Vol. 37 No.2August 2016

A publication of the Montana Public Employees Association

MPEA, MEA-MFT to Study Merger or Affiliation

Lt Governor Opens MPEA’s Annual Meeting Discusses Accomplishments and Goals

Montana Lt. Governor Mike Cooney opened this year’s Annual Meeting by first thanking members for standing up for work-ing families then discussed successes of the Bullock Administration in its first term and what he and the Governor wanted to accom-plish in the second, if re-elected.

Cooney noted that more people needed to understand the role of public employees in the construction and maintenance of our highways, public employee efforts to maintain the health and well-being of Montanans, and, in the education of Montana children.

The Lt. Governor then noted MPEA’s role in negotiating pay plans and insurance contribution increases and that under Bullock there had been pay increases in two succes-sive biennia. He also noted the role of labor in defeating another right-to-work legislative effort in 2015 and said that as long as Bullock was Governor there will be opposition to such legislative efforts.

He said the administration was proud of its successful effort to expand Medicaid, se-cure state passage of the CSK Water compact (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Water Compact ) and maintaining a state budget and reserves that has made Montana a nationally recognized leader in fiscal pru-dence. He also noted that Montana has the sixth highest wage growth rate and had the nation’s highest level of start-up activity.

Cooney told MPEA members that he be-lieved “we are at a remarkable time in our his-tory. Unemployment is at 4.2 percent, 10,000 jobs were added last year, and Montana was recognized as the country’s most fiscally prudent state.”

In his concluding remarks, Cooney said that in the coming biennium the administra-tion would fight for an infrastructure program, for kids and for education. He also envisioned a need for a program to train workers and continuing the fight to preserve our public lands.

Lt Governor Mike Cooney

After considerable discussion at this year’s Annual Meeting, attending members passed a resolution calling for MPEA and MEA-MFT to explore merger or affiliation opportunities and report on the status of these discussions at the 2017 association conven-tion in Helena. There is a history behind this effort.

For most of its history, MPEA existed as an independent labor organization. Members elected officers and five regional directors to MPEA’s Board. The Board hired an executive director who hired staff. Because there was no affiliation or larger purpose, MPEA was free to concentrate on doing nothing but improv-ing the working lives of its members. Out of this a specific culture of service emerged. Then in March of 2011, MPEA affiliated with the Montana AFL-CIO.

Unions struggling for members in the 1980s often attempted the easy route of just taking members from other unions and par-ticularly independents like MPEA that didn’t have “no raid” agreements.

Affiliation stopped the expensive and wasteful raiding. No raid agreements have existed between MPEA and MEA-MFT for the past 20 years. Additionally, MPEA and MEA-MFT have jointly represented members at the Department of Revenue since 2000.

While all this has been happening, a common enemy of all in labor has been gathering strength through the judicial and state legislative processes. The many mega billionaires involved in this effort want to weaken labor with right-to-work efforts to be followed by efforts to eliminate exclusive representation.

Consequently, discussions with other unions on the need to collectively fight have emerged.

There are differences between MPEA and other labor organizations. MPEA Board mem-ber DeeDe Baker, Billings, explained that she believed it was necessary to look at changes that in the long run will be in the best interest of all of us and that an open dialogue about the pros and cons would help.

Department of Revenue employee, Kevin Bock, said he supported the idea of exploring a road to affiliation and believed everyone would gain from such a move. Another mem-ber asked if her dues would increase. MPEA Executive Director Quinton Nyman explained that MPEA used a flat fee dues structure and that MEA-MFT used one with 10 separate steps and that was one of the many issues needing to be explored. Baker then suggested that members be kept informed and that the membership ultimately had the right to vote

on such a change. MPEA staffer Darcy Dahle added that “we will have to go back to our units and explain this; we need ongoing com-munications.”

Bill Dwyer, Dillon, told members that the Board shared their concerns. “It’s going to be your decision. I’m concerned about the different culture of MPEA and MEA. We needed to ask your permission to go further with any talks.” Following these discussions the resolution to explore merger or affiliation opportunities with MEA-MFT passed.

