Hennepin County has sent AFSCME Members what they are calling their “Last Best and Final Offer” and the table team has not made a recommendation on whether to approve this offer. As members, we must decide how we want to proceed by either accepting or rejecting the offer with the ballots being mailed out.
AFSCME Local 34 Members voting options include:
- Vote by mail – Due to unreliable service due to postal service cuts, it is recommended you get it in the mail by no later than Wednesday, December 8th otherwise plan to bring in person. If you do mail your ballot, it must be postmarked no later than December 11th.
- Physically return your mail ballot to the Council 5 office at 300 Hardman Ave S South St. Paul, MN 55075 by 3pm on Monday, December 13, 2021 OR
- Physically return your mail ballot to one of the on-site voting locations within the voting schedule below OR
- Vote on-site within the following voting schedule. Council 5 Field Representatives and local member leaders will be on site to answer questions and go through the offer with all voters:
Voting locations and times
| Building | Address | City | Zip | Voting Date(s) and Time(s) |
| Adult Correctional Facility, Lobby | 1145 Shenandoah Lane | Plymouth | 55447 | December 8, 5:30am-7:30am and 5:30pm-7:30pm |
| Brookdale Regional Center, East Rotunda | 6125 Shingle Creek Parkway | Brooklyn Center | 55430 | December 9, 10am-2pm |
| Central Library, Atrium | 300 Nicollet Mall | Minneapolis | 55401 | December 8, 10am-2pm |
| Government Center, Auditorium | 300 6th St S | Minneapolis | 55487 | December 7, 8am-2pm and December 10, 8am-2pm |
| Public Safety Facility, Suite 235 | 401 4th Ave S | Minneapolis | 55487 | December 8, 5:30am-7:30am and 5:30pm-7:30pm |
| Richfield Human Services Satellite, Conference Room 205 | 6625 Lyndale Avenue | Richfield | 55423 | December 6, 10am-2pm |
| Ridgedale Regional Center, Main Lobby | 12601 Ridgedale Drive | Minnetonka | 55343 | December 6, 10am-2pm |
County’s offer: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cthrfJC_E2iXFYoKmQOc6RdO6qwQUp_L/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106709732582969007522&rtpof=true&sd=true
President Grace Baltich’s Memo on the County’s offer: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xrD3S56l9cSQW2zIfo3sE5JLYmU3oR4F/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106709732582969007522&rtpof=true&sd=true
Contract length: 3 years starting 01/02/2022
General Salary Adjustment (COLA): 2.5% all 3 years (everyone receives)
Progression (raise at EPR): 3% all 3 years to the top
Recognition payment: all staff employed 01/02/2022 will receive a one time payment of $500
Paid Parental Leave: increase from 3 to 6 weeks fully paid for any parent
Bereavement leave: Removes restrictions and allows individuals to use the 48 hours in whatever increments they need and includes “taking cultural circumstances into account” increasing access to this leave
Enhanced PTO: No change for employees currently on Sick/Vacation, moves all employees who have been hired after 2009 and enrolled on PTO from schedule 1 to schedule 2 increasing their PTO accrual by 2 days a year. In return, ALL new employees hired after 01/01/2023 will be required to chose PTO and no longer have another option.
MetroPass or GoTo: transit subsidy increases from 50% to 70%
“Loser Pays” arbitration: when a grievance is not resolved with the county at a Step 2, the Union has the right to present the case in a legally binding arbitration where an arbitrator (who is a neutral 3rd party) makes the final decision. Currently, the cost for this is shared 50% by the county and 50% by AFSCME Council 5. This change would mean that the “loser” of the case would pay the full amount and if the decision was split (both for and against the Union) it would still be 50/50. (If asked we have had around 8 arbitrations in the last year and the cost is around an average of $5,000 each).
Premium Holiday: When the county has “premium holidays” it sounds like a benefit since we do not have to pay our insurance premium on that paycheck. However, the fact is that the county also does not pay their share which depletes our insurance reserves and only harms us all. The county has agreed to 2 years without a premium holiday of this 3 year contract.
