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One strOng, united vOice
fOr MinnesOta wOrkers
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees, AFL-CIO
No Budget, No Peace
Molly Davis rallies with her father, Pete Davis, of Corrections Local 1539/Rush City, urging legislators to get their job done.
Locals Stand Up to Bullying
Sheila Lipsco, Hennepin County Social Services Local 34, shares stories during a Council 5 training on bullying in the workplace.
Local 1692’s Keith Kieffer, who works at Whitewater State Park, is among DNR members who help create happy campers.
volume 6, no. 3 May-June 2011
PAGE 4PAGE 4PAGE 3
PAGE 6
We Make Summer Happen
PAGE 3
PAGE 6
2 • S t e p p i n g U p • m ay – j U n e 2 0 11 • www.afscmemn.org
If the republican majorities fail to compromise with gov. Mark dayton on a budget deal, state government will shut down July 1, putting up to 36,000 state employees out of work.
preventing the largest layoff in minnesota history should be the top priority for politicians who promised jobs. But it’s not. some republicans have joked that shutting down for the summer will show taxpayers that they don’t really need government.
Others say a shutdown would save money. they better think again. Layoffs aren’t cheap – and they ruin lives.
the republican majorities want to use state employees as pawns in their cynical political game. their staff created a betting pool on how long the state will shut down. How dare they bet on how long our families can survive without a paycheck!
they want to lock us out of work and threaten our livelihoods. they hope that going without a paycheck will force us to pressure gov. dayton to settle with them on their terms. we can’t fall into that trap. if the governor caves to their cuts, yes, we will return to work. But we will return to piles of pink slips waiting for thousands of state, local government, higher education and health-care workers. the services we deliver, our jobs, and our communities will be gutted.
to avoid a shutdown and risky cuts to public services, we’re backing gov. dayton’s budget compromise. while his budget is painful for us, it is not lethal like the republican cuts.
the governor’s compromise balances $1.8 billion in spending reductions with $1.8 billion in new revenue. By asking the richest 2 percent to pay their fair share, gov. dayton’s plan will protect 98 percent of us from paying a penny more in taxes.
His compromise budget increases spending for k-12 education, which is essential for our children’s success and our future prosperity. it protects seniors
and the most vulnerable Minnesotans from losing health care and their ability to live at home.
from the playground to the boardroom, real people understand that no one ever gets exactly what they want all the time. republican leaders in the state Legislature need to learn that lesson. gov. dayton shouldn’t call them back into session until they’re ready to meet him halfway.
republicans say they have a “no new taxes” mandate from the voters. But they need to acknowledge that dayton also won an election, promising to “tax the rich.” expecting him to bow to their demands isn’t reasonable. a recent minnesota poll shows that a strong majority – 63 percent – prefer a mixture of tax increases and spending cuts. Only 27 percent prefer a
cuts-only budget.
it’s time for citizens to tell republicans to compromise. it’s time to ask republicans why they are so intent on protecting the rich at the expense of everybody else. it’s time to care about nursing home residents, the elderly, disabled adults and others who are able to live on their own because our taxes give them a hand.
raising our voices together as one Minnesota can prevent or end a shutdown. Our ground
campaign and television ads are targeting 26 legislators. to win the budget battle, we need to convince six republican representatives and four republican senators to tax the richest 2 percent. afscMe phone banks, lit drops and in-district meetings will encourage our neighbors to ask our state legislators to tax the richest 2 percent to avoid a shutdown and risky cuts to public services.
we do our jobs. we will give legislators no peace until they do their job.
eliot seide executive director
Mike Buesing, presidentEliot Seide, executive director
information and story ideas should be submitted to: Michael Kuchta, editor
published by aFSCme minnesota, aFL-CiO300 Hardman ave. south, suite 2South Saint paul, mn 55075-2469
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O f f I C E R S President Mike Buesing, Local 221 Vice President Judy wahlberg, Local 66 Treasurer Clifford poehler, Local 2938 Secretary mary Falk, Local 4001
E x E C u T I V E B OA R Djeff Birttnen, Local 517, County Sector
paul Bissen, Local 868, District 3 (South)Leon Bowman, Local 945, District 3 (South)
Carmen Brown, Local 977, District 6 (West metro)Kevin Clark, Local 4001, State Sector
jean Diederich, Local 34, District 6 (West metro)jody ebert, Local 3937, District 6 (West metro)
john ewaldt, Local 8, District 5 (east metro)gerald Firkus, Local 3887, District 1 (northeast)
Steve Fitze, Local 1164, private/Special Sectorkaren foreman, Local 638, state sectordennis frazier, Local 66, county sectorduane gatzke, Local 2829, state sector
jim gaylord, Local 66, District 1 (northeast) pat guernsey, Local 552, District 5 (east metro)jen guertin, Local 2508, District 5 (east metro)
sebrina Hegg, Local 761, state sector John Hillyard, Local 600, state sectorJoann Holton, Local 607, state sector
Roger janzig, Local 668, private/Special SectorKimberly johnson, Local 753, District 4 (Central) mike Lindholt, Local 221, District 6 (West metro)
Robin madsen, Local 1842, City Sectorjohn magnuson, Local 1574, District 4 (Central)
Molly Malecki, Local 2822, county sectormike nelson, Local 2829, District 6 (West metro)
nickson nyankabaria, Local 3532, District 6 (West metro )Kevin Olson, Local 701, District 2 (West)
melinda pearson, Local 4001, District 5 (east metro)mike Rumppe, Local 9, District 5 (east metro)
monica Shockency, Local 56, K-12 Sectorwillie snyder, Local 707, county sector
Dean Steiner, Local 735, State Sectordeb strohm, Local 66, city sector
sue urness, Local 66, district 1 northeastWes Volkenant, Local 34, County Sectorphyllis Walker, Local 3800, U of m Sectortamera weller, Local 607, state sector
Bryce Wickstrom, Local 221, District 5 (east metro)
aFSCme Council 5 is a union of 43,000 workers who provide the vital services that make Minnesota
happen. we advocate for excellence in public services, dignity in the workplace, and prosperity and
opportunity for all working families.
