Welcome to Our Local’s Web Site!

This web site has been around for several years, but, now, with the New Year 2008, we’re giving it a new look and adding lots of new content and useful information.  Check back frequently for tips about your rights and responsibilities under our contract, notices about meetings and events, information about this year’s impending contract negotations and invitations to participate in charting the course of Ramsey County and our Union.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Brian Chaffin, President and (temporary) Webmaster

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

AFSCME LOCAL 151 - HOME PAGE

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF

STATE COUNTY AND MUNCIPAL EMPLOYEES

Local 151 Executive Board Officers

President/Webmaster	Brian Chaffin	266-4151
Vice-President	Steve Hildebrandt	266-3969
Treasurer	Sue Smith	266-4255
Secretary	Judy Schultz	266-7780
Member-at-Large	Terry Havican	266-3850
Clerical Representative	Tony Peterson	266-4225
Financial Worker Representative	Cindy Lindemyer	266-3665
Social Worker Representative	Becky Meyer	266-4291
Health and Safety	LeAnn Reher	266-2543
Chief Steward	Mike Banks	266-3604
Chief Steward	Dora Salazar	266-4463
Chief Steward	Suzanne Kocurek	266-4356

 

Local 151 Union Stewards

 

John Andreozzi	266-7923
Je'maria Ware	266-7784
Julie Jones	266-3637
Benjamin Maduka	266-4667
Terry Reyes	266-4849
Becky Rios	266-3923
Sandy Cochrane	266-3781
Antwyne Haywood Mike Zamow	266-3928 266-4735

Day on the Hill 2009

 

10^th and 11^th of March

 

Get all the info and register online

Help Save Our Jobs!  Sign up for Day on the Hill 2009!

A few words from Chief Steward, Mike Banks

When Can Your Supervisor Request a Doctor’s Statement When You Are Sick?

 

Article 9 of our contract allows us to use sick leave for “illness or injury, medical or dental treatment of the EMPLOYEE OR THEIR MINOR CHILD”.  Sick leave needs to be approved and can be subject to verification.   Recently we have had some problems with some supervisors requesting verification when they have no right to and requesting information they have no right to.

 

When can management request a medical report?

1. When you miss 40 or more hours at a time due to either your illness or injury or your child’s illness or injury.
2. When you have 3 absences of 8 hours or more in a 3 month period due to your and/or your child’s illness or injury.  Note this does not mean you missed 3 days.  This means that on 3 separate occasions that you were gone at least 8 hours.  If you are gone for a week at a time that counts as once occasion.

 

What information can the department request?  The contract reads “furnish a report….from a recognized medical authority attesting to the necessity of the leave, ability to return to duty or other information deemed necessary.  This means they can ask for the following information.

1. Verification from a medical person (not necessarily a physician) that you or your minor child were in fact sick or injured and you needed to be off work.  This does not mean they have a right to know your or your child’s illness or condition unless there would be a job related reason to know that.
2. Verification from the medical authority that you are able to return to work and are able to perform your duties. 
3. “Other information deemed necessary”.  This language is not in the contract to give the employer an open-ended ability to find out anything they want about your situation.  This is to cover situations such as when an employee might have limitations in their ability to do the job or might have an infectious disease or might have a condition that poses a danger to staff or the public.

 

There is an article (9.10) which states “An employee must present a statement from their physician attesting to their fitness to return to work at the request of the employer”.  This language is for situations in which there is a real question about the ability of the employee to return to work and do their job.

 

Does all this mean that we can use sick leave however we want to as long as we have not exceeded the guidelines for verification in the contract? Of course not.  If you run into your supervisor on the golf course or at the casino or appear on TV while you are using sick leave you might be subject to discipline for the abuse of sick leave. 

 

If your supervisor is asking for verification in violation of this language in the contract please contact a steward so we can file a grievance and stop the contract violation.  There is a list of stewards elsewhere on this website.

 

Local 151 Contracts:

CHS

LPNs

WorkForce Solutions

Local 151 Business Manager Joyce Carlson (651) 287-0585

Links:

AFSCME Council 5

300 Hardman Avenue South, Suite 2

South Saint Paul, MN 55075-2469

Telephone: 651-455-0773

AFSCME International's Home Office , Washington, D.C.

AFSCME PEOPLE

AFSCME Member-Only Benefits

Scholarships

Local 151 News & Info:

Questions?  Email Mike Banks, Chief Steward & Chair of the Local 151 Communications Committee

Overtime

Other archived contract articles here

Calendar - Schedule of Events

Education and Training Schedule

Local 151 Newsletter

President’s Report

Chief Stewards’ Report

Secretary's Report - General Membership Meeting Minutes

Welcome New Members

Notices