http://www.afscmelocal34.org/
AFSCME Council 5, Local 34, Hennepin County Social Services and Related Employees
Unemployed Worker: We Need Help Now
Which Way Do We Turn in ’09?
March 2009
General Assembly
Wednesday,
March 4, 2009
5:30 pm
Health Services Bldg,
Room 110
Special accommodations will be
made for our physically
challenged members. Please call
596-1003 or 348-0266 if
arrangements need to be made.
April 2009
General Assembly
Wednesday,
April 1, 2009
(HSB 110)
Local 34 Banner
Liz Freeberg, an AFL-CIO
member living in Circle Pines,
knows how devastating the
economic collapse can be for
the average American family.
In the past two and half years,
she and her husband both lost
their jobs, they are losing their
home and they can't afford
health insurance. Liz and her son, Darryl, shown here,
were profiled in the AFL-CIO NOW blog.
Recovery Bill Holds New Promise for
Struggling Minnesotans
The White House estimates that the landmark job
creating legislation that passed both Houses of
Congress, and was signed by President Obama (as
pictured) will create or save 66,000 jobs in Minnesota.
However, Congressman Jim Oberstar reports that a
recent analysis of the recovery bill by Moody's
concluded that the recovery
bill could create as many as
91,000 jobs in Minnesota by
2010, and hold unemployment
down by 1.8 percent.
"Unemployment in Minnesota
is 6.9 percent, and if we don't take action,
unemployment levels could climb into the double
digits," said Oberstar. "The recovery bill will hold
unemployment down, put people to work, and give
them the money to pay bills, mortgages and educate
their children. That is the economic activity that will
help our economy recover sooner rather than later."
March 2009
L 34 Banner – 03/2009
Issue Contents:
Page 2 – Local 34 Officers &
Stewards, Have You Visited the Local
34 Web Page Lately?
Page 3 – February GA Meeting
Highlights : Nominations for Local 34
Offices, Day on the Hill and Women’s
Leadership Retreat, Calendar
Page 4 – Nomination Chair’s Report,
Nikkola & Evans Honored by U of MN,
Thank You Notes, Delta Dental Contact
Page 5 – Good & Welfare Rules, Cliff
Robinson on What We’re Doing Wrong
Using County Computers
Page 6 – Hennepin County Headlines,
Economic Woes – Unemployment,
Joblessness, Welfare Aid, Help for Poor,
Food Stamps in Stimulus Package
Page 7 – Cliff Robinson Muses on a
President (?) Pawlenty, State Budget
Headlines – Proposal, Programs to be
Cut, Impact on LGA/State Workers
Page 8 – Katie Farber on Legislative
Union-Busting Bill – and Her Experience
Talking to Legislators at a Town Hall
Meeting in Her Community, Labor
Headlines – Solis, Fighting Wage
Freezes, Union Contract Fights, EFCA
Page 9 – Dependent Eligibility Audit,
Proposed National Health Insurance
Program, Health Headlines – MN Health
Plan Act, SCHIP Extension, Health IT
Page 10 – View from the Cheap Seats
– Vicki Moore, ROWE Coming to
HSPHD, Politically-Incorrect Language
Page 11 – VP Volkenant’s Column,
Union Songs – “Are You Union Made?”
Page 12 – President Diederich’s
Column – March 4 GA Nominations,
Negotiations, Taking Action in these
Troubling Times, and Good & Welfare –
Thank You Notes, Acknowledgements
-1-
Local 34 Officers & Stewards
President:
Jean Diederich
1/1/09
Have You Visited Your Local 34 Web Page Lately?
Let’s give kudos to John
Herzog, Local 34’s longtime web developer.
Several times a week,
John
updates
this
website to provide you
with the most up-to-date
union, political and
social
commentary
news available.
348-0266 – 880
Vice Presidents:
Vicki Moore
Wesley Volkenant
348-5939 – 140
348-9592 – 630
Chief Stewards:
Cliff Robinson
Cathy Cowden
348-7542 – 961
543-0301 – L890
Recording Secretary:
Rita Salone
596-1003 – L890
Treasurer:
Patrick Regan
348-8760 – L890
Membership Secretary:
Katie Farber
Sergeant-At-Arms:
Chalmers Davis
At
left,
we
have
represented for you
what was news at the
Local 34 site, at Noon,
Monday, February 16,
2009.
543-0306 – L890
521-3056 – N704
Members-At-Large:
Andrea Lazo-Rice
Ibrahim Adam
Angel Alexander
Betty Pharr
Jacquelin Poole
Alex O. Gordon
Stewards:
348-2249 – 959
348-2313 – 961
596-1863 – 630
348-8263 – 630
348-4246 – 961
348-6910 – 961
The story headlines that
day included: Passage
of
the
American
Recovery
and
Reinvestment Act, a
preview on this year’s
negotiations – taken
from
the
February
edition
of
this
newsletter, a column by
the Detroit News’ Ron
Gettelfinger in support
of EFCA, the opportunity
to sign up for the
legislative Town Hall
meetings on the state
budget crisis, a preview
of Day on the Hill, and a
look at the Wall Street
bailout
–
by
the
numbers.
Zachary Rice
348-2274, Century Plaza 1
Ester Killion
596-7858, Century Plaza 1
Mara Hill
596-0947, Century Plaza 2
Miguel Salazar
596-7465, Century Plaza 2
Nancy Scarlotta
348-9452, Century Plaza 2
Fatuma Kassim
596-8457, Century Plaza 2
Kela Williams
596-0954, Century Plaza 2
Jamoda Williams
596-8948, Century Plaza 4
Diane Fossen
543-2506, NorthPoint Dental
Shawnice Reid
543-2699, NorthPoint Medical
Edgar Kusleika
348-3633, Msgs, Home Monitring
James Stevenson
596-9220, STS
Jim Edin
763-221-4443, STS
Phillip Gray
348-5771, Juvenile Justice Ctr
Terry Grace
348-7308, Juvenile Justice Ctr
Aboubker Ouassaddine 543-0373, Family Justice Ctr
Bob Velez
543-0323, Family Justice Ctr
Susan Frame
348-0293, Govt Center A15
Brian Arneson
348-7641, Govt Center A16
Maureen Glover
348-4492, Govt Center A16
Carolyn Johnson
348-8586, Govt Center A16
Monica Jochmans
348-4192, HSB 5
Penny Wile
348-7133, HSB 9
Lynn Garrick
651-769-2305, MHP Telecommuter
Kristine Heckler
763-536-3912, Crystal Drop-in Ctr.
Elena Izaksonas
521-3056, 4th Precinct Station
Pamela Shones
763-413-3113, 1800 Chicago
Dennis Moore
879-3560, 1800 Chicago
Jeff Meyer
348-5880, 1800 Chicago
Martha Dille
596-0622, Cty Home School
Here you can find links
to
information
resources about Local
34, archives of these
newsletters,
contact
information for your
Local’s officials, and
opportunities to make
your voice heard – such
as the “Action Alert” at
left.
Trustees
Jim Evans, Audie Lussier, Osman Aweis
Delta Dental Trustee
Monica Jochmans
Note: Submissions for the April 2009 newsletter should be sent
to the Editor by Monday, March 16. Submissions for the May
2009 newsletter will be due by April 20.
Local 34 Banner
For fresh, current news,
information
and
opinion, we ask you to turn regularly to the best union web page in AFSCME – our
Local 34 home page!
http://afscmelocal34.org/index.htm
March 2009
-2-
Council 5 Business Representative:
Matt Nelson
651-287-0578
e-mail Matt at: matt.nelson@afscmemn.org
Council 5 Contact Information:
300 Hardman Avenue South,
South Saint Paul, Minnesota 55075-2469
(651) 450-4990 Fax: (651) 450-1908
To Contact the Newsletter Editor:
Call or e-mail—
Wesley Volkenant - 612-348-9592
For Distribution concerns, contact:
Rhonda Griffin at 612-543-0353
Internet Web Site Developer:
John Herzog – 952-492-5233
UPCOMING LOCAL 34
MEETING SCHEDULE
March
4th General Assembly - HSB 110
18th E-Board - HSB 917
April
1st General Assembly - HSB 110
15th E-Board - HSB 917
March 2009
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April 2009
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30
Upcoming AFSCME Training
Basic Steward Training
March 24-25, April 21-22 – Council 5 Office
Financial Responsibility Training
April 1 – Council 5 Office
Who We Are
AFSCME’s 1.6 million members provide the vital
services that make America happen. With
members in hundreds of different occupations —
