A legacy of leadership: Kay Pedretti reflects on 26 years of service

Region 20 Director. Pro Tem Statewide Secretary. Meet and Confer Vice Chair. Regional Steward Director. Regional Negotiator. Governance Workgroup member. Coalition Building Workgroup member. Anti-Bullying Task Force Regional Lead. Longtime steward.   

These are just a few of the roles Kay Pedretti has held during her 26 years of dedicated service to MAPE. “I have a hard time saying no – as you can tell by all of my MAPE work,” Pedretti said with a laugh. “I feel like my retirement is going that way already, and I’m not even retired yet!” 

That retirement officially begins June 30, when she concludes a 26-year career at Winona State University. 

“I can’t believe it’s happening,” she said. “I’m looking forward to gardening, spending time with my grandson Jack - he was born in March and is already developing a personality, and doing some traveling to all 50 states.” 

Her travel plans are already well underway. A recent trip to Oregon and Washington leaves her with just 10 states, mostly in the East, and their capitals left to visit. 

As a Minnesota State lab specialist, Pedretti has spent her career ensuring students gain high-quality lab experiences. 

“I make sure that doctors, nurses, health care providers and scientists get really good experiences in labs,” she said. 

Before joining state service, she worked as a science teacher for seventh and tenth graders, an experience that came full circle years later. “I’ve seen some of those kids come through Minnesota State,” she said. “One of my best stewards at Riverland Community College was one of my first students.” 

Pedretti’s union journey began immediately upon joining state service. With previous union experience as a teacher, she joined MAPE right away and became a steward within her first year, just in time for a major moment. “We went on strike within that first year,” she recalled. “It was scary – I didn’t know many people. I showed up at the strike line every morning, mostly with AFSCME workers.” 

Then, unexpectedly, everything changed. “One day a regional director drove by, asked if I was ‘the new girl from Winona,’ and when I nodded, he said, ‘You’re now the strike captain,’ and drove off,” she said, laughing. 

From that moment on, leadership opportunities continued to come her way. “I would say ‘no’ at first, and they’d say, ‘Oh, you can do it.’ They never accepted ‘no.’” 

According to Minnesota State Meet and Confer Chair Nicole Emerson, “Kay’s passion for our union, commitment to fairness and genuine compassion are evident in everything she does. Through her involvement in both statewide contract negotiations and Minnesota State supplemental bargaining, we have seen meaningful improvements to our contract language and stronger protections for members.” 

“Kay has been one of the most influential leaders in my life. Many of the approaches I take as Chair today have been shaped by her example. She has shown me what servant leadership looks like in practice, and I continue to look to her as someone I deeply admire and aspire to emulate,” she added. 

Despite her many leadership roles, Pedretti says her passion has always remained the same. “I’ve had a lot of roles within MAPE, but what I’ve always liked most is what I started with: stewarding,” she said. “I’ve always liked helping people.” 

Her early days weren’t easy. As a new steward in 2000, navigating different agency rules, especially within the Department of Corrections, was challenging. One case in particular stands out. “My first issue with DOC involved an employee who lost her job after being disciplined,” Pedretti said. “We fought for her and won her job back in arbitration.” 

The experience was transformative. “I remember thinking, ‘I don’t know, but let’s find out.’ It was scary. But when we won, it gave me confidence. It was so rewarding. That’s when I knew I couldn’t stop.” 

“Kay is a fighter. I chose her as a steward one time. Not only does she have a good, historical knowledge of our contract – she is tenacious. She is not afraid and I love that about her! She was a board steward and was a voice of reason. I appreciate her levelheadedness and her moderation. I can count on her to be a solid, rational support,” MAPE President Angie Halseth said.  

She added, “I am going to miss that anytime you talk to Kay, Hawaii is mentioned. I appreciate her light-heartedness and even when things aren't going well, she would joke, ‘We can all go to Hawaii!’ She has stayed with us through some hard times. It hasn’t been easy for her because she is outspoken, but instead of leaving, she stuck with it and helped more people. I will miss that lady and her passion for our union!” 

As she prepares to step away, Pedretti is thinking about what lies ahead for MAPE and the broader labor movement. 

“One of my biggest concerns is stagnant or declining membership,” she said. “This is the right time for unions to educate people about what we do. It’s not taught in history the way it should be.” 

She believes connection is key. “We need to make sure we’re reaching out to people. At Minnesota State, we used to visit campuses in person and have lunch, talk and answer questions. It was meaningful.” 

In a digital-first world, she sees value in returning to those personal interactions. “It’s easy to ignore a Teams meeting,” she said. “It’s much harder to ignore someone who’s right in front of you. I just learned that the Minn State Meet and Confer team is going back to visiting campuses this fall – it is great to see.”