INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS PUBLIC AND LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEES UNION

LOCAL 320
Summer 2016 Edition

Volume XIX - Issue #2

SUCCESSFUL ACTION
FOR LOBBY DAY!

IN THIS ISSUE...
2. Secretary-Treasurers Report, Brian Aldes
4. Presidents Report, Sami Gabriel
3. Vice Presidents Report, Curt Swenson
5. Legal Update: New FLSA Overtime Rules Take
Effect December 1, 2016. By Paula Johnston

2016 SCHOOL BUS

ROADEO - FOREST
LAKE DRIVERS
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

Amy Hill
Mike Horton
Michael Kopp
Josh Loahr
Roger Meunier
Terry Neuberger
Vance Rolfzen
Erik Skoog

Attorney | Business Agent

Halla Elrashidi

Communications | Lobbyist
Gus Froemke

Organizer

Claire Thiele

Support Staff

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

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

LOCAL 320 SECRETARY-TREASURERS REPORT

MEMBER ACTION COMMITTEE

By Brian Aldes

Over the past sever-

al months Local 320

has been engaged in
a strategic planning
process with support and guidance
from the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters. The process began with an evaluation of the Local Unions
mission and objectives.
Our Union is slowly moving from a service
model to an organizing model. Before I
discuss the transition and what it means
for Local 320s membership, I will describe
how the models differ.
The service model is the most typical way
of handling workplace issues and administering labor union staff and resources.
This model has served Local 320 very well
when times were good and labor unions
were stronger. Nowadays with the continual
political and legal attacks, business as
usual just doesnt cut it!
Service model unionism is process orientated with professional staff providing an
array of services including negotiating contracts, arbitrating grievances, and assisting
members with day-to-day issues. On the
other hand, the organizing model suggests
that workers are capable of accomplishing
some of these objectives through collective
action at the work-site and that the actions
can, at times, provide better results.

Heres the gist of whats happening at

Local 320: aspects of the service model
must continue because union members
rely on professional service, guidance, and
support. Union members want access to
legal and legislative experts in addition to
business agents who understand technical
issues of contract negotiations and contract
interpretation.
However, in some cases it is better for
workers to come together and organize
around a contract campaign, group grievance, or workplace issue than to simply
allow problems to meander through the
bargaining or grievance processes. In other
cases, management has legal rights and
prerogatives to make rules or implement
policies even though those rules and policies can deny justice and equity to workers.
When that occurs officers, staff, and members must learn to think outside the box.
Local 320 developed its Member Action
Committee to move our Union towards an
organizing model. As Committee Chair,
its my job to balance the two models and
ensure that members get the same quality service they have come to expect. The
Committee has met on three occasions and
put forward a survey for the entire membership. Please make sure to complete
the survey and the mapping form. Once
the surveys are completed and the forms
are collected the Committee can further its
work.

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

Published by
Teamsters Local 320
3001 University Ave SE #500
Minneapolis, MN 55414

TEAMSTERS LOCAL 320 MEMBER ACTION COMMITTEE

Page 2

2016 SCHOOL BUS ROADEO

Left to right: Jeanie Peltier, Karina Larson, Eric Larson, Darcy Overland, Earl Nelson, and Rebecca Devine

By Brian Aldes

On May 7, 2016, Forest Lake Teamsters participated in the Minnesota School Bus Roadeo at the Arden Hills
DMV. Drivers competed in three categories: a road skills test, written driver test and pre-trip inspection.

The road skills test included 11 different everyday obstacles such as a railroad crossing, student pickups and
parallel parking.
Teamster Steward Earl Nelson placed 4th overall, and 1st in the public school category, which earned him a trip
to the 46th Annual School Bus Drivers International Safety Competition, being held this year on July 16th and
17th in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Forest Lake School District generously provided the buses for practice and drivers received all the time
they needed during off-work hours and weekends.

VICE PRESIDENTS REPORT

TEAMSTER GAINS IN LAST U OF M CONTRACT

By Curt Swenson

Teamsters at the University

of Minnesota made extraordinary gains for this contract

after many years of stagnation. We must continue to
celebrate these hard-fought
victories! We made these
huge gains with our contract campaign:

Two percent raise for Teamsters during
each year of the labor contract plus step increases.

Lab animal attendants and electricians
received substantial market adjustments.