Executive Board Members 2010-2012
(elected September 2010)
sett ing tHe Pace
Tax the Richest 2%Avoid a Shutdown and Risky Cuts
Get involvedto help out in afscMe’s “we want to work for Minnesota” campaign, volunteer to make calls, distribute literature, and meet with your state legislators. contact a political organizer in your area:
Metro: jon grebner, 651-287-0587
Southern Minnesota: Laura askelin, 651-287-0586
Northern Minnesota: chelsa nelson, 218-726-9607
www.afscmemn.org • m ay – j u n e 2 0 11 • S t e p p i n g u p • 3
walking our talk
Judy Carlson knew she hit a nerve. At last year’s Council 5 convention, more than 200
members enrolled in her training on workplace bullying. It was the first time any workshop drew a bigger crowd than the retirement seminar.
Bullying on the job is universal, Carlson says. It poisons workplaces, ruins careers, destroys health, and crushes individuals. Women are targets, but so are men. Carlson has helped locals deal with bullying just about anywhere AFSCME has members: cities, counties, colleges, and state agencies – including Human Services, MnDOT and the Department of Corrections.
To help members fight back, Carlson teaches a “train the trainer” class so local leaders, stewards and activists can help members confront bullying in their workplaces head-on.
Union must expose the problem
It’s a two-step process. First, the local educates members about what bullying is. That creates a safe place to talk about the abusive behavior. Then, the training encourages locals to find ways for workers to stand together to solve the problem where they work.
Carlson’s classes at Council 5 have filled up within days. She is also taking the training directly into locals in the Twin Cities, in the suburbs, in Duluth, Mankato, Owatonna, Rochester, Willmar, Winona, and elsewhere.
Carlson’s approach is simple: Confront the bully to stop the behavior. The most effective way, she’s found, is to mobilize workers to deal with the problem together. “It’s about empowerment, personally and collectively,” she says. “It’s about building the union, and acting as a union to shine a light on the problem.”
Finding a method that works
It’s nearly impossible for individuals who are the target of bullies to fight back on their own, Carlson says. “There is no easy solution. But when you stand up individually and collectively, when you identify the tactics, when you put a name to it, it’s easier to fight it.”
Some locals have had some success by working through labor-management committees, or utilizing existing policies that cover respectful
workplaces, discrimination or harassment. “Anything that puts it on the table is good,” Carlson says. “If a labor-management process works for you, do it.”
But, overall, Carlson is skeptical of that approach. “My experience is, there are places where we’ve been going to management for years and nothing really happens. Management doesn’t like to deal with it. Or they come up with a policy that doesn’t have any teeth.”
Education, then action
Carlson’s approach relies more on direct action. It helps members recognize the tactics that bullies rely on (see article at top right). It gives advice on documenting the behavior. It helps members realize how bullying affects them. Then it moves members to do something about it.
“Not everyone knows they’re being bullied,” Carlson says. Some of the tactics are very subtle. Some bullies act only when there are no witnesses. Sometimes, bullies deliberately isolate
targets from their co-workers, or turn workers against each other. Sometimes there’s a fine line between a bully and a demanding boss with tough, but reasonable, expectations.
Bullying is often a problem when there’s a power imbalance between the bully and the target. But sometimes the bully is a co-worker. “We have to be willing to deal with that, too,” Carlson says. “Bullying is unacceptable behavior regardless of who’s doing it.”
Putting health at risk
Targets can suffer a huge range of physical and mental health issues, Carlson says. The worst thing a target can do is decide they can live with it. “That’s not an option,” she says. “It’s only going to get worse.”
In the end, she says, targets have only two options: “You can get out, or you can take your power back. It’s a lot easier to do that when you build solidarity and do it as a group.” n
Stand Up for YourselfCouncil 5 training helps locals confront bullies on the job
Tactics a bully usesRefuses to recognize a target’s accomplishments, or undermines them
Destroys target’s self-confidence by constantly criticizing performance
Makes unreasonable job demands, sabotages target’s ability to do the job
Steals credit for work the target does
Plays favorites, applies rules inconsistently
gives target the silent treatment
Denies the target necessary resources and information
Screams, has angry outbursts, threatens job loss, or uses other means of fear and intimidation
Belittles or insults target, embarrasses target publicly, breaches confidentiality
Presents one “face” to target, a different “face” to others
Judy Carlson, education director for Council 5: “When you are being bullied, it’s very easy to lose perspective. If you decide to live with it, it will only get worse.”
legislation that defines an “abusive work environment” and offers legal remedies for employees who are targets of bullying has been introduced in the minnesota Senate – in part because of years of effort by priscilla pope, of university of minnesota technical local 3937.
pope has been working on the
issue since 2008, when she interned with gary and ruth namie at the workplace Bullying institute. pope is a state coordinator for the institute and the institute’s Health Workplaces initiative.
