April 26, 2005
FOURTH INSTALLMENT OF SURVEY COMMENT RESPONSES
No governor has 'given' state employees anything
without very hard negotiations work, member unity
In an effort to better engage the membership in the negotiations survey process, Bob Haag, assistant executive director and negotiations coordinator/consultant, will prepare responses to the various comments that were placed on the surveys. This will be done over time as installments so that the information is not too overwhelming. This is the fourth installment.
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Comment: MAPE managers, business agents and all other MAPE staff should not be exempt from pay freezes. When we are getting pay freezes, we must all share the pain.
BH: All of the staff salaries at the MAPE central office are tied to the across-the-board pay increases negotiated on behalf of state employees. The 0 percent pay freezes that were forced upon state employees by the current governor also apply to all MAPE staff. Staff contracts have been tied to state raises for many years, but this rumor that MAPE staff gets more than state employees still persists anyway.
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Comment: We cannot afford to lose anymore.
Comment: Why doesn’t MAPE become a leader in the contract instead of AFSCME? Do it right this time. We are tired of accepting the AFSCME contract.
Comment: I have worked for the state for nine years and you have accomplished zero as a union. Do something this time around. Get some professional negotiators.
Comment: Use union fees wisely.
Comment: Where has MAPE been? Thank you sir, may I have another?
Comment: I don’t feel this survey was laid out very well or that it had clear instructions. Questions with A, B, C, and multiple responses weren’t clear as to if we were to mark one or all 3?
Comment: No more two-tier contracts. No more pay freezes for senior state employees covered by MAPE. Hire an experienced chief negotiator for MAPE
BH: Many of the comments I missed above were addressed in the previous installments. These seem to reflect a general frustration that all who are involved in negotiations with the governor feel. The governor has had little positive to say about state employees, much less offer state employees. Employees continue to display the Minnesota work ethic despite these negative attitudes coming from the administration. It is perplexing to try to understand why the administration and many in the Minnesota citizenry think their family, friends and neighbors in state service lose that work ethic just because they choose to work in public service.
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Comment: I hope the union as a whole would do something positive for us. I do not believe that in the 15-plus years I have been at the state in MAPE that they have met the needs, wants or desires of its membership. Leadership has been and is POOR.
BH: In my experience, if it were up to the recent governors and this governor, without union negotiations and/or without union legislative intervention, many more state employees would be at-will to be separated without consideration of just cause, their jobs would have been contracted out, resulting in thousands more jobs being eliminated regardless that these contracts generally cost more than state employees do. Despite these comments from some, MAPE has accomplished much over the years and those accomplishments can be presented clearly to anyone who simply asks and is receptive. No governor has "given" state employees anything without some very hard negotiations work and/or without some member-unity connected to any favorable outcomes. I invite any person with these criticisms to become involved and personally contribute to the positive change they think they can bring to the table at any level. Ultimately, leadership can be no better than those who step forward to lead.
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Comment: A medical expense account is not acceptable. Then you are paying twice for medical care.
BH: State employees currently have a medical expense account or flex account that allows employees to use tax-free dollars to pay for deductibles and copays. The allowed set-aside maximums exceed our current total out-of-pocket expenses. That account requires some thoughtful calculations since dollars that are set aside but not used go back to the employer under Internal Revenue Service regulations. The Health Care Savings Account (HSA) does allow for money to be set aside tax free and to be carried over from year to year. However, this account also has downsides in that the governor is intent on shifting many more of the insurance costs to employees. This account opens the door for pushing those costs off to employees at a much quicker pace while telling us that it is an advantage because we can pay those costs tax free. When one thinks this through, it is easy to see that HSAs provide a means for speeding up the shifting of insurance costs to employees while telling us it is all "good" for us.
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Comment: We need a tuition waiver across MnSCU, where members can go to school at any MnSCU institution regardless of location of worksite.
BH: Tuition waivers are very popular. A 60 percent rise in higher education tuition over the last four years is likely increasing its popularity. Currently, tuition waivers are offered to employees, on a space available basis, working at MnSCU institutions and at co-located facilities. Over several contracts, there have been attempts to provide increased waiver opportunities for employees. These negotiations will continue, but it must be pointed out that MnSCU has shown little interest in expanding this program any further unless MAPE would cost those waiver benefits against the costs of providing across-the-board increases, maintaining insurance benefits, or against any other benefit provisions within the contract.
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Comment: If the House, Senate and commissioners can get 3-4 percent or more for raises, so should we!!! Start negotiating earlier, too, not waiting until the last minute.
BH: Certainly it can be argued that raises given to governors, legislators, judges and commissioners should be passed along to state employees at all levels. It must be stated, however, that one must be careful what one asks for. There have been many occasions when state employees under contract have received raises that those without contracts have not received. That has been the case with many non-contract employees in the commissioner’s plan and the management plan. Step increases in these sectors are not mandatory upon successful performance. They may or may not get a step at the discretion of the state as employer. Some have gone for literally years without step increases due to budget constraints.
State representatives may receive larger pay increases at times, but, traditionally, the increases they get are only given after a significant timeframe with no raises. Even if these state representatives got higher raises than contract employees, it must be remembered that these representatives write the laws and we do not.
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Comment: Is this recycled paper? If not – why not? Soy-based ink?
BH: MAPE does recycle. From the University of Minnesota - Office of Measurement:
The printer tells us the ink is "environmentally friendly."
The forms are not printed on recycled paper due to the need for reflectivity in the scanning process. The survey forms are recyclable.
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Comment: I receive meeting notices, Christmas party notices, but NO minutes. The minutes are not posted on the Web site either. Rather than throwing “free” Christmas parties – I’d like to have meeting minutes.
BH: Local meeting minutes are placed on the Web site for all locals that turn them in prior to their next meetings. You may find them in the section titled “Regions & Locals” at the top of the page. Click on that item and then select your local number and you will get the meeting schedules, officers, stewards and minutes. If you don't see your local's minutes, please contact your local officers, stewards, business agents or Murray Cody - mcody@mape.org.
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Comment: I cannot support MAPE wholeheartedly because the union only supports DFL candidates -- moral issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage matter more to me than my paycheck.
BH: I covered this issue in the last installment wherein it was stated that MAPE supports those legislators or governors who are positive toward the state employees that provide needed services to Minnesota citizens – republican, democrat, independent or any other. To my knowledge, the leadership of MAPE has not taken any position on either of the above matters. At one time, domestic partner benefits became a part of the contract but there was not any position taken by the Negotiations Team or the leadership about either abortion or same-sex marriage. These are personal decisions and it cannot be said that a democrat, republican or any other party-affiliated representative or constituent believes in a certain way based solely upon that party affiliation. Stereotyping anything is wrongheaded.
