Negotiations Team begins work on new contract

MAPE’s new team of negotiators began work on the 2025-2027 contract and elected co-chairs at their first meeting last month. The new Negotiations Committee Co-Co-Chairs are Region 5’s Carolyn Murphy and Region 11’s Sean McIntyre.  

“It’s a fresh term and you could really tell the team was engaged and ready to negotiate on their members’ behalf,” Co-Chair Murphy said.  

Former Negotiations Co-Chairs Kristin Kirchoff-Franklin and Adam Novotny were also on hand to discuss the last round of bargaining and pass along lessons learned such as how bringing fewer issues to the table was strategically helpful and the importance of in-person, mass participation to a successful negotiations campaign. 

Region 21’s David Freeman is a first-time negotiator and said joining the Negotiations Committee was important to him because “We are facing a critical time in our country and state where unions are for the first time in a while experiencing true power and solidarity.” 

He said members in his region have spoken with him about several issues including “initiatives to change how we have student loan reimbursement set up in our contract and helping those who have dedicated their careers to state service but are maxed out on their steps.”  

He plans to hold listening sessions in Region 21 to learn more about issues members think should be included in the contract. His own local, 2101, represents 1,400 employees.  

“There were lots of conversations about keeping the momentum going with the cost-of-living-adjustments (COLAs) and maintaining health care is always important. We bargained great things last time with our historic contract. I’m looking forward to the listening sessions and hearing the themes that are important to our members,” Murphy said.  

Negotiators were also joined by Contract Action Team Leads for a training on Negotiations and Power. The Contract Action Team Leads (LCAT) will be leading the field work and action in their respective regions throughout the campaign.  

Negotiators were reminded they can do many things, but they won’t be able to do everything. One of the exercises negotiators participated in was being conscious of all the balls they’d have to juggle in their roles. Negotiators were asked to write on plastic balls potential contract ideas, communications priorities and other issues they’d have to juggle. Topics written on the balls included the value of doing the most good for the most people, ensuring members feel heard and empowered to take action, communicating with their CATs and leaders, COLAs, student loan reimbursement, strike readiness assessment and many others. Negotiators were able to catch many of the plastic balls thrown at them during the exercise, but many were dropped.  

“It was a good exercise to remind us we’re going to have a lot of balls thrown at us and we must be more strategic and know when to ask others to step up and help,” Freeman said.