board meeting. Please see secretary notes for meetings. As I said in last month’s stewards report…. It has been an honor to serve AFSCME Local 404.
Stay AFSCME STRONG
Your humble Chief Steward
Steve Wilking
Executive Board: Chief Steward Mike Homer- Over the last month I have sat a few investigations for MSOP. I have filed grievances for overtime issues as well as a few for the investigations that have been happening.
Executive Board: Chief Steward Marvin Sullivan-In the last month I have sat several investigation in regards to ETL usage. Currently working on a Step 3 grievance. Filed 2 step 1 grievances in regards to OT. I went to several meetings in regards to LPN issues, Interest based Problem solving, and meet and confer. Continuing to encourage people to be on time for work to avoid using ETL.
Executive Board: Chief Steward Jamie Sheppard- I have been answering a lot of questions regarding the Arlington House. I also have received a lot of grievances this month from stewards to enter in the tracker, so thank you! This is a great tool to utilize, so please keep them coming! Also, if you’re arguing a grievance that you think may have been argued in the past that may help you win your current argument, please let me know and I may be able to assist you. This is why tracking grievances is so important, so please remember to update me on the final outcome of each step.
In solidarity,
Jamie Sheppard, E-Board
CS Facility Support: Stacey Mueller-I continue to work on staffing/scheduling . I will be presenting a new staffing schedule system at April’s Membership meeting. I would really like members to attend so that they can see the plan that I have come up with. I worked on the Scheduling Committee last year and have continued to make a system that has a little bit of schedule preference from the surveys that I sent out to you a while back as well as conversations that I have had with management about what staff are telling them that they want. At this point there will be three different types of Schedules available with this plan. 5 eight hour shifts, 4 ten hour shifts, and 3 twelve hour shifts either with one 8 hour shift per pay period to make up your 40 hours or you can do just a straight 72 hour pay-period.
It is a new way of thinking and there is more to it than just the different shifts so I would REALLY Value staff input in this before it gets presented to management to their consideration.
Chief Steward MSH / CRP / Nursing Nights: Kurt Crosby-NOCS has been busy with several investigations pertaining to conduct and being tardy, along with discrepancies in scheduling.
We have been also been addressing the increase for NOCS with the new construction wall being erected. There was language that there was supposed to be an additional 3 staff added to the NOC roster, and none were added until recently. One additional staff has been awarded this far, and we are in talks with management to remedy the understanding that we are still in need of more staff. More next month.
Talking to members about the Janus case and the possible outcome of the verdict.
Encouraging staff to be active, and be vocal. Nothing gets done if we cannot talk about it. Feel free to bring up any questions and concerns to any steward and we will do the best we can.
Business Agent: Crystal Kreklow-
Motion to Adjourn by Marvin. 2nd by Stenger. Adjourn at 1136