Page 2 - MPEA, August 2016

A Publication of theMontana Public Employees AssociationP.O. Box 5600 • Helena, Montana 59604

1-800-221-3468 ~ 442-4600 www.mympea.org

Board of DirectorsPresident ....................................... Dan Dolan1st Vice President ...........Pam Burgess Hayes2nd Vice President ...................DeeDe Baker3rd Vice President .............Sheryl Stinchfield4th Vice President .................... Lisa SheehanSecretary Treasurer .............. Crystal MurphyExecutive Director ...............Quinton Nyman

Regional DirectorsRegion 1 ..................................Brian MurphyRegion 2 .........................................................Region 3 ......................................Lisa TuckerRegion 4 .......................................Bill DwyerRegion 5 .................................. Mike Burman

Field Service StaffRaymond Berg ..............Field RepresentativeDarcy Dahle ..................Field RepresentativeMegan Chuter ...............Field RepresentativeJeff Howe ......................Field RepresentativeRobyn Trott ...................Field Representative

Office StaffVal Flansaas ......................... Office ManagerKim Sebens ...........Membership CoordinatorDave Depew .........................................Editor

Three Regional Directors were nomi-nated for the Helena, Billings and Great Falls areas at the Annual Meeting in Kalispell.

Brian Murphy, Billings, was nominated unopposed to the position of Region I Direc-tor. Murphy has been an MPEA member since 2002 and is active in his Billings School Dis-trict Chapter. Murphy will now be serving his second term on the Board. The Billings region consists of all those zip codes that begin 590, 591 and 593.

Tim Hall, Great Falls, was nominated un-opposed to the position of Region II Director. Hall is a member of MPEA’s Department of Agriculture Chapter and has been an MPEA member since 2011. The Great Falls region consists of all those zip codes that begin 592, 594 and 595.

Lisa Tucker was elected to her second term as Region III Director. This is the Helena Region and it covers all those MPEA mem-bers with a zip code that begins 596. Tucker is a member of MPEA’s Department of Envi-ronmental Quality Chapter. Tucker, an active member since 1999 has served as president of her DEQ chapter and has participated on the statewide bargaining team and on her chap-ter’s bargaining team.

Murphy, Hall and Tucker were all nomi-nated unopposed. Per MPEA Bylaws those nominated unopposed are considered elected.

Three Regional MPEA Directors

Elected

MPEA’s Constitution was amended at this year’s Annual Meeting in Kalispell to allow the retiree appointee to vote as a regular Board member.

At MPEA’s May, 2011, Annual Meeting members attending passed a resolution to add a retiree as a non-voting, ex-officio member.

There was, at the time, significant legisla-tive pressure to modify or change the cur-rent defined benefit retirement system. The 2011 legislature proposed about 25 pieces of legislation that would have impacted vari-ous retirement systems. MPEA’s 2011 Board thought a retiree representative could assist active members to understand the potential impact of changes in the retirement system. The adopted change to the Constitution at this year’s Annual Meeting keeps the position an appointed one but adds the right to vote.

MPEA Constitution Amended

State Auditor Candidate Jesse Laslovich

Jesse Laslovich, candidate for State Auditor, was the banquet speaker at this year’s Annual Meeting in Kalispell. He has spent the past five years as chief legal counsel for State Auditor Monica Lindeen who is “termed out” and is now running for the position of Secre-tary of State.

Laslovich, an Anaconda native, told MPEA members he believed “the State Auditor does the kind of work you want and need done by govern-ment.” More specifi-cally, the State Auditor “is responsible for fighting fraud, holding insurance companies and securities firms accountable,” and, as a member of the land board is also respon-sible for protecting Montana’s public lands and water.

The title of State Auditor comes from the State Constitution, but the position is actu-ally that of a commissioner of securities and insurance. Efforts to update the title have fallen short. Laslovich told members that to date he had recovered $100 million for Montana victims of security fraud.

Along that same line, Laslolvich noted that the minimum amount the State Auditor recovers every year in disputes with insurance

companies exceeds $3 million. He explained that if an insurance company denies a claim they shouldn’t have Montanans can turn to the State Auditor rather than hiring their own lawyer to correct the fault. Laslovich sees this as “leveling the playing field for Montanans.”

There also are the victims of financial crimes. In such cases the State Auditor is the

prosecutor who pursues the criminal and helps the victim. Laslovich is well known for his success in prosecuting ponzi schemes involv-ing millions of dollars in losses to ordinary Montanans.

Laslovich also touched on the im-pact of changes in the healthcare system. The next State Auditor, Laslovich believes, will need an understanding of Montana’s health-care system and what needs to be repaired.

He also believes the existing system can be greatly improved by making health care costs more transparent: “So we know what we’re getting out of our healthcare before we buy it.”

Laslovich is a University of Montana law school graduate who has served in both the Montana House and Senate and also spent time as an Assistant Attorney General. He is married and has two children.

— MPEA Endorsed —Laslovich Details State Auditor’s Work

MPEA, August 2016 - Page 3

MPEA lost the great skills, labor knowl-edge and perseverance of Bob Chatriand when he retired in March to return home to Butte. Before coming to MPEA some 15 years

ago, Chatriand had been an active MPEA member at MPEA’s Montana Tech unit.

