Negotiations Update June 5, 2025

We want to kick off today’s update by saying thanks to all of you who supported us in informational pickets this week. Hundreds of you showed up rain or shine at the Centennial Building, Dept. of Corrections, Dept. of Education and the Dept. of Human Services-Lafayette Building. Local 1901 is holding a rally in St. Peter today. 

Over the last two days - our last days of contract bargaining before Push Week at the end of June - we were able to frankly discuss our concerns. Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) didn’t have any solutions to the overtime abuse suffered by our exempt employees but did appear interested in this problem. They also made clear we were going to have to fight hard to move ahead on this issue.  

Both sides dropped proposals so we can concentrate on what’s most important during Push Week: health care, a complete economic package that meets our needs and continuing to fight the Return to Office mandate and overtime. 

That said, we left on a down note because management confirmed they really want to hollow out the Paid Parental Leave program, the program we fought for a decade to get approved. The same program that thousands of MAPE members have used to bond with their new families. We told them in no uncertain terms that such a proposal would be dead on arrival. 

For all these reasons, we need you to fight. Now, more than ever, we need you to attend a strike education training and then let us know how serious you are about fighting for these proposals. We keep the state running and were offered outrageously high health care cost increases. When you include skyrocketing premiums and cost-sharing copays and deductibles, singles and families would be paying an additional $2,500-$4,500 annually by January 2027. Many of these exploding costs are due to repeated budget mistakes made by SEGIP.  

We know this is a challenging budget year, but we cannot begin discussing across-the-board wage increases until we have a state budget, which the Legislature was supposed to produce weeks ago. 

We need to know exactly what you are willing to do to fight off their takebacks.  

Push Week begins June 23, and we hope to see you at the Push week Rally at The Delta Hotel in Minneapolis from 8-10 a.m. A virtual option is also available. Register

Always remember that when we fight together, we win. 

In Solidarity, 

Sean McIntyre and Carolyn Murphy 
Negotiations Committee Co-Chairs