from nurses to corrections officers, child care
providers to sanitation workers — AFSCME is the
voice of the dedicated workers who take care of
America, and is a leading advocate for all working
families.
Local 34 Banner
Highlights from the February General Assembly—February 4, 2009
Officers attending were: Jean Diederich, Wes Volkenant, Ibrahim Adam, Chalmers Davis, Patrick
Regan, Rita Salone, Vicki Moore, Jacquelin Poole, Angel Alexander, Katie Farber, Alex Gordon,
Andrea Lazo-Rice and Cliff Robinson Excused Absences: Betty Pharr and Cathy Cowden
Officer Nominations :
Other News:
(further nominations can be made to
LaQuita Williams by the 3/4/09 GA meeting)
 Vicki Moore was sworn in as our new
Vice President. She committed to
working with members to make sure
we have identified sources of revenue
for the County, and on hearing from
members. She’ll be organizing afterwork “Happy Hour” get-togethers on
the 2nd & 4th Fridays at Hubert’s and
the Little Wagon.
 Motion passed to provide food for
those
attending
Phone
Bank,
February 9-10, up to $75.
 Legislators are setting up regional
meetings to “listen to us” around the
state. John Herzog reported that the
Local 34 web site is linked to give
legislators feedback via “Weigh-In.”
 Katie Farber and John Herzog
reported on the Membership Survey
(for newer members) that will be
going out, using Survey Monkey.
 Motion passed adding Local 34
delegate to MSSA – Angel Alexander.
 Cliff Robinson reported on the
quarterly Stewards’ meeting, which
focused on the budget and political
action.
 Motion passed to revise the General
Motion, adding language discussed at
the E-Board concerning parking and
mileage reimbursement definitions.
Discussion of changes in the Local’s
Standing Rules was tabled to March,
when written changes will be
provided.
 Discussion of the Stimulus Bill and
dollars for the State (and County?)
 Discussion of Richard Johnson’s
request for suggestions on how to
save money or increase revenue –
ask Jean to request results .
 Matt Nelson reported on the MN
Nursing Assn. (MNA) efforts to
organize nurses in Hennepin County –
could impact the PHNs we represent
– or increase whom we represent.
 Considerable discussion of the budget
and potential lay-offs (perhaps as
many as 1000 county-wide and 150200 Local 34 members). As Jean
reminded us (speaking of how to deal
with it), “if you’re not at the table,
you’re on the menu.” Discussion
followed about the Hennepin Policy
Committee’s initial contract talks.
President: Jean Diederich
Vice President (2): Vicki Moore,
Wes Volkenant
Recording Secretary: Rita Salone
Treasurer: Patrick Regan
Chief Steward (2): Cliff Robinson,
Cathy Cowden
Sergeant-at-Arms: Chalmers Davis and
Alex Gordon (Contested Race)
Membership Secretary:
no candidate nominated yet
Members-at-Large (6):
Jacqueline Coleman, Angel Alexander,
Betty Pharr, Ibrahim Adam,
Andrea Lazo-Rice, Jacquelin Poole
Trustee: Kathleen Farber
Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation
Delegates: Patrick Regan
St. Paul Regional Labor
Federation Delegates:
no candidates nominated yet
Day on the Hill Nominations
(March 10-11, 2009)
31 names were submitted to attend Day
on the Hill. By motion, the original 30
attendees were expanded to 31. A later
motion was passed to send up to 55
members for 1-2 days, as elected or
appointed by the Local President, with
Lost Time, parking, mileage and
registration to be covered.
Nellie Stone Johnson Dinner
(March 26, 2009)
The eight members elected to attend
and represent Local 34 are: Betty Pharr,
Bob Velez, Laurie Simon, Jacquelin Poole,
Lindsay Schwab, Alex Gordon,
Jacqueline Coleman, and Rhonda Griffin.
Union Women’s Leadership Retreat
(Brainerd area, April 22-24, 2009)
By motion, the Local will send seven
representatives, instead of four, as
previously approved. The Local elected:
Katie Farber, Angel Alexander, Cathy
Cowden, Betty Pharr, Fatuma Kassim, Ester
Killion, and Jacquelin Poole.
Phone Banking
(February 9-10, 2009)
A list circulated for calling members to rally
at Day on the Hill, Wednesday, March 11th.
March 2009
-3-
New to the County?
Just transferred into Local 34?
To sign up as a union member or to get
answers to questions about AFSCME and
membership benefits, please complete this
form and send it to:
Katie Farber, Membership Secretary
FJC – mail code L890 – 612-543-0306
Name _______________________________
Job Title
_____________________________________
Work Location
_____________________________________
Mail Code _________
Phone _________________
I’m especially interested:
□
□
I want to sign up as a member
I want to sign up for Delta Dental
To receive Delta Dental Insurance information:
contact Cindy Pince at Council 5– 651-287-0564
Are you interested in setting the Local 34 website as
your Microsoft Explorer home page? If so, go to the
website address listed on the front page. Click on
“Tools” in the menu bar at the top of your page. Select
“Internet Options.” Under the “General” tab, find the
option for Home Page, and copy the Local 34 address
there. The next time you bring up your Internet
connection, the website will be your new Home Page.
Report from Nominations Chair, LaQuita Williams
During the General Assembly on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 the following
individuals were nominated for office:
Jean Diederich was nominated for President; Vicki Moore and Wes Volkenant
were nominated for Vice President; Rita Salone was nominated for Recording
Secretary; Patrick Regan was nominated for Treasurer; Chalmers Davis and Alex
Gordon were nominated for Sergeant at Arms; Cathy Cowden and Cliff Robinson
were nominated for Chief Stewards; Jacqueline Coleman, Angel Alexander,
Andrea Lazo-Rice, Jacqueline Poole, Ibrahim Adam, and Betty Pharr were
nominated for Members-at-Large; Kathleen Farber was nominated for Trustee,
Patrick Regan was nominated for Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation
Delegate; there were no nominees for Membership Secretary, Minneapolis
Regional Labor Federation Alternate, St Paul Regional Labor Federation Delegate
and St Paul Regional Labor Federation Alternate.
Nominations will also be taken at the March 4, 2009, General Assembly.
Two Local 34 Thank You E-Mails, as received from Good & Welfare co-chair, Lisa Durkot:
Thank you and all my brothers and Sisters at AFSCME so much. The flowers arrived
Saturday and they were beautiful. They really helped keep my spirits while I wait for
my test results. Thanks again.
Marcia J. Dietz
Family Justice Center
Dear Local 34 members,
Thanks so much for the lovely Christmas cactuses that were sent following my
recent surgery. They were blooming when I received them and are continuing to
thrive. Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Dianne Dunn
Do You Have Friends Who Would Like to
Receive Our Newsletter?
Two Senior Social Workers (and Local 34 Members)
from Early Childhood Services Honored!
There is now a quick and simple way for you to
become informed on a wide variety of issues
concerning AFSCME Local 34. Just sign yourself up
for our free on-line newsletter! Please follow the
directions below…
 Send an e-mail to the following address:
Don Nikkola and Colleen Evans, from Early Childhood Services, GC – A16, have
received an award from the University of Minnesota for their recent involvement in
supervising Social Work student interns. Congratulations, Colleen and Don!
cwvolkenant@msn.com
 In the Subject Line or Text, state “Subscribe to 34
