Senate approves 'clean' 2015-17 contract bill

The state Senate passed a “clean” bill approving MAPE's contract and other labor agreements Senate File (SF) 2626 Monday. SF 2626 passed the Senate with a bipartisan vote of 48-15.

The Republican majority in the House has tried to make progress with legislation that implements right-to-work features and, the latest version, interferes with the negotiation process. Republican Rep. Steve Drazkowski’s bill House File (HF) 3585 puts contract negotiations on the public stage.

Approved by the Senate Monday, SF 2626 is a “clean” bill. SF 2626 approves 2.5 percent across-the-board increases for MAPE’s 2015-17 contract. MAPE employees already received the first raise retroactive to July 1 of last year. The contract calls for a second identical across-the-board raise July 1. Step increases are due both years for those eligible, which is roughly 57 percent of MAPE’s 14,000 employees. SF 2626 approves the contracts “as is.”

At one point of the debate Monday, SF 2626 author Jim Metzen (DFL) pointed out that the Legislature should stay out of the negotiation process. He said that the roughly 38,000 state employees covered by the contracts in SF 2626 didn’t get raises when Minnesota had budget deficits and commended them for that.

Metzen encouraged Senate members to vote in favor of SF 2626. “It’s the right thing to do,” he said.

However, passage of SF 2626 only came after wrangling by Senate Republicans. Republican Sen. Scott J. Newman complained that three state agencies were asking for additional money in the supplemental budget to fund contract wage increases – he singled out the Department of Natural Resources, Corrections and Human Services. Republican Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer proposed an amendment to SF 2626 forcing state agencies to absorb wage increases if the negotiated contract exceeds what is budgeted by the Legislature. Kiffmeyer's amendment was defeated 38-26.