LOCAL

INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS PUBLIC AND LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEES’ UNION

320Spring 2014 Edition Volume XVII - Issue #2

IN THIS ISSUE... 2. Secretary-Treasurer’s Report, Brian Aldes 3. President’s Report, Joanne Derby 3. Vice President’s Report, Sami Gabriel 4. Recording Secretary’s Report, Curt Swenson 4. Organizing Minnesota For Power, Josh Intemann 5. Photoset: Teamsters Lobby Day 2014 6 & 7. Teamsters Scholarship Awards 2014

ORGANIZING FOR POWER

PAGE 7: St. Louis County Members Recognized in

Duluth Magazine: “The Woman Today”

TEAMSTERS LOCAL 320 LOBBY DAY 2014

LOCAL 320 SECRETARY-TREASURER’S REPORT

Page 2

By Brian Aldes

Teamsters Local 320 has proven once again that we are a force to be reckoned with at the State Capitol.

Our 2014 Lobby Day on March 19th, yielded three times as many participants than last year. The majority of Teamsters who partici-pated were from state universities and had major issues regarding fair compensation through the budgetary process in addition to support for Governor Mark Dayton’s bonding list. Teamster member Adam Klepetar testified at the House Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee in support of the MnSCU supplemental budget to provide a fair settlement for ASF members in contract negotiations.

Teamsters in public defense met with Rep-resentative Debra Hilstrom (chairwomen of the House Judiciary Committee) to discuss building equity for judicial branch employ-ees. Rep. Hilstrom is the Teamsters Joint Council 32 DRIVE endorsed candidate for Secretary of State.

Other Teamsters from all over the state from county social services to corrections had an opportunity to discuss their issues with State Legislators and important com-mittee chairs.

Rep. Hilstrom and Lieutenant Governor candidate Tina Smith (Governor Dayton’s running mate) both addressed Teamsters at the State Capitol. Rep. Hilstrom thanked Teamsters for support and told the crowd that her grandfather was a Teamster and a 1934 striker. Rep. Hilstrom’s grandfather was involved in both the historic 1934 Min-neapolis Teamsters Strike and the 1939 WPA Strike led by Teamsters Local 574 Federal Workers Section (FWS).

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 JohnsonMichael 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- 331-8948

Toll Free1-800-637-5430

Onlinewww.teamsterslocal320.org

Emaillocal320@teamsterslocal320.org

Published by Teamsters Local 320

3001 University Ave SE #500Minneapolis, MN 55414

Tina Smith made it clear in no uncertain terms that Governor Dayton’s administra-tion has been a true friend to the Teamsters Union. All Teamsters know how important a strong governor can be to help maintain adequate public sector budgets.

On the organizing front, our Local Union has made a commitment to a pro-growth agenda. We have decided that we must grow our Union in order to preserve our high quality contracts and fend off political attacks.

In March, Local 320 hired a full-time lead organizer to recruit and train Volunteer Member-Organizers (VMOs) and identify areas for growth. Please welcome Josh Intemann to our Local 320 team!

In closing, I want to congratulate all of the Lowell D. Lynch Scholarship recipients. Our Local Union takes pride in the benefits we provide to the membership, whether it is scholarships for members’ graduating high school students, the Teamsters Food Shelf, Credit Union, Service Bureau or Privilege Program.

To view all Teamster services and pro-grams please visit the Local 320 web site and click the “member resources” tab.

www.teamsterslocal320.org

FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH

SAVE THE DATES!

Page 3

LOCAL 320 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

By Joanne Derby

Teamsters Local 320 is taking its general member-ship meetings out on the road again this summer.

Look for the Local 320 truck and trailer at the following dates and locations:

• June10th,2014,Brainerd,MN:LumPark,1619N.E.WashingtonSt.5:30p.m.

• July8th,2014,Faribault,MN:AlexanderParkShelter#1.5:30p.m.

• August12th,2014,Duluth,MN:PikeLake,4895E.PikeLakeRd.5:30p.m.

Teamsters Local 320 also encourages the membership to participate in the Remember Teamsters 1934 Strike events on July 19th & 20th, 2014.

According to the International Broth-erhood of Teamsters the Minneapolis strike of 1934 is widely seen as a pivotal moment for the Teamsters and for the labor movement. The outcome of the strike led to the enactment of legislation granting the rights of work-ers to organize and bargain, including the National Labor Relations Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The events begin July 19th from 1:00 p.m. at Boom Island in Minneapolis and continue into Sunday.

LOCAL 320 VICE PRESIDENT’S/ DRIVE REPORT

By Sami Gabriel

The Minnesota State Legislature has once again proven how pro-ductive DFL control can be for all the state’s workers.

