For Met Council workers, it’s all about quality

As negotiations come down to the wire, Metropolitan Council workers represented by AFSCME say they just want to be treated fairly.

“Never have I seen a contract offer that insults employees like this,” said Art McGrane, president of AFSCME Local 668, which represents about 500 Met Council employees. McGrane and scores of other Local 668 members rallied Tuesday outside the Met Council offices in downtown St. Paul.

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“We ARE the Met Council,” he said. “We need a reasonable contract that provides a reasonable wage increase with reasonable, affordable health care coverage for all employees.”

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Led by AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Eliot Seide and Local 668 President Art McGrane, union members and supporters marched outside the offices of the Metropolitan Council.

Met Council employees provide critical services to the Twin Cities metropolitan area. They operate and maintain regional wastewater treatment facilities. They monitor local water systems for pollution. They drive Metro Transit buses and the light rail. They help people find homes through the Housing and Redevelopment Authority.

“Quality services are delivered by quality employees who deserve quality compensation,” said Eliot Seide, director of AFSCME Council 5, which includes Local 668 and 40,000 public and nonprofit employees in Minnesota.

After negotiating for a year, Local 668 and Met Council management have one more bargaining session Monday with the help of a mediator.

“We’re hoping we can get the job done that day,” McGrane said.

So far, however, management’s offer has been unacceptable, the union said. The offer calls for no cost-of-living raise for the three years of the contract, higher health care premiums for employees and cuts in health care benefits for retirees.

“The Met Council can do better for its dedicated employees,” said Seide. “State employees got a 2 percent raise and held the line on health care. If Governor Pawlenty can do that with state employees, why can’t Met Council Chair (Peter) Bell do that for Met Council employees?”

The challenges facing Met Council employees are representative of those faced by many workers today, said Mike Nevala, an environmental scientist and 16-year Met Council employee.

Anti-worker forces “not only want to dismantle government, they want to dismantle the middle class,” he said.

Met Council employees say they provide important services and ought to be treated fairly for the work they do.

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