She and co-coordinator jill jensen persuaded DFl senators ron latz and Scott Dibble to introduce the
bill (SF 1352) in may. the legislation is intended to raise awareness and prompt employers to establish policies that deal with workplace bullies, pope says. “this could help a wide range of people. typically, employers ignore it or make things worse,” she says.
pope notes that anti-discrimination
and anti-harassment laws have had some success. But, she says, only by addressing bullying can you get to the root of those behaviors as well.
pope is also working with her local and with u of m Clerical local 3800 to propose “respectful workplace” language in this year’s contract negotiations with the university.
Local 3937 member pushes state legislation to fight ‘abusive work environment’
“We sit down with administration every month and talk about the same person,” says Shawnice Reid, Hennepin County Social Services Local 34.
“We deal with it daily,” says Graeme Jury, Rush City Corrections Local 1539.
4 • S t e p p i n g U p • m ay – j U n e 2 0 11 • www.afscmemn.org
What Legislature proposed Impose 2-year pay freeze,
beginning July 1. No step increases or bonuses allowed.
What it means: Undermines collective bargaining. Means state workers go 4 straight years without pay raise. When combined with proposed increases in health insurance and pension costs, it would make many AFSCME members eligible for food stamps.
Result: Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
“Withhold” 5 percent of pay beginning July 1.
What it means: Undermines collective bargaining. Employees
get full pay only if supervisor gives a satisfactory performance review.
Result: Legislature forbids any pay raise (including step increases) unless supervisor verifies satisfactory performance. Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
Impose 2-year wage freeze on all public school employees; outlaw economic strikes by school employees.
What it means: Undermines collective bargaining and local control.
Result: Wage freeze blocked before becoming law. Remaining provisions vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
Eliminate existing state health insurance. Replace it with high-deductible plan.
What it means: Undermines collective bargaining. Requires state workers to pay entire premium – up to $7,200 per year for family coverage. Workers also pay $4,000 more out-of-pocket before insurance pays a dime.
Result: Legislature votes to cut $90 million in state contribution to state employee health care plan. Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
Freeze the state’s defined-benefit pension plan, beginning July 1.
What it means: Undermines collective bargaining. Only vested employees could participate, but they would gain no additional service credits. New employees would not receive a defined-benefit pension.
Result: Blocked before becoming law.
Shift most of the cost for state’s existing defined-benefit pension plan away from employer onto workers.
What it means: Undermines collective bargaining. Instead of
paying half of pension costs, workers would pay 75 percent – the equivalent of a 3 percent pay cut.
Result: Blocked before becoming law.
“Reform” existing state pension. Prohibit public employers from contributing to 401(k)-style defined contribution retirement plan.
What it means: Undermines collective bargaining. Could eliminate any retirement plan for public employees.
Result: Blocked before becoming law.
Mary Albert, Local 3400, Child Care Providers Together, keeps an eye on a tax hearing.
wages
insurance, pension
catering to the rich
other
paRaDing OUR values
the 2011 Legislature failed to get its job done. It failed to meet Gov. Mark Dayton halfway to reach a budget deal. Instead of raising taxes on the richest 2 percent, the Republican majorities want the other 98 percent of us to pay the price. They pursued an all-cuts budget that eliminates 30,000 jobs, raises property taxes by $1 billion, and creates risky cuts to services.
Without a special session that enacts a budget deal, there will be a state government shutdown on July 1. As many as 36,000 state workers could be out of a job – the largest layoff in state history. A domino effect could throw thousands of others out of work in construction, in county and local governments, in school districts, and in health care.
Through rallies and one-on-one lobbying, AFSCME members fought at the Capitol. Members in DHS, DNR, DOC and DOT were a daily presence. These pages summarize some of the most toxic legislation we fought through efforts at the Legislature, in the field, and because we helped elect Mark Dayton governor. His veto pen had plenty of ink to protect us.
Terri Allen, Corrections Local 3607/faribault, joined hundreds of AfSCME, MAPE and the Inter faculty Organization members chanting at legislators on the last night of session: “We get our jobs done, why can’t you?”
State shutdown?To keep up to date on what to expect, and how to prepare, visit www.afscmemn.org.
Cut income taxes.What it means: Force additional
cuts to vital services; add inequity to tax system (richest 10 percent get tax cut of $415 per year; poorest 10 percent get tax cut of 87 cents per year).
Result: Eliminated in conference committee.
Cut corporate property taxes; phase out corporate franchise tax.
What it means: Squeeze budgets of school districts and local units of government; force homeowners to pick up more of the tab.
Result: Legislature gradually eliminates state property taxes on businesses and cabins. Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
Cut corporate income taxes.What it means: Increase state’s
budget deficit by $200 million, force additional cuts to public services that people depend on.
Result: Eliminated in conference committee.
Constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
What it means: Like attempts to weaken collective bargaining, this proposal restricts individual rights and freedoms.
Result: Proposal bypasses governor, goes directly to 2012 ballot.
