President's Corner October 2022

We completed our 42^nd Delegate Assembly on Oct. 8. I would like to share with you this month some of the thoughts I shared with delegates last weekend:

For the first time in years, workers appear to have more control over our workplaces and wages. The pandemic has caused a significant worker shortage across the United States, forcing many employers to increase salaries to keep quality employees. More workers than ever before are telecommuting.

Support for labor unions is the highest it's been in nearly 60 years, with 71 percent of Americans now approving of labor unions. We are thrilled to see employees at Amazon, Half Price Books, and many other companies join together in one collective voice to fight for – and win – better working conditions and higher wages.

Many things have changed in our state government workplaces since the pandemic began nearly three years ago. One of MAPE's strengths is one-on-one organizing. It has been challenging since so many of our members are now telecommuting. So, we've come up with an exciting, action-filled month to combat declining membership numbers by getting in front of members to advance the health and future of our union: MAPE-tober.

This month, we have reinforced member engagement through membership recruitment, supporting contract action teams to fight for a fair contract, and talking with voters about candidates who support MAPE priorities. By meeting and chatting with members, we're bringing fellow union members into the fold and rethinking how we do this work, just as the national labor movement has done throughout its illustrious history.

Workplace Flexibility

Our voice at work in the 2020s now also includes where and when we work. MAPE members always step up for Minnesota, but we now know we can do that and be there when our kids get off the bus or when we need to pick up a parent for a doctor's appointment. Telework and flexibility mean management finally recognizes what so many of us have been saying for years: We can do our work at home at nine o'clock at night just as efficiently as we can in the Centennial Building at nine in the morning.

Gallup estimates more than 70 million workers here in the United States can do their jobs working remotely. Hybrid work has increased this year alone from 42 percent to 49 percent. Only one in five remote-capable employees are currently working entirely on-site. When an employee's location preference doesn't match their current work location, burnout increases while engagement drops. 

Flexibility Needed for All Workers

I am one of the lucky ones – I've been able to telework since I started state service a decade ago. But not all MAPE members have the option to telework. Many of our siblings at the Department of Corrections, in Direct Care and Treatment, Veteran's Affairs, and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities don't have this opportunity. We must find a balance. I think a balance must mean flexibility for all workers in this new post-COVID workplace. Labor must drive this change.

A campaign for worker flexibility must include a reimagining of our union. How do we show up for each other in a world of increasing virtual interaction? When is the right time for us to meet online, and when do we need to commute to see each other in person? How do we welcome new members if new members never come to an office? How do we develop and maintain relationships? These are the questions we cannot afford to ignore. 

Reinvention Necessary for Survival

Labor has always had to reinvent itself to survive. This moment is a crucial point in our union's history. Millions of workers lost jobs during the Great Depression, and the future of organized labor seemed bleak. But President Franklin Roosevelt was pro-union, and New Deal legislation brought us the National Labor Relations Act in the 1930s. Organizing and collective bargaining created a solid middle class for millions of Americans in the 1940s and '50s.

A decade later, labor did what was right and became a key supporter – and player – in the fight for civil rights. We should do what's right again and fight for our members' work flexibility. What we do now will determine what MAPE looks like in 10 0r 15 years. We must be forward-thinking, flexible, and creative, highlighting our success. These are all rungs on the ladder of solidarity. We are going to try things going forward we've never tried before. Some ideas may not work, and we will sometimes fail. Learning from these failures is inevitable – it isn't a failure if we know from it.

The pandemic has shown us that our members, and all Minnesota workers, should have flexibility in their jobs. No matter where we work or what we do, MAPE members are committed to doing what's best for our members, our union, and our communities. We each must help create a better and more just Minnesota.

In solidarity,

 

 

 

Megan Dayton
MAPE Statewide President