General Membership Meeting
7/21/08
Seating of Local 1303 Officers All of the nominated candidates were uncontested and are now officially seated as of today’s General Membership Meeting:
Negotiations Team – Lois Freiermuth
President – Frank Barr
Vice President – Charlie Reed
Secretary – Kristin Hoppe
Treasurer – Jill Tharalson
Delegates – Frank Barr and Sadie Watts
Transitions and Updates: Charlie will be transferring to another facility soon, creating an opening for Vice President if he does not return to Local 1303 within 14 days. Thank you Charlie for serving this local, and especially for stepping into the role of Acting President following Ralph’s death. Frank offered his commitment to protect members from unfair labor practices and also to move us in the direction of a clear professional identity. He promised to work hard to move us away from a relationship with the employer characterized by investigations, discipline, and grievances, toward a relationship characterized by educated, competent, professionals helping the agency meet its goals.
MCF-LL Safety Committee: Mark Ostrander reported there is a vacancy on the MCF-LL Safety Committee. Contact Mark if you are interested in representing MAPE on the committee, which meets once a month.
Meet & Confer Committee Meetings: Frank expressed his commitment to quarterly Meet & Confer Committee Meetings between Local 1303 and the MCF/LL Executive Team. A Meet & Confer Committee was established today. The membership agreed that representatives would be interchangeable depending on the issues particular to any given Meet & Confer Committee Meeting. There are several items worthy of a Meet & Confer:
1) 10 Hour Days: A subcommittee was formed today to prepare this agenda item. Members include staff from Triad, SOTP, Finance, and Caseworkers.
2) Compensation Bank: Members have expressed interest in banking overtime hours for use in subsequent pay periods rather than being forced to balance these hours in the same pay period. We would like the employer to cooperate with the contract language governing the use of Compensation Banks. Non-exempt classifications include CPT-1, Buyer 1, and Corrections Security Caseworkers. Exempt classifications include CPT II, CPT III, Psychologist II, and Psychologist III.
3) Professional Development: With training opportunities rapidly shrinking in the public sector its becoming increasingly difficult for professional employees to get the training they need for maintaining their CEU’s and licensing requirements. Even though the state requires licensed professionals, they do not necessarily support the training needed to maintain those licenses. Contract language speaks to the issue.
STANDING REPORTS:
Treasurer’s Report: Existing balance of $5,000.00 plus. Jill completed the necessary paperwork to get a checkbook for Local 1303.
Steward’s Report: Minutes of 7-17-08 meeting reviewed. Our stewards are trained and available to represent staff in the event of an investigation.
Restorative Discipline Report: Review of 6-19-08 meeting with the Restorative Justice Steering Committee. The overall concept is to move away from punitive staff discipline.
Employee Recognition Committee Report: Minutes of 7-16-08 meeting reviewed. The committee is planning its first event for this fall.
Regional Director's Report: Carla reviewed highlights from the 6-27-08 meeting of the Board of Directors. MAPE will focus on developing better electronic communication with members (watch for website updates) and increasing recruitment assistance for Locals.
Next Local 1303 General Membership meeting is Monday, August 18th at the Lino Lakes City Hall from 11:30-12:30. Lunch will be served.