Extremely partisan redistricting map for Congressional and legislative elections.
What it means: Easier elections for legislators unfriendly to public services and workers.
Result: Vetoed by Gov. Dayton; new district maps will be drawn by courts.
Requiring current photo ID to vote.
What it means: Eliminates same-day voter registration; reduces voter participation, especially among students, seniors, and minorities.
Result: Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
Mary Larson Dennis, Ramsey County Social Services Local 151, testifies in favor of taxing the richest 2 percent.
Jason Anderson, Moose Lake DHS Local 1092, meets with legislators.
Legislature F a i L s
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
www.afscmemn.org • m ay – j U n e 2 0 11 • S t e p p i n g U p • 5
paRaDing OUR values
Impact of Republican Budget Proposals on State Workforce
Administration: eliminate 70 percent of general fund staff, including data practices, state demographer, geospatial office, and programs that allow state agencies to take advantage of economies of scale.
Bureau of Mediation Services: eliminate half the general fund staff that oversees union elections, contract mediation, and arbitration.
Commerce: eliminate half the general fund staff, including bank examiners and investigators.
Corrections: eliminate more than 600 jobs, grant early release to as many as 1,600 inmates while reducing community-based corrections, and potentially close a state prison the size of red wing.
Military and Veterans Affairs: eliminate 170 jobs.
Natural Resources: mothball 5-10 state parks; eliminate staffing at 14 additional parks; reduce hours and services at dozens of other parks and recreation areas; reduce control of invasive species in lakes and forests.
Revenue: eliminate 53 percent of general-fund staff; reduce tax compliance efforts; delay processing of tax returns.
Cut $3.6 billion in funding to state agencies and services.
What it means: Eliminates 30,000 jobs in the public and private sectors. (See sample of impacts in box at right)
Result: Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
Cut state workforce by 5,000 jobs.Result: Passed in Legislature,
along with provisions to “sunset” every state agency and create new “sunset commission” to evaluate every two years whether a “public need exists” for a state agency to continue operating. Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
Force state employees to compete for own jobs; evaluate all state agencies for situations that constitute “inappropriate competition” with private enterprise; consolidate or outsource most “back office” functions in state agencies.
What it means: Eliminates job security. Massive privatization of state services. As Rep. Keith Downey says: “If it’s in the yellow pages, why is state government performing it?”
Result: State workers can “compete for the business” if agency attempts to contract work to an outside vendor; all state agencies must perform “zero-based budgeting”; Legislature creates “employee gainsharing” for ideas that save agencies money; promotes outsourcing of state building management, fleet services, and “strategic sourcing.” Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
HuMAN SERVICES
Cut $1.6 billion from Human Services budget.
What it means: Privatizes parts of MinnesotaCare; privatizes MSOCS; shuts down Community Behavioral Health Hospitals (CBHHs) in Alexandria, Annandale, Baxter, Bemidji, Fergus Falls and Rochester; shuts down Willmar Community Behavioral Health Hospital; cancels “redesign” and removes “no layoff” language for Anoka Regional Treatment Center; weakens “no layoff” language for METO.
Result: Privatization of MSOCS and shutdown of CBHHs defeated.
Remaining provisions vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
Repeal early Medicaid buy-in.What it means: Loss of $1.84
billion in federal funding; threatens health coverage for 95,000 residents; threatens jobs for 20,000 health-care workers.
Result: Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
Privatize county-based waivered-services case management.
What it means: Hundreds of layoffs; shifts work from public employees to low-bid private-sector employees; potential shortage of services in smaller counties.
Result: Defeated in committee.
HIGHER EDuCATION
Cut $411 million in state aid to University of Minnesota and MnSCU systems.
What it means: Eliminates 1,221 jobs; increases tuition; paves the way to eliminate courses and programs.
Result: Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
CORRECTIONS
Require commissioner to seek bids to place offenders in private prisons; require commissioner to examine shutting down part or all of some prisons.
What it means: Outsourcing or privatization of corrections.
Result: Privatization blocked before
becoming law; remaining provisions vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
NATuRAL RESOuRCES
Privatize conservation and maintenance services in the DNR.
Result: Blocked before becoming law.
Privatize and sell off all DNR tree nurseries.
What it means: Eliminates 17 AFSCME jobs; makes state resources dependent on private sector.
Result: Legislature mandated closing General C.C. Andrews Nursery by July 2013. Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
TRANSPORTATION
Eliminate provisions that forbid outsourcing of state work if current employees are “able and available” to perform the work.
What it means: Guts MnDOT’s Taxpayer Transportation Accountability Act. Makes it easier to privatize or outsource services in MnDOT and other state agencies.
Result: Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Cut $925 million in state aid to cities and counties.
What it means: Eliminates 1,735 jobs, primarily in Duluth, Minneapolis, and St. Paul. Increases local property taxes by over $1 billion.
Result: Vetoed by Gov. Dayton.
“Right to work for less” amendment on 2012 ballot.
What it means: Drives down wages for all workers. Handcuffs union members’ power to improve wages, benefits and working conditions.
Result: Never brought to a vote.
Eliminate equal pay for women.What it means: Halts 30 years
of wage progress for women who work for local governments. Restores private-sector inequities, in which women make, on average, only 77 cents for every $1 a man makes.
Result: Withdrawn after widespread opposition led by Council 5 members.
Weaken arbitration rights for local government workers.
