Negotiators discuss health care and building CATs at latest meeting

Members of the Negotiations Committee continued to build their contract action teams (CATs) when the group met in person on Sept. 22-23. Negotiators also spent an afternoon learning about the health care plan and how the State Employee Group Insurance Program (SEGIP) administers the program.

“The SEGIP presentation was very accessible and understandable. All of the talks about CATs were useful in planning going forward,” Maureen Dunaway, an unemployment insurance operations analyst with the Department of Employment and Economic Development, said. She also serves as Speaker of the Meet and Confer Chairs.  

“The highlight is that we have started meeting so much earlier this time. For negotiators who may not have as much of an active base, we can share lessons with them,” added Claudia Hochstein, a senior planner with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Negotiators have been holding listening sessions with members across the state to better understand their concerns and learn what they’d like to see in the 2023-2025 contract. “I’ve had some statewide listening sessions: people are definitely concerned about wages keeping up with inflation. People want to make sure we get a decent across the board. They’re also concerned about telework issues – people would like it to be more equitable and fair in how it’s used,” Dunaway said.

Negotiators are also participating in MAPE-tober. During this month, MAPE has been reinforcing member engagement though membership recruitment, supporting contract action teams to fight for a fair contract and talking with voters about candidates who support MAPE priorities.

“The challenge is we’re organizing in this digital environment. MAPE-tober will help us get face-to-face conversations with members and build a community outside of our computer screens. Face-to-face is an opportunity to build the union,” Hochstein said. “It’s our right to organize, bargain collectively and have a dignified workplace. That’s why I show up.”

MAPE has members on lost time every day working on MAPE-tober. There is still time to sign up so check out the website to join this effort: www.mape.org/mape-tober.

Thousands of MAPE members filled out the biennial Negotiations Survey and the bargaining team will go over results at their next meeting on Oct. 14.