Fortunately, MPEA has been able to hire Megan Chuter from the Department of Labor and Industry’s Unemployment Insurance Division.

The 32-year-old Helena native brings skills gleaned from a background that in-cludes being reared on a farm, working for a government contract services company, a position with the Rocky Mountain Develop-ment Council and working within the labor department for the past five or six years. She also brings an enthusiasm for the work which she attributes, in part, to listening to MPEA Field Representatives Darcy Dahle and Raymond Berg at the 2015 Annual Meeting in Bozeman as they described the role of unions in the lives of those covered by a collective bargaining contract.

Chuter said that growing up, 4-H was a big part of her life and after high school she began her career at JHS Inc. which provides government contract services and more spe-cifically represented Montana’s wool growers, grain growers and the firemen’s association.

She was part of the team that worked with firemen to successfully lobby use of a sub-stance in all cigarettes coming to Montana that will extinguish a cigarette when it is not being smoked.

From the contract company, Chuter began work for RMDC in its Head Start program. She attributes RMDC with opening her eyes to local issue and how team work can be used to accomplish positive things for communities and individuals.

Chuter began her work at the labor de-partment in 2009 and is presently also study-ing accounting at the University of Montana Helena College.

In the three months Chuter has been with MPEA, she has negotiated a tentative agreement for the Belgrade School District, completed work and sent out for a vote a ten-tative agreement for Shelby School District Chapter members. She is guiding the City of Helena Dispatchers in their labor/manage-ment meeting, has been involved in the world of disciplinary action and has also been involved in launching the next set of state pre-budget negotiations.

Bob Funk, Montana’s AFL-CIO Com-munication Director, discussed news and communication in the new media environ-ment with MPEA members at June’s Annual Meeting in Kalispell.

Funk noted that the explosion in the use of social media had occurred at the same time as the fiscal collapse of traditional newspa-pers.

He explained that in Montana, which has also experienced a significant decline in its press, newspapers remain an important source of information

“We now have blogs, facebook and twit-ter and some of the blogs have been doing the job as journalists better than the press,” Funk said. As an example, he cited the blog Cow-girl and some of its investigative journalism which resulted in stories picked up days later by the daily press.

Funk noted that only the public can decide whose work deserves attention and respect previously given the daily press. Funk believes labor has and should take advantage of the social media in a way that keeps mem-bers on top of things. He also stressed the importance of having a Facebook account and learning who to follow on twitter.

It would seem insightful reporting disap-peared, in part, because of the failure of news-papers to retain sufficient reporting staff. The few that remain scroll to blogs and Facebook to report on what others are presenting. “This is an opportunity,” according to Funk, “for labor to get its side of a story out.” AFL-CIO Communications Director Bob Funk

AFL-CIO Communications Director Bob FunkDetails Impact of Social Media for Members

Bob Chatriand Retires from MPEA StaffMegan Chuter from Labor Hired as Field Rep

MPEA members attending this year’s Annual Meeting in Kalispell selected Bill-ings as the site for the 2019 Annual Meeting.

The 2017 Annual Meeting is scheduled to be held in Helena and the 2018 Annual Meeting will be held in Great Falls.

Because MPEA members are spread around the state, it has long been the asso-ciation’s custom to move Annual Meetings into different areas to maximize the oppor-tunity for members to attend these annual business sessions.

Billings to Host 2019Annual Meeting

Megan Chuter, left, and MPEA Board Member DeeDe Baker, greet one another at Annual Meeting.

CongressionalCandidate WritesMPEA Members

Page 4 - MPEA, August 2016

Carpenter, Pennington Earn MPEA ScholarshipsShelby Carpenter of Bozeman and Joseph

Pennington of Elliston were the winners of MPEA’s academic scholarships for 2016. The scholarships provide $1500 to each recipient one of whom will be a freshman and the other a continuing student.

The scholarships are for MPEA members and members of their families. Pennington, who has a 4.0 grade point average at Helena High School, begins his freshman year at the University of Montana, Missoula, this fall. Pennington, the 2016 vale-dictorian at Helena High, wants to become a physician and his high school career would certainly indicate this to be an appropriate course of study.

Claire Pichette, a science teacher at Hel-ena High, noted in her recommendation for an MPEA scholarship that Pennington “was an essential member of our state champion Sci-ence Olympiad, Science Bowl and Envirothon teams.” She also notes that he is the president of this year’s Science Club who “puts in many extra hours to help train and prepare our younger team members and make them feel welcome.”