Newsletter”, identify who you are, and send it off.
 You will receive a confirmation e-mail within a week;
you should have the latest issue attached, so you can
determine if you will be able to receive – and read –
the e-mail newsletter attachments.
Note: if at any time you want to stop receiving these
updates, all you have to do is send an e-mail to the
address listed above, state “Unsubscribe” in the
Subject Line or Text, and your name will be removed
from our list. For Netscape users, you may need to
press “Reload” to get the most version. You can also
access us from our Local 34 Website at:
http://www.afscmelocal34.org
Local 34 Banner
Here is the text of the e-mail they received from Dr. James Reinardy, Director of the
School of Social Work in the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and
Human Development:
Dear Don and Colleen,
On behalf of the School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, I would very much like to
designate the two of you as Co-Alumni of the Year, 2009. All of us at the school would be
honored should you be willing to accept this award. Our field faculty members have had
many good things to say about your contributions to the program and about the unique
talents and perspectives each of you bring to working with our students at Hennepin
County. I understand that the two of you work as a team in your supervision of students
and so I think the co-award designation is fitting. We are planning to bestow the award
on April 18, 2009, at our Field Appreciation Luncheon. I am looking forward to hearing
from you, hoping that you will honor us by accepting this offer.
Regards,
Jim Reinardy
March 2009
-4-
Working Partnerships – Can You Help?
The Local recently approved a donation to
Working Partnerships – affiliated with the
Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation – an
affiliate of the AFL-CIO. This agency gives $25
Cub Foods discount cards to union brothers and
sisters in need.
http://www.unitedwaytwincities.org/ourpartners/union.cfm
Good and Welfare
The Good and Welfare Committee was
established to send remembrances to dues
paying members at times of happiness or
sorrow. This includes marriages, the birth or
adoption of a child, prolonged illness or
hospitalization, or the death of a member,
immediate family member or significant other
– as defined in the Contract.
In the case of surgery or prolonged illness,
or for the birth or adoption of a child,
flowers or plants can be sent to a member.
In situations involving the death of a
member or a death in the family of a
member, memorials can be sent. (“Family” is
defined the same as in Article 16 – Funeral
Leave – in our contract; it includes:
□ spouse,
□ child,
□ significant other,
□ aunt/uncle,
□ father/mother,
□ sister/brother,
□ grandparent/grandparent-in-law,
grandchildren,
□ niece/nephew, or
□ a person regarded as a member of the
member’s immediate family).
In the event of members getting married,
retiring, gaining U.S. citizenship, or for a
death in the family of a member or in the
case of the death of a member, a card can
be sent to the family.
Please send all requests for remembrances
to the Chairs for the Good and Welfare
Committee - Lisa Durkot (MC 965), Marcia
Dietz (MC L890) and Cathy Cowden (MC
L890). The referrals must include the name
of the member and the reason for your
request. If the request is for a plant or
flowers, you will also need to include the
person’s home phone number for delivery
purposes.
Local 34 Banner
Listen to Your Old Man
 Cliff Robinson, Local 34 Chief Steward
The American humorist Mark Twain once said, “When I
was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant, I could
hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got
to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old
man had learned in seven years.”
Now, pretend that I am your old man, and listen to me!
I recently had to stand by as another of our members was fired for misusing the
County computer that was assigned to him. I had to stand by, because there was
nothing the Union could do to protect members who misuse their computer!
In today’s economy, it is a poor time to be unemployed. It is an especially poor
time to be fired for something as dumb as going where no man (or woman) should
go on the boss’s computer. If a techno-dinosaur like me knows that every
keystroke on the computer is saved on the hard drive, those of
you who grew up in the computer age, must surely know that
there is no where to hide on the computer.
But in case you do not, here is a little refresher: The computer
on your desk belongs to the County!
It is put there for you to work on. It is not there for you to play with!
There are certain things you cannot do and places you can never go. You can not
look at PORN of any kind at all! You can not use the County computer to store
information about another job or business that you may
have, or use the computer to run another business.
You can not go to certain web sites, such as the
Department of Motor Vehicles, and look up information for
which you have no business reason to look up. The same
goes for any other web site that contains private
information for which you have no business reason to look.
If you’re caught spending a lot of time playing on the computer, you can be
disciplined – or fired – if that time is work time for which you have been paid. That
is considered theft.
I mention all these because they are actual reasons why
employees have been fired at Hennepin County.
Maybe the best way to stay out of trouble is to follow this rule of
thumb: do nothing on the County’s computer that you would not
be comfortable showing your Supervisor.
If you have done any of these things on the County computer, stop doing them right
now, and pray that your boss never has a reason to pull your hard drive.
FACT: In 2003, Hennepin County Human Services (spread over six departments) had a
$560 million budget. Those departments merged into the Human Services and Public
Health Department in 2004, and this year's budget is approximately $516 million.
That's a $44 million drop. Now add inflation, and say a 3.5 percent annual increase
for salary and health insurance increases. A $560 million budget in 2003 would have
grown to $665 million by 2008. By that yardstick, county human service spending is
nearly $150 million short of where it was five years ago.
March 2009
-5-
Economic Woes & State Budget Challenges
Sign Up for the PEOPLE Fund
The AFSCME People Fund is AFSCME’s
political action fund, and is used to support our
endorsed candidates. If many members
voluntarily pledge as little as $2.00 a payroll
period, our ability to get our endorsed
candidates elected will be greatly enhanced.
At $4.00 per pay period, a contributor receives
an AFSCME green jacket.
Please contact Betty Pharr at
348-8263 to sign up now!
Want to Have an Impact on Your Legislator?
Take a digital photo of yourself standing outside
of your home. Send the photo to your State
Representative, or State Senator, via e-mail,
with a brief note stating you are a public
employee, what you do (not just your job title-but put it in generic terms they can understand)
and say "Is this the next home that will be
foreclosed on in your district?"
This is a powerful visual, and lets elected
officials know that public employees live (and
pay taxes) in their districts. If you don’t have a
digital camera, or cell phone camera—mail a
paper photo through U.S. mail, saying the same
thing.
Hennepin County Headlines