Result: Blocked before becoming law.
What Legislature proposed: Forbid public employers from deducting union dues out of members’ paychecks.
What it means: Weakens power of union members and local union finances.
Result: Blocked before becoming law.
Constitutional amendments that a) require a 3/5 vote in both houses of the Legislature before Minnesota can raise revenue, b) limit revenue for next two-year budget to revenue collected in last two years.
What it means: Makes it nearly impossible for state to raise sufficient revenue, leading to huge cuts in services and loss of thousands of AFSCME jobs.
Result: Never brought to a vote.Mark Lund (front) and Randy Schmidtke, Department of Administration Local 3139, helped pack a hearing.
attacks on workers
JoBs
Seth Manning, HCMC Local 977, with his 3-year-old daughter, Olivia, joined events on the Legislature’s last night.
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
What Legislature proposed
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What Legislature proposed
6 • S t e p p i n g U p • m ay – j U n e 2 0 11 • www.afscmemn.org
as thousands of campers descend on state parks, they get their weekends
started right because of DNR workers like Linda Mueller and Joyce Rusert.
Mueller, Rusert and other AFSCME members who work park entrances handle permits, help pick campsites, sell firewood, and do much more.
“We’ve got to answer any question you could ever think of about Minnesota, then a few more,” says Rusert, a member of Local 1692. She has worked for the DNR 23 years, including the last three at Whitewater State Park.
“When you wear the uniform, people assume that you know everything and know where everything is,” says Mueller, a member of Local 1623. She is working her 32nd summer at Lake Itasca State Park.
The practical to the absurdVisitors ask park workers about birds, trees, animals, boat and bike rentals, trails, and park activity schedules. As parks add attractions like geocaching, park workers need to know GPS units. They need to know about veterinarians, laundries, good food, and other amenities in nearby towns.
They repeat the same answers thousands of times during a summer. “But each person is your only customer at that point, so you treat them like that,” Rusert says.
They also figure out how to answer stupid questions gracefully. Mueller’s favorite: “Do you have mosquitoes here?”
They solve problems with reservations. Several times a week, Mueller says, campers show up on
the wrong day, or a month early, or at the wrong park. All those problems have to be solved.
The best campsitesA trip to one of Minnesota’s 74 state parks is an affordable vacation many middle-class families count on. A one-day permit is $5; an annual sticker allows unlimited visits for one year for only $25.
Rusert’s and Mueller’s parks have attractions that lure visitors from across Minnesota and beyond. Whitewater is a hot spot for morel mushrooms and trout fishing. Itasca features the headwaters of the Mississippi River.
Of course, campers expect park workers to know everything about
every single campsite, too. “Each one wants the best campsite,” Rusert says, “but each one of them has different criteria. One has a huge motor home, one has a little tent. Some want to be by the water, some don’t. Some want to be by the toilets, some do not want to be by the toilets.”
Once, Mueller says, a group forgot tent stakes. “So I needed to put them in a site with trees that were eight feet apart so they could string their tent up.”
Workers do all this while also juggling phone calls, paperwork and other distractions. They learn all this, amazingly, on their own. The DNR provides little formal training.
They rarely have time to study or explore their own parks, let alone camp in them, they say. Basically, they absorb information, or learn on the job from more experienced staff members, either by asking directly or by overhearing their answers.
Protecting the forests
Park workers also play a key role stopping the spread of emerald ash borers, gypsy moths and other invasive pests that threaten the state’s forests. Visitors cannot bring wood in. Instead, Itasca sells about 13 semis full of firewood each year.
“I have ways of finding out if you’re sneaking wood in,” Mueller says. “Otherwise, we have park security. They go around and do a wonderful job collecting the wood that people claim they don’t have.”
‘You’ve got to like people’
In the end, the job is about people. “You need to deal with every type of personality and every type of person,” Rusert says.
“We deal with people who are so excited to be here that they’re not hearing anything we’re saying,” Mueller says. “But we also deal with people that have been fighting with each other all the way up here for four hours. By the time they get here, they’re not in the best mood.
“Then, right before school starts, people get a little more frantic and desperate. They’re thinking: They haven’t gone camping yet, their kids are going to be mad at them, and they just need to get it over with.
“But my job, the way I am – no one goes away unhappy.”
A little kindness has its rewards, she says. “I have a lot of regulars who have stayed with us over the years. They wait for me, which is really nice. And, here and there, we get a few chocolate chip cookies.” n
Joyce Rusert shows how to get to trout streams in Whitewater State Park.
we dO tHe work
SuMMER we Make
happen
DNR workers help the state get
outside and play
in the entire Minnesota state park
system, there’s nothing like itasca’s
douglas Lodge. the lodge is essentially
a resort within a park – with 12 cabins,
15 suites, 8 rooms in the lodge, and
a sprawling dining room that defines
“north woods.”
family meals, memories
“you get to know the people,” says jan
Maklezow, who provides housekeeping
services in the lodge and cabins.
“that’s what’s fun.”
