While members of two unions review the details of a tentative contract for 30,000 State of Minnesota employees, leadership is praising the settlement for providing much-needed improvements.
"MAPE members will now receive their first cost-of-living raise in three years," said Jim Monroe, executive director of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, which represents 11,000 workers. "It is not all that we were seeking, but we are pleased that we were able to get raises each year for the next two years for all of our members."
"We've bargained hard for state employees," said Eliot Seide, lead negotiator for AFSCME, the union for 19,000 state employees. "Our members earn an average of $35,000 a year. They're living paycheck to paycheck and haven't had a raise in three years. Our state workforce is the 13th leanest in the nation and its workers are among the most productive. We are pleased that Gov. Pawlenty has agreed that his world-class workers deserve a raise."
Two years ago when the state faced a $4.5 billion budget deficit, state employees accepted wage freezes.
The agreement was reached early Friday, after negotiations were interrupted by the special legislative session and the partial government shutdown. MAPE?s negotiating team unanimously recommended acceptance of the package, which will be reviewed by the MAPE Board of Directors on Monday, Aug. 1.
AFSCME members will vote on the contract in ballots to be counted Aug. 29. The AFSCME negotiating team has unanimously recommended ratification, the union said.
The unions said they were able to hold the line on health-care costs with the new two-year contract, and there have also been dental plan enhancements.
"We believe this is an exceptional health-care settlement for our members," Monroe said. "However, this still does not diminish the need to find a long-range solution to provide affordable health care for our members and all Minnesotans."
"This is a temporary victory because ever-increasing health care costs are beyond the control of any one union or employer," said Seide. "Whenever health care costs go up, real wages suffer. Political leaders must rescue our health care system from the brink of collapse."
The tentative agreement does not include a resolution for those employees who were impacted by the state government shutdown. MAPE, AFSCME and the state will be entering third-party resolution no later than Sept. 9.
"We remain committed to making whole those state employees who were used as pawns in the state government shutdown when the governor and the Legislature failed to get a budget deal enacted on time," Monroe said.
For more information
See the state union websites, www.mape.org and www.afscmemn.org
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While members of two unions review the details of a tentative contract for 30,000 State of Minnesota employees, leadership is praising the settlement for providing much-needed improvements.
“MAPE members will now receive their first cost-of-living raise in three years,” said Jim Monroe, executive director of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, which represents 11,000 workers. “It is not all that we were seeking, but we are pleased that we were able to get raises each year for the next two years for all of our members.”
“We’ve bargained hard for state employees,” said Eliot Seide, lead negotiator for AFSCME, the union for 19,000 state employees. “Our members earn an average of $35,000 a year. They’re living paycheck to paycheck and haven’t had a raise in three years. Our state workforce is the 13th leanest in the nation and its workers are among the most productive. We are pleased that Gov. Pawlenty has agreed that his world-class workers deserve a raise.”
Two years ago when the state faced a $4.5 billion budget deficit, state employees accepted wage freezes.
The agreement was reached early Friday, after negotiations were interrupted by the special legislative session and the partial government shutdown. MAPE?s negotiating team unanimously recommended acceptance of the package, which will be reviewed by the MAPE Board of Directors on Monday, Aug. 1.
AFSCME members will vote on the contract in ballots to be counted Aug. 29. The AFSCME negotiating team has unanimously recommended ratification, the union said.
The unions said they were able to hold the line on health-care costs with the new two-year contract, and there have also been dental plan enhancements.
“We believe this is an exceptional health-care settlement for our members,” Monroe said. “However, this still does not diminish the need to find a long-range solution to provide affordable health care for our members and all Minnesotans.”
“This is a temporary victory because ever-increasing health care costs are beyond the control of any one union or employer,” said Seide. “Whenever health care costs go up, real wages suffer. Political leaders must rescue our health care system from the brink of collapse.”
The tentative agreement does not include a resolution for those employees who were impacted by the state government shutdown. MAPE, AFSCME and the state will be entering third-party resolution no later than Sept. 9.
“We remain committed to making whole those state employees who were used as pawns in the state government shutdown when the governor and the Legislature failed to get a budget deal enacted on time,” Monroe said.
For more information
See the state union websites, www.mape.org and www.afscmemn.org