Delegate Assembly 2024 is a wrap

MAPE’s 2024 Delegate Assembly (DA) has approved next year’s budget and legislative priorities, voted on five resolutions and learned about exciting new campaigns and initiatives through tabling and a member-led panel.  

DA delegates approved the FY25 budget after Statewide Treasurer Chet Jorgenson reported that MAPE’s FY24 budget has performed as forecasted and the union will be able to reinvest in the Future Years Operations Fund by at least $600,000 at the end of the fiscal year.  

The MAPE bargaining unit has grown by more than 2,000 employees in the past two years from 15,537 to 17,618. The number of employees in the unit is expected to grow steadily through 2025. “If MAPE is to continue to grow and maintain bargaining and legislative power, MAPE must recruit new hires and engage existing members,” MAPE Statewide President Megan Dayton said when announcing the $1 million Organizing Campaign, the union’s largest ever.  

“This $1 million membership drive is about building a stronger, more resilient union. It is our opportunity to strengthen our position while inviting our union siblings to fight for our own well-being both at the workplace and at the negotiations table,” Dayton said. “It is an investment in union education, training members and leaders as organizers, modernizing our technology and community-building across the state.”    

Delegates also debated and voted on five resolutions with the following outcomes: 

• Allow Locals and Regions to Pay for Attorney Fees 

  • Delegates voted to refer it to the Finance Workgroup and the Employee Rights Committee for additional discussion. 
     

• Supporting a Ceasefire and Divestment in Israel-Palestine  

  • Delegates approved this resolution. 

• Increased Funding for Locals 

  • Delegates voted to refer it to the Finance Workgroup for additional discussion. 

• Unspent Local Funds Recaptured 

  • Delegates voted to refer it to the Finance Workgroup for additional discussion. 
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• Dissolution of the Nominations Committee 

  • Delegates approved this resolution. 

Members also approved MAPE’s legislative priorities for next year. MAPE’s Political Guiding Principles include supporting equitable compensation and respectful treatment of all state employees; efforts to provide sustainable resources for state government operations and a middle-class and family-friendly agenda ensuring equal opportunity for all.  

The tabling event proved to be even more popular in its second year. Thirteen groups set up information tables at DA: 32-hour Workweek, MAPE’s statewide candidates; Coalition Building Workgroup, OPEIU (MAPE’s staff union), Negotiations Committee, Employee Rights Committee, Finance Workgroup, Meet and Confer Chairs, Organizing Council, Political Council, Restructure Workgroup and Ceasefire Caucus.   

“I walked around and tried to hit the tables and saw members everywhere,” MAPE Statewide Vice President Angie Halseth said. “John Ferrara’s Political Council table was a big hit with people doing the survey about what was important to them politically. We revamped the Coalition Building Workgroup and Claudia Hochstein is the new chair. It was really great to see people walking around seeing what the committees are about and, hopefully, thinking about joining,”  

Friday evening’s festivities included a legislative update from Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy. “We had a big two years – I can’t believe we got it all done! It wasn’t all because of the trifecta. There were lots of ideas from Minnesotans: invest in our schools, universal school meals, sick time – there was a lot of organizing work done in the last decade,” Murphy said. “I am a better legislator when I see you in your workplaces. I want to keep rooted with labor to be the best senator I can be. I look forward to the work we’re going to do together in the next biennium.” 

For the first time, MAPE hosted a panel with members working on five exciting initiatives: Andrew Ulasich with the 32-hour Workweek, Emma Fletcher with the Ceasefire Caucus, Michel Diedrich with Restructure Workgroup, Megan Dayton with $1 Million Organizing Campaign and Negotiations Committee Co-Chair Carolyn Murphy on contract bargaining. The panel was moderated by Peter Rachleff, co-founder of the East Side Freedom Library. He also facilitated audience questions.   

On Saturday, delegates heard from the member leaders organizing around the 32-hour work week campaign. So far, more than 2,000 workers have shown support for making it a priority in contract negotiations.   

In the next newsletter, we’ll introduce you to the MAPE members who were awarded the union’s annual awards at Delegate Assembly, and you’ll learn which locals were honored by the Organizing and Political Councils.