Pennington’s mom, Carmen, is a mem-

ber of MPEA’s Office of Public Instruction Chapter and his dad also works for the state. This helps explain his insight into the value of union membership. In his written statement to the selection committee, Pennington states “I have grown up in a working family and have been taught the value of having a say in one’s occupation. Collective bargaining is crucial in order to have a stable relationship between employers and employees. Without collec-tive bargaining, employers would be able to take away the powers from the working man or woman, and abuse it if they did not have the workers best interests at heart. Both of my parents are currently state workers. The benefits they receive from their jobs are not only a livable wage, but also good health and dental benefits. They also have the oppor-tunity for extra ways to save for retirement because of MPEA. Collective bargaining through the MPEA guarantees my family the means to maintain a good balance between work and family.”

Shelby Carpenter is the 2016 winner of the $1500 scholarship for a continuing student. She is the daughter of Mark Carpen-ter, a member of MPEA’s Bozeman Chapter.

Carpenter is enrolled at MSU where she has maintained a 3.98 grade point average. She is an elementary education major with a double minor in Spanish Teaching and Hispanic Studies.

Lori Brockway, a professor of education at MSU, described Carpenter as a dedicated learner and scholar with writing, research and communication skills. She also noted: “there is a strong work ethic in many Montana stu-dents and that Shelby is one of them.”

Carpenter is already gaining experience in teaching by acting as a mentor for a student in the Bozeman School District and teaching, on a weekly basis. She also understands the relationship between family stability and the efforts of unions through collective bargain-ing. She noted that recently the Bozeman bargaining unit her dad belongs to “was able to negotiate higher wages that are in line with market pay.” She was able to detail for the scholarship committee the numerous improve-ments made by the bargaining team and said she believed that “this work increases stability for families and helps workers realize their highest potential without the fear of being left without a job.”

“Dear MPEA members and friends, I’m sorry I can’t join you today to celebrate more than seven decades of MPEA standing up for the rights of workers and their families.

“I’m proud to be a long-time union mem-ber. As head of Montana’s public schools, I have put politics aside to increase gradua-tion rates to the highest level in state history, boosting our economy. I’ve also worked to raise academic standards, so students are truly prepared for college, the military, and careers. And I’ve pushed back on federal policies that don’t fit our rural state. In Congress, you can count on me to continue this record of independent thinking to get things done for Montana’s people, land and economy.

“I’m proud of the more than 20 union endorsements I have earned in this race, representing well over 55,000 public and private-sector workers and their families. Congressman Ryan Zinke fails to earn these endorsements because he continually sides with insiders and special interests over hard-working Montanans. He’s voted to give tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas,

and he opposes increases to the minimum wage.

“With your help, I will win Montana’s lone seat in the U.S. House. I’ve already won statewide office twice, I’ve received 31,000 more votes than Congressman Zinke ever has, and I’ve got a record to stand on of fighting for hard-working Montanans.

“I hope you have a successful conven-tion, and that I will see you all soon. Thank you for all you do,”

OPI Superintendent and U.S. House Candidate Denise Juneau has been endorsed by MPEA.

Marias Medical Chapter Ratifies

Two-Year ContractMPEA’s Marias Medical Center Chapter

ratified a two-year contract May 12, according to MPEA Field Representative Robyn Trott.

The average increase in pay over the two-year period amounted to 7 percent, according to Trott. There was a 2 percent across-the-board increase retroactive to the first shift in the May pay period when the contract was ratified. Each cell in the pay matrix was increased by 2 percent. In July of 2016 and 2017 step increases will be provided those eligible to receive them. These steps amount to about 2 percent. Those workers who are “stepped out” will receive 1.5 percent in July of each year.

The Marias Medical Center will continue to contribute $625 per month for individual health insurance premiums.

Bargaining team members John Whitney, Bob Winney and Jeanne Widhalm and Trott were also able to get on-call pay increased to $3 per hour and to also secure language for maintenance members to be reimbursed up to $50 per year for Boiler License Renewal.

Schneider Discusses Importance of Political Action Committee

OPI Superintendent Candidate Melissa Romano has been endorsed by MPEA.

MPEA Endorses Romano for OPI

MPEA, August 2016 - Page 5

Great Falls School Chapter Settles

OPI Superintendent candidate Melissa Romano met with MPEA members at the 2016 Annual Meeting in Kalispell June 11. Romano, Helena, has been endorsed by MPEA in her race against Elsie Arntzen, Bill-ings.

The Office of Public Instruction oversees Montana’s K-12 school system that involves 314 districts over 100,000 elementary stu-dents and over 40,000 high school students. MPEA has represented OPI’s workers for the

past three decades.The elected superintendent heads that of-

fice and is one of five elected officials on the state land board which is the decision maker on managing returns on the five million acres set aside for providing school resources.