“there are people who have come
here every year for the 23 years
i’ve been here,” says coreen kliner,
another member of Local 1623 who
now oversees the dining room. “i
watched the kids grow from babies to
adulthood. i like that.”
the park, the lodge and its facilities are
the site of family reunions, weddings
and everything in between. families
scramble to make their reservation
as soon as the “one year in advance”
deadline hits. “One family came here
for 50 years,” Kliner says. “One family
got married here and celebrated their
50th anniversary here.”
staff do what they can to make the
day special, kliner says. “i had one lady
come in and say: ‘i remember you!
i got married here 20 years ago and
you fixed the necklace on my wedding
dress.’ things like that, people
remember.”
the dining room
has a clientele of its
own, too. it’s open
from Memorial day
weekend through
the fall-color season.
it typically serves as
many as 200 people
for breakfast, 250
for lunch and 300
for dinner. it’s not
just campers, either.
the dining room gets visitors from
around the world, who stop in to
stick their feet in the Mississippi river
headwaters. it also gets “regulars” who
drive in from Bemidji, walker, Osage,
park Rapids, Detroit Lakes and points
in between.
“the looks, the décor, the view, the
whole dining room – the scenery is
awesome,” Kliner says. “you don’t
usually get that in a regular restaurant.”
Brenda Moberg is a lead cook at
Douglas Lodge in Itasca State Park.
She’s been there 33 years. Her father,
Axel, and mother, Ellamae, worked
there. Here brother, Dale, worked
there more than 30 years before
retiring. She’s had aunts, children,
nephews and other siblings work at
Itasca. “My whole family, we’ve got
well over 200 years in the park.”
Moberg, of Local 1623, actually hates
cooking. “I like baking. That’s my
forte.” unfortunately, she says, nearly
all the baked goods the lodge serves
are pre-made. So she cooks instead.
“I’ll probably still be here when I’m
in my walker,” Moberg says. “I do
enjoy the people I work with. I just
don’t like to cook.”
Coreen Kliner keeps the Douglas Lodge dining room
running smoothly.
Douglas Lodge creates unforgettable bonds
www.afscmemn.org • m ay – j U n e 2 0 11 • S t e p p i n g U p • 7
grounds crews at Minnesota’s state parks are, in many ways, symbolic of public workers in general. people in the public rarely see them. park visitors rarely gives a second thought to the work they do. it’s only when their work doesn’t get done that the public seems to notice.
“we want to make sure everything’s up to snuff,” says ken Heaser, a member of Local 1692 and a general repair worker at Whitewater State park. “when somebody comes into the park, and they go into the bathroom and it’s a mess, or if something isn’t working right, that’s something they’re going to remember.”
the to-do list never ends, says kenny Moorhouse, a member of Local 1623 who is in his 10th summer as a building and grounds worker at itasca state park. Because itasca has more buildings than most parks, Moorhouse has plenty of staining, painting, and sewer, water and electrical work to do. that’s on top of the outdoors work – mowing grass, clearing trails, cleaning fire rings, cutting downed trees, repairing storm damage.
Juggling priorities“this is like running a business,” Heaser says. “sometimes you get overwhelmed with little projects that come up, so you can’t focus on the bigger things that need to be taken care of.” Heaser, who has been at Whitewater for 35 years, is the kind of guy who “knows more about this park than the rest of us combined,” co-workers say. He lines up the bids, materials and schedules for park projects. He is the park’s go-between with outside contractors who have done the major restoration work the park needed after devastating flash floods in 2007.
in addition to caring for the park and its buildings, he and his crews are mechanics, too. when they can, they repair equipment “from the weed trimmer all the way up to the loader,” Heaser says. that saves taxpayers money and preserves their investment.
whitewater operates year-round, so Heaser’s tasks include posting deer-hunting boundaries and grooming ski trails. “Before you know it, the grass starts growing and we’re back in full summer mode.”
The really don’t know everythingJoni Liljedahl laughs when co-workers say she’s the dnr’s version of wikipedia. But she is the one who memorized the phone numbers to all 74 state parks.
“we know pretty much all there is to know,” she admits. “the officers even call us and ask us questions they don’t know the answers to.”
Liljedahl is one of eight dnr information specialists. they pick up the phone when someone from anywhere in the state – or the country, for that matter – calls the department’s toll-free number: 1-888-Minndnr.
they answer calls from hunters, fishers, bikers, hikers, birders, boaters, campers and more. in peak season, that’s as many as 2,000 calls a day. when they’re not on the phone, they answer emails. they also mail out a couple of hundred booklets, pamphlets and maps every day.
Learning by doing
the information specialists get calls about licenses and trails. people rely on them for advice on which parks best fit their family’s needs. as Liljedahl points out: “reservations doesn’t know anything about our parks, because they’re not even in the state.”
people call for help in identifying wildlife they’ve seen. they call for advice about what to do about animals that wander into their yards, or seem
abandoned. they even call about city, county, regional and federal parks.
“they think that everything that has to do with parks or outdoors is dnr,” Liljedahl says. “so, it’s pretty much anything the DnR might do – even though we might not.”
the information specialists work in cubicles surrounded by manuals and reference sheets. they navigate the dnr website with ease. the job, Liljedahl says, “is nonstop learning. if i don’t know the answer to something, somebody does.”
the only way to learn the job, she says, is to do it. there was a time when every information specialist was given time to visit every state park, so they could gain firsthand knowledge. Budget cuts eliminated that training.
“to work here, you really have to love your job,” Liljedahl says. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to take it. it’s a lot of stress. But it’s rewarding.”
How? She smiles: “people thank you.”
