Local 401 honors Earth Day, expands Saints game participation

Local 401’s Activities Committee planned and hosted an event for members to recognize Earth Day by cleaning up the Indian Mounds Park in St. Paul earlier this month. The co-chairs of the committee include Kaila Forster, Lisa Zacharias and Jessica Delcid, who recruited 21 members to help.

Forster, a Senior Revenue Tax Specialist and a MAPE member for more than eight years, said, “Planning an event around Earth Day not only provides an opportunity for members from Local 401 to get together, but it was also a way for us to give back to our community.”

The activities helped bring members together, which allows us to build community as a union,” explained Forster. “When you get to know each other, you feel more invested in the success of everyone in our union. Plus, events like this are a great way to have fun outside of work!”

Local 401’s Activities Committee began six months ago.

“We had been having happy hours about every month, but we wanted to do something more family-friendly,” said Zacharias, a Revenue Collection Officer and MAPE member since 2012. “Our first event was at Feed Our Starving Children a few months ago. I encourage Local 401 members to keep an eye out for the next event and to join us. We have a wonderful time connecting and helping our community.”

The group’s next activity to recruit for will be the St. Paul Saints baseball game in August.

“A group of us who used to be pod mates all sit together, and it’s a chance to get together with our families and make it a fun experience for all. Now that it’s being offered to all locals, I hope even more people join in,” Zacharias shared.

For the past two years, Local 401 has planned a St. Paul Saints baseball game outing. In the first year, 350 members from Local 401 attended. In 2024, the event grew to over 1,000 members from nine different locals. “After the success of the event last year, we had members asking for this to be a statewide opportunity,” Local 401 President Jeff Gintz said. “This year, the Saints game is open to the entire union!”

Save the date for the Saints Game on Friday, Aug. 22. Registration will open next month.

“It’s pretty neat to see something that we planned in our local grow to become an activity for the entire union. Our great American pastime of watching baseball is a wonderful way to connect with fellow members, which only makes our union stronger,” explained Gintz. “As MAPE negotiates a contract in a challenging fiscal environment, it’s nice to know we have something fun to look forward to; hopefully we will have a strong tentative agreement by the Saints game!"