Little Union Support for adding 911 Dispatch to PERA Correctional Plan

The LCPR has posted Information from Stakeholders on it's work group site. At this point only one Union bothered to respond to the Working Group's inquiry and that is LELS! On first glance it looks like support for adding them, but a close read reveals otherwise. The letter is in favor of enhanced benefits for 911 Dispatchers but NEVER mentions adding them to the PERA Correctional Plan.

They then do something very curious. They (LELS) attach 7 testimonial letters allegedly from dispatchers and people in the industry, but there are NO NAMES with the letters! Anyone can write anonymously, even the same person. These letters do support adding 911 Dispatchers to the PERA Correctional Plan.

There's also a Workers Comp Claims sheet attached to the LCPR Working Group page. It shows between 2003 and 2020 Dispatchers had 92 claims and Corrections Officers had 2,610! It doesn't show what the claims are for but we all know CO's are subject to assault and disease and dispatchers are not. Once again proving the point that CO's have a far more dangerous job, and we all know most incidents against CO's are not tracked.

So far the only support outside of dispatchers seems to be the MPPOA, which has no dispatchers, and a vague letter of support from LELS with a batch of nameless support testimonials.

MNCORA will be communicating our opposition to adding 911 Dispatchers to the PERA Correctional Plan.

Correctional Officers Federally Recognized as Public Safety Employees

As of January 1, 2025, Correctional Officers are Federally Recognized as Public Safety Employees the same as Police and Fire. This has implications for disability, taxes and retirement. As we face new challenges to our pension in 2025 this will further the distinction between PERA General Plan members like 911 Dispatch and Probation and CO's in the PERA Correctional Plan. It's part of the Secure Act 2.0. 26 USC § 72(t)()(10) definition of Public Safety Employee - qualified public safety employee (10) Distributions to qualified public safety employees and private sector firefighters (A) In general In the case of a distribution to a qualified public safety employee from a governmental plan (within the meaning of section 414(d) ) or a distribution from a plan described in clause (iii), (iv), or (vi) of section 402(c)(8)(B) to an employee who provides firefighting services, paragraph (2)(A)(v) shall be applied by substituting “age 50 or 25 years of service u...

New Bill for Corrections seat on the PERA Board

MNCORA thanks Representatives Peggy Scott and House Leader Harry Niska for Authoring HF708 in the House and senators Cal Bahr and Jim Abeler for authoring the bill in the Senate SF1556 . Next step is for the LCPR to hear this Bill. Here's a link to the Pension Committee (LCPR). It's very important to contact them and ask them to give it a hearing for it to move on. https://www.lcpr.mn.gov/members.htm

MAPE and Teamsters gearing up for pension raid?

Currently there's an MSRS Correctional Plan Eligibility Work Group looking at who and should and should not be in the MSRS (State) Correctional Plan. The recommendations are due to the LCPR by January 10, 2025. As always there's a letter citing MAPE and Teamsters desire to add Probation Officers to both the MSRS and PERA Correctional Plans . Because why wouldn't they try this again out of our sight? Last year of course there was the Bill to add Dispatch to our Correctional Plan, and Rep. Wolgamott (the author) stated the issue was not dead. We fully expect another attempt this year. The last line of MAPE's letter says it all: This upcoming session will be challenging with possibly probation and dispatch both making a run at our pension. MNCORA will be watching. We plan to again submit a Bill to add a CO to the PERA Board (Something State CO's have). Last year Representative Niska authored it, but the LCPR declined to give it a hearing. This session Rep. Niska w...

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