Your license, pleaseWhen a governor needs a hunting or fishing license, like thousands of other Minnesotans, he drops in to see kevin Habeck, reed jonason, or janelle potter. the three members of Local 1465 staff the front counter at the DnR’s Lafayette park headquarters in St. paul.
as Jonason puts it, “i’m here to get you the license you need so you don’t get in trouble when you get out there.”
keeping track of all the regulations for different outdoor sports is no simple task. “we rely on each other,” Habeck says. “some people have more knowledge in certain areas. But every year, they’re changing – especially deer. so we’ve got to keep up with that, update ourselves, and pass that knowledge on to the customer.”
Taking the time that’s necessary
Besides handling walk-in traffic, the trio also take phone calls and handle stacks of atv and boat registrations, renewals and licenses through the mail. “When the fishing opener’s coming up, it can be overwhelmingly busy,” Habeck says. But there is no “quota.” they are allowed to take as much time as necessary with each customer. sometimes, there’s a language barrier.
and, given how hunters and fishers like to share stories, sometimes it’s a fine line deciding how much customer service is enough. “sometimes, some customers talk longer than others,” Habeck says.
He and Jonason, in particular, get to be familiar faces to outdoor enthusiasts – in part because they attend sports shows and the state fair on behalf of the dnr, in part because of the green Bay packers memorabilia that often adorns their cubicles.
Jonason explains: “i’m an old guy. there were no vikings here when i started watching football.”
Reed Jonason
Kevin Habeck sells another fishing license.
Joni Liljedahl: “It’s just fun to talk to people. And most of them are very nice.”
Park crews labor in anonymity
Kenny Heaser removes a pay phone from the beach house at Whitewater State Park.
Kenny Moorhouse: “In building and grounds, you’re doing something different every day. It is not monotonous.”
8 • S t e p p i n g U p • m ay – j U n e 2 0 11 • www.afscmemn.org
solidarity cOrner
as public employees, we aren’t the only workers seeing our pay, benefits and
careers under attack. The cashiers, meat cutters, and clerks at union supermarkets are in the same fight.
“A service-sector job with benefits – the only place you can get those is in a union grocery store,” says Don Seaquist, president of UFCW Local 1189. His local represents grocery workers in the East Metro, Arrowhead, and Iron Range.
The problem is that big, nonunion chains – especially Target, Wal-Mart and Coburn’s – are gobbling up more of people’s grocery money. That makes it harder for union supermarkets to compete while still treating their workers well.
Grocery workers in the East Metro, for example, are in a contentious round of negotiations in which workers are fighting off concessionary proposals loaded with takebacks in wages, job security and pensions. Workers who clean the stores – who work for subcontractors who are not part of UFCW – also are fighting the
supermarkets over falling wages and rising workloads.
Ten years ago, union grocers had a 90 percent market share in the Metro. Especially because Target and Wal-Mart have expanded their grocery selections, the union grocers’ share is down to about 70
percent today, Seaquist says.
The biggest advantage of working in a union grocer, Seaquist says, is that “you can make a career.” Union grocery contracts provide a guaranteed wage scale, affordable health insurance, paid vacation, sick pay, and a defined-benefit pension. All those are available for full-timers and part-timers.
Skimping in the benefits aisle
Conditions are far different at nonunion stores. “We’ve actually had people come from Sam’s Club into our meat department, and their pay doubles,” says Dan Hudyma, a Local 1189 rep in Duluth. “But
the benefit structure is definitely the glaring difference: Holiday pay, vacation, time and a half, a grievance procedure, a real retirement plan – things they didn’t think about till they had union job.”
Workers at union stores are also guaranteed a minimum number of work hours. “In a nonunion store, there may be a week they just don’t schedule you,” Seaquist says.
Shopping options are plentiful
For AFSCME members who want to support union grocers, there are plenty of opportunities in many parts of the state (see details below). In the Metro, union stores include Byerly’s, Cub, Kowalski’s, Lunds and Rainbow. In Northern Minnesota, about two-thirds of Super One stores have union contracts. Some smaller stores and neighborhood markets also have contracts.
“By shopping union, you are supporting your community,” Seaquist says. “Good jobs equal strong communities. It’s that simple.” n
Andover: festival, king’s county Market
Apple Valley: cub, rainbow
Arden Hills: cub
Aurora: Zups
Baxter: cub, super One
Blaine: Cub (Central ave., northtown Drive, pheasant Ridge), Rainbow
Bloomington: Cub (France ave., Lyndale ave.), Festival, Lunds, Rainbow
Brainerd: cub, s.a.v.e. foods
Brooklyn Center: cub
Brooklyn Park: cub, festival, rainbow
Burnsville: Byerly’s, Cub (Cty. Road 42, travelers trail)
Champlin: cub
Chanhassen: Byerly’s, cub
Chaska: county Market, rainbow
Chisholm: jubilee (meat only)
Circle Pines: festival
Cloquet: super One
Columbia Heights: rainbow
Cook: Zups
Coon Rapids: Cub (northdale Blvd., Riverdale Crossing), Rainbow
Cottage Grove: cub, rainbow
Crosby: supervalu
Crystal: almsted’s supervalu, thriftway Market
Duluth: Cub (Central entrance), mount Royal Fine Foods (Woodland ave.), paulson’s SuperValu (millewr trunk Highway), piggly Wiggly (Woodland ave.), Super One (S. 13th ave. e, W. arrowhead road, Bristol st., Burning tree road, e. Superior St.)
