It’s been the worst kept secret that Gov. Dayton is the best governor Big Labor‘s money could buy. When Sen. Parry criticized Gov. Dayton for being bought and paid for by union money, Gov. Dayton lost his temper. This article says that Sen. Parry has it exactly right:

Minnesota State Senator Mike Parry (R-Waseca) recently caused a stir with strong accusations against Governor Mark Dayton. “It’s no secret that the labor unions helped buy the Governor’s Office for Mark Dayton. He began to return the favor, most recently by trying to help unionize some of Minnesota’s in-home, private child care providers,” said Parry in a fundraising letter.

Sen. Parry’s allegations elicited a strong reaction from Dayton, who called it “inaccurate and deeply offensive.” A review of the facts, however, shows that the real reason the governor is so upset: the truth hurts.

Since 2005, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have been trying to organize child care providers Minnesota. Associated Press found that AFSCME wrote a $125,000 check to Gov. Dayton’s Recount Fund once restrictive campaign contribution limits ceased. Combined AFSCME and SEIU PACs contributed $14,000 to Dayton during his campaign. The Minnesota Family Council calculates that Big Labor stands to gain up to $3.3 million a year in dues from unionizing child care providers.

Wouldn’t you like to make a one-time investment of $139,000, then get an annual return of $3,300,000 for the forseeable future? Wouldn’t anyone?

Gov. Dayton, We The People find it highly offensive that the special interests have bought preferential treatment from you. Whatever happened to government of, by and for the People? Were they sacrificed at the altar of Mark Dayton’s Political Legacy? Are you that neurotic? Are you that corrupt?

It’s important that we remember what AFSCME is willing to do:

Last month, Dawn Bobo, owner of Village Dollar Store in Union Grove, Wis., was asked to display a pro-union sign in her window. Ms. Bobo, a self- described conservative Republican, refused and received a letter from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees asking her to reconsider.

“Failure to do so will leave us no choice but do [sic] a public boycott of your business,” the letter said.

AFSCME are the thugs that threaten businesses if they don’t support AFSCME’s causes. Not only did AFSCME tell Ms. Bobo to put their sign in her shop’s window. They said that staying neutral wasn’t an option. That’s the personification of union thuggery.

A more troubling question must be asked. Does Gov. Dayton represent public employee unions or does he represent the people of Minnesota? At this point, it’s apparent that Gov. Dayton represents the public employee unions and his other major contributors first.

That’s distressing to say the least.

Tags: 2010 Election, 2010 Governor, 2011 State Government Shutdown, AFSCME, Mark Dayton, Uncategorized

Here’s the email sent today from Dayton’s office:

—-

>>> “Dayton, Mark (GOV)” <xxxxxxx@state.mn.us> 12/9/2011 7:48 AM >>>

Sen. Parry and Rep. Drazkowski:

After receiving a copy of the email below, which was forwarded to me by one of its recipients, I am canceling today’s meeting.  Rep. Drazkowski, I apologize for the inconvenience and will reschedule a meeting with you for next week, if you so desire.

Sen. Parry, this email is inaccurate and deeply offensive.  This is the second time you have falsely accused me in writing of actions which, since untrue, wrongly malign my character and integrity.  It is one thing to issue a statement critical of my decision, as you and Sen. Hann did yesterday.  That’s politics.

It is entirely different, however, to make malicious, false accusations about someone, who is not even up for re-election, for your own crass political purposes.  I will not meet with you and provide further fodder for your political activities.  If you have questions of me, submit them in writing, and I will respond in writing to them.

Again, Rep. Drazkowski, I apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Mark Dayton

—

Here’s the letter Parry sent in return:

Sen Parry Response Letter to Gov Dayton

And here is the release sent out by the GOP senators yesterday on Dayton’s decision to contest the court ruling:

—-

December 8, 2011

SENATORS PARRY AND HANN ON GOV DAYTON’S DECISION TO CONTEST RESTRAINING ORDER ON DAY CARE UNIONIZATION VOTE

(ST. PAUL) — Sen. Mike Parry (R-Waseca), Chairman of the Senate State Government Innovation and Veterans Committee and Sen. David Hann (R-Eden Prairie), Chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, issued the following joint statement in response to Gov. Dayton’s announcement that he will contest the temporary restraining order on the vote to potentially unionize day care providers.