The University agreed to structured labormanagement committees (LMC) to be facilitated
by the Bureau of Mediation Services (BMS). During the LMCs a variety of topics will be addressed
including team cleaning, bidding, and vacancies.

Six weeks maternity leave for expecting
mothers (up from two weeks).
With the campaign, Raises and Respect, alongside
AFSCME, we were able to make substantial gains
for all University unionized workers and it is now on
all of us to secure those gains and to fight like hell
to ensure we continue to make even more gains.
Page 3

PRESIDENTS REPORT

LOBBY DAY AND VOTER REGISTRATION

By Sami Gabriel

Lobby Day was another

success for Local 320

members, but the legislative
session was anything but
a success for Minnesotas
working families.

Our largest state employers

failed to get adequate funding and are in limbo with their
bonding projects. With no tax
bill local governments lost out
on increased state aid.

We need to change these

failed dynamics at the State
Legislature. Thats why Teamsters will be out registering
voters in coming months!

Teamsters Local 320 Members with Senator Jim Abler (GOP-Anoka)

Teamsters Local 320 Members with Representative Debra Hilstrom (DFL-Brooklyn Park)

Teamsters Local 320 Members with Representative and House Assistant Minority Leader Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul)

Page 4

NEW FLSA OVERTIME RULES TAKE EFFECT DECEMBER 1, 2016

LEGAL UPDATE BY GENERAL COUNSEL

By Paula Johnston

Last June, the Department of Labor released

proposed regulations that would modify certain

provisions of the FLSA. Specifically, it proposed
regulations modifying the requirements of the so
called white collar exemptions the executive,
administrative, professional, computer, and outside
sales exemptions. The highly compensated exemption (HCE) also falls under this umbrella term. The
rules have been finalized and will
take effect on December 1, 2016.
(Some positions, like lawyers and
doctors, are statutorily exempt. The
new rules will not affect those positions.)
White collar exemptions are determined by specific tests. A position
must meet each element in the test
to fall under the exemption. The
first element in each test is based
on salary: the employee must be
compensated on a salary basis (as
defined by the regulations) at a rate
of not less than $455 per week. Salary basis means that the employee
is paid a predetermined amount per
week. This amount is fixed and cannot be reduced based on the quality
or quantity of work performed.
The new FLSA overtime regulations raise the salary basis amount from $455 per week to $913 per
week. This means that any employee working in
a position that meets all of the other elements of
a white collar exemption but earns less than $913
per week will no longer be exempt after December
1, 2016, and the employee will be eligible to earn
overtime pay.
The salary threshold will be automatically increased
every three years based on an automatic-escalator,
which is a significant change to the regulations. To
give some context to that statement, the current
threshold of $455 per week was set in 2004.

The HCE total compensation level will be raised from

$100,000 to $134,004. Employees performing office
or non-manual work and paid total annual compensation of $134,004 or more (which must include at least
$913 per week paid on a salary or fee basis) will be
exempt from the FLSA if they customarily and regularly perform at least one of the duties of an exempt
executive administrative or professional employee
identified in the
standard tests
for exemption.
Employers have
several options
when it comes
to dealing with
employees
affected by
the new rules.
The employer
could simply
start paying the
overtime, or
limit the number
of hours worked
per week to forty. Alternatively,
the employer
could raise the
employees salary to meet the new $913 per week threshold to maintain the exempt status. Any of these options would be
an improvement for the employee.
Of course, there are employers who will eliminate
positions due to the new rules, but they will I hope
be in the minority.
These new overtime rules were long overdue. The
current salary basis threshold of $455 per week, or
$23,660 per year, is unconscionably low. The fact that
the amount remained stagnant for over a decade only
compounded the problem. As of December 1st, millions of employees will start earning the overtime that
they have long deserved. This is a tremendous victory
for working men and women in America.
Page 5

The Teamsters Service Bureau provides FREE

CONFIDENTIAL services for you and your family.

Our professional counselors

can help you with:

We can assist you with balancing and managing many

of lifes challenges.

Remember... Problems and stress can and do happen!
Call the Service Bureau today. Were here to help!
612-676-3700 (or 24-hour toll free 1-800-979-9725)

Emotional Concerns
Financial Problems
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Stress/Anxiety and
Depression
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