Eagan: Byerly’s, Cub (Cliff Lake Road, Diffley Road), Kowalski’s, Rainbow
Eden Prairie: cub, kowalski’s, rainbow
Edina: Byerly’s, cub, Jerry’s foods, Lunds
Eveleth: country foods
Elk River: cub
forest Lake: cub, rainbow
fridley: cub
Golden Valley: Byerly’s
Grand Rapids: cub, Johanneson’s family foods
Hastings: cub
Hibbing: sunrise Bakery
Hopkins: driskill’s food, nelson’s Meats
Hudson: county Market
Hugo: festival
International falls: paulson’s SuperValu, super One
Inver Grove Heights: cub, rainbow
Lakeville: cub (Heritage Drive, 179th St.), Rainbow
Maple Grove: Byerly’s, cub, rainbow
Maplewood: angus meats, Cub (County road B, white Bear ave.), Knowlan’s, Rainbow
Minneapolis: Bergan’s supervalu (Cedar ave.), Cub (S. 26th St., W. Broadway, e. Lake St.), everett’s Foods and meats (e. 38th St.), ingebretsen’s scandinavian gifts (e. Lake St.), Kowalski’s (S. chicago ave., Hennepin ave., S. Lyndale ave.), Lunds (S. 11th st. and Hennepin ave., w. Lake St., University and Central), Oxendale’s market (S. 34th ave.), Rainbow (S. 26th ave., Lagoon ave., new Brighton Blvd.), Sullivan’s Supervalu (W. Lake St.), Swanson meats (S. 26th ave.), Village market (e. 24th St.)
Minnetonka: Byerly’s, cub, fresh seasons Market, Lunds
Monticello: cub
Mound: Jubilee
Nashwauk: fred’s
Navarre: Lunds
New Brighton: cub
North Branch: county Market
Oakdale: rainbow
Oak Park Heights: kowalski’s
Pequot Lakes: supervalu
Plymouth: Cub (Rockford Road, Vicksburg Lane), Lunds, Rainbow (Olson memorial Highway, plymouth Station, Rockford Road)
Prior Lake: village Market
Richfield: Lunds, rainbow
Robbinsdale: rainbow
Rogers: cub
Rosemount: cub
Roseville: Byerly’s, cub, rainbow
Savage: cub, rainbow
Shakopee: cub
Shoreview: rainbow
Shorewood: cub
Silver Bay: Zups
South St. Paul: knowlan’s
St. Anthony: cub
St. Cloud: Byerly’s
St. francis: king’s Market
St. Louis Park: almsted’s supervalu, Byerly’s, cub
St. Paul: Byerly’s (Suburban ave.), Cooper’s Super Valu (W. 7th St./two locations), Cub (Clarence ave., Old Hudson Road, University ave.), Kowalski’s
(grand ave.), Lunds (Ford parkway), Rainbow (arcade St., University ave.)
Stillwater: cub
Superior: Super One (Belknap, e. 5th St., Oakes ave.), Superior meats
Two Harbors: super One
Tower: Zups
Vadnais Heights: festival
Victoria: fresh seasons Market
Virginia: Super One (4th St. n, 17th St. S), tom’s f&d Meats
Wayzata: Lunds
West St. Paul: cub, Jim’s Market, rainbow
White Bear Lake: cub, festival, kowalski’s
Woodbury: cub, kowalski’s, rainbow
Union Grocers in Your CityHere is a list of union grocers in minnesota (and a few border cities) represented by UFCW Local 653 or UFCW Local 1189.
KOOCHICHINGST LOUIS
LAKE
ITASCA
CARLTONCROW WING
STEARNS
SEEDETAILED
MAP
CHISAGO
Duluth
AuroraVirginia
CookTower
Eveleth
Chisholm
HibbingNashwauk
GrandRapids
InternationalFalls
Two Harbors
Silver Bay
Superior
North Branch
Cloquet
St. Cloud
Baxter Brainerd
CrosbyPequot Lakes
RAMSEYHENNEPIN
WRIGHT
SHERBURNE
SCOTT
CARVER
DAKOTA
ANOKA
WASH-INGTON
StillwaterOak Park HtsHudson
St PaulOakdale
Woodbury
ColumbiaHts
CoonRapids
NewBrighton
Shoreview
Forest Lake
ArdenHills
St AnthonyRoseville
MaplewoodVadnais Hts
WhiteBear Lake
Hugo
CirclePines
FridleyBrooklynCenter
CrystalRobbinsdale
GoldenValley
Plymouth
MapleGrove
Rogers
Elk RiverMonticello
St LouisParkMinnetonka
Wayzata
Mound Navarre
BrooklynPark
ChamplinAndover
St Francis
Blaine
Minneapolis
Rich�eldEdina
Eden Prairie
Hopkins
Chanhassen
Shakopee
Prior Lake
Chaska
VictoriaShorewood
Bloomington
BurnsvilleSavage
Eagan
Lakeville
RosemountHastings
CottageGrove
InverGroveHts
South St Paul
WestSt Paul
AppleValley
Do Your Food $$$ Support
Good Jobs?
Dave Brunner is a ufCW member at Jim’s Market in West St. Paul.