Questions put to any State MMB-HR staff, about any inquiry, always get professional, prompt, accurate and confidential answers. That said, responses by HR maintain the employer's interests, investments and reputation, such that those interests rarely fall second to any employee's interest. Some confidential MMB-HR employees do work within an AFSCME contract but even though union members, they are not under obligation to serve AFSCME membership as Local elected officers are sworn to.
When the same questions, whether asked by members or non-members, are put to sworn Local union or Council officers, the exact same confidentiality is required but union answers reflect noticeably fewer employer interests, and the order who gets asked always alters answers big time!
Local 695 contacts and trained stewards are spread across the 10,000 square mile area of MnDOT District 1A in Northeastern Minnesota. At contract (and other hectic times) only one authorized staff person from Council 5 might be available for Field Representative covering all of Northern Minnesota. Covering this large area poses as much challenge to the Local as it does HR in hiring, orientating, training and placing qualified workers in positions. As most applicants will not commute to a position too great a distance from home, long distances to attend member meetings does more than daunt members, that challenge becomes an excuse to sever their membership.
Members are advised to seek, find, meet and personally know face-to-face who currently serves as the genuine, Local-approved and AFSCME-trained steward, as well as nearest area or shop contacts. Be careful, their faces may be the same but are all previously tested and reliable stewards familiars still serving with AFSCME?
Volunteer contact persons and current elected officials are listed on Local 695’s shingle posted on worksite Union bulletin boards. Voice-call or SMS (texting) contact info (for daytime working hours) is on record (accessed via member account login) at https://members.afscmemn.org/
Council 5 call desk:
SSP-C5-MAC 651-450-4990, (1-800-652-9791)
Hermantown-C5-NE: 218-722-0577 (forwards to SSP-C5-MAC)
Local E-Board maintains a private business mailbox within 695’s paid domain:
PRESIDENT at AFSCMELOCAL695.ORG
The State Electronic Device policy 1438 makes abundantly clear anyone who does a contact with personal devices on state networks, or on any state device, must agree they understand doing so they totally forfeit of any expectation of privacy.