“Judge Lindman was very clear in his decision to block the scheduled unionization vote, stating concerns that the governor was circumventing the legislature, the governor does not have authority to enact a law of this type through executive order, and the governor is potentially harming the thousands he excluded from the democratic process.

“With this information in hand, the governor had the opportunity to withdraw, rethink and reconsider his executive order, but he has instead decided to forge ahead while his union allies cheer him on. We agree with Judge Lindman’s statements from the bench that it is likely the providers will prevail, and we continue to stand in their support.”

# # #

Tags: AFSCME, Mark Dayton

“The providers, many of them, are put in a box, where they feel that they can’t raise their rates much more or much higher above what the current subsidy rate is, which has been frozen, or for fear that their parents won’t be able to afford to have their kids in their licensed center.” says Lehto.

Lehto says AFSCME can can help negotiate better rates with the state. He says the union can also help providers with health care and retirement. But he says, most importantly, it can help re-focus society’s commitment to kids.

“Our’s is not an effort to raise the cost onto working families,” Lehto says. “Our effort is to increase in the public committment, the same way that it is for public education, in terms of from birth to going into school. There should be a broad public commitment in terms of insuring that kids are taken care during that time frame in a good quality setting.”

Tags: 2010 Governor, AFSCME, Mark Dayton

Opponents, which include Republicans in the Minnesota Senate, said Dayton’s order delved into things that are beyond the scope of his power.

The Minnesota Senate’s friend-of-the-court brief called Dayton’s executive order  “unprecedented and lawless, exceeding his scope of constitutional and statutory authority and usurping legislative power.’’

Ramsey County District Judge Dale Lindman, at several points during a three-hour hearing Monday, challenged lawyers for  Dayton and two unions that want the childcare union election to proceed. Why not “simply submit this to the Legislature in the form of a bill (and) we don’t have this whole issue?” the judge asked.

Read MDE’s previous coverage of the executive order here.

Tags: AFSCME, Mark Dayton

Dedicated readers of MDE report today’s activity at Occupy Plaza downtown.

Two months ago, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak spoke loudly in support of the Occupy Wall Street camp on the Hennepin County Government Plaza.  His early support was not surprising, because Hizzoner’s spokesperson John Styles is a life-partner of one of the Occupiers’ main organizers.

But when the protesters crossed the street to City Hall this morning, the Mayor flip-flopped.  Protesters had set up three tents on City property and decorated the statute of Hubert Humphrey with signs, hats, and an American Flag.  Rybak sent city employees down to ask the protesters to dismantle the display and move back across the street to city property.

The protesters did not budge, so Rybak sent the Minneapolis Police Department to yank down the tents, pull down the display, and “take action.”  The MPD boys in blue first tackled “Panda,” a 300-pound Occupier.  Then they slipped on the ice.  Poor Panda was slammed to the ground, and then jammed through the door of a tiny squad car.  MPD’s next target had his face shoved onto the frozen sidewalk as he was cuffed.

Where was the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union when R.T. Rybak flip-flopped on the right to peaceably assemble on the City Hall sidewalk?  Where was Rep. Karen Clark (DFL-Minneapolis) who had declared her support of the protesters the night before, when they were on County property instead of City Hall?

Tags: AFSCME, Protests, R.T. Rybak

Tags: AFSCME, Mark Dayton

Testifiers at the hearing provided information that child care providers were lied to and misled when union activists went door-to-door to collect the necessary signatures for the unionization process to begin.

One testifier stated, “If this was about children, the union would stay out and let parents make these decisions.”

“Experts” on the unionization could not answer the question of what dues might be for union members and could only say these questions would be answered after a union is already formed.

Another provided a statement saying that union activists went door-to-door asking providers to sign their “petition” for “health insurance” during busy and stressful times of the day and would not take no for an answer. “These signatures are not a true sign of support. I was disturbed to hear that hundreds of providers I’ve spoken to are opposed, and many were misled on what they were signing,” the testifier said.

Representatives from AFSCME were unable to provide information on what the unionization would entail and how the process might actually be legal. In fact, GOP Sen. David Hann called out testifiers for advocating inaccurately for the “legal” representation a new union might actually be able to provide, saying, “these are not employees of the state.”

