MAPE Local 1002

Happy COLA raise day siblings!! MAPE Local 1002 MAPE Local 1001 Onward!!

If you are near Minneapolis and looking for something to do tonight, head to Ann Kim’s Bronco Bar! Employees at Kim’s Uptown restaurant filed notice to unionize this week and are asking for supporters to show up this evening.

Link to article about the unionizing effort in the comments.

We stand in with our union siblings on strike at SEIU Local 26.

Show up this weekend in solidarity with SPFE and SPPS students and families!

Show your support for the Saint Paul Federation of Educators by participating in an art build! Shifts are available March 2 and 3. RSVP: https://form.jotform.com/240526282749058

Hi all – wanted to share a solidarity action:

“After the “NECHVILLE 6” banjo builders formed their union, owner, Tom Nechville, announced plans to move production from Bloomington, MN to Oregon, to avoid negotiating of a union contact. He is closing shop and putting these craftsmen out of work.

The Nechville 6 organized a union with the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters to secure livable wages, healthcare and working conditions to maintain our careers, better support our families, and advance Nechville as a union made product.

Contact Tom Nechville and urge him to do right by his skilled workers. Phone: (612) 275-6602 Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])" MAPE Local 1002 MAPE Local 1001

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“As you might know, the St Paul Federation of Educators has authorized a strike vote that will take place on Thursday February 15th. Just like at MAPE, dues paying members get to decide if the offers on the table from the district are enough, if they aren’t they will vote to strike. If enough members vote to strike the board will authorize a strike, set after a 10-day cooling off period.

St Paul Educators are not the only ones who are without a contract, even with historic funding educators getting what they deserve this year has been a long drawn out process. Just like SPFE, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers has been escalating their actions in support of a dignified contract. We also saw Anoka-Hennepin settle with a strong wage increase after escalating their fight, using walk outs, and rallies at the school board.

This is to say, the “hot labor summer” people were talking about this summer and fall has continued through the winter. Workers are realizing the power in withholding their labor until they get what they deserve.

However, we know that educators preparing to vote on striking can’t do this alone. SPFE has been working hard to build up community and parent coalitions because when educators have strong contracts our children have the best education they can have.

For those of you who want to do more than just support from the sidelines, SPFE needs volunteers for the strike vote on the 15th! If you are able to either in the morning (7:30am-9:30am) or the evening (2-8pm) to help sign people in and direct people please reach out to SPFE!

Depending on the strike vote, there will be a variety of needs from St Paul educators ranging from support in paying bills, resources on the strike line, or just people joining to cheer them on! Please take some time this week to connect with your local leaders about supporting St Paul Educators. This can look like:

· Sponsoring a school, joining the strike line and donating to their strike fund or bringing supplies by!

· Joining a picket line close to you!

· Sharing information and support on social media!

· Contact the school board in support of striking workers!”

www.linkedin.com

It’s always a delight learning from Minnesotan labor historian Peter Rachleff with MAPE siblings! Check out this recording of his lunch and learn session with MAPE Region 5.

Region 5 Lunch & Learn Series, Part 1 | Minnesota Association of Professional Employees Description: Minnesota's modern labor movement took shape over several decades (1880s-1930s) in which workers confronted (a) the power of corporate employers; (b) the transformation of work and the workplace from a site for skilled labor to sites which mixed skilled and unskilled labor; (c) a workin...

If you have the day off on Monday for MLK day and you have Netflix, one way to observe the holiday could be to watch this documentary based on the amazing work of Ibram X. Kendi.

Watch Stamped from the Beginning | Netflix Official Site Using innovative animation and expert insights, this documentary based on Ibram X. Kendi's bestseller explores the history of racist ideas in America.

The best holiday card is a Union Card!

🗳️ STRIKE VOTE RESULTS! 🗳️

Earlier this week, the workers at all four unionized MN Half Price Books locations took a vote to authorize a future unfair labor practice strike if it becomes necessary. We had a supermajority of workers votes, and the results are in . . .

✊ 98% of workers voted YES to authorize a ULP strike! ✊

This gives the union bargaining committee the power to call for a ULP strike if necessary in the coming weeks. We bargain again with the company from August 22nd-24th, and we expect them to show up in good faith and work to get this contract done!

Stay tuned — we'll post relevant updates and calls to action as they emerge. Thank you all for your support!

“The state Department of Education recently moved its main office from Roseville to a smaller building in northeast Minneapolis.

And the Department of Revenue has closed seven regional offices in greater Minnesota over the past two years, shifting about 130 affected employees to remote work.

