MAPE President Megan Dayton statement on required State worker vaccines/testing policy

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MAPE members at the Minnesota Department of Health and elsewhere have been working to keep their fellow Minnesotans safe from COVID-19 from the beginning.

MAPE understands the importance of putting an end to this pandemic as soon as possible so we can open the economy, and everyone is able to safely return to their jobs and classrooms. Many Minnesota companies, colleges, universities and federal employees in Minnesota are now requiring employees and students to receive COVID-19 vaccines to help end the pandemic sooner.

The majority of Minnesotans are already vaccinated so they agree.

This morning, MAPE and other labor leaders first began discussing with Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) a vaccination requirement for state government employees and what it would look like. MAPE and our labor partners see ways this policy can be improved.

Now that we are involved, we will advocate for those improvements and look forward to working with the administration to ensure these improvements are made. It’s important all Minnesotans work together to end this pandemic so we can all safely go back to our jobs, classrooms, and communities, and spend time with our families and friends. MAPE will work to ensure that members who cannot, or choose not to, be vaccinated are able to continue working with mitigations that protect everyone’s safety through masking and testing.

We have many questions that need to be answered before the policy goes into effect on Sept. 8,  including:

  • What will the requirements be for proving employees have been vaccinated?
  • Will unvaccinated employees be tested onsite during their regular work day?
  •  Will the State pay for the testing?
  • How will testing locations differ for employees in the Twin Cities and Greater   Minnesota? 
  • What happens to people who cannot get the vaccine? 
  • How can telework play a role in keeping everyone safe?

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MAPE represents more than 15,000 professional employees, ranging from air quality control specialists to zoologists, who provide Minnesotans with vital services.