Market Adjustments: These were make to individual job classes, any with a “TA” listed are set and will not change.
The new numbers do not include the 2.5% GSA which would apply 01/02/2021
Local 34 Classifications: If the union accepts these market adjustments, only 6.4% of unit employees will be at the maximum of their range, allowing access to progression for 93.6%.
Chemical Health Counselor
Current 2021: $ 20.475778 – $28.094049
TA to new 2021 salary rate: $20.475778 – $28.950219
CSO – Union proposal 34-10
Current 2021: $18.377511 – $24.983085
TA to new 2021 salary: $20.00 – $29.597488
CSO, Senior – Union proposal 34-10
Current 2021: $17.546993 – $27.664322
TA to new 2021: $21.611406 – $32.644833
CSO, Principal – Union proposal 34-10
Current 2021: $21.388812 – $31.666888
TA to new 2021 $23.837894 – $36.002247
Community Health Specialist
Current 2021: $25.555339 – $35.066122
TA to a new 2021: $25.555339 – $35.922882
Community Health Worker – Union proposal 34-13
Current 2021: $17.358384 – $21.384526
TA to new 2021: $20.00 – $25.581293 (narrow range)
Community Health Worker, Senior – U34-13
Current 2021: $19.90138 – $29.811884
TA to new 2021: $20.510237 – $31.018262
Dental Asst – Union Proposal U34-13 – TA
Current 2021: $18.411804 – $26.97526
TA to new 2021: $20.00 – $29.584310
Dental Hygienist – County Proposal
Current 2021: $26.977403 – $42.011405
TA to new 2021: $30.379432 – $45.904.571
Health Care Quality Improvement Specialist (vacant) – County Proposal
Current 2021: $27.378195 – $39.050471
TA to new 2021: $27.528556 – $41.610314
HSR – Union proposal 34-9
Current 2021: $20.278597 – $27.36855
TA to new 2021: $20.278597 – $29.577915
HSR, Senior – U-34-9, and U34-13
Current 2021: $19.21446 – $34.752132
TA to new 2021: $23.763634 – $35.927987
Interpreter – Union Proposal U34-13 TA
Current 2021: $18.154611 – $26.540175
TA to new 2021: $20.00 – $28.161722
Medical Assistant – Union proposal – U34-13
Current 2021: $17.836335 – $24.171856
TA to new 2021: $20.00 – $25.443053 (narrow range)
Nurse, LPN – Union Proposal U34-13
Current 2021: $19.728846 – $27.49286
TA to new 2021: $20.00 – $28.146231
Nurse, Public Health – County Proposal –
Current 2021: $27.378195 – $47.482115
County proposal: new 2021: $33.460872 – $50.577337
Social Worker – Union proposal U34-8 –
Current 2021: $27.51215 – $34.253822
County Proposal new 2021: $27.512215 – $39.677417
Social Worker, Senior – Union proposal U34-8
Current 2021: $27.97081 – $40.289284
County proposal new 2021: $28.964074 – $43.749922
Social Worker, Child Protection – Union U34-8
Current 2021: $27.035271 – $45.122368
County Proposal new 2021: $31.936232 – $48.237628
Social Worker, Psych – Union U34-8
Current 2021e: $27.738266 – $38.117075
County Proposal new 2021: $27.738266 – $39.613812
Social Worker, Psych Sr. – Union U34-8
Current 2021: $27.738266 – $44.134319
County Proposal new 2021: $30.437300 – $45.962439
Sterile Proc Tech – Union Proposal U34-13
Current 2021: $17.194424 – $21.534555
TA to new 2021: $20.00 – $23.173598
WIC Public Health Nutritionist – U34-13
Current 2021: $19.90138 – $29.811884
TA to new 2021: $20.531309 – $31.039334
Case Management Assistant – U34-13
Current 2021: $18.918689 – $28.910636
TA to move the minimum rate for 2021 to $20
Record Info Spec –U34-13
Current 2021: $18.918689 – $28.489483
TA to move the minimum rate for 2021 to $20
