Read to learn what PELRA means for MAPE and other MN unions

MAPE’s latest reading group came about because members wanted to know why unions in Minnesota could not follow the UAW and hold rolling strikes and other activities. “So many things that people would raise during contract bargaining – why can’t we do this during negotiations? It was always because of PELRA,” Local 901 Membership Secretary Meridith Richmond said. “PELRA is the rules of the game and it is good to know the rules better.”    

So, the PELRA Reading Group was formed through the Union Power Project Education Pillar. Richmond, a laboratory scientist at the Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture, and a Contract Action Team Leader, is one of the coordinators of the reading group. Members are assigned monthly readings and then discuss them. MAPE Business Agent Adam Kamp, labor attorney well-versed in PELRA, lends his expertise while facilitating the group’s discussions. The six-month reading group began in March and will go through August.   

PELRA stands for the Public Employment Labor Relations Act, enacted in 1980, to establish the legal framework for union representation, collective bargaining and labor relations for public employees in Minnesota. The law guarantees the rights of unions like MAPE to collectively bargain with the State of Minnesota, to speak or take actions in support of their union free from Employer interference, or even to go on strike under certain circumstances. However, those rights come with tradeoffs that are important to understand. The reading group was developed so members could learn more about the legal rules we operate under and talk about how the law influences what actions we can and cannot take (and the grey areas in between).  

Local 501’s Ben Cretsinger, a Paid Leave Appeals Legal Analyst with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), joined the group to become more involved in the union. “I joined MAPE because I want to help the union today and also the next generation. I also wanted a better understanding of what we can do next round of negotiations.” 

Cretsinger, who has a master's degree in public policy, noted “you can’t study public policy without realizing how important unions are to making policy changes.”  

Maureen Dunaway, Speaker of the Meet and Confer Chairs and unemployment insurance specialist at DEED, said she joined the reading group because she wanted to know more about what makes something an unfair labor practice (ULP). “Filing a ULP is hard. I think I misunderstood what I previously learned – the reading group has been super useful to understand ‘why’ the law says that. Often, it is arbitrary case law dependent on the political party in control,” Dunaway said. “What they decide matters, and I wanted to learn more about what I didn’t know.” 

Many group participants said they are interested in a better understanding of the law as it pertains to planning union actions. “We should be organizing in a way to build power but doesn’t get us into legal trouble. Now, when someone tells me we can’t do something because of PELRA, I understand it more,” Dunaway said.  

Many participants admit the labor readings can be a bit heavy. “The readings can be dense at times and that’s why the conversation is so important,” Cretsinger said.   

 “The conversation helps me clarify what I read and understand – is my interpretation right or wrong,” added Dunaway. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the PELRA Reading Group, register here.