MAPE members vote to ratify 2023-2025 contract
Publish Date
MAPE members voted overwhelmingly to ratify their recently negotiated 2023-2025 contract. MAPE represents 16,500 professional state government employees from air quality specialists to zoologists and thousands of other workers including scientists, therapists and those working in park services, education and corrections.
“We secured a 5.5 percent wage increase the first year, the highest our union has won in 40 years, and a 4.5 percent increase the second year. We fought to keep health care increases at a nominal level and for more affordable mental health care,” Negotiations Co-Chair Adam Novotny said.
Novotny added that while the wage increase was significant, MAPE’s fight for fair wages is ongoing. “Our fight for fair wages does not end with this contract. We will continue to advocate for what our hard-working members truly deserve.”
Negotiations Co-Chair Kristin Kirchoff-Franklin pointed out that ratification of the contract also includes a long overdue health care retirement benefit for members who put their lives on the line working with incarcerated persons at a variety of state facilities daily. The Corrections Early Retirement Program (CERP) allows employees to retire early after meeting specific requirements. Eligible members will now receive a substantial employer contribution toward health care premiums like members in other unions.
“This recognizes our members’ lifetime of service and ensures their post-retirement benefits reflect parity with members in other unions. This means thousands of dollars annually in health care retirement savings for employees,” Kirchoff-Franklin said.
She said negotiators also successfully fought for a 21st Century contract with improved sick and bereavement leave as well as a flexible workplace, “MAPE members indicated telework was an important issue to them and negotiators were able to bargain an improved partnership between the State and its employees on telework protections.”
MAPE President Megan Dayton underscored the ongoing struggle for just wages and other critical issues. “The advancements in CERP, the wage increases, and the evolution toward a 21st Century contract are all significant milestones, but they are just the beginning. We won these battles together, yet the war is far from over. Our duty to remain engaged, to actively participate and to contribute to our shared mission is stronger than ever. We must unite in solidarity, amplify our voices and carve out our destiny. We've come this far not to stop, but to gather momentum for the greater struggles ahead,” Dayton said.