Romano explained that she is among those who believe Montana should continue to fund public education and not divert valu-able resources to private schools. “Too many of our schools are struggling now and we’ll create more of a mess if we take more money away,” she said.

This is Romano’s first run at elected of-fice, but she brings 13 years of experience to the table, as well as, the distinction of being the 2009 winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. She has a B.A. in Science and an M.S. in elementary education.

Romano considers herself a public em-ployee. “I am one of you! We demand a few simple things: a living wage; respect for who we are and what we do; the right to bargain collectively; and, an adequate pension.” She also told members she was opposed to right-to-work legislation.

Romano, who is married and has four kids, grew up in Helena and graduated from Helena High School.

MPEA’s Great Falls School Secretaries Chapter has settled two contracts in the last eight months. The first, of course, came after two years of negotiations. It was settled in November and provided increased wages and retroactive pay back to 2014. The second was reached in June and ratified in July.

This agreement is for a one-year contract, according to Field Representative Robyn Trott, principal negotiator.

The new contract contains provisions that improve annual income for this fiscal year, sets up a process to review and improve the pay matrix, provides some improved language on working hours and personnel files.

There is to be a one-time payment to all full-time bargaining unit members of $250, half just before Christmas and the second half in May of 2017. The district contribution for health insurance will be increased at the same rate and amount as that for teachers. There are flaws in the salary matrix for the clerical bargaining unit.

The new contract calls for creation of a group on or before October 14, 2016, that is to re-evaluate both the existing pay matrix and the process for reclassification of clerical staff. The group is also to explore the addi-tion of another pay level. The group is also to develop reasonably consistent increases between years of service. October 2016 is also when the citizens of Great Falls will make a decision on a $98.8 million bond levy in what is being billed as an investment in “our kids, our community and our future.” A mail ballot will be used for this October decision.

The new tentative agreement provides for two 15-minute breaks, which is new language.

It also contains a provision that will en-able bargaining unit members to review the contents of their personnel files and to provide an answer to any material found in the person-nel file.

Bargaining team members Lisa Henry, Sherri Clark and Daneen Pate worked with Trott in the development of this tentative agreement.

MPEA’s Executive Director Emeritus Tom Schneider provided members attending the 2016 Annual Meeting in Kalispell a short history of the Association then discussed the importance of MPEA’s political action com-mittee (EPIC), status of the guaranteed annual benefit adjustment (GABA) and the impact

polarization had on the last legislative session.MPEA has its origins in the desire of

Montana public employees to create some kind of retirement system; this was accom-plished in 1945. Dues at that time were $2 per year.

Schneider said he joined the organization in 1962 and became a board member in 1966. Then, as a board member Schneider went to Utah in 1968 for a conference on collective bargaining. Then, in 1971, Schneider became executive director and at that point there were 442 members. The enabling legislation for collective bargaining was accomplished in 1973 and with it the organization’s growth and recognition as a labor organization.

Schneider then spent some time explain-ing the rationale behind creation of MPEA’s political action committee. He noted that what public employees in Montana enjoy comes from a political body---it may be a school board, city, county or the legislature. The po-litical action committee has enabled us to help those with supportive voting records. He also noted that the amount a member may volun-tarily donate to EPIC was increased last year.

Schneider also explained that a settlement on the issue of a guaranteed annual benefit adjustment was reached. In July, 2015, PERS retirees, the Montana Public Employees Re-tirement Administration, and the Governor’s Office agreed to drop appeals of a District Court decision that found the legislative elimination of the 3 percent annual benefit adjustment violated both the state and federal Constitutions. All PERS members hired before July 1, 2007, will keep the 3 percent GABA; those hired between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2013, will keep the 1.5 percent GABA; and, those hired after July 1, 2013, will be subject to a “sliding scale” ranging from 0 percent to 1.5 percent.

The use of mail ballots in Montana has grown rapidly and in the 2012 presidential election accounted for 59 percent of the total votes cast. That’s up from the 42 percent cast in the 2008 presidential.

These absentee ballots are mailed to eli-gible voters 25 days before the 2016 general election day of November 8. Look for your mail ballot to arrive the week of October 11.

Expect Mail Ballot in Oct.

MPEA Endorses Fox for Re-Election

Cascade County ChapterRatifies Three-Year Contract

Page 6 - MPEA, August 2016

Gibson GetsLongevity AwardPatricia Gibson, a member of MPEA’s

University System Chapter, was the 2016 recipient of the Thomas E. Schneider Award. The award goes to an MPEA member who has the greatest number of years of service in the region where the Annual Meeting is being held.

