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ST. PAUL — State employee unions representing roughly 50,000 workers around Minnesota on Thursday, May 12, called on the Senate to approve their contracts in the week remaining in the legislative session.
The contracts were negotiated last year and the Minnesota House of Representatives ratified them. But the Senate delayed similar action, setting up a potential rollback of 2.5% cost-of-living increases and other benefits without a vote.
Minnesota lawmakers funded the increases as part of the state budget they approved last year and state employees have already seen the raises applied to their salaries. Without quick action, union leaders said, tens of thousands could see a pay cut.
“We have all provided much-