Dayton should absolutely rule out an executive decree requiring union membership of our neighborhood mom and pop home child care providers. To do otherwise would be a gross misuse of his power and will quite certainly face legal challenge from those groups opposing. This effort has been mostly quiet and swift, and there have already been dozens of reports from home providers that didn’t understand what they were signing when they were approached at their doorsteps. These individuals now regret signing such a document at all.

Tags: AFSCME, Mark Dayton

Freedom Foundation of Minnesota’s Jonathan Blake covered the important components of this issue in the Star Tribune this week. As Blake says, “Unionization would represent a radical shift not only for home childcare providers, but also the parents and children that depend upon them. Governor Dayton should address this issue and explain his intentions.”

Effort to unionize childcare providers flies under the radar

Jonathan Blake

Minnesota currently has approximately 11,000 licensed family child care providers operating in the state, the vast majority of which are operating as home-based small businesses. But if two of the largest labor unions have their way, these independent operators may soon join the ranks of organized labor. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are working to collect signatures from childcare providers in different parts of the state, in a large-scale (but under-the-radar) effort to unionize the sector. The unions have patterned the drive after similar campaigns in other states that targeted providers with clients that receive state childcare subsidies.

The motivation is obvious. At a time when union workers have become almost synonymous with public workers, this pool of 11,000 daycare providers are seen by organized labor as an opportunity to expand their sphere of influence outside the ranks of traditional government work.

The effort is remarkable for a few reasons, not the least of which is the relative secrecy with which it’s happening. Unions are enlisting support among home-based day care providers by going, as you might expect, to their homes. This door-to-door drive targeting of thousands of independent operators helps explain the lack of public attention. It’s also possible that many providers have unwittingly signed on for something they do not support. The Rochester provider who is leading opposition to the union recently said: “Just about everybody we have spoken to has said they were not told by signing that card they were supporting a union. The main theme seems to be people are being told they can sign up for more information or be put on a mailing list.” The Freedom Foundation of Minnesota has spoken to several individuals who have had similar experiences with the unions.

In addition to unions collecting signatures from a majority of the childcare providers, Governor Dayton would also need to sign an executive order to validate the unionization drive. To date, the governor’s office has declined to indicate whether Governor Dayton would sign that executive order, saying only that he is in the “information gathering” stage. It’s worth noting that both AFSCME and SEIU were major contributors to Dayton last year.

Why should it matter to Minnesotans? Everything from the cost of daycare to government’s role in a child’s upbringing could be affected. While the unions insist that they would simply give providers an opportunity to potentially gain a public pension or higher subsidy rates for children receiving publicly subsidized daycare, opposition to the unions is growing. Opponents object to what they consider a misleading campaign by the unions, a lack of perceived benefits from the union, and as one provider said: “I’m a self-employed business owner, not an employee of the government.”
Read more here: http://www.startribune.com/local/yourvoices/129413913.html

Tags: AFSCME, DFL, Mark Dayton, Uncategorized

A local president sent the following letter to his members to report on the results of the AFSCME Minnesota Council 5 CPC meeting in which  the results of the shutdown were discussed. Here’s some of the letter:

Early in the process when it was becoming clearer that the shutdown was going to happen there was discussion between the governors office and the coalition group ( a group made up of a wide variety of unions including AFSCME, MAPE ,Teamsters, and others who discussed on how broad the shutdown should be. All parties agreed that for the shutdown to be most effective,  that the public had to feel the pain and realize what state workers do for this State. The best way for this to happen would be a real shutdown involving many state workers, in lieu of a partial shutdown. There was no one party who came to this conclusion. The shutdown was necessary to place focus on the top 2% of Minnesotans to pay their fair share in taxes. This was explained at a statewide meeting of all local presidents.
Governor Dayton supported this shutdown because he could not agree to the massive cuts to state workers and state programs, and although we did not have success with taxing the top 2% he did succeed in saving 5 thousand state jobs which were going to be lost under the Republican backed plan, and many provisions which would have ended our collective bargaining rights as we know them were removed from bills.
There was much disappointment when the Governor made his decision to compromise and end the shutdown. Elliot Seide was asked to speak to our group so we could better understand the Governors decision. Elliot stated that the Governor did not take this decision lightly and was burdened by the effects the shutdown was having on state workers and  the entire state on Minnesota. Elliot stated that Governor Dayton did not believe that continuing the shutdown would result in Republicans agreeing to raise taxes on the wealthiest Minnesotans. Elliot and other did attempt to convince the Governor, without success to continue the shutdown as he felt we were gaining momentum and gaining Public support.
AFSCME council 5, intends to stick with Governor Dayton’s tax the rich plan and is convinced we can take control of the House, and Senate with labor friendly legislators in the 2012 elections. This is the only way we can assure our jobs, and collective bargaining right will be protected.