Gibson’s tenure dates to December of 1975.

L&C ChapterRatifies 2-Year Contract

MPEA’s Lewis and Clark County Chapter has ratified a tentative agreement on a two-year contract, according to Field Representa-tive Robyn Trott, principal negotiator. This contract covers the county health department, cooperative health center (now known as Pure View Health Center), and workers at the county landfill operation. In addition to the economic settlement there are changers to seniority/layoff language, absorption of an earlier maintenance of agreement into the contract which runs from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018.

Compensation increases for individu-als on three separate levels. As part of the economic settlement the county agreed to increase monthly contribution for health insurance from $675 to $725. There is a pay matrix which reflects inflation as measured by the federal government and adopted by MaCO (Montana Association of County Officials). This amounted to one-tenth of one percent for 2015. There are steps, at least for the first five years. Finally, there is a longevity provi-sion adopted a number of years ago which provides $600 on a fulltime employee’s sixth anniversary then adds $100 to that each year thereafter. The payments are made in Novem-ber. As an example a 30-year employer gets an extra $3000.

Those working at the landfill will see an increase for safety-toed boots. The increase was from $250 every other year to $250 every year.

There was also an improvement in the seniority/layoff language. The new language provides that “Reinstatement preference will last for 12 months from the effective date of the reduction in force even in the event of the employer accepting another County position within the 12 month recall period.”

Working with Trott to negotiate this ten-tative agreement were Chris Asplund, Melissa Baker and Debb Tillo.

MPEA’s Cascade County Chapter ratified a three-year contract June 23, according to Field Representative Robyn Trott, principal negotiator.

The negotiating team of Trott, Deb Snipes, Sarah Robbin and Karen Grindeland negotiated pay increases that began in July, 2016, and for the beginning of each of the following two fiscal years. There is to be an across-the-board pay increase of 50 cents an hour this July which is to be followed by two increases that amount to 2 percent or the MACO cost of living adjustment not to exceed 3 percent, whichever is greater. The MACO cost of living adjustment is provided to local governments by the Montana Associa-tion of County Officials which gets the infla-tion figure from the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research. It generally reflects the national CPI-W.

The team was also able to add language providing for bereavement leave. This new provision provides that employees be al-lowed leave with pay because of death in the employee’ immediate family. Bereavement leave is up to three scheduled workdays per death, is to be effective immediately upon hire and is not to be charged against any of the employee’s other leave accounts.

Trott noted that the recognition clause will now include Medical Assistants and what were once WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Technicians who are now Nutrition Aides.

This Cascade County contract covers nutrition aides, medical assistants, certi-fied dental assistants, social workers, emer-gency planners, community health education specialists, registered sanitarians, LPNs and registered dieticians.

MPEA has endorsed the re-election of Attorney General Tim Fox who has headed the Justice Department for the past four years. MPEA has six separate contracts in Justice covering the Registrar’s Office, Highway Pa-trol, Criminal Investigators, Driver Services, the support staff for Highway Patrol, and those in communications. Fox attended this year’s Annual Meeting in Kalispell and was the keynote speaker at Saturday’s luncheon and reminded members that “your work keeps Montana moving and safe.”

The AG also said he believed the people of Montana need to know the people em-ployed to keep things moving and what they accomplish. He then relayed an incident in-volving a patrolman. The patrolman noted an unresponsive female in the back seat of a car. She had over dosed on heroin; his subsequent actions saved her life, according to the AG. He also discussed the action of another patrol-man who was responding in Ravalli County to a woman who was threatening to kill herself. “The Officer was able to ‘talk her down’ then remove her from danger.”

Fox, a Hardin native, believes that his staff and other public employees are success-ful when they receive excellent training, have the resource to do the job, and have the sup-port of their colleagues.

Fox, a UofM law school graduate, had 33 bills introduced in the 2015 Legislative ses-sion and each was passed. He also discussed

the need for a consumer safety push and ex-pressed a desire to have our reservations safer places to live.

This Hardin High School graduate believes in the continued development of Montana’s natural resources which he sees as an integral part of Montana’s revenue base. At one point in his career, Fox worked for the Department of Environmental Quality becom-ing a division administrator where he man-aged people, programs and budgets. That may, in part, explain his ability to work with MPEA staff in negotiations. He said he believes in being open and honest when we negotiate. MPEA Executive Director Quint Nyman later commented that MPEA had excellent rela-tions with the AG in collective bargaining.