With Teamsters Joint Council 32 DRIVE support, the Legislature enact-ed a major increase in the state mini-mum wage. Legislators have pushed the hourly wage to $9.50 by 2016. The new rate will be tied to inflation begin-ning in 2018, but the commissioner of the state Department of Labor and In-dustry can prevent automatic inflation-

ary increases if the state hits a future economic downturn. It is estimated that 350,000 low-wage Minnesota workers will get a raise from the increase.

The Legislature also strengthened workers’ rights for public employees by creating a Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) under the Bureau of Mediation Services. The Board handles Unfair Labor Prac-tice (ULP) charges (listed under PELRA) administratively, replac-ing the current practice of handling ULP charges through the district courts.

Before PERB, the process of bring-ing charges through district court was very expensive, cumbersome and time consuming. The typical cost for a labor union to bring a charge was $50,000 to $75,000, and could take years for a decision.

PERB now makes it less costly and much quicker to get a decision regarding a ULP charge.

For a more comprehensive report on the 2014 State Legislative Ses-sion please visit our web site at:

www.teamsterslocal320.org/mnleg

SUPPORTING PUBLIC SAFETY WORKERS

Page 4

RECORDING SECRETARY’S REPORT

ORGANIZING MINNESOTA FOR POWER

By Curt Swenson

The Minnesota 100 Club was formed in 1972 by local Minne-apolis business and labor leaders

to provide instant relief and aid to sur-viving families of public servants who were killed in the line of duty.

On Wednesday, April 30th, 2014, the 100 Club held its’ annual Fire and Law Enforcement Dinner and Silent Auc-tion. Teamsters Local 320 donated a set of Minnesota Twins Baseball tickets to the silent auction.

The Local Union sent Business Agents Mike Kopp, Terry Neuberger and Vance Rolfzen to the dinner. Two Local 320 members, Depu-ty Sergeant Joanne Springer from Ramsey County Sheriffs Department and Officer Dave Hutchin-son from Metro Transit Police Depart-ment were in attendance as well.

The Minnesota 100 Club celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year. In honor of this momentous occasion the Club set a goal to introduce 40 new members to “Protect The Protectors.” Teamsters Local 320 encourages you to lend a hand by passing on an application to your friends, co-workers and neigh-

bors so we all can continue to serve those who risk their lives on a daily basis.

To print an application for the 100 Club and for more information on how you can get involved please visit the web site:

www.minnesota100club.com

By Josh Intemann

My name is Josh Intemann and I am the Teamsters Local 320 Lead Or-ganizer. I have been organizing

with public employees for the last five years and have traveled across the country and worked with employees form all aspects of the public sector. My time in organizing has taught me one lesson: workers get what they want when they are organized and use their power.

Organizing is the corner stone of the labor movement. It is the building

block for everything that union mem-bers have gained and everything that we continue to fight for. We cannot resolve our grievances, negotiate con-tracts, and get the compensation that we deserve unless we are organized. When we are organized, we are pow-erful. Local 320 is embarking on an organizing initiative to grow the local and make our members stronger. We are building a grassroots movement of Teamsters Local 320 Power! The Local has developed a strategic organizing plan that focuses on growing the union and building solidarity across our units. I am excited to work on this initiative and to make Local 320 stronger.

We need your help! Organizing is a force that is built from the bottom up. It is engaging with our brothers and sisters and building relationships.

Organizing is about being involved and uniting working people. This cannot be done without you! We need your help to build an organizing committee in the Local. The organizing committee will be comprised of Member Organizers that will be trained in organizing and work on the strategic plan. The Orga-nizing Committee will steer the orga-nizing of Local 320 and be active par-ticipants in the organizing campaigns and train new organizers. This is a great opportunity to get involved in the Local and be a part of something that we have never done before. To join the organizing committee call me at: (612) 378-8717.

LOBBY DAY 2014 PHOTOSET

Page 5

Page 6Page 6

LOWELL D. LYNCH 2014 SCHOLARSHIPS

STUDENTDaniel AarnessMichael AndersonCord AndingMegan AshpoleMichael AusenLevi BeanGrace BerkeMadison BodellMatthew ButkowskiNoah ButkowskiCasey ButoracBrady CombsMikayla ConrathAlyssa GrayHaley GreggKristin HaagJenna HagglundNicole HendrickxAnnalyssa HindsBriAnna HoffmanGarret HogueTaylor HolickyTanner HuebnerMarissa JonesSean KiersenTyler KruseJaxon LindEmma MarshallAbby McHenryKatelyn MetherMadison NelsonPatrick NelsonCarley NotchJoshua OakDerek OrtloffAustin OttoCharlotte PfingstenCassandra PhillipsAllie Pineur

