INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS PUBLIC AND LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEES UNION

LOCAL 320
Winter 2015 Edition

Volume XVIII - Issue #4

TEAMSTERS MUST UNITE!

IN THIS ISSUE...
2. Secretary-Treasurers Report, Brian Aldes
4. Presidents Report, Sami Gabriel
4. Recording Secretarys Report, Craig Johnson
5. Tentative Agreement at the University of

Minnesota: After Deadlock Teamsters Prevail

by Curt Swenson

TEAMSTERS MUST
UNITE AGAINST
SUPREME COURT
CASE TO HARM ALL
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
PAGE 3

OFFICERS AND STAFF

Brian Aldes

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

Local 320 Business Agents

Halla Elrashidi
Amy Hill
Bob Kolstad
Michael Kopp
Roger Meunier
Terry Neuberger
Vance Rolfzen
Erik Skoog

Communications | Lobbyist
Gus Froemke

Support Staff

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

Minneapolis, MN
Local Union Office
8:00am - 4:00pm
P: 612-378-8700
F: 612- 331-8948
1-800-637-5430

Online
www.teamsterslocal320.org
Email
local320@teamsterslocal320.org

LOCAL 320 SECRETARY-TREASURERS REPORT

PROTECTING OUR UNION

By Brian Aldes

At our annual

Steward Training and

Seminar in October,
I led a discussion on
the pending challenges Teamsters
Local 320 faces.
The Supreme Court case Frederichs v.
California Teachers Association poses an
existential threat to our Union.

Brian Aldes, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 320 addressing more

than 100 attendees at Octobers Steward Training and Seminar

Currently, officers and staff of Local 320 are

working on strategies and tactics to protect
Minnesotas public employees rights and
labor contracts. But we need your help!
The Frederichs case will determine whether public sector labor unions may continue
the collection of fair share fees. In other
words, the decision could make Minnesota
a so-called right to work state, or open
shop state, for public employees.

Dan Cherryhomes, Executive Director of Teamsters Service

Bureau with Family Service Advocate Cindy Whelen

Employers believe that, if Frederichs is

decided against unions, the strength of
Local 320 will falter and they will be able to
gut contracts and implement anti-employee
rules. The truth of the matter is this: the
only way employers, politicians and judges
can beat up our Union is if we let them!
In the coming weeks and months, every
Teamster will be asked to reaffirm their
membership, and fair share payees will
be invited to become full members. Also,
every Teamster and fair share payee will be
asked to sign a maintenance of check off
card.

Andrea Adams, President of Minnesota Teamsters Credit Union

offering savings, checking, loans, to Teamsters and their families

Join us as we embark on a generational

challenge to protect and preserve the
benefits obtained for members of this
great Union!
Published by
Teamsters Local 320
3001 University Ave SE #500
Minneapolis, MN 55414

United we bargain, divided we beg!

Page 2

Business Agent Roger Meunier with Benton County Steward and

drawing winner Tammy Giuliuani and Brian Aldes

TEAMSTERS MUST UNITE

Next year the Supreme Court will decide whether

Just as employers and corporations combine and

strategize, Minnesotas public sector unions have
combined to protect workers rights. Local 320 has
also been in close contact with the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Public Services
Division to discuss plans moving forward. Officers and staff of Local 320 have been engaged in
strategic planning initiatives to confront the looming
threat.

The case, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, may change the landscape for public sector
unions across the country. That change is something that anti-union groups such as the National
Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and the
Freedom Foundation have been working toward for
years. Both of those groups, along with a number
of others, have submitted briefs in support of the
plaintiffs in Friedrichs. Why are they so involved in
the case and its outcome? Because they want to
destroy unions! Because they know that right to
work means lower wages and benefits for working
men and women, and more profits for big business. Because the public sector has the highest
concentration of union membership in this country
and destroying public sector unions gets them one
step closer to destroying all unions.

As a part of Local 320s strategic plan, it is engaging in a wall-to-wall organizing drive with updated
membership applications as well as maintenance
of check off cards. Every Teamster member and
fair share payee who converts to membership
will be asked to sign a maintenance of check off
card. A maintenance of check off card requires the
employer to continue to deduct and remit dues to
the Union regardless of the employees continued
membership status for a period of twelve months
from the date that the employee signs the card or
until the contract expires, whichever is sooner. The
employee can revoke the maintenance of check off
card during a window period of sixty to seventy-five
days from the signing anniversary date or the expiration of the contract. The employee can still resign
from membership at any time, but he or she would
still be obligated to pay dues for that time period.

public sector labor unions can continue collecting

fair share fees from workers who choose not to become members. Make no mistake, the loss of fair
share fees will affect Teamsters Local 320s ability
to represent workers. It will also curb the services
provided outside collective bargaining and signal
to employers that its open season on workers
rights.

Page 3

PRESIDENTS REPORT

SPECIAL SESSION IN THE WORKS?