Fox, who has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO, MPEA, and MEA-MFT, and his wife Karen have four children and five grandchil-dren.

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Attorney General Tim Fox

MPEA, August 2016 - Page 7

Billings Attorney Cori Cook ExplainsPrice Transparency and Lowering Medical Care Costs

Cori Cook, a Billings attorney whose practice specializes in strategizing ways to lower the cost of health care, provided MPEA members attending this year’s Annual Meet-ing with insight into how this can be accom-plished.

First some numbers.Cook said that about two-thirds of all

medical bills overcharge. “They overcharged by $10 billion, this last year.

“Wage growth since 2006 is at 3.8 per-cent; medical care costs in the same period are up 87 percent.”

According to a recent issue of JAMA Internal Medicine between 2009 and 2013 out-of-pocket spending per hospital stay grew by 37 percent, about 6.5 percent per year while overall health care spending grew by 2.9 percent.

“People need to know prices, quality and infection rates. Don’t care what is reimbursed you want to know what is billed,” Cook said.

Cook also believes that too many provid-ers are being left out of the loop and that a procedure here that costs $88,000 may cost only $8,000 in Oklahoma.

She advocates slowing the cost of health care costs which she believes is critical to the long-term fiscal health of Montana and the nation.

The tactic she proposes is to increase price transparency. This means hospitals publishing the prices that providers charge or that patients pay for medical care.

It’s the wide variation in medical prices within the U.S. and even in Montana that cre-ates an opportunity for transparency to reduce spending. And, reducing spending or efforts to slow the growth of health care costs became an integral part of the pay package in the 2015 legislative session.

House Bill 13 which normally carries the negotiated compensation agreement was killed early in the session in House Appropri-ations. Sen. Llew Jones, Conrad, who chaired

Labor Historian Aarstad RelaysAnti-Labor Efforts in Montana

Rich Aarstad, a labor historian and MEA-MFT member from the Montana Historical Society, provided MPEA members attending this year’s Annual Meeting with information about past anti-labor efforts in Montana.

He informed members that Wilbur Fisk Sanders, one of Montana’s first two U.S. senators, helped lead both the Citizens Alli-ance of Helena and the larger more powerful Citizens Industrial Association of America. Both groups espoused industrial peace but really worked to replace the “closed shop” labor structure, which required a membership in a union as a condition for being hired and for continued employment. Sanders worked with N.F. Thompson who headed the Ku

Klux Klan. It was Thompson who advocated endorsing “justifiable Homicide” laws to deal with labor-management disputes.

And then there was Governor Sam Stew-art, who called a special session of the Leg-islature saying the state needed stronger laws for fighting sedition. The First World War was being fought and speaking against authority (sedition) was the target of this legislation. However, at the same time, Stewart signed the criminal syndicalism act. All of this made it easier to restrict individual rights and was a boon to the Anaconda Company. It probably was the beginning of the end for the IWW’s organizing efforts in Montana.

MEA-MFT Representatives, from left, Rich Aarstad, Erik Burke and Anthony Lapke,among those attending Annual Meeting.

the Senate Finance and Claims Committee, introduced Senate Bill 418 which provided for the health insurance contribution to match what was negotiated. Base pay increases then became part of the personal service budgets within House Bill 2. SB 418 also had lan-guage stipulating that the increased contribu-tion depended on the department of adminis-tration pursuing cost containment measures. In response to SB418, the State began to study price transparency as advocated by Cook and others.

Then at the beginning of this fiscal year the State implemented transparent pricing, which the Department of Administration defines “as a method of payment for medical services based on cost and quality.” In the past, hospitals were not limited on how much they charge and could change prices at any-time. Each hospital has its own list of charges

but that information was not available to other hospitals, patients or insurance companies. “The new system pays participating hospitals using Medicare rates as a reference point and then pays a percentage above that. It is the way physicians have been paid for years,” the Health Care and Benefits Division explains.

When a hospital or facility decides to par-ticipate they sign a contract. All of Montana’s major hospitals are on board with the excep-tion of Benefis in Great Falls. If a hospital doesn’t wish to participate the state will still pay a set amount above Medicare. If the hos-pital wants more the covered person may be billed for more money.

Here’s the rub. As Cook explained that a “procedure costing $88,000 here cost $8000 in Oklahoma.” Will a procedure costing $5000 in Billings or Missoula cost $50,000 at Benefis?

Billings Attorney Cori Cook

Department of Labor and Industry MPEA member Courtney Hartman is the 2016 winner of the Morey/Bukvich award for her outstanding work on behalf of her fellow Chapter members. Hartman was among six MPEA members recognized at this year’s An-nual Meeting in Kalispell. Hartman is an employment consultant in Missoula for DLI and has been an active MPEA member since 2000 and has served her Missoula colleagues as their Chapter Representative for the last 14 years.