In solidarity:

xxx

Tags: 2011 State Government Shutdown, AFSCME, Mark Dayton

When asked for a suggestion of a possible “fair” mediator, Dayton named retired Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Lebedoff, whom has made campaign contributions to the following campaigns: Sen. Amy Klobuchar, President Barack Obama, and Mike Ciresi for Senate. MN State News wrote, “A review of campaign finance records shows that Lebedoff has made political contributions to the campaigns of Amy Klobuchar and Barack Obama. Additionally, at least one relative of Lebedoff was a major contributor to Dayton’s 2000 Senate campaign. Katie Tinucci, the governor’s press secretary, said Dayton ‘suggested Mr. Lebedoff as a possible mediator, but at this point, it was just a suggestion‘.”

Justice Lebedoff

Dayton seemed flustered after pulling the plug on allowing his Commissioners to appear before the Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy meeting which Speaker Zellers and Maj. Leader Koch called to help move the fiscal impasse forward in a constructive and open forum. Dayton’s suggestion of a mediator was disturbing and reminiscent of his strong ties to labor.

GOP leaders told Dayton of their stance on the LCPFP meeting in a letter to him, saying:
“We would like information on plants to offset the loss of $1.8 billion in revenue in the Governor’s budget due to the recent change in the administration’s tax plan. Specifically, be prepared to discuss the legislature’s spending reductions the Governor will agree to, or new spending reduction proposals. On multiple occassions the Governor has indicated an interest in exempting small business from the effects (of) his tax increase plan. We are interested in knowing how this proposal changes revenue estimates for the administration’s budget, and what offsets are proposed to allow small businesses to keep more of their hard-earned money.“

Tags: 2010 Election, 2011 Session, AFSCME, Amy Klobuchar, Barack Obama, Checks and Balances, DFL, Mark Dayton, Mike Ciresi, YouTube

Dedicated readers of Minnesota Democrats Exposed pointed out Lesch’s military obligations as an officer in the MN National Guard (Bravo Company 2-135) and how they may have conflicted with recent campaigning he’s been doing for the Senate. From March 11-14, Lesch was required to attend monthly drill training with his platoon. During his time at Camp Ripley, sources confirm Lesch was making fundraising phone calls and communicating political messages via the internet, both of which are prohibited by federal DoD directives.

Here is the official DoD policy on political activities for military members.  Most of the restrictions are written for soldiers on active duty, but it also applies any time you are in uniform (section 4.1.4).  Prohibited activities are listed under section 4.1.2, and they include soliciting donations, publishing partisan political articles, letters or endorsements, and actively promote fundraising events.  All those can be found on Lesch’s Facebook/Twitter accounts over the weekend:

The most damning restriction is 4.1.2.9 which prohibits engaging in fundraising activities in Federal offices or facilities, including military reservations, for any political cause or candidate.

Additionally, Lesch returned to the legislature and took part in partisan activities on the last day of drill instead of returning to Rochester with his platoon. A newsletter issued to members of this unit confirms the dates Lesch should be in uniform and away from politics:

This isn’t Lesch’s first eyebrow-raising run-in with military policy. In 2006, Lesch visited Iraq and failed to follow U.S. military Green Zone safety precautions; he was swiftly sent out of the country, returned, and was finally returned, via the military, to the United States. Here’s a few lines from the Pioneer Press article (it was also covered in the early days of MDE):

Chances are none of the 201 legislators returning to the Capitol for Wednesday’s session opener have vacation stories to match those of Rep. John Lesch, DFL-St. Paul.

