MMB refuses meaningful discussion of MAPE’s economic contract proposals
Publish Date
Committees
MAPE’s Negotiations Team bargaining the 2023-2025 contract spent an intense and frustrating two days with Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) representatives May 11-12.
The MAPE and MMB bargaining teams exchanged proposals several times. MMB representatives agreed to none of MAPE’s nine proposals, signaled openness to a couple of them without agreeing to any contract language and refused to respond to any proposals they considered to have an economic cost.
“This most recent bargaining session was disappointing,” MAPE President Megan Dayton said. “We have done a lot of work to make it clear to Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) that we are only interested in making a better contract, and they seem determined to find ways to degrade the language in the contract. We have only two more sessions, including Push Week, and aren’t progressing. This is unacceptable.”
MAPE’s bargaining team discussed how to better engage the membership in the negotiations process.
“We still don’t have any agreements from MMB regarding our proposals. We need members to help us by sending stories about why our proposals are important to them. Send those emails to Jennifer Claseman, MMB’s Labor Relations Director, at Jennifer.Claseman@state.mn.us and copy us on the emails, too, at Action@mape.org,” Negotiations Committee Co-Chair Kristin Kirchoff-Franklin said.
Four groups of leaders from four classifications presented wage inequity proposals. Digital Forensic Examiners at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension made the case that they are doing the same work and making much less, often tens of thousands, than their counterparts in local law enforcement offices and the Department of Human Services. Other pay inequity classifications included Transportation Planners, Landscape Architects, and Education Finance Specialists.
“Members brought the stories and created the presentations. The presentations were compelling and proved that comparable public sector jobs are being compensated at different rates,” Negotiations Committee Co-Chair Adam Novotny said. “MMB representatives committed to going back and looking at the relevant vacancy rates, what the markets are bearing for similar work and committed to getting a response by Push Week.”
MAPE and MMB negotiators will next meet May 23-24. MAPE negotiators will host a townhall meeting on May 31 to update members after the latest bargaining session.