Hartman is part of the Missoula Job Service team that works to get clients back to work and while continuing her workforce consultant duties she is also assisting with the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment Program (RESEA), a program to help Unemployment Insurance claimants return to work faster, and, HELP Link, a program to connect Medicaid enrollees with workforce training, employment services and job openings in our local communities. DLI members are covered by MPEA’s State Master Agreement and its DLI supplemental contract. Hartman has served many times on the team that negotiates the DLI supplemen-tal. And for many years she has also been an active member of two Labor/Management committees, including the one covering the Workforce Service Division and the depart-ment as a whole.

DLI like so many other departments of state government has bought into the anxiety and frustration that comes with computer systems and their ever evolving enhance-ment system. It may be from this world that Hartman is best known and appreciated by her colleagues across the state. These systems have problems. When a problem pops up or the machine won’t do what it is supposed to a member of the VICE team is contacted for a solution or to help someone with a “work around” to get the machine to do what it is supposed to. Hartman is a member of that team. That system was designed to match up job seekers and their skills with job open-ings. But, it has flaws and it has resulted in taking power out of the hands of the workers and into a flawed system. Hartman has also been involved in setting up a peer messag-ing system so a worker can detail a problem and someone on her team can respond with a “here’s how to work around that.”

Hartman is married and has four grown children. Her husband is one of MPEA’s U-

System members. There were five other MPEA members

recognized for their contributions to our union who were nominated for the Morey/Bukvich Award which was named for Dan Bukvich who was involved in getting MPEA going and then was involved in guiding it from his posi-tion on the Board. Betty Morey was added to the award to honor the MPEA staffer who was murdered in front of MPEA headquarters in 1994.

Wendy Olson-Hansen, a health promo-tion specialist for the Flathead City/County Health Department and an MPEA member since 2009 is recognized by her colleagues for her “unique ability to carefully listen to a discussion and meticulously craft a thought-filled response.”

Olson-Hansen, the MPEA chapter representative, was cited by her peers for her efforts in recent contract discussions which showed her ability to work with a wide and diverse group of individuals to reach a con-sensus on difficult issuers. She knows how to keep large groups focused, on track and goal oriented. “These group discussions take many hours of her personal time as she is summariz-ing ideas, developing questions back to our groups and keeping everyone informed,” her peers note. “She is well respected by manage-ment and her chapter members,” they also note.

Daneen Pate, a member of MPEA’s

Great Falls School District Chapter, was rec-ognized for her monumental efforts in keep-ing her bargaining unit informed and positive during their last negotiations which lasted 18

stressful months. Pate has been an MPEA member since

2008 and has served her chapter as its presi-dent for the past five years. Her peers note that Pate has always been an effective and calm leader who both parents and co-workers depend on for information.

Colette Campbell, current president of

MPEA’s MSU Bozeman unit, is recognized for her ability to generate interest and enthu-siasm in union efforts. Campbell, an admin-istrative assistant and member since 2008, holds monthly lunch meetings as well as a 5 p.m. meeting to encourage more members to become active and attend union functions.

Campbell has been active in reimple-menting the Labor/Management Committee and has been collaborating with chapter presi-dents as collective bargaining sessions begin. She also created and maintains the MPEA-MSU Facebook page and keeps the members informed with a monthly newsletter. Her col-leagues note that she is also always available for members’ questions and concerns.

Shannon Graham, a tax examiner with

the Department of Revenue, is the current secretary of Local 4993, which is jointly administered by MPEA and MEA-MFT, she has addressed concerns with issues related to the local’s constitution, board minutes and the collective bargaining agreement. She under-stands the growing importance of social me-dia and has taken over the duties of managing the local’s Facebook page enabling members to stay abreast of union happenings.

An MPEA member since 2005, Graham attends all available training on her own time and was among those actively involved in the 2015 legislative session.

Julie McKenna, an MPEA member for the past 30 years, is also a member of Revenue Local 4993, and serves this unit as its treasurer, a position she has held for the past five years. During that time she has put in countless hours of volunteer time making sure that local financial records met membership requirements with national affiliates. She was a key member in the rewriting and bargain-ing of the current local collective bargaining agreement.

Recently, McKenna was appointed by Governor Bullock to the Montana Public Em-ployees Retirement Administration Board.

— 2016 Morey/Bukvich Winner —

Courtney Hartman Recognized for Service

MPEA President, Dan Dolan, presents Morey-Bukvich Award to Courtney Hartman.