Lesch, 33, hopped a charter flight from Syria to Iraq last month and spent a week in Baghdad on his own dime. He says he was seeking to enhance his knowledge of the war zone with a firsthand look.

But the trip drew sweeping criticism from a U.S. Army official, an Iraqi leader and the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ editorial page, which likened his journey to the movie “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.”

Now, a framed portrait of Pee-wee Herman hangs over Lesch’s desk in the St. Paul city attorney’s office, where he works as a prosecutor.

In one of his first interviews since returning from Iraq, Lesch on Wednesday defended his trip, denied charges of grandstanding and vowed to make more “unorthodox” treks – “although, I would never go to North Korea,” he said.

Media reports that said he was kicked out of the country were false, he said, and he insisted that he had a proper visa and passport. He said quotes from an Iraqi leader scolding him were taken “grossly out of context.” The man, Mithal Alusi, had two sons killed in the last year, and after warning Lesch of the dangers, they had “an amazing, fruitful conversation,” Lesch said.

Lesch said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, who called him a grandstander, never met him and knew nothing about his trip until after he had left.

Additionally, Lesch hasn’t been shy about his support for some of Dayton’s most unpopular campaign promises. On his website for his Senate campaign, Lesch openly supports Dayton’s budget proposal to raise taxes on Minnesotans and his closeness to labor unions.

Tags: 2011 Session, AFSCME, DFL Legislators, Uncategorized

(from the story) Sen. Mark Miller said he and his fellow Democrats intend to let the full Senate vote on Gov. Scott Walker’s “budget-repair” bill, which includes the proposed limits on public unions’ collective bargaining rights. The bill, which had been blocked because the missing Democrats were needed for the Senate to have enough members present to consider the bill, is expected to pass the Republican-controlled chamber.

While their strategy of literally running away from their responsibilities will ultimately fail with the passage of pending legislation, the lawmakers are now banking on the political implications for Gov. Walker and his GOP allies in the next election.

The debate in Wisconsin over collective bargaining and public employees’ place in society has boiled over into surrounding states, including Minnesota. Are you concerned that your local representative may be too involved in some of the political activities across the river? If you live in House District 66A (St. Paul), you should be. Dedicated readers of Minnesota Democrats Exposed found Lesch making public comments on his Facebook page regarding the union ‘crusades’. Lesch said, “Y’all are getting some serious care packages of chi from across the nation. But when that fails, I’ll send lawyers guns and money.”

Here’s a cut of his page:

Tags: AFSCME, DFL Legislators

Wulff is a conservative member of the Council, but she will have fewer allies when it comes to her political leanings. Four of the new members appointed by Dayton are union members:

District 3: Jennifer Munt, Minnetonka
Munt is president of Transit for Livable Communities and the Public Affairs Director for AFSCME Council 5. She is an ardent advocate for a balanced transportation system that encourages transit ridership, walking, biking and thoughtful development.

District 8: Adam Duininck, Minneapolis
Duininck is the Legislative and Political Director for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49. He is active in the Transportation Alliance and has served on the Transportation Strategic Management Task Force.

District 9: Edward Reynoso, Ham Lake
Reynoso brings to the Council experience in transportation and wastewater services. This experience was gained through his work as a Teamsters union representative and through his involvement in related issues within his community.

District 12: Harry Melander, Mahtomedi
Melander is president of the Minnesota State Building and Construction Trades Council. In addition to his work in the trades, he has served on many community boards and has a keen understanding of the development issues in his district.

One of the appointees is also Sen. Geoff Michel’s 2010 election opponent, Steve Elkins.

Here is the full list of appointees:

District 1:     Roxanne Smith, Champlin
District 2:     Lona Schreiber, Brooklyn Park
District 3:     Jennifer Munt, Minnetonka
District 4:     Gary Van Eyll, Chaska
District 5:     Steven Elkins, Bloomington
District 6:     James Brimeyer, St. Louis Park
District 7:     Gary Cunningham, Minneapolis
District 8:     Adam Duininck, Minneapolis
District 9:      Edward Reynoso, Ham Lake
District 10:    John Doan, Blaine
District 11:    Sandra Rummel, White Bear Lake
District 12:    Harry Melander, Mahtomedi
District 13:    Richard Kramer, St. Paul
District 14:    Jon Commers, St. Paul
District 15:    Steven Chavez, Eagan
District 16:    Wendy Wulff, Lakeville

Tags: AFSCME, Mark Dayton, Metropolitan Council

The Star-Tribune highlighted these cuts and the outrage from those involved in the industry:

…Some facilities “almost certainly will close” if it is approved, said Gayle Kvenvold, CEO of Aging Services of Minnesota, which represents largely nonprofit homes.

