Politics and our Contract: Why Involvement is Key Part 1 : What does it take to get a good contract?

Long-game strategy is the name of the game for passing a good contract. Many members start paying attention in April at the Negotiations Opener and maybe again during push week, but involvement is key long before next spring. Three important aspects go into preparing the right environment to negotiate a good contract.  

           1. Electing pro-worker candidates 
           2. Passing a state budget with fully funded agencies  
           3. Members willing to take action 

This three-part series titled “What Does it Take to Get a Good Contract?” will explore the Political Action Committee’s (PAC) work toward electing candidates who support MAPE’s Legislative Platform of a Working People’s Agenda, the Political Council’s (PC) work toward getting a state budget passed that fully funds state agencies and the Organizing Council’s (OC) work on increasing membership and building out the Contract Action Teams. 

“We all know that to get the state budget we need to fund our contract and our agencies, it begins with getting candidates elected who have the same values as our union,” explained PAC Vice Chair Lindsey Franklin. “To get people elected, we have to persuade voters whose values align with labor-friendly candidates … and to do that, we must hit the doors.” 

Door knocking for MAPE-endorsed candidates kicked off an Electoral Kickoff and Training held June 6 featuring the launch of the new Electoral Campaign Program where members can earn prizes for door knocking or phone banking shifts for MAPE-PAC endorsed candidates in targeted districts. Weekly emails will go to those who sign up for information about upcoming volunteering opportunities.  

More than 250 knocking shifts have already been completed with a MAPE total goal of 1,000 by the general election.  

Franklin said, “Many state house and senate races are won or lost by just a few votes. Brad Tabke won by 14 votes last election - a very small margin - and that is where door knocking really comes into play.”  

“One-on-one conversations have been proven to be the most effective way to persuade voters. Large-scale advertising works best for increasing name ID and for striking fear into voters, which is intended to lower turnout. To combat this, we need people to feel connected to the process and to understand what’s at stake. It’s so easy to just become an ostrich when things feel overwhelming,” continued Franklin. 

“We need you to come out and knock. Try it once!” invites Paige Mead, PAC Treasurer. “Every doorknock starts with a training on how to use MiniVAN and effectively connect with voters in that particular area. If you're new to knocking, you can be paired with someone more experienced to learn the ropes. This can help with the first-time nerves and give you a chance to watch and practice conversations before leading them yourself.” 

The work for this year’s election cycle started back in February when nearly 500 members reported attending their local caucus and proactively promoted a working people’s agenda. Many became delegates or alternates for the senate district or county conventions. Those efforts culminated in getting 57 delegates and alternates to the DFL state convention and one delegate at the GOP state convention. 

“MAPE’s presence at the DFL state convention was noted,” explained James Dirth, Political Council Chair. “We were the only union there with that number of people who were engaged and organized. That energy has carried into the PAC’s door knocking efforts and candidates have noted MAPE’s support.” 

“We are proud to say that almost every MAPE-endorsed candidate won their primary this week,” said Mead. “Organized labor has a strong voice in our state and a solid middle-class agenda backed by elected officials who share MAPE's values is the clear path forward for Minnesota voters.” 

“We hear from members that they are frustrated we only support DFL candidates, but I encourage members to meet with their elected officials regardless of party and talk to them about supporting workers. We have not made a lot of inroads with Republican candidates, but that does not mean we can’t,” Dirth said. 

“I initially got involved with the MAPE Political Council because I wanted to be involved in politics through non-party system,” said Dirth. “There have been multiple moments in our nation’s history where collective nonpartisan uprising of power led to incredible change. We are overdue for change that supports workers. In our union, you have a way to enact change.” 

“Step one is to get candidates elected who align with workers. Step two is to persuade elected officials to support legislation and budget that puts workers first,” concluded Franklin. 

To see a list of current door knock opportunities, please go here.