DHS Student Loan Reimbursement Action at the Capitol
Publish Date
Committees
In hopes of catching the attention of their commissioner at a recent agency rally at the Capitol, MAPE leaders from Dept. of Human Services (DHS) brought signs supporting student loan reimbursement, something the agency has yet to implement.
While Commissioner Jodi Harpstead spoke during the DHS engagement month kick-off Aug. 7, MAPE members Christine Retkwa, Felicia-Marie Wilson, Sarah Sinderbrand, Cathleen Cotter, Dustin Jones, Liz Pearson and Sheila Malec raised signs in the background.
Signs pointed to how the program would help with recruitment and retention and invest back in the workers who invest in DHS.
Workers banding together to solve issues in their workplace comes from a long history of people doing uncomfortable and sometimes even illegal things to win rights we now take for granted, like the 40-hour workweek or FMLA. Holding a sign at a rally, wearing buttons and signing petitions are just some of the ways union members can act in a legally protected way to bring attention to what workers deserve.
At the end of the rally, Commissioner Harpstead met with sign-holders, listened to their stories and committed to a meeting between herself, her assistant commissioners and MAPE leaders in the next 30 days to go over the policy draft and discuss the next steps. This conversation would not have happened without members standing up and sharing their demands clearly with management during the rally.
While it is always a win when members have face-to-face conversations with their agency leadership and it’s powerful when members share their stories while fighting for what they deserve, this is not the end. MAPE members demand and deserve a signed policy before the end of the year. This action was dreamt up and led by members and helped DHS leaders get unstuck, but we know we must continue fighting.
MAPE members and leaders are ready to solve big problems our members face, we are excited for DHS to join us at that table.
Members interested in getting involved in the DHS student loan campaign should reach out to Christine at Christine.Retkwa@state.mn.us. MAPE will be at DHS Day at the Park and we encourage members to stop by to get a student loan campaign button, meet their leaders and learn more about our next big things!