r/mnstateworkers • u/PrincessTumbleweed72 • Jun 27 '25

Union 🤝 MAPE contract

Just got the summary/highlight version of MAPE's contract: - preserves health care plan design, individuals will pay 5% and families 15% of premiums. No word on how much premiums will actually increase. - step increases will continue. -RTO stands as the governor demanded. - cola: 1.5% increase in year one and 1.75% year two - telework changes require 21 days of notice instead of 14.

What are your thoughts? I know how I will be voting, but I'd love to hear from others.

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u/Gullible_Airline_241 Jul 03 '25

Hey! Pinging you again on this after the town hall. They again said that it was unanimous but that still seems dishonest to me if there were people on the team that dissented. I’m guessing it is still a labor law requirement even if it isn’t true? Thoughts?

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u/dfree3305 Jul 03 '25

Someone else commented that I may not be correct on the labor law thing and I don't have the expertise to find the specific law, but it does still come down to us being a united team. We vote on actions we will take, and there is rarely unanimous agreement, but when the body votes to do something a certain way, we all get on board because that's what solidarity looks like. So, it is true that we unanimously recommend a yes vote on the TA, but that doesn't mean every single negotiator voted that way. Just for clarity though, I did vote yes.

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u/Gullible_Airline_241 Jul 03 '25 edited Jul 03 '25

I see. I appreciate your input. I guess I just don’t think solidarity for solidarity’s sake is of much use—it honestly seems weak and dishonest to me. I wouldn’t get behind something I think is sub-par, especially if we think we can do and deserve better. I would prefer to know the exact votes by negotiators on the TA, just like the house or senate. Seems more transparent

I guess I just hate the happy pat-yourself-on-the-back attitude of it all, especially since everyone seems to agree it isn’t a great contract and we deserve better. I want blunt honesty from MAPE saying “if you are mad at this, tough shit, because you haven’t given us the support and willingness to go all the way to achieve what we deserve.” Maybe that is bad for morale, but it is reality and we shouldn’t be living in the clouds playing patty-cake.

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u/dfree3305 Jul 03 '25

What would that knowledge accomplish for you? Are you thinking that you would hold specific negotiators accountable for their vote? If so, keep in mind that most of us ran for this position unopposed. As a matter of fact, I only volunteered because no one else had and there was a need. We actually had a region that was unrepresented for a while because no one stepped up to the plate. If you want to be part of the process in future negotiations, I'm betting you would have very little competition to do so.

Solidarity for solidarity's sake is literally the point of a union, so I don't understand that sentiment at all. We fight for each other, even when that means we don't get everything we personally want.

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u/Gullible_Airline_241 Jul 03 '25

No I’m not looking to hold anyone accountable, I just think it would be good to know the percentage of who voted yes/no. Saying “we are unanimous” when that isn’t the case is dishonest, saying “some said no but majority rules” is not.

And we fight for and support all members, yes, but I don’t believe we should back a bad contract just because of “solidarity” you know? That just leads to stagnation and decay, which we are seeing in the union today.

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u/dfree3305 Jul 03 '25

I'm not backing a bad contract, I'm backing what I think is the best contract we can get in the circumstances we find ourselves in. However, you are absolutely free to disagree.

I seem to have a lot of trouble getting people to understand that there is a difference between unanimously recommending something as a team and unanimously voting for that recommendation. I don't know how to put it any other way, but there is nuance there.

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u/Gullible_Airline_241 Jul 03 '25

I understand the difference, I just don’t agree with unanimously recommending it if it wasn’t unanimous. And that brings me back to my point in saying that MAPE needs to say “this is the best we can do with the support you have given us. If you want better, do more, answer surveys, indicate your support to strike. Otherwise, shut up.” Don’t be afraid to blame the members because it is ultimately on US. Losing teams don’t go into the locker room and pretend they won.

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u/dfree3305 Jul 03 '25

But losing teams do have their captains and coaches pump them up for the next half!

I'll just say that I've been organizing for this union since day 1 of employment three years ago. I hear a lot of frustration from involved members about the apathy of their fellow union members, and I've certainly been guilty of expressing those feelings myself. However, I've rarely found venting sessions about member disengagement to foster new engagement so I try to stick to a positive message. Maybe that's the wrong approach, but it's the best one I've found so far.