Negotiations Committee concentrates on CATs and finalizes survey

Negotiations Committee members met last week to continue their planning work on MAPE’s 2023-2025 contract. This second virtual meeting concentrated on the importance of building and recruiting regional Contract Action Teams (CATs).  A CAT is the structure used to organize members to win the best possible contract. The contract actions taken by locals and agencies support the work negotiators are doing at the bargaining table.

The Negotiations Team also finalized work on a contract survey that will be sent to all MAPE-represented employees on Aug. 8. “It’s important when we go to the bargaining table that we can say we know members want a specific proposal because we surveyed them. This particular survey will be helpful to drafting proposals but it will also get to what people are willing to fight for. It’s all about building power,” Sheenah Jewison, an At-Large member of the Negotiations Committee, said.

“I understand the importance of unions and feel very passionate about the union as a whole. I was with another union where you got lost. I think there is more power within MAPE regarding direct influence on our contract,” she added.

Many negotiators said their members have told them that cost-of-living raises, health care and telework are very important topics to them. 

MAPE negotiators will hold virtual listening sessions with members across the state August 22-26.  Negotiations Committee Co-Chair Adam Novotny said he is eager to learn from the listening sessions because “everyone on the Negotiations Team is committed to representing their region and membership in a fierce way.”