Much of Minnesota's government workforce hasn't fully returned to the office and state agency leaders say they aren't planning to order employees back any time soon. Instead, agencies are looking to consolidate space and move into smaller buildings in what appears to be a lasting shift toward hybrid work.

"This is a whole culture shift that I would be very shocked to see reversed in the future," said Megan Dayton, president of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE), which represents 16,500 state government workers. "If the state of Minnesota is strategically deciding to reduce its footprint, I don't see them large-scale just calling people back to the workplaces arbitrarily."

Way to go and huge shoutouts to everyone on the Education team - especially Deb Rose for all you’ve done for the past 5 plus years to fight for the right to request hybrid and full work from home schedules. We’re shrinking the State’s footprint and making it possible for more State employees to work for the state and be from communities across the entire state! I’m so proud of you all!!

Minnesota government employees still working remotely in what looks to be lasting shift State agencies are looking to downsize their offices as many employees continue to work from home.

Hey Local 1002! Regions 4 and 7 hosted a MAPE night at a the St. Paul Saints game last night and I was able to tag along and even hang out with our 2023 Negotiatons Representative Axelina Swenson! They had dogs, brats, burgers, beans, etc., ballgame buffet, and Saints hats printed with the MAPE logo to give away.

If we hosted a night at the Saints would you come out to the ball game with your Region 10 MAPE siblings?

Hey Local 1002 - did you hear the news? The MAPE negotiations team reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) with MMB early this morning. This afternoon, the MAPE Board of Directors (I’m your Board representative) voted to pass this TA along to membership for a vote. So this sets in motion a few opportunities for you to learn about the TA and, sometime in a early to mid August, to vote for or against it.

Please take a look at the announcement from MAPE below. Find details on the TA including the cost of living adjustments MMB finally offered. They’re not the 11% and 10% we know we deserve and need to keep up with inflation, though these are the highest increases we’ve seen in more than 40 years (I was told since 1982)!

So what do you think? Can you live with this? Can we fight for more? Will we get united and come back ready for a bigger fight in 2025? What are you thinking?

I’m thinking about how proud I am of Region 10. We showed our leadership and power to the negotiations team and BOD this year. MOU language from our Education Meet and Confer drove the proposals and discussions around telework rights, and Length of Service Credit for new AND existing employees who didn’t get the initial credit they deserved.

Thank you to Axelina Swenson and Jim DeLuca for showing up, fighting hard, and representing Region 10. I hope you get some sleep this weekend.

Onward in solidarity! Jackie Blagsvedt

We have breaking news for you! We have reached a tentative agreement with MMB. We asked for what we deserved and though we did not get everything we wanted, we fought for every cent and won a lot. Thank you, members, for your support and for joining us in thanking our negotiations team who have been hard at work since this past fall and put in almost 60 hours negotiating over the past three days of push week. https://mape.org/news/mape-reaches-tentative-agreement-2023-2025-contract

This is a great read.

A shocking GOP collapse is brewing In the reddest of red states, Republican overreach

In case you’re free and looking for trouble in October 8. ✊🏽✊🏿✊🏼✊🏻✊🏾

https://labornotes.org/events/2022/twin-cities-troublemakers-school-0

Twin Cities Troublemakers School Bringing together union members, labor activists, and local officers, a Troublemakers School is an incredible space for networking, building solidarity, and sharing successes, strategy, and inspiration. It’s a real shot in the arm for newbies and seasoned activists alike. Members who attend will g...

All MAPE members are invited to walk in the Minnesota State Fair Parade on Labor Day, Monday, Sep. 5 at 1:30 p.m. More details to come about where to meet your MAPE siblings. Sign up: http://ow.ly/3L3t50KbEu6

It takes years to fight for contracts that give govt workers cost of living adjustments to catch up with inflation. And it often seems like when it’s time for the Minnesota legislature to approve our contract there is an economic reason, like a state deficit or a pandemic, that a wage increase seems like bad business. But bad business is actually when states don’t invest in their community and the programs that are designed to make them thrive and to prepare the next generations of workers. If we want to stay competitive and stay a great state to live and work in, we must invest in public service. It’s time for a real cost of living adjustment. When we all to better, we all do better.

Government workers feel inflation’s pinch as wages lag With scarce raises and soaring inflation, struggling public-sector workers are sleeping in their cars, forgoing meat and moving in with family.

This second virtual meeting of the Negotiations Committee concentrated on the importance of building and recruiting regional Contract Action Teams (CATs) and finalizing the all-member survey. https://mape.org/news/negotiations-committee-concentrates-cats-and-finalizes-survey

contract with the State of Minnesota passed the Senate today! It passed the House earlier this session and now heads to Governor Walz’s desk for the sharpie!

(Photo credit Devin Bruce, MAPE)