City, County Officials Take Pay Cut? Law
Says No – 2/9/09
http://www.startribune.com/local/39346462.html
Despite Gov. Tim Pawlenty's call for a local government
salary freeze, there's one pay raise that city councils and
some county boards can't undo right now -- their own.
State law prohibits it. City councils and the Hennepin
County Board are barred from raising or lowering their
pay rates in mid-term. They'd have to wait until after the
next elections for a salary cut to take effect.

Hennepin County Commissioners Move to
Give Up Pay Raises – 2/10/09
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/39406322.html
Hennepin County commissioners on Tuesday agreed
unanimously to forgo their pay raises for 2010, rejecting a
3.4 percent pay increase they had approved last October
that would have boosted their salaries above $100,000.

For Hennepin County, Cuts Will Just Get
Deeper – 2/5/09
http://www.startribune.com/local/south/39181412.html

HCMC Cuts 100 Jobs as State Funds are
Reduced – 1/26/09
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/HCMC_Layoffs_Cuts_Jan_26_2009

A Familiar Face Named to Lead Hennepin
County Library System – 2/10/09
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/39406117.html
Local 34 Banner
States' Jobless Funds Run Low / Seven Are Already Borrowing From
Washington to Pay Unemployment Benefits
By VALERIE BAUERLEIN - Wall Street Journal - February 6, 2009
A growing number of states are running out of cash to pay unemployment benefits, a sign of how far
social-welfare systems are being stretched by the swelling ranks of the jobless in the deteriorating U.S.
economy. Unemployment filings have soared so high in recent months that seven states have already
emptied their unemployment-insurance trust funds, which were supposed to see them through
recessionary periods. Another 11 states are in jeopardy of depleting reserves by year's end, according to
the National Conference of State Legislatures, which published a January report entitled "The Crisis in
State Unemployment Trust Funds." So far, states have borrowed more than $2.3 billion in emergency
funds from the federal government, money they are required to pay back.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123384067190252139.html
Factoid: Last month, when 600,000 Americans lost their jobs, the House and Senate allowed
themselves a $4,700 cost-of-living raise, bringing their annual salaries to $174,000.
(Source: Wall Street Journal)
Deluge Is Holding Up Benefits to Unemployed:
Decline in Funding Forces Staff Cuts as Claims Swell
By Chris L. Jenkins - Washington Post Staff Writer - Thursday, February 5, 2009
Thousands of people in the Washington area and hundreds of thousands more across the country are
waiting longer than they should for unemployment benefits at a time when they need the money the
most because rising joblessness is overwhelming claims offices. The problem is compounded by a
simultaneous decrease in federal funding, which has reduced staffing at some local government offices.
The problem is compounded by a simultaneous decrease in federal funding, which has reduced staffing
at some local government offices.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403831.html
Joblessness Among Older Workers Jumps
by Martin Moylan, Minnesota Public Radio - February 10, 2009
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/02/10/olderworkres/?refid=0
Historically, older workers have been less likely to lose their jobs in an economic downturn. But that
advantage is eroding. Older workers are getting laid off more often than they did in the past. And when
they're canned, they have a hard time landing new positions that match the pay and benefits of their
old jobs.
The state of Minnesota's Dislocated Worker program, which helps laid off workers land new jobs, is
assisting more older white-collar folks these days. The average age of the workers getting help through
the program is now in the late 40s.
Welfare Aid Not Growing as Economy Drops Off
By JASON DEPARLE - New York Times - February 2, 2009
Despite soaring unemployment and the worst economic crisis in decades, 18 states cut their welfare
rolls last year, and nationally the number of people receiving cash assistance remained at or near the
lowest in more than 40 years. The trends, based on an analysis of new state data collected by The New
York Times, raise questions about how well a revamped welfare system with great state discretion is
responding to growing hardships.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/us/02welfare.html?ref=us
Executive Pay Caps Tucked Into Bill
Silla Brush, The Hill, -2/13/09 - http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/executive-pay-caps-tucked-into-bill-2009-02-13.html
As they put the finishing touches on the $787 billion stimulus package to jolt the broader economy
out of recession, House and Senate lawmakers decided to throw in a new restriction on executive
pay for financial firms receiving federal bailout money.
Food Stamps, Tax Breaks for Poor in Stimulus
More than 37 million Americans live in poverty, and the vast majority of them are in line for extra help
under the giant stimulus package coming out of Congress. People who get food stamps — 30 million
and growing — will get more. Many low-income Americans also are likely to benefit from a trifecta of
tax credits: expansions to the existing Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, and a new
refundable tax credit for workers. Taken together, the three credits are expected to keep more than 2
million Americans from falling into poverty, including more than 800,000 children, according to the
private Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
http://www.ourfuture.org/news-headline/2009020713/food-stamps-tax-breaks-poor-stimulus
American Families are Poorer Today than They Were in 2001
 Paul Krugman on Study from the Survey of Consumer Finances
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/13/families-poorer-than-2001/
March 2009
-6-
President Pawlenty?
Straight from the Headlines:
By now you have heard about the governor’s budget
proposals for the next two years. In order to
understand the governor’s attack on public employees
and public services you must understand one
important fact; the governor is running for President--in 2016.
Governor Pawlenty’s Budget Proposal
The overwhelming democratic victory in the House and
Senate came at the expense of moderate Republicans
who were replaced by Democrats. Those left in the
Congress are mostly right-wing Republicans from safe
districts. This is clearly evident in the Republicans’
reaction to President Obama’s stimulus bill. There are
apparently only three moderate Republicans left in the
Senate. The president’s decisive victory has resulted in
a vacuum in the leadership of the Republican Party
and the governor plans to fill that vacuum. For months
prior to the election he was being groomed by the party
leadership as a future leader of the party. He had
every expectation of being selected as McCain’s
running mate before McCain made his desperate
gamble with Sarah Palin. Now he must prove to the
leadership that he, rather than Palin, will have the best
chance of delivering the White House back into
Republican hands. In order to do that he must continue
to promote the policies that have endeared him to the
party. He will hang on to his ‘No New Tax’ pledge
Despite the harm that it has done to the state, he will
continue to marginalize government in general, and to
promote privatization. And yes, he will run for a third
term as governor in 2010. He needs the governorship
as a platform to be a contender for the presidency in
2012. If he wins a third term as governor, and if he is
his party’s presidential candidate in 2012, he can’t lose
even if he loses in 2012. If President Obama has a
successful first term no will expect Pawlenty to win in
2012. However he can secure his hold on the frontrunner position to be his party’s candidate in 2016
when the Democrats will not have the advantage of
incumbency.
All of this long-range planning has immediate
implications for you and me. The only way to get the
state out of its budget deficit is either by raising taxes
or by massive layoff of public employees and the
elimination of vital services. The Democrats in the
state legislature have enough votes to develop a
rational budget, but they are gong to need our
encouragement to do so. So, when you are asked to
call or write your legislators, please do so. And we
have to do everything in our power to put a Democrat
in the statehouse and deny Pawlenty his steppingstone to the presidency. For, after all, if you think
Governor Pawlenty is bad – just think of four or eight
years of President Pawlenty!
- Cliff Robinson
- Local 34 Chief Steward
Local 34 Banner

Pawlenty’s Budget: 2.2 Percent Spending Cut – 1/27/09
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/01/27/budget_announce/
http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2009/01/27/6234/pie_charts_and_numbers_of_minnesota%E2%
80%99s_proposed_budget_fix_don%E2%80%99t_tell_the_whole_story

Seeing Red: Pawlenty Unveils His Budget – 1/27/09
http://minnesotaindependent.com/24570/minnesota-budget-cuts
http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2009/01/27/6227/pawlenty_outlines_his_budget-balancing_plan_for_minnesota

