MAPE members show they’re serious about attaining a fair contract

Hundreds of MAPE members have joined informational pickets throughout St. Paul over the last two days and Local 1901 has a rally planned for this afternoon in St. Peter. MAPE members have not voted on a contract and are not currently on strike. The info pickets were organized to push back against outrageously high proposed health care costs increases and urge the Legislature to finalize a budget which is already weeks late.

MAPE’s Negotiations Committee and Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) held their last formal contract negotiations meeting yesterday before meeting again for Push Week in Minneapolis on June 23-27. Plan to attend a multi-union Push Week Rally at the Delta Hotel in Minneapolis from 8-10 a.m. on June 23 to fight for a fair contract. A virtual rally is also available. MAPE and MMB proposals are available here.  

Region 9 Contract Action Team Leads (LCAT) Meridith Richmond and Azra Thakur planned two information pickets in front of the Centennial Building on June 3-4. Pelting rain and hazardous air quality forced the group to pivot to an inside rally at the Centennial cafeteria on Tuesday, but the one outside yesterday was the largest info picket MAPE has hosted with members from Regions 4, 6, 7, 8 and 21 joining Region 9 over the two days. “We had nearly 200 people at our peak. We were very happy to see Middle Management Association (MMA) and nurses join us – it is great to have their support,” Richmond said 

“Info pickets are important because our power is in our numbers. The employer must see us operating collectively. We have a lot of potential power and potential energy – we have to show that it can be released through actions like info pickets. It’s the way we can strengthen our strike threat against the employer’s awful proposals and fight for ours. Doing these actions reduce our odds of having to face a $4,000 increase in health care costs. The way to help avoid a strike is to come out now and do info pickets,” she added. 

Region 1 Director Claudia Hochstein agrees, “Info pickets are really important because we’re a union that has not gone on strike for 24 years and people need to get a sense of what it means to be on a picket line. While you’re not working at your job, you’re still working on the line. It’s important now to talk with people and display the power that we have so MMB can see that we’re serious about not accepting a bad deal.”  

Earlier this week, her region recently joined forces with Regions 2 and 3 and more than 150 members from Pollution Control Agency, Departments of Natural Resources, Labor and Industry, Human Services and Children, Youth and Families, MNIT, and the Board of Water and Soil Resources walked the informational picket line at Lafayette Park. 

“People said a potential strike felt more real being on the line – they said they were happy to be able to demonstrate their rights. The more we do it, the more comfortable we become taking our power and showing it,” Hochstein said. “We have to show that we have the power before Push Week. The best way to avoid a strike is to show you’re prepared for a strike, when we show that we can organize and get people out there. That it’s in MMB’s best interest to work with us. If we show them we are not willing to put ourselves on the line by willing to walk the line, we can only expect our economic situation to erode.” 

Hochstein also served as the speaker and chant leader at the all-member info picket at the Department of Corrections yesterday. Locals 101, 201, 301, 401, 601, 701, 801, 802, 901, 902 1002, 1101 and 2101 participated in informational pickets, and Local 1901 is hosting holds rally today in St Peter at Minnesota Square Park, 1000 So. Minnesota Avenue.