Steward Spotlight: Region 14 Vast region covered by trio of MAPE chief stewards

With a region covering from north-central Minnesota to the northeastern corner of the state, it makes sense that MAPE Region 14 stewards decided to split chief steward duties three ways. Even better, all three MAPE leaders work at different agencies, offering a variety of workplace experiences and expertise to their Greater Minnesota colleagues: Ariel Johnson at Minnesota State, Martha Chateleine at the Dept. of Veterans Affairs and Amber Jungwirth, Dept. of Natural Resources. When the previous chief steward stepped down, the three of them threw their hats in the ring and decided to make it a shared role rather than one elected chief.

“We were all interested because we wanted to be more involved, and me being a new steward and having a lot going on and not knowing if I could take on the full workload of being a chief steward, we all decided to do it together to prevent burnout and better support our union colleagues,” Johnson said. “We’ve made it work really well and the format of sharing duties has been beneficial to support each other, our MAPE employees and our stewards.”

Chateleine said since the moment she jumped into her first investigation, she has felt supported in her role as co-chief steward. 

“Having good support from MAPE with information, knowing what questions to ask and what to look for, has helped me be there to support the members … that’s been awesome,” she said. “It’s been very rewarding when my colleagues ask questions to be able to find those answers for them. 

“It adds to the stability within our department and they know I'm there for them and I know they appreciate that so I appreciate them.”

Feeling connected and supported has been more important than ever, as MAPE members continue to work remotely and attend hybrid or virtual meetings. 

“We’re such a unique region in Greater Minnesota. It’s hard to feel connected in our local because we’re so spread out,” Jungwirth said. “I’m looking forward to getting back together in person and rebuilding those missing connections.”

Johnson said her favorite part about being a steward is being a resource for fellow MAPE members, supporting one another, being able to help someone and “to feel like you can actually help people, and push back where we can to ask for what we deserve as workers to make our lives better and better support the state. 

“The more supported we are as employees, the more supportive we can be for the State. At the end of the day, having stewardship and representation, it really is creating common ground for the better good - helping people out.”

All three co-chief stewards recommend anyone interested in getting involved with MAPE to consider becoming a steward in their respective local. 

“We all have busy lives, families, other obligations with community things, but I’d encourage others to get involved as an officer, helping on a committee or becoming a steward,” Johnson said. “It’s surprising how much you can do or help with when active in MAPE. It is amazing how much we do as a collective and how much support there is.”