Pawlenty’s Budget Proposal: No Good for Minnesota – 1/27/09
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/2530/pawlentys-budget-proposal-no-good-for-minnesota
http://minnesotaindependent.com/24682/pawlentys-proposed-budget-cuts-draw-angry-response

Business Groups Like Pawlenty’s Tax Cut Plans – 1/28/09
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/01/28/budget_bizreax/?refid=0
Programs Affected by Pawlenty Budget Proposal

Pawlenty to Propose Cuts to Welfare, Higher Ed and Local Govt Spending - 1/26/09
http://www.topix.com/forum/state/mn/T4126LHTG33P6A9JJ

Pawlenty Puts Health, Welfare on Cutting Table – 1/27/09
http://www.topix.com/forum/state/mn/T4SK9LK6G7LFEKRI2
http://legithealth.com/pawlenty-puts-health-welfare-on-cutting-table

Human Services Cuts Inevitable Under Pawlenty Plan – 1/27/09
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/01/27/human_services_cuts/

Pawlenty Budget Slashes Family Planning Programs – 1/27/09
http://minnesotaindependent.com/24581/pawlenty-budget-slashes-family-planning-programs

Hold that Scalpel:
State Health Care Cuts Could Jeopardize Millions in Federal Aid – 1/29/09
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/roseville-mn/T684QNORGCOV50UVE
Pawlenty’s Budget: Impact on State Workers, Local Government Agencies

Governor’s Budget Hits Minnesota Cities and Counties – 1/27/09
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/01/27/lgabudget/
http://www.minnpost.com/politicalagenda/2009/02/05/6462/lga_cuts_would_take_local_governm
ents_back_to_the_clinton_administration

Conservative Group Finds Examples of Local Governments Saving Money in Tough
Times – 2/5/09
http://www.minnpost.com/politicalagenda/2009/02/05/6468/conservative_group_finds_examples_
of_local_governments_saving_money_in_tough_times

Pawlenty’s Budget Would Shed 1,100 State Jobs – 1/30/09
http://www.startribune.com/38711937.html?elr=KArksUUUU
http://www.rooksrant.com/2009/01/pawlentys-budget-would-shed-1100-state-jobs.html

First Look at DHS Budget Cuts Impact – 1/27/09
http://www.mmb.state.mn.us/doc/budget/narratives/gov/human-svcs.pdf
How Obama Administration’s Stimulus Bill Impacts Minnesota

Stimulus Bill Offers Workers, Businesses Tax Cuts – 2/12/09
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090213/ap_on_go_co/stimulus_taxes

Stimulus Package: Here’s What Minnesota Gets – 2/13/09
http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2009/02/13/6708/stimulus_package_clears_house_heres_what
_minnesotas_getting
http://dfleducationfoundation.blogs.com/dfl_education_foundation/2009/02/what-minnesota-getsfrom-the-stimulus-package.html
Having to Redo the State Budget

Pawlenty Must Redo His Budget – 2/12/09, 2/18/09
http://blogs.twincities.com/politics/2009/02/pawlenty_must_redo_his_budget.html
http://www.startribune.com/39498082.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:
aU7DYaGEP7vDEh7P:DiUs

MN Legislature: Please Fix the Governor’s Budget (Jay Kiedrowski Ed.) – 2/5/09
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/pnlc/pubtalk/2009/02/mn_legislature_please_fix_the.php
March 2009
-7-
Labor Unions, Labor News & Legal Information
Straight from the Headlines:
Hilda Solis – Labor Secretary, 1/29/09, 2/17/09:
 Make-or-Break Vote Feb. 24 on Solis Confirmation
http://ohsonline.com/articles/2009/02/12/solis-nomination-faceskey-vote.aspx
 Some
in Labor Frustrated With Obama
Administration for not Sending Signals on Solis
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/labor/some-in-labor-frustratedwith-obama-administration-for-not-sending-signals-on-solis/
SEIU – UNITE HERE Merger, 2/9/09:
 Stern Presses Merger
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0209/Stern_presses_merger.html
Union Contract Fights, 1/28/09, 2/6/09, 2/16/09,
2/19/09:
 Washington County Predicts Job Cuts of 5 Percent
http://www.topix.com/county/dakota-mn/2009/02/washingtoncounty-predicts-job-cuts-of-at-least-5-percent
http://www.startribune.com/local/east/38680682.html
 Furlough Fridays Begin for California State Workers
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/state&id=6645693
 The Furlough Weekend: An Alternative to Layoffs?
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/economywatch/2009/02/would_you_like_10_more.html?hpid=topnews
 Freeze for Rochester Teachers? Not So Fast, Says
Union Rep
http://www.minnpost.com/politicalagenda/2009/02/06/6518/freeze
_for_rochester_teachers_not_so_fast_says_union_rep
 Bankrupt Star Tribune Seeking New Union Deals
http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2009/02/16/6718/bankrupt_star
_tribune_seeking_new_union_deals
AFSCME Fights Public Employee Wage
Freeze – Offers Budget Fixes, 1/28/09, 2/6/09:
 AFSCME Members Offer a Better Budget Fix
http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_3915
 Minn. Republicans Push Public Salary Freeze
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29037250/
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Signed into Law,
1/29/09, 2/12 – 2/13/09:
 The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/grossman/20090213.html
 Obama’s First Law: The Fight for Fair Pay
http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/02/smallbusiness/fair_pay_act.smb/
?postversion=2009020212
 Obama’s 1st Bill – Equal Pay, Equal Work
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/01/obamas-first-bi.html
Employee Free Choice Act, 2/5/08, 2/8/08:
 Worker Rights Bill Deserves Debate, Vote – Ron
Gettelfinger, President - UAW
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090206/OPI
NION03/902060330
 Right-Wing Talking Points on Free Choice Act
Crumble
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/right-wing-talking-points-free-choic
Local 34 Banner
FIGHT BACK -- Fight for Your Rights of Collective Bargaining