Industry leaders, who have fought off at least three budget-conscious governors in the past two decades, expressed surprise last week.

“We’re shocked,” Kvenvold said. “Candidate Dayton talked about protecting elderly Minnesotans, but Governor Dayton’s budget does not reflect that.”

Candidate Dayton gave a feisty speech (below) to union members last spring while running for Governor. Around the 2:00 mark, Dayton calls Pawlenty’s cuts and those cuts to nursing homes, “evil, immoral, and wrong.” Gov. Dayton owes an explanation to Minnesotans on why these cuts are suddenly acceptable. Since announcing his budget plan (which includes billions in new taxes), Dayton has yet to receive any House or Senate sponsors.

Tags: AFSCME, DFL, Mark Dayton

One relief to many DFL’ers was the ousting of the one-term Affirmative Action officer Frank Brown. Rachel Stassen-Berger covered Brown’s criminal past in a story posted the night before the DFL meeting. The DFL officer was convicted in 1998 for “Criminal Sexual Conduct – 1st Degree” after an incident with a minor. Many covering the story were not aware that this was a felony (as Brown covered in a speech below). The statute number for his conviction is 609.342 Subdivision 1B.
That subdivision is for the following act:

“the complainant is at least 13 years of age but less than 16 years of age and the actor is more than 48 months older than the complainant and in a position of authority over the complainant. Neither mistake as to the complainant’s age nor consent to the act by the complainant is a defense;”

MDE has the speech Brown gave to a “Second Chance Governor Forum” in January of last year:

“I remember as a little boy my father would tell me that there is a ladder out
there and you can climb as high as you want if you work hard. I climbed that
ladder.
By 1998 I had achieved much in my life. I had gotten my bachelor’s degree and
completed my MBA. I was a pressroom manager for a large printing company. I had
four supervisors reporting to me and 125 employees in my department. One night
that year I went out drinking. That night I took advantage of someone. Now don’t
think I am blaming the alcohol for my actions. Alcohol is just a symptom. It was
my own selfishness and self centeredness that led me to making a very poor
decision. I take full responsibility for my actions. As a result of my ctions I
was incarcerated. I had spent a lot of money on a good lawyer and thought I
wouldn’t have to go to prison. But when that judge sentenced me to prison, I was
shocked.
When I arrived at St. Cloud Correctional facility I knew that I had to change. I
spent the next five years deliberately doing exactly that. I was like a sponge
when it came to learning good behavior. I took advantage of every program
offered, required or not. I learned victim empathy, behavioral cycles,
boundaries, morals and values, and relapse prevention. It was like getting an
education on things I missed. I read books, kept a journal and discovered who I
wanted to become, and I did change. After I was released in March of 2004, I
completed two more programs, one of which was voluntary and I paid for it
myself.
I was blessed to have found a job feeding a press at a printing company through
networking and not having to fill out an application. For the past five years I
have applied for over a dozen jobs while maintaining my employment. Many of
these jobs had applications which I filled out and faced that dreaded question.
“Have you ever been convicted of a felony?” I’ve always answered it honestly
and from my experience I never got any of th{remaining transcript unavailable}”

The statute number for his conviction is 609.342 Subdivision 1B.
That subdivision is for the following act:

“the complainant is at least 13 years of age but less than 16 years of age and the actor is more than 48 months older than the complainant and in a position of authority over the complainant. Neither mistake as to the complainant’s age nor consent to the act by the complainant is a defense;”

Elected DFL Officers:

Chair-Ken Martin
Associate Chair-Marge Hoffa (MDE covered her questionable campaign finance run-ins with the Meffert for Congress campaign)
Secretary – Vanessa Blomgren
Treasurer – Tom Hamilton
Affirmative Action Officer – Eric Margolis (defeated Frank Brown)

Tags: 2010 Election, 2010 Governor, AFSCME, DFL, Mark Dayton, MDE, Uncategorized

Susan Haigh spent 10 years as a Ramsey Commissioner (1995-2005) and once proposed a 45% pay increase for herself and other board members.

