Rally at Capitol helps push final support for contract
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Just hours before a contract tentative agreement was reached, nearly 1,000 members rallied at the Capitol in support of MAPE’s contract. Members from Moorhead to Marshall, and many cities in between, met at the Capitol on July 21 for a final contract push. They heard fellow members discuss issues important to them in the 2021-2023 contract.
Every two years MAPE, along with members of other unions working in State government, negotiate new contracts with Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB).
As employers across Minnesota reimagine employment post-pandemic, MAPE highlighted equity, diversity and inclusion; telework; temporary unclassified employees; wages and healthcare in its 2021-2023 contract. MAPE members from across the state addressed these topics at the rally.
“MAPE’s professional members helped keep State government running and Minnesotans safe throughout the pandemic. We fought hard for a fair and reasonable contract for our members, and we know the wages and healthcare we bargain here set the tone for employers across Minnesota. Yes, it helps us, but it also sets the bar high and demands a fair shake for working-class people in our state,” MAPE President Megan Dayton said.
A video of the rally is available on MAPE’s Facebook. Topics and speakers (in order of appearance) included:
- Negotiations update: MAPE President Megan Dayton
- Temporary unclassified employees: Saroj Aryal, IT specialist at MNIT;
- Equity, diversity and inclusion: Rhianon Sargent, program specialist at Minnesota Department of Education;
- Telework: Ann Adkisson, collections officer at Minnesota Department of Revenue;
- Wages: Laura Heezen, behavior analyst, Minneapolis Veterans Home, Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs;
- Healthcare: Hannah Friedlander, senior epidemiologist, Minnesota Department of Health;
- Wages and healthcare: Rebecca Ramsey, release planner at Faribault Correctional Facility, Minnesota Department of Corrections;
- Next steps: MAPE Region 5 Director Vernitta Moore