by Katie Farber, Local 34 Membership Secretary
Hopefully, all of us have now heard or read about Governor Pawlenty's plan to
freeze public employee wages. The actual bill number is SF0372. This bill is about
much more than freezing salaries -- it is a Union Busting Bill.
The bill, which is sponsored by Minority Leader David Senjem and
Assistant Republican Minority Leaders David Hann, Chris Gerlach,
Joe Gimse and Geoff Michael, would also ban step and longevity
increases. It would ban units of government from negotiating any
new pay or benefit increase for the next two years.
Think about what that means -- if health insurance increases, we
would be stuck with the existing Employer contribution to our
health insurance –and, members who are not at the top of their
pay scale would not receive their merit/step increases.
The bill also bans strikes and salary arbitration. AFSCME members have never had
a strike at Hennepin County, and, as always, that would be the last resort and would
require a majority vote by all the members, but by taking away our right to
negotiate and our right to strike, this bill takes away ALL OF OUR COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING POWER. It takes away the strength our predecessors fought for by
passing the Public Employee Labor Relations Act.
This bill would not just effect AFSCME members, but MAPE members, teachers, law
enforcement officers, and hundreds of thousands of Union employees in the state.
And would this really help the economy? Would our homes be the next ones to be
foreclosed on?
To fight back, I attended a town hall meeting in my community. I called one of my
friends who is in MAPE (Minnesota Association of Professional Employees), and
asked him to speak at the meeting, also. One of the sponsors of the wage freeze
bill was present at this meeting. Quite a few people gave testimony about being
the recipients of services provided by Health and Human Services, and asked
politely that the benefits they and their disabled relatives receive not be reduced or
eliminated. My MAPE brother testified before me, pointing out that this bill would
take away our rights of collective bargaining, guaranteed by PELRA.
When I spoke, I told everyone that this was about more than wages and budgets-this is about dismantling government services in Minnesota, and about defunding
government to the point that it is totally ineffective, so the services can then be
eliminated or privatized (our jobs given to elected officials’ cronies, where the
employees will make about $12.00 per hour and the CEOs will pull down multimillion dollar salaries). I called this what it is -- UNION BUSTING – and I told Rep.
Chris Gerlach, and everyone else there, that Public Employees, who serve the poor,
the weak, the disabled, the elderly, and the mentally ill and disabled, will not accept
this as a "solution" – no way!
I made an impact that day. I made a point to the elected officials, and also to all
the others in that room, that Public Employees are not only the ones who deliver
the services, we are the ones strong enough to fight back when the weak in our
society are threatened. You can all do the same!
The Union is YOU -- we must work together, in an organized way, to communicate
with our elected officials and the public -- use the facts on the website – and put our
program funding into perspective with your friends and neighbors. Call your
legislators, appear at a town hall meeting (the last scheduled are on 2/26/09, in
Coon Rapids, Plymouth and St. Paul -- maybe you can still appear, as this
newsletter goes to press). Attend Day on the Hill, Wednesday, March 11th; if you
can't take off the whole day, at least go for the rally in the rotunda at Noon. We are
going to be heard at the Capitol that day. Now is the time to act!
STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS!
March 2009
-8-
Health Care & Health Insurance Issues
Straight from the Headlines:
SCHIP Extension, 1/28/09, 2/4/09:
 Senate Passes Bill to Extend Children’s Health
Insurance, Expands Coverage to 4M More Kids
http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/38605702.html
 Obama Signs Children’s Health Insurance Bill
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/us/politics/05health.html?hp
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/04/schip.vote/?iref=mpst
oryview
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_11628557
State Budget Battle over Medicaid, 1/26/09:
 A Giant Battle over Medicaid is Brewing in
Minnesota
http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/38430574.html?elr=KArk
sLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUl
http://www.dglobe.com/articles/index.cfm?id=19194&section=Opinion
Minnesota Health Plan Act, 2/4/09, 2.9/09,
2/12/09:
 DFLers Vow to Fight for Health Care Aid
http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/39120237.html?elr=KArk
s7PYDiaK7DU2EkP7K_V_GD7EaPc:iLP8iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
 Single-Payer Health Insurance Advocates See
Some Progress in Long Road Ahead
http://www.minnpost.com/politicalagenda/2009/02/09/6541/single-
payer_health_insurance_advocates_see_some_progress_in_lon
g_road_ahead
New U.S. Health Insurance Program Envisioned
By Will Dunham (Reuters) Thu Feb 19, 2009
A prominent private U.S. health policy group proposed creating a major new
public health program and government-operated insurance exchange as part of
a plan to expand coverage and rein in health care costs. The Commonwealth
Fund, a leading private health policy research group, unveiled a comprehensive
plan for changing a U.S. health care system that is the world's most expensive,
yet lags many other nations in important measures of quality. They hope the
Obama administration and lawmakers consider the ideas as they move forward
this year with plans for major changes in the health care system. This plan is one
of many being advanced as U.S. policymakers move toward action.
The proposal favors a mix of public and private insurance options over the idea
of a fully government-run health system. Every American would be required to
have some form of public or private health insurance, and one choice would be a
new nationwide government program for anyone under 65, the age when
eligibility for the existing Medicare program begins. More than 40 million people
would be expected initially to sign up for the new program, the group's Cathy
Schoen said. The government would also operate an insurance exchange similar
to the one run by the state of Massachusetts, giving people the option of
comparing coverage and choosing among a menu of private insurers or the new
public program.
The plan envisions wide adoption of health information technology, greater
disease prevention efforts and insurance payment changes that reward
efficiency and penalize waste.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/usPoliticsNews/idUKTRE51I10720090219
 Minnesota Health Plan Advances in Senate,
Dependent Eligibility Audits
http://minnesotaindependent.com/26244/minnesota-health-planadvances-in-senate-opponents-grilled
What? A method to qualify the eligibility of employee dependents.
Why? To educate employees about plan eligibility rules so that only eligible
Opponents Grilled
Republican Alternative: Freedom of Choice
in Health Care Amendment, 2/13/09:
 Legislators Pitch Amendments on Guns, Health
Care, Labor – and Amendments
http://minnesotaindependent.com/26502/legislators-pitchamendments-on-guns-health-care-labor-and-amendments
http://www.statesurge.com/bills/55059-hf4043-minnesota
Health IT Provisions in Stimulus Bill,
2/19/09:
 eHealth Initiative Lauds Inclusion of Health IT
Provisions in American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act
http://sev.prnewswire.com/health-carehospitals/20090217/DC7184417022009-1.html
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/09/rush-heath-it/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-dean/the-far-rights-all-outof_b_167628.html
Dependent Eligibility Audits – Why? 2/19/09
employees are enrolled. The employer’s representatives will request, collect, and
retain documentation on all dependents enrolled in the benefit plan, and will
identify for employees the cost-saving advantages and on-going processes
implemented in managing dependent eligibility.
When? Notifications are being made in March, with follow-up in April, and
enrollment of dependents or discrepancy reports sent in May.
Health Care - the Biggest Problem of Business
by: Grace Kelly - Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 12:46:06 PM CST
A business should be competing at being the best at what it produces. In other
countries, businesses do not bear the cost of health care, the government does!
Business owners, just like other people, are also facing that inadequate health
insurance means bankruptcy or no health care. Minnesota's businesses are now
saying health care is the biggest issue.
• Gov. Tim Pawlenty has told an audience of manufacturers that he knows just
what they need: a batch of tax cuts totaling more than $270 million over two
years. The biggest piece of that proposal would slash the corporate income tax
rate from 9.8 percent to 4.8 percent over six years.
http://www.reliableplant.com/article.aspx?articleid=16013&pagetit
le=Employers+are+taking+a+close+look+health+care+plans
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/02/prweb2086334.htm
•Moments after Pawlenty left the podium, results were unveiled of a survey of
400 Minnesota manufacturing CEOs commissioned by Enterprise Minnesota,
the former state agency formerly known as Minnesota Technology. The poll
asked, what's your biggest business problem? No. 1: high health care costs.
Local 34 Banner
March 2009
 Employers are taking a close look health care plans
http://www.mncampaignreport.com/tag/health%20care
-9-
Coming to
HSPHD:
ROWE
(Results-Only Work
Environment)
HSPHD is seriously committed to participating in a
pilot program through MN DOT, to utilize the ROWE
concept outlined in the book shown above, “Why
Work Sucks and How to Fix It.” MN DOT’s objective
is to reduce the number of cars congesting our
freeways, such as 35W and I-94. As a big
employer, Hennepin County can move forward on
its teleworking plans, and this pilot project, focusing
on new ways of managing staff production (and
productivity) will be looked to as a possible solution.
From the book’s web site:
In a “Results-Only” company or department,
employees can do whatever they want whenever
they want, as long as business objectives are
achieved. No more pointless meetings, racing to
get in at 9:00, or begging for permission to watch
your kid play soccer. No more cramming errands
into the weekend, or waiting until retirement to take
up your hobbies again. You make the decisions
about what you do and where you do it, every
minute of every day.
It sounds like a fantasy, but Cali Ressler and Jody
Thompson are leading a movement to make it a
reality. In Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It, they
show how a Results-Only Work Environment not
only makes employees happier, but also delivers
better results. Their program has been so
successful at Best Buy, the first company to try it,
that it made the cover of Business Week.
This book explores why most workplaces are so
dysfunctional, and offers a dramatic new way to
stop the toxic behaviors and beliefs (“sludge”) that
keep us from reaching our potential. It also shows
readers how to start their own Results-Only Work
Environment, even on a small scale, and help
spread the revolution.
Have You Thought About Some of Our
Politically-Incorrect Language
and What’s Come of It?
Do you still use words like “factory”, “foreign food”,
“trailer park” or “bum” in your everyday
conversation? At the web site, Politically Incorrect
Dictionary (www.newspeakdictionary.com/ns-pi.html), you
might find these preferred alternatives: “plant”,
“ethnic cuisine”, “mobile home community” and
“homeless person”. What we say, how we say it,
and to whom we say it, can all be sources of
problems communicating in the workplace.
Local 34 Banner
VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS

Vicki Moore, Local 34 Vice President
So here we go – my first column for the newsletter.
For those who do not know me, I have worked for
Hennepin County since 1993. I have been a Child
Support Officer, Adoption Social Worker, Kinship
Resource Social Worker, Child Protection Social Worker, and am now in the Front
Door Access Unit working as a Screener. I have worked in the social service field
since 1966 in a variety of counties and states. I have worked in non-profits, been
a participant in the launching of non-profits and have volunteered in my
neighborhood and on citizen advisory boards. With Local 34, I have been
Recording Secretary, Membership Secretary and Member-at-Large to the
Executive Board. I decided to seek the position of Vice President, as viewing the
world from the cheap seats has led me to believe that this is the time when we all
have to find the time and means to step-up in some way so that our voices will be
heard.
I really want to hear from you. I know that it is difficult for many people to come
to meetings in the evening. To open a dialogue and explore ways to participate
and speak-up, I have decided to have lunch at HSB every second Friday of the
month and lunch at the Park Café in the Government Center every fourth Friday
of the month from 12:15 to 12:45. If Happy Hour works for you, I will be at the
Little Wagon every second Friday and at Hubert’s every fourth Friday starting
around 5 p.m. You can email me at Vicki_Moore@yahoo.com and call me at 612598-7071.
Here are some interesting numbers. According to Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, over
the last sixteen years, $300 billion have been transferred from me and from you
to a handful of very, very wealthy people. In the last eight years, Wall Street has
paid out $180 billion in bonus. An individual who worked for Merrill Lynch from
08/01/08 – 12/31/08 left with a $35 million dollar bonus when Merrill was sold
to Bank of America. Today, the USA and China have the largest disparity between
rich and poor of all the countries in the world.
Why is this important to workers at Hennepin County? There is not enough money
for me and you to do our jobs. We are being re-designed, we get asked to do
more, and we may be laid-off. I worry about NIMBY (not in my backyard) at work;
please save my job, but yes, it is okay to take my neighbor’s job or my
supervisor’s job or a planner’s job, or a manager’s job. It seems as if we are
standing in a circle pointing fingers at one another rather than standing together
and shining a light on those who got a piece of that $300 billion. They need to
give back their ill-gotten gains or at least pay their fair share. It is not the time to
cut services and jobs. We – you and me – need to – and can find ways to – stand
up to tell those in charge of the public purse, to do the right thing. We must value
and protect the young, old and vulnerable among us – the people we serve. It is
not unreasonable to ask our Elected to be brave and show some leadership by
asking Governor Tim to increase revenue. It is only common sense to ask
everyone to pay their fair share. It is about the Common Good.
I am looking forward to meeting each of you. I believe we can find ways to shine
that light on those who have stolen our money and seem perturbed when asked
to pay their fair share. And this is the view from the cheap seats for this month.
Local 34 Thank You E-Mail, as received from Good & Welfare co-chair, Lisa Durkot:
I wish to thank Local 34 for the beautiful flowers during my recent medical leave. The
flowers arrived on a bitter cold day and warmed my heart.
Thanks so much,
Linda Hoof
March 2009
-10-
At Katie Farber’s suggestion, we’re reprinting one of
the many Union songs found linked at the Local 34
web site… http://unionsong.com/songs.html
Are You Union Made?
A Song by Lita Gillies@Lita Gillies 2007
I was standing on a picket line
A man walked over he was tall and fine
he had the deepest of deep blue eyes
The kind of eyes that mesmerize
Are you union made?
Are you union made?
I really got to know right now
'cos I'm a union maid and I'm very proud
Before I got lost in his baby blues
I looked him over from his head to his shoes
He looked at me and gave me a smile
A smile that could take a girl a million miles
Are you union made?
Are you union made?
I really got to know right now
'cos it's not too late for me to walk away
walk away
Hey Hey
He looked at me and nodded his head
“I'm a union organiser” he said
“And these workers are in distress
I got to help them out I got to do my best”
Are you union made?
Are you union made?
I really got to know right now
'cos I'm union made and I'm very proud
Walked over to the BBQ
Started helping to cook the food
He turned around and stared at me
He said “Listen my friend can you tell me”
Are you union made?
Are you union made?
I really got to know right now
'cos it's not too late for me to walk away
walk away
Hey Hey
Are you union made?
Are you union made?
I really got to know right now
'cos I'm a union maid and I'm very proud
Are you union made?
Are you union made?
I really got to know right now
'cos it's not too late for me to walk away
walk away
Hey Hey
Are you union made?
I'm a union maid
Are you union made?
I'm a union maid
Local 34 Banner
- Wes Volkenant
For Valentine’s Day, we had family and friends over to visit. Conversation
eventually moved on to the economy and jobs and the need for assistance. At my
brother-in-law’s brother-in-law’s company, about 120 positions have been reduced
to about 30 positions, his hours have been cut from 40 to 32 per week, and a friend
– a 25-year veteran – was let go last week. Our friend’s son (22) and grandchild (4)
are without health care. So, even as I was offering suggestions on where and when
to apply for public assistance, I was considering what we’re facing in Hennepin
County, too.
Many companies are going out of business (such as Circuit City), cutting some
positions, wages or hours (such as Toro or Ameriprise), and still others are
instituting wage freezes (such as MNSCU, the state university system). We’re
seeing a considerable increase in the demand for public services – even as the
County faces its own financial crisis. It is entirely likely that by the time some of
you receive this newsletter that the County will have – or will be on the brink of –
instituting changes to deal with its fiscal concerns. ‘No crying wolf’ these days… the
County has to deal with an immediate $20 million problem, and long-term, a
potential $200 million problem. The 10-15% reductions you’ve read about are real.
The Commissioners forgoing the 3.4% wage increase for themselves this year is
real. Layoffs, eliminated or re-designed programs and services are about to be real,
too! This is part of why AFSCME’s Day on the Hill at the Capitol, March 11 th matters!
I don’t have a crystal ball to tell me what we really face the rest of this year and
next. In some of our work areas, friends and colleagues will be laid-off – much too
soon, I’m afraid. In some job classifications, those who’ve been hired in the last
year or two (and in some classifications, perhaps in the last 5 years or so) are at
considerable risk of being laid-off. Some of those lay-offs will come outside of our
bargaining units – managers and supervisors, administrative assistants, planning
analysts, and IT – but except for a few jobs that might actually experience hiring in
order to offset where attrition in the past year has left staffing vulnerable, there will
be some of us who will lose valued friends and members of this bargaining unit.
My crystal ball doesn’t give me insight into what this year’s contract negotiations
might be like. But I can tell you that the Hennepin AFSCME Policy Committee
members have started to plan what we might be working with this year. We all
understand how bad the County’s financial situation is. No one wants to see wage
freezes put in place – or, maybe worse, the step-freezes Governor Pawlenty’s called
for, too – but we can see the problem the County faces, we see Commissioners
voluntarily freezing their salaries at the 2008 level, we see other government
agencies putting these drastic measures in place, and we see what the public
relations’ playing field is. And don’t ever forget that the Board members, who will
have to approve any contract settlement we reach, are politicians who are beholden