MEMBERJanet AarnessJoan Stanoch AndersonTamela AndingReed AshpoleShelley AusenJodi BeanJessica BerkeRodney BodellJennifer ButkowskiJennifer ButkowskiKaren ButoracJon CombsJeremy ConrathCindy GrayPamela GreggPatti HaagKathryn HagglundKathy HendrickxCaroline ReshetarTodd HoffmanColin HogueKristen HolickyRene HuebnerRobert JonesMaureen Wilkus-KiersenSandra KruseMichelle LindAmy MarshallSally McHenryColleen MetherMichael NelsonThomas NelsonJackie NotchDanette TenneyDenise OrtloffKevin OttoTodd PfingstenNancy PhillipsChristine Pineur

BARGAINING UNITMSUAASFState of MN - Court ReporterDover-Eyota ISDCarver CountyInver Grove Hts ISDWright CountyState of MN - Court ReporterU of MStearns CountyStearns CountyRosemount ISDGrant CountyWaseca CountyRice CountyState of MN - PDSSSherburne CountySherburne CountyOtter Tail CountySherburne CountyWright CountyCity of AnokaLeSueur ISDSherburne CountyRamsey CountySherburne CountyStearns CountyState of MN - Court ReporterSt Paul ISDInver Grove Hts ISDChisago CountyCity of MinnetonkaMSUAASFDouglas CountyState of MN - Court ReporterState of MN - 1st & 7th CATRamsey CountyMSUAASFWashington CountyRice County

Page 7

STUDENTAshley RuhlandMichael ShudaTaylor SimonRachel SowadaChelsea SteffensJacob SteinbauerKayla VanderveurEmma WhitemanAlex WillsonSabrina XiongMitchell ZerrEmily Zok

2014 SCHOLARSHIPS Cont’d.

MEMBERGail RuhlandAlan ShudaSherri SimonCheryl SowadaPamela SteffensMark SteinbauerBrenda VanderveurCarla WhitemanMarlene WillsonKao XiongGina ZerrSandra Zok

BARGAINING UNITMSUAASFCity of FaribaultLeSueur CountyState of MN - Public DefenderSherburne CountyCity of ChaskaState of MN - Court ReporterCrow Wing CountySt Peter ISDRamsey CountyBecker CountyBecker County

TEAMSTERS RECOGNIZED IN DULUTH MAGAZINE

In the February - March 2014 edi-tion of the Duluth magazine, The Woman Today, Teamsters Local 320 members Ione Tremain and Cheri Eidum are featured in their capacities as heavy equipment operators in St. Louis County.

Columnist Ericka Olin illustrates the backgrounds, work environment and duties of Ione and Cheri as employ-ees of the County, but she also skill-fully articulates their inspirational sto-

ries as examples of job equality for women in northern Minnesota’s blue-collar industry.

The article is titled: “Plowing the Way Ahead for Women: Ione Tremain and Cheri Eidum.”

Olin certainly does not downplay

blue-collar work, in fact, she draws attention to how proud Ione and Cheri are of all they have accomplished at their jobs.

Ione and Cheri tell Olin that they are working at their dream jobs and have proved themselves in a male-domi-nated environment.

Olin does identify instances where Ione and Cheri have had to overcome past difficulties with being singled out.

Ione and Cheri are the only two fe-male operators at their tool house and have had a tough time being recog-nized as “ladies” by their supervisor.

“‘Our supervisor would always say, ‘Good job, guys.’ Now, he says, “Good job, guys - and ladies.” It’s nice to be recognized on the same level,”’ says Cheri.

Olin makes no bones that she is her-self inspired by Ione and Cheri as she views them as leading by example.

Olin describes how both Ione and Cheri take great satisfaction in having jobs that are atypical for women.

All Teamsters of Local 320 should be proud of Ione and Cheri for trailblaz-ing job opportunities for women in blue-collar industry. To read the article in its entirety please visit the web site at:

www.thewomantoday.com

The Teamsters Service Bureau provides FREE CONFIDENTIAL services for you and your family.

We can assist you with balancing and managing many of life’s challenges. Remember... Problems and stress can and do happen! Call the Service Bureau today. We’re here to help! 612-676-3700 (or 24-hour toll free 1-800-979-9725)

Our professional counselors can help you with:

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

Depression• Legal Concerns

MINNESOTA TEAMSTERS PUBLIC & LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEES’ UNION

LOCAL # 3203001 UNIVERSITY AVE SE STE 500

MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55414-9946