Like Dayton, Haigh has also received disproportional amounts of campaign contributions from labor unions. Below is a part of her list of contributors from the 2002 re-elect campaign for Commissioner. Full report here.

2002 Haigh campaign contributors partial list

Dayton’s work on his cabinet contradicts what he told the Star Tribune in early December, where he stated he would likely appoint his Management and Budget commissioner and his Revenue commissioner given the tough budget work ahead.

Since that story was published, Dayton has appointed few commissioners, not including M&B or Revenue. However, he has had time to thoroughly plan his blue jeans inaugural ball, which has had wall to wall press coverage. Will the Governor-elect be prepared to lead Minnesota on January 3rd without a functioning cabinet?

News release from Dayton transition team:

St. Paul, MN-Today Governor-elect Dayton announced the appointment of Susan Haigh, CEO of Habitat for Humanity, to lead the Met Council. Ms. Haigh brings extensive and varied experience in public and community service to the position, including ten years as a Ramsey County Commissioner, twelve years as a chief deputy county attorney and experience working at the Met Council as a staff attorney.
“Susan Haigh will be an outstanding Chair of the Metropolitan Council,” Dayton said. “She is a proven leader and consensus-builder. She will be closely involved with me in the selection of a Council, which will represent the diversity of our region and honor its tradition of enlightened non-partisan leadership.”

Haigh’s past community service includes service on the boards of the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, St. Paul YWCA, Regions Hospital, Landmark Center, St. Paul Riverfront Corporation, Metropolitan Counties Light Rail Transit Joint Powers Board, Metropolitan Counties Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board, Association of Minnesota Counties, and Minnesota County Attorney’s Association. She has received the Spurgeon Award from the Boy Scouts and the Distinguished Citizen Award from Macalester College for her community service. Susan has a BA in Political Science from Macalester College and a JD from William Mitchell College of Law. She was born and raised in Owatonna and is married to the Honorable Gregg E. Johnson. They reside in St. Paul and have four daughters.

Tags: 2010 Governor, AFSCME, Mark Dayton, Metropolitan Council

Read the information below:

A Freedom Foundation of Minnesota review of recently filed campaign finance reports finds that public employee unions in Minnesota have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the 2010 election cycle to support a diverse group of candidates: suburban Democrats, rural Democrats, Twin Cities Democrats, and Iron Range Democrats.

Since the beginning of 2009, the state’s largest public employee unions – Education Minnesota, AFSCME Minnesota Council 5, and MAPE – have spent a combined $740,000 on contributions to legislative and gubernatorial candidates, political parties and other committees, and independent expenditures.

In the past 18 months, Education Minnesota, the teachers’ union that represents 70,000 educators across the state, has shelled out approximately $384,000 in direct political spending. More than 99% of that money went to support the Democratic candidates, the DFL party, and liberal campaign committees. Less than one percent, just $3,200, was given to Republican candidates and committees.

During that same time period, the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE), which represents over 12,000 state employees, has made $144,450 in itemized contributions to candidates and political parties. Well over 99%, or $144,200, was given to Democratic candidates and DFL party units. Just one contribution, totaling $250, was made to a Republican candidate.

And finally, AFSCME Council 5, the Minnesota branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, has given approximately $214,000 to candidates, party committees, and other political committees so far this election cycle. About $20,000 was contributed to candidates for non-partisan local offices. Of the remaining money, 100% of it went to DFL party committees, DFL candidates, or liberal political groups like Progressive Majority and Working America.

It’s important to note that public employees are forced to pay dues to these unions. Even those who opt out of the union are forced to pay so-called “fair share” fees to the union. And it’s hard to believe that rank-and-file union members are as loyal to a single political party as their leadership is, given that exit polls in presidential races consistently find union support for Democrats to be between 50 and 60%.

Public employee unions are free, of course, to support any candidates and political causes they wish. However, perhaps it’s time to call these unions what they are: partisans with a narrow agenda.