to the voting public. So, unless we want to sacrifice more of our jobs, and make our
share of the remaining work that much harder, it’s entirely possible that we could
be looking at severe challenges for increasing wages – not that it isn’t needed.
But it isn’t just wages. The County is moving to self-insurance in 2011, which would
be Year 2 of a two-year contract. How do we get that resolved? How do we deal
with language proposals the County may come to bargain over; in the past, they’ve
sought to give Supervisors the ability to demote back into the bargaining unit that
they haven’t been paying dues to, or the County has sought to move us into the PTO
system in lieu of separate vacation and sick leave balances, or the County has
talked about a high-deductible health insurance plan called a VEBA, or we’ve
discussed the elimination or tiering of access to Stability Pay. These types of
changes have been the “take-aways” we’ve fought hard to protect against – even in
difficult years such as 2003. Think about what and how you want your negotiators
to represent you this year – and let your Local 34 E-Board members know.
Wes
March 2009
-11-
Good & Welfare – Thank You Notes
Julie called and wanted to have me send a Thank You
email, as they arrived today, and said they are very
beautiful. They were waiting for her when she was
wheeled back in after her biopsy.
Thank you very much.
James Evans
(Original Message to Lisa Durkot: Can you
send some flowers or something to Julia J.
Johnson for a get well, soon? She is a full
member in good standing with Local 34.
She has a tumor that was just discovered
and will be coming out later this week.)
Dear Jean:
I would like to thank you for renewing your agency’s
membership in the Minnesota Social Service
Association (MSSA), the oldest and largest
professional human service organization in Minnesota.
With your support we can continue our mission to
provide leadership to enhance the lives of Minnesotans
by supporting diversity, impacting public policy,
educating and increasing communication among
human service professionals.
Sincerely,
Rod Halvorson, Executive Director, MSSA
Dear AFSCME Members,
Thank you very much for your donation of $100.00 to
Alliance Housing. We use these individual donations
to keep Alliance Housing affordable to the families and
single adults who live in our scattered site properties.
Most of these residents are very poor. 80% of the
families are below the poverty line. The singles have it
better: 45% of them are below poverty. I’m glad we
can help them out with a safe place to stay and a
reduced rent. Your support helps us do this. Thanks
again. Added handwritten note: You guys are great
every single month. We really appreciate your
support.
Sincerely,
Herb Frey, Executive Director, Alliance Housing
Late Acknowledgements:
 Holiday and New Year greetings from the
Minneapolis Building & Construction Trades
Council, and
 Diane Hofstede, Minneapolis Council Member,
Third Ward
Further Correspondence:
 FARE For All Express dates every third
Tuesday at the St. Paul Labor Center, 411
Main Street, St. Paul
 Legislative Budget Hearings on the Pawlenty
Budget (throughout the State, through
February 26 – check the Council 5 and Local
34 websites – dates/locations)
Local 34 Banner
ANNOUNCEMENTS
March 4, 2009 General Assembly activities
Nominations –second and final round of nominations for officers, trustee and delegates to
Minneapolis and St Paul Regional Labor Federations. If you are interested in putting your
name forward for any of the positions, contact our Nominations Chair, LaQuita Williams, via
e-mail or by phone at 612-348-0006, before the March meeting.
Guest speaker - John Thorson, our Council 5 local government lobbyist, will attend our
meeting. He will give us an update on the most recent government forecast, as well as
answer any questions we might have about the current status of legislative bills, etc.
Negotiations - we will also hold our first discussion about this year’s upcoming negotiations
as our existing contract expires at the end of this year. As we have done in the past, any
member is able to bring their ideas to the General Assembly, as that body constitutes our
Master Negotiations Committee. We have found this to be an extremely effective process as
we have the ideas and wisdom of all members who attend the meetings in March and April,
bringing forward their ideas, talking about the pro's and con's of those ideas, and crafting
them into our proposal. I hope that you can attend those meetings to bring your fresh
perspectives to the table.
I spent a good portion of our long weekend with my family doing stuff - nothing big - just
spending time looking at family pictures and enjoying the banter, laughter, reminiscing of
school, picnics, vacations, parties, how we helped each other to overcome obstacles along
the way, pitching in when one of us needed assistance - all the activities that are the cement
that hold us together. It got me to thinking about our local and unions as a whole - how we
really are a family, too. We spend so much of our daily lives working side by side with people
who listen to us talk about our ups and downs and how we spent the weekend or where we
went on vacation; who pitch in to cover our desk when we are away; who help us out when we
run into a situation we have not handled before; who have already walked the walk and let us
know where all the pratfalls are so we can avoid them. Sometimes, just like any family, we
get frustrated with each other, especially when we see one of us doing something that we
know is not the best thing to do and, when we talk to them - offer our advice - point out the
possible outcomes - they ignore us and keep on that path. But we are there to pick up the
pieces and help them get back on track afterwards. Many times we pitch to help a coworker
out on the weekend to move to a new home or go to a fundraiser for their loved one in times
of trouble. We talk to people around the state and the country who do the same things that
we do and, when we talk to them, they share the same stories - different names and places but still the same stories.
Well, sisters and brothers, our family is in trouble and we all need to pitch in to help. We are
the middle class and we are under attack. Every time the politicians of the no-new-taxes ilk
slashed taxes for the wealthiest citizens of our state and country, every time they cut funds to
services that we deliver, every time they built up huge budget deficits, they took bits and
pieces away from our family's ability to stay healthy and safe. We are facing one of the
greatest challenges any family can face - the loss of job security as we watch businesses
close, companies move, neighbors homes being foreclosed, and the uncertainty of what is
going to happen to us as the current economic woes play out. Unions have been a mainstay
in the fight to build the economy, to bring jobs back, to keep our communities healthy and
safe places to live.
That being said, this is our family and now is the time for each of us to take action. Call or
write your state and federal Senator and Representative to let her/him know what impact the
cuts that have already taken place have had on your ability to do your job and what impacts
further cuts will have. Let them know what changes you have seen in your neighborhoods,
the activities that you can no longer afford to do as money is tight, the stores that are no
longer there, the neighbors who have moved, the lack of supplies and activities in your
children's schools. They need to hear firsthand accounts and they need to hear it now. If you
do not know who your Senator or Representative is, use this link:
http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/districtfinder.asp to get the person's name and a link to their
web page with their office address and phone number. It has been said that a person needs
to hear a message seven times before they remember it. I think that our family can convey
our message to each of legislators at least seven times. We want fair taxes, we want local
government aid funding restored, and we want the resources to do our work so that our
communities are safe. If you need ideas on how to frame your message, just let me know
and I can forward talking points to you. Remember, as Chief Joseph said, "It does not require
many words to speak the truth." I look forward to hearing from you,
Jean
March 2009
-12-