Speech pathology clinicians win salary increase At MAPE

Five speech-language pathologists working in locations from Moorhead to St. Peter have an received upward range reassignment through research initiated by MAPE members and supported by the union’s Negotiations Committee. MAPE’s team requested a range reassignment for the speech pathology clinicians because they agreed they were not being paid market-value during contract negotiations last year.

Reassignment from 14L to 16L was supported by research conducted by Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) and two agencies, departments of Veterans Affairs and Human Services, and Minnesota State that employ the five clinicians. Two of the employees work at Minnesota State-Moorhead, two are employed at the Veterans Home in Minneapolis and the fifth MAPE member works at St. Peter Regional Treatment Center.

“We knew that speech pathology clinicians weren’t being paid equitably so we brought this up in our contract negotiations with MMB and requested that a study be done to re-evaluate their jobs," Negotiations Committee Co-Chair Sandy Dunn said. "All of us on the Negotiations Committee are very pleased that research backed us up and MMB awarded much deserved salary increases to our MAPE members.”

In addition, employees who have been at the maximum of their salary range for a year or more are eligible for a delayed progression increase of one step upon range reassignment. All salary increases became effective Dec. 27.