Political Council releases legislative priorities, feedback welcome

Every year the Political Council set the legislative priorities for MAPE. A draft of these priorities is now available for members to review and provide feedback. A copy of the MAPE legislative agenda is below. If you would like to provide any feedback, please email action@mape.org. 

MAPE Legislative Agenda

MAPE Political Guiding Principles

The MAPE Political Guiding Principles ground the political work that MAPE undertakes. We build power to support these guiding principles at the Minnesota Legislature; legislative session priorities and the political issues platform shall related to one of the below guiding principles:

• MAPE supports equitable compensation and respectful treatment of all state employees.
• MAPE supports efforts to provide sustainable resources for state government operations.
• MAPE supports a middle-class, family-friendly agenda ensuring equal opportunity for all.

MAPE 2022 Legislative Session Agenda

The MAPE legislative session agenda is updated annually by the MAPE Political Council. MAPE members are engaged and consulted in the creation of these priorities.

MAPE Political Issues Platform and Legislative Priorities

The MAPE political issues platform and legislative priorities identify organizational stances on issues that impact our guiding principles. While the amount of time and resources MAPE gives to any specific issue year to year may vary depending on political timing, strategy, and/or capacity, MAPE stands by the following as well as MAPE member’s participation in the advancement of these issues. This list is reviewed annually by membership and the Political Council, and approved at MAPE Delegate Assembly.

MAPE supports equitable compensation and respectful treatment of all state employees.

• We support the right of all workers to organize and bargain collectively.
• We oppose any legislation that modifies or removes agreements made during the collective bargaining process.
• We support the preservation and strengthening of the Public Employees Labor Relations Act (PELRA) and oppose the use of professional employees in unclassified service.
• We believe labor unions should have the same right as other political contributors to participate in the political process.
• We support affirmative action emphasizing increased recruitment and greater attention to expanding diversity in the state workforce.
• We support the elimination of disparate treatment of employees based on gender, age, color, religion, marital status, race, disability, military/veteran status, sexual orientation, public assistance status, union affiliation, political affiliation, gender identity and expression, parental status, and immigration status/national origin.
• We support the establishment of a sick leave pool.
• We support providing increases to employees who are paid below their position’s fair market value.
• We support salary supplements for all state agencies.
• We support the right of state employees to run for public office.
• We support only the continuation and improvement of our defined benefit pension plan.
• We oppose any attempt to switch to a defined contribution retirement plan.
• We support proportional pension plan contribution rate increases and fully funded retirement plans where employees do not pay a greater contribution rate than the employer.
• We oppose the use of state pension funds for any purpose beyond pensions.
• We support efforts to offer early retirement incentives to state employees.
• We support retroactive pay for state employees in the event of state shutdowns

MAPE supports efforts to provide sustainable resources for state government operations.

• We support funding all state agencies, including Minnesota State, at 100 percent cost of operations.
• We support staffing levels that ensure high quality state services.
• We oppose privatization, outsourcing and contracting of state services.
• We support strategic succession planning including funding for employees on leadership, career development and a fee and tuition waiver program for all state employees.
• We support moving towards public options including a single-payer, universal health care system as a way to reduce costs and provide affordable and accessible health care for all.
• We support funding for the maintenance and improvements of our statewide infrastructure for the safety and economic growth of our state.
• We support increased funding for improving workplaces that currently jeopardize employee health and safety.
• We support resource conservation measures and other green initiatives.
• We support the retention of public data for institutional historical purposes.
• We oppose shifts and gimmicks to solve budget deficits and instead support sustainable funding options.
• We oppose proposals limiting the ability to raise public revenue.
• We support fair and transparent accounting principles.

MAPE supports a middle-class, family-friendly agenda ensuring equal opportunity for all.

• We support employer-provided paid parental and paid family leave for all employees.
• We support paid sick & safe leave for all
• We support universal access & affordability to childcare
• We oppose all proposals making it more difficult to organize and maintain labor unions.
• We support the rights to peaceful assembly.
• We support student loan debt relief including but not limited to: student loan forgiveness and/or reimbursement
• We believe all workers have a right to earn a fair and equitable living wage. No employee should be required to work uncompensated hours.
• We support a minimum wage increase, indexed to inflation, until a livable wage is maintained.
• We support efforts to reduce income inequality.
• We support progressive taxation policies that ask the wealthy to pay their fair share.
• We support a resolution asking Congress to remove the deadline for ratification by the states of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the United States Constitution.
• We support dedicated staffing for the Office on the Economic Status of Women.
• We support the Impartial Justice Act, ensuring an impartial, fair and accountable judicial system for Minnesota.
• We oppose recognizing corporations as people (e.g. Citizens United).
• We support restoring voting rights to Minnesotans living in our community who are ineligible to vote due to felony conviction.
• We believe in advancing health equity through supporting policies that help create the conditions in which all people have the opportunity to attain their highest level of health.
• We support affordable access to prescription drugs for all Minnesotans
• We support efforts to declare election days holidays
• We support efforts to declare Juneteenth as statewide holiday
• We support statewide broadband/fiber network that provides equitable internet access for all
• We support the creation of a consumer online bill of rights (including privacy, access to resources, net neutrality, etc.)
• We support the decriminalization of marijuana and expunging previous marijuana related convictions
• We support efforts to reduce tuition and student loan debt burden through measures including loan forgiveness, student loan reimbursement, etc.