LOCAL

IN THIS ISSUE... FIND US ON... 2. Secretary-Treasurer’s Report, Brian Aldes FACEBOOK & TWITTER 3. President’s Report, Joanne Derby 4. Vice President’s/DRIVE Report, Sami Gabriel 5. Recording-Secretary’s Report, Curt Swenson 6-7. 2013 Scholarship Recipients/Summer Meetings

INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS PUBLIC AND LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEES’ UNION

320Summer 2013 Edition Volume XVI - Issue #2

STRONG BUDGETS =

SECURE FUTURES

LOCAL 320 SECRETARY-TREASURER’S REPORT

STRONG BUDGETS = SECURE FUTURES

Page 2

By Brian Aldes

I am very happy to report that many Local 320 em-ployers 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 sys-tem (U of M and MnSCU) experienced a substantial capital investment restoring its’ finances to 2000 levels. The actual bien-nial 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. Dayton’s revenue overhaul of Minnesota’s 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.

For Police Week, Beltrami County Minn. Sheriff’s 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.

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, MNSCU

Alston DutchinTrustee, U of M

Paula JohnstonGeneral Counsel

Local 320 Business AgentsCraig Johnson

Leland JohnsonMichael KoppRoger Meunier

Terry NeubergerVance Rolfzen

Kari SeimeErik Skoog

Communications DirectorGus Froemke

Support StaffSusan Bastian

Ron PhillipsSuzanne Slawson

Joni SpualdingKristi 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

SUPPORTING OUR COUNTIES & TOWNS

LOCAL 320 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Page 3

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 FY 2012-13 FY 2014-15City of Aitkin $732,618 $797,418Albert Lea $4,724,618 $5,264,438Andover $0.00 $71,172City of Anoka $901,095 $1,421,025Babbit $299,542 $343,492Bayport $335,228 $440,978Becker County $1,085,802 $1,350,173Beltrami Co. $2,350,550 $2,919,633Benton $1,543,519 $1,914,307Blue Earth Co. $2,167,202 $2,690,745Breckenridge $1,168,004 $1,269,314Brooklyn Park $17,784 $21,954Carver Co. $2,441,819 $3,028,281Cass Co. $630,549 $787,381Champlin $0.00 $98,559Chaska $37,441 $757,501Chippewa Co. $523,280 $637,365Chisago Co. $2,029,507 $2,517,018Clay Co. $2,364,447 $2,933,655

Government FY 2012-13 FY 2014-15Clearwater Co. $662,146 $820,871Coleraine $351,624 $410,934Coon Rapids $0.00 $635,854Crow Wing Co. $1,555,257 $1,936,575Dakota Co. $12,723,541 $15,784,949Detroit Lakes $690,536 $952,016Dodge Co. $603,959 $749,682Douglas Co. $1,079,484 $1,341,983Faribault $4,772,748 $5,475,018Fergus Falls $3,563,824 $3,956,914Freeborn Co. $1,164,520 $1,446,395Glenwood $634,282 $710,872Grant Co. $234,617 $291,356Hastings $0.00 $235,564Hennepin Co. $25,484,658 $31,762,520Hubbard Co. $552,857 $688,520Isanti Co. $1,593,057 $1,975,803Kanabec Co. $809,095 $997,131Kasson $780,209 $960,509Lake Co. $335,205 $416,596Le Center $719,916 $795,096Le Sueur Co. $815,799 $1,012,413Litchfield $1,588,853 $1,790,483Long Prairie $735,532 $838,882Mahomen Co. $527,381 $653,802Mankato $6,228,727 $7,417,567McLeod Co. $1,407,081 $1,745,857Meeker Co. $778,393 $966,533Minneapolis $64,142,268 $75,778,458Mille Lacs Co. $1,138,396 $1,412,653Moose Lake $588,789 $672,519Morrison Co. $1,314,718 $1,631,287Nobles Co. $554,550 $689,633North St. Paul $1,863,726 $2,208,276Olmsted Co. $5,199,545 $6,453,233Otter Tail Co. $1,635,042 $2,032,977Owatonna $3,153,124 $3,920,284Park Rapids $314,126 $425,366Pine Co. $1,297,041 $1,610,522Polk Co. $1,119,689 $1,390,955

Government FY 2012-13 FY 2014-15Pope Co. $392,646 $487,528Ramsey Co. $12,936,831 $16,117,987Red Wing $619,586 $1,112,546Rice Co. $2,479,588 $3,075,730Rush City $620,496 $713,226Sartell City $3,554 $482,444Sauk Centre $966,004 $1,095,754Scott Co. $3,749,492 $4,651,574Sherburne Co. $2,966,993 $3,678,783Spring Lake Pk. $0.00 $60,949Staples $957,573 $1,046,853Stearns Co. $5,893,655 $7,313,046Steele Co. $1,385,001 $1,719,011St. Louis Co. $8,854,750 $10,997,138Todd Co. $1,063,689 $1,320,091Thief River Falls $2,418,906 $2,676,516City of Wabasha $584,751 $660,231Wabasha Co. $717,499 $890,585Wadena Co. $693,327 $860,817Warroad $732,836 $785,876Washington Co. $6,984,949 $8,652,603West St. Paul $773,763 $1,361,913Wright Co. $4,214,434 $5,226,220Yellow Medicine Co.

$175,105 $218,287

IF YOU DO NOT SEE YOUR EMPLOYER ABOVE PLEASE NOTE THAT NOT ALL LOCAL

GOVERNMENTS QUALIFY FOR LGA FUNDING.