By Sami Gabriel

Governor Mark Dayton sup-

ports a special legislative session to extend unemployment

benefits for laid-off miners on
the Iron Range. Nearly 600
workers will run out of unemployment benefits before
lawmakers are scheduled to return to their regular
session March 8, 2016. Nearly 2,000 workers have
recently been laid-off on the Iron Range and North
Shore.
Governor Dayton and Senate Majority Leader Tom
Bakk, an Iron Ranger, are ready to move forward
with a special session, but House Speaker Kurt
Daudt is holding up the process. Speaker Daudt
says he wants to focus on long-term solutions
rather than just extending unemployment benefits.

Another priority for Governor Dayton is narrowing

the economic opportunity gap for African Americans
working and living in the Twin Cities. The U.S. Census
Bureau earlier this year reported African Americans
in poverty rose and from 2013 to 2014 the median
income for African American Minnesotans dropped
14 percent. In October, Governor Dayton pledged to
redouble his administrations efforts to address the
socioeconomic disparities presented in the U.S.
Census data.
Teamsters are gearing up for Local 320s annual
Lobby Day set for April 2016! In the coming weeks we
will send out a save the date message along with a
survey for Teamsters to fill out regarding Local 320s
legislative priorities and Lobby Day expectations.
We are looking forward to another productive legislative session and fantastic Lobby Day!

RECORDING SECRETARYS REPORT

LOCAL 320 SUPPORTS ORMO TV

By Craig Johnson

Oromo TV is celebrating its

15th Anniversary on television

and radio, and Teamsters
Local 320 contributed to an
event for the celebration.
Oromo TV is an independent
media outlet serving the Horn
of African region. Oromo TV is a source of vast
information through visually recorded information
about the Horn of Africas largest nation, Oromia.
Teamsters Local 320 is proud to represent members at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
public schools and elsewhere from the East African
Community. Thanks for being an important part of
our Union!

Oromo TV CEO Jalil Abdul and University of Minnesota

Teamster Nasser Nur. Nur is presenting Abdul with a check
from Teamsters Local 320

Page 4

TENTATIVE AGREEMENT AT UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

AFTER DEADLOCK TEAMSTERS PREVAIL

By Curt Swenson

Theres never been a more

productive and meaningful

round of negotiations with the
University of Minnesota in my
25 years as a negotiating team
member and lead negotiator.
What we accomplished together was incredible and the negotiating committee
deserves a round of applause.
It all started last year when Teamsters Local 320
commissioned an economic impact study to determine both the economic multiplier for the wages
and benefits of University Teamsters within the
state of Minnesota and to identify the economic
shortfall of employees incomes.
We began dialogue with the other major unions
at the University in addition to faculty and student
groups. Together we formed a coalition of faculty,
staff and students who felt that the University of
Minnesota was heading in the wrong direction.
In February, Teamsters shared their stories with
Minnesota State Legislators about the realities
facing front-line workers and their families at the
University of Minnesota. Representative Kim Norton and Representative Sheldon Johnson were in
attendance as well as Senator Patricia Torres Ray
and Senator Jeff Hayden for our coalitions legislative summit.
Teamsters, AFSCME and SEIU Academics United
along with student groups made a presence at
the State Capitol during the legislative vote for
the University of Minnesota Regents. We let State
Legislators know that the issues of faculty, staff and
students were not being addressed in a meaningful
way by the Regent candidates.
In March, Teamsters Local 320 converged on the
Capitol for its annual Lobby Day. Teamsters from
the University of Minnesota arrived in full force. We
shared the economic impact data with State Legislators and demanded to become a priority during
state budget talks.

Teamsters Local 320 deployed the use of volunteer

member-organizers (VMO) to educate University
Teamsters and to collect petition signatures for a fair
labor contract.
We marched with students, faculty and other unions
on a national day of action in April for low-wage
workers in Minnesota and across the country. Teamsters took over the march as we were the loudest and
the proudest!
When negotiations commenced with the University
in May, Teamsters were ready. However, we were
still appalled when the University offered a meager
0.75 percent increase to wages!
Teamsters, as part of the coalition with AFSCME, devised a campaign for raises and respect for front-line
staff. Together we collected over 10,000 petition signatures and held several successful rallies, informational pickets and news conferences. So after several
months, I am happy to announce that we reached a
tentative agreement (TA) with the University of Minnesota on November 23, 2015.
This is a landmark agreement to be sure. We not only
secured a 2 percent raise for Teamsters during each
year of the labor contract, but we moved the University off of its practice of costing step increases into its
overall wage package. Steps were negotiated into the
previous contracts long ago and I will say this, once
and for all, steps are automatic!
On top of the 2 percent plus steps, lab animal attendants and electricians will receive substantial market
adjustments as those workers have fallen behind
economically during the past several years.
The University has agreed to structured and meaningful labor-management committees (LMC) to be
facilitated by the Bureau of Mediation Services (BMS).
During the LMCs we will discuss a variety of topics
including team cleaning, bidding, vacancies and other
mutually agreed items.
The negotiating committee decided to remain neutral
in recommending this tentative agreement, but we all
agree that every University Teamster must vote!
Page 5

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