2024 Dues Overview and Talking Points

Member delegates recently voted to update the MAPE membership dues structure. Starting Jan. 1, 2024, dues will now be .75 of your hourly wage (45 minutes) each pay period, with a cap at $32.50 per pay period.  

There is a calculator on the website at www.mape.org/dues to calculate what your dues will be. 

We pool our collective resources so we can have power to fight for our rights and working conditions.   

Dues are an investment in our collective power and voice. With this investment, we can:  

  • continue to fight for historic contracts   

  • further fund member committees   

  • increase member engagement  

  • have our voices heard at the Capitol and achieve legislative victories   

  • invest in updated technology infrastructure  

  • increase money set aside for times of crisis  

Our continued membership is what makes our organization powerful. With our dues, and with our participation, action and collective courage, we create power. We use our power to fight for ourselves and all of Minnesota.  

 

The Budget and Dues Update Process 

We’ve been exemplary stewards of your dues – so good, in fact, that we have managed to avoid updating our dues since 2012, more than a decade ago. We run a lean ship and saved money for a rainy day and now the Future Years Fund is depleted.     

Last year, our Finance Workgroup forecasted expenses will be higher than our dues income, resulting in a budget deficit if dues remain at $21 per member per pay period.    

The Finance Workgroup looked at more than 60 variations of dues models to work toward updating our structure. The Workgroup and Board of Directors agreed on an equitable structure that allows for a fair contribution of .75 of an hour of work, roughly 45-minutes, with a $32.50 cap.    

Many other unions use a portion of their hourly wages to determine dues and now we are joining them. MAPE’s dues will still be lower than most other local union dues.    

The Finance Workgroup presented their initial report and proposed budget to BOD on August 18. Six virtual budget forums were held, all of them were opened to member Q&A. Every local held a meeting on the dues adjustment in September and October.      

The Delegate Assembly voted on the budget October 28 with delegates voting to approve both the expenses and revenue measures.  The Delegate Assembly is comprised of elected members from each of the 39 Locals. If openings remain, Local Presidents can appoint Delegates.  

Why Invest in Ourselves 

Our goal of a dues update was to generate the money to win our big fights and secure our future. This is about investing in ourselves. Without that investment we will not be able to secure the big wins we are aiming for. 

Investment in the Negotiations budget paid off – we negotiated our best contract in four decades. Our collective action secured these:   

  • Historic wage increases: 5.5% and 4.5% for the two years.    

  • A landmark victory has been won for our MAPE members within the Correctional Employees Retirement Plan, or CERP, with their counterparts in other unions.   

  • Substantial strides with temporary unclassified workers  

  • Enhanced service credit/vacation accrual   

  • Telework   

  • Modernized bereavement leave policies   

  • Meal reimbursements   

Members voted overwhelmingly to support 2023-2025 contract. 

Our collective voice at the Capitol during Lobby Day and member testimony before committees helped us achieve legislative victories like:   

  • removing the legislature’s role from the contract ratification process   

  • providing employee job protections for transfers to newly created agencies    

  • fully-fund the Public Employment Relations Board, or PERB   

  • modernize PELRA and so much more.   

Public support for unions is at a historic high. We must work together to create a culture of unity – together, we can fight big and win! Public sector unions are critical for sustaining strong, equitable and high-quality public services. We have powerful voices in our workplaces through our collective action.    

We’re developing new organizing skills to boost recruitment. Organized more than 600 new members within the three weeks after we reached the tentative agreement.    

We must keep the momentum going. We must continue to grow our membership and build power. Dues are an investment in ourselves and our union. At 16,500 strong, our unified voice – backed by financial stability – makes us a force to be reckoned with.   

Our Financial Journey and the Road Ahead  

In 2012, we all decided to invest in our power, raising our dues from $15 to $21 per pay period. We didn’t just absorb this increase: we allocated part of it to a Future Years Operations fund, a nest egg that’s kept us from needing further increases for over a decade.   

The seismic shift of the Janus v. AFSCME decision in 2018 could have weakened us. Instead, it galvanized us. Many who had been non-members recognized the value of collective action and joined us, adding to our financial and organizational resilience.  

Fast-forward to today: As part of our member-driven 2022 strategic plan, we’ve given the Finance Workgroup a critical task. They re-examined our current dues structure and developed a proposal for the 2023 Delegate Assembly.  

This isn’t an arbitrary request but a direct response to our collective needs and shared vision for a stronger, more equitable MAPE.   

The Finance Workgroup researched over 60 options of ways to update dues. They proposed 45-minutes of an hour of work per pay period was equitable and enough to fun our future. The Board of Directors approved this proposal and passed it onto the Delegate Assembly who voted to approve the budget (that included the dues revenue) on Oct. 28, 2023. 

Dues Update Highlights/Talking Points   

  1. Investing in collective power - our dues are an investment in collective bargaining power. Every dollar we contribute amplifies our ability to negotiate for better conditions, wages, and benefits.   

  1. Fair and equitable contribution – the dues update aims to make dues contributions equitable, tied to an individual’s hourly wage but capped at a reasonable level, ensuring fairness.   

  1. Momentum from recent victories - fresh off some significant wins, let’s maintain this momentum. Our collective strength brought us these victories; imagine what more we could achieve together.   

  1. Empowering future initiatives - financial stability means more than sustaining what we have. It’s about funding initiatives that benefit us all, extending our impact.   

  1. Strength in numbers - At 16,500 strong, our unified voice, backed by financial stability, makes us a force to reckon with.   

  1. Planning for the long term - This update is not a band-aid but a strategically planned financial realignment to fortify our collective power for years.   

  1. Transparent decision-making is a collective decision for a collective benefit, involving all levels of the union in the decision-making process.