Sources:
AFSCME Council 5 PAC’s 2009 Year-End Report of Receipts and Expenditures
AFSCME Council 5 PAC’s 2010 Pre-Primary Report of Receipts and Expenditures
Education Minnesota PAC’s 2009 Year-End Report of Receipts and Expenditures
Education Minnesota PAC’s 2010 Pre-Primary Report of Receipts and Expenditures
MAPE PAC’s 2009 Year-End Report of Receipts and Expenditures
MAPE PAC’s 2010 Pre-Primary Report of Receipts and Expenditures

Tags: AFSCME, Freedom Foundation of MN

It is increasingly clear that a letter from your local union representing employees of Amy Klobuchar, which asks the state AFSCME organization to avoid endorsing Ms. Klobuchar in her United States Senate run, has become a persistent thorn in Amy's side, so much so that the letter was recently removed from your union’s Web site.

Up to this point, perhaps out of a fear of retribution, the one group that we have heard very little from is you, the very union workers Amy Klobuchar has denigrated, mistreated, and taken for granted as she has taken credit for your hard work. 

This is an open letter to you, the dedicated workers whose voice has been silenced as Amy continues her campaign of arrogance and self promotion.

If you are a member of AFSCME Local 2938 or even a non-union employee who has had the displeasure of working for Amy Klobuchar, I want to provide you with a forum to safely air your grievances, tell your horror stories or otherwise broadcast the difficulties you have experienced working for the overbearing, self-aggrandizing Amy Klobuchar. 

Please feel free to email me at minnesotademocratsexposed@hotmail.com and I will be the public voice for your private complaints.  Out of respect for your anonymity and with the understanding that you do not wish to be the victim of Amy’s retribution, I will keep your identity safely hidden. 

This is a real opportunity for the hard working employees of the Hennepin County Attorneys office to lend voice, even if anonymous, to the question "who is the real Amy Klobuchar?"

I look forward to helping you be heard.

Sincerely,

Michael Brodkorb

Minnesota Democrats Exposed 

Tags: AFSCME, Amy Klobuchar

In response to your questions:

I am the president of Local 2938 and also in charge of the web site for our local. I was unaware that the letter you mention was still on our web site until yesterday, May 16th when an acquaintance told me of the link from "amysrecord.com" to our site. I had deleted the letter, or so I thought, months ago. Apparently I only deleted the links from our home page and the "local" copy on the program I use to generate the site. That was due to my own limited computer skills. When I became aware that the letter was still on the server I deleted it.

letter was still on the server I deleted it.

No one, "Union Boss" or otherwise, pressured or, for that matter even suggested I delete the letter.

I have had no contact with anyone from Amy Klobuchar's campaign about the letter (or anything else).

Our website is intended to communicate with our members. I deleted the letter because it had already been communicated to our members.

##

I appreciate his quick response to my questions.  His answers prove that because of www.amysrecord.com, the letter was finally removed from their server.

I tip my hat to the Republican Party of Minnesota for a job well done!

Tags: AFSCME, Amy Klobuchar, MN GOP

A section of this website was dedicated to providing information on the "hostile work environment" created by Amy Klobuchar in the Hennepin County Attorney's office.

The leadership of AFSCME 2938 wrote a letter to state union leaders asking that Klobuchar not receive the endorsement of AFSCME.  

"With the U.S. Senate field clear of all but one rival for the DFL Party's nomination, Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar is facing a new obstacle: The union local representing her staff is asking that she be denied the endorsement of its parent group, the powerful American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). In a letter this month to union leaders, local president Jim Appleby, an assistant Hennepin County attorney, said Klobuchar had denigrated office lawyers publicly and privately, taken credit for their work, damaged morale and 'created a hostile work environment.'" (Patricia Lopez, "Klobuchar's Work With Staff Is Focus Of A Union Battle," Star Tribune, February 19, 2006)

The letter to AFSCME from the local AFSCME 2938 was available on their website, until the Republican Party of Minnesota unveiled www.amysrecord.com and provided a direct link to the letter.  In the last few hours, the letter was removed and the link is now dead.

Did AFSCME bosses pressure the local AFSCME 2938 to remove the letter?  Did Klobuchar's campaign office pressure them to remove the letter?

Tags: AFSCME, Amy Klobuchar