NOTICE!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...

WORKERS GAIN AT LEGISLATURE

LOCAL 320 VICE PRESIDENT’S/ DRIVE REPORT

Page 4

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 economi-cally, but our entire state will profit from the actions of the legislature:

• State budget deficit of $650 million paid off;

• Worker’s 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 kindergar-ten in every public elementary school;

• Closing corporate tax loopholes and reducing property taxes - $440 million in direct property tax relief for all Min-nesotans;

• 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 infra-structure 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 people—union 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.

Let’s hope that we can get some movement on the minimum wage next session to further boost our wages and economy!

MAKING SENSE OF COMPLEX LAW

Page 5

LOCAL 320 RECORDING-SECRETARY’S REPORT

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 proce-dures 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 in-volves 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 em-ployers to exclude seasonal employees, if their work-force 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 aca-demic 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 so-called “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 individual’s household income and cost of the em-ployer’s plan. If employees are provided “affordable” coverage from their employer they can still purchase insurance through the exchange, but not at the subsi-dized 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 cur-rent collective bargaining contracts cannot be unilat-erally revised to comply with any ACA regulations. Nevertheless, healthcare costs still continue to rise and outpace the rate of average wages.

Page 6

LOWELL D. LYNCH 2013 SCHOLARSHIPS

APPLICANT’S NAME MEMBER’S NAME BARGAINING UNITAbigail AndersonAllyson AndersonAlexander AugedahlJeni BergstromAnna BestulZachery BlonigenKelly BraunAngel DahlJonathan DalmanMagdalend EngelhartMichael FixNicholis FixBeau GerdingMaddy GosselinBrandon GrayBrady HansenAndrew HerediaAlexa-Jane HoidahlAubri JohnsonAlexis LandherrEmma LarsonShelby LarsonMikayla LindellAlexis LundEmily MadsenKerry McCallumKelsey McKannaLaura MitlyngEzequiel NavaAlicia OlsenMarisa OlsenLucas PedersenConnor PetersonDarbwij Quirk BeckerGabriel RoachGrayson RoersStephanie RootJake SandersMary SandersJocelyn ScherbelHolly SchumacherEric ScottKelsey SheaPatrick SheaTina Streit

Todd AndersonChristopher AndersonKatie (Kathleen) AugedahlRenee BerstromJanice BestulJudy BlonigenElke BraunJonathon DahlPamela DalmanSusan EngelhartJanine FixJanine FixRobyn GerdingKim GosselinCindy GrayJere HansenShelley HerediaKarl HoidahlKim JohnsonChristine LandherrLynn LarsonRich LarsonJodie LindellKristen LundJeanette MadsenCharles McCallumRichard McKannaDebra MitlyngPatricia JohnsonKaren OlsenJeannine OlsenGeralyn PedersenDeann PetersonPamela Quirk BeckerJudy RoachDavid RoersRichard RootKristen SandersLaurie SandersKarl ScherbelSheri SchumacherGregory ScottKimberly SheaKevin SheaDiane Streit

MACState of MN - Public DefenderDakota CountyBecker CountyCity of FaribaultEden Valley-Watkins ISDLeSueur-Henderson ISDSt Louis CountyBecker CountyRosemount ISDRochester ISDRochester ISDStearns CountyU of MRice CountyCity of Fergus FallsCity of Brooklyn ParkCity of West St PaulRosemount ISDSherburne CountyOtter Tail CountyCity of Coon RapidsCity of Albert LeaState of MN - Court ReporterU of MCity of MinneapolisCrow Wing County - CMCCState of MN - MSUAASFState of MN - C.A.T.West St Paul ISDRamsey CountyRamsey CountyState of MN - Court ReporterSt Paul ISDState of MN - CATCity of West St PaulU of MSherburne CountyOtter Tail CountyMinneapolis SSD #1Eden Valley-Watkins ISDU of MCity of Fergus FallsState of MN - Public DefenderEden Valley-Watkins ISD

Page 7

APPLICANT’S NAME MEMBER’S NAME BARGAINING UNITKathryn SwansonSarah TesterEvan Vanden AvondKrista VogtShelbie Werden

Gregory SwansonAmy TesterGail Vanden AvondDiane VogtJoe Werden

Ramsey CountyRosemount ISDState of MN - Court ReporterNobles CountyCity of Rosemount

Teamsters Joint Council 32 Keegel - Yates Education & Scholarship Fund

Emily MadsenAlicia OlsenEvan Vanden Avond

APPLICANT’S NAME MEMBER’S NAME BARGAINING UNITJeanette MadsenKaren OlsonGail Vanden Avond

U of MWest St Paul ISDState of MN - Court Reporter

LOCAL NO. 320 PUBLIC & LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEESGENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

WWW.TEAMSTERSLOCAL320.ORG

BRAINERDMeeting held at Lum Park: Pavilion 1

Tuesday, June 11th 5:30 p.m.

ROCHESTERMeeting held at Essex ParkTuesday, July 9th 5:30 p.m.

DULUTHMeeting held at 4895 E Pike Lake Rd Duluth, MN

Tuesday, August 13th 5:30 p.m.

COMO ZOO FAMILY PICNICHeld at Como Zoo

1225 Estabrook Dr, St Paul, MNSunday, August 18, 2013

LOWELL D. LYNCH SCHOLARSHIPS CON.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WINNERS & MEMBERS!

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