Q1 2023 General Meeting
The first Quarter General meeting was called to order by Union President Justin Schram and seconded by Union Secretary Chris Burkhardt. This meeting was recorded, and the recording is attached to this post.
Accomplishments
In the last 6 months the union has had several accomplishments thanks to the work by its Board and members. This included a market adjustment, in which members saw up to a 6% increase. Three members of Union leadership met with Management and HR regarding the realignment of Casual Hours and Bonuses. Justin Schram thanked the members; Dan Ober, Union Chief Steward; Derek Schnoor, Union Treasurer; and Chris Burkhardt, Union Secretary. The Union leadership also helped get signage on the trucks to align with the rest of Fairview Clinic and Hospital sites as well as other EMS Agencies.
Set Backs
Of course, with accomplishments, there will also be set backs. Union leadership acknowledged the lack of communication on their part. Suggestions by attending members were noted and will be implemented including increasing the posting on the Union board in St Paul, Eagan and Forest Lake.
It was also noted that due to promotions or work life balance, the union is currently running with 4 open positions, with the recent resignation of the Paramedic Rep. The Union is still soliciting the open positions including the EMT rep position which has sat vacant since mid 2022.
Another setback that was noted was Union dues. The union is still working to fix the issue where members are not getting the proper deduction from their paycheck. The union was told by Fairview that they are working on an IT ticket to correct it, but no updates have come from it at this time. Justin Schram relayed that employees should reach out to Fairview payroll and keep an eye on their paystubs.
Financial Report
Treasurer Derek Schnoor gave the financial status of the union. Membership expressed concern for the union paying for the website, which is currently not running as well as it should. Leadership explained that the current website was built by an outside contractor and has several layers that do not work well with each other. It was relayed that the Union has been asking for suggestions for the new website currently set to replace the existing site later in February 2023. Derek and Brett Hopper also explained that employee dues received by the local equal $3 per full time equivalent.
Justin Schram relayed that T-Shirts and Contracts were available for the membership. They will be distributed in rounds once a certain number of people fill out the T-shirt request form online. The QR Code for the form is available at all bases.
NAGE National Representative Brett Hopper was in attendance and gave a report on current events for the State and National level. Scholarship opportunities and benefit opportunities were relayed to attending member.
Future Plans
The union is planning on implementing a survey for all members to help get more information from membership. While Facebook does help, not all members use social media. These Pulse Checks will be similar to what Fairview uses, and will help guide Union leadership on topics that may not always be relayed on social media.
The Union is also looking to celebrate the accomplishments from its members. This Program is called “One of our Best” and will highlight the good deeds of our membership. As of this meeting, the union is still working out the details for nomination and rewards.
Union Dues, are still on the agenda for 2023, Union leadership will keep pushing for the status of the IT Ticket as well as ensuring employees paychecks are deducted properly.
Justin Schram brought up that Union leadership is looking to raise dues to keep up with rising costs and implement a per diem for Union volunteers. Since the Union was formed, dues have not been raised except possibly one time. As of this meeting, all activities done by the Executive board and Union Stewards are done on their own time and at their own expense, that incudes commuting to meet with management and employees. If this is considered, the union will hold a public meeting for comments and then send out a vote to all members.
Sanford Fairview Merger
The union has been asked to make comments regarding the merger. However, at this time the union leadership cannot make any comments as there is too many unknowns still with the merger. Union leadership is still conducting research on Sanford to best know what could be to come.
Open and New Positions
The Union is still looking for members to join the leadership team. As of this meeting, there are less than six stewards included the executive board. If you are interested, please reach out to Eboard@IAEP799.org
Once current openings are filled, the union will be adding some positions to help get representation from our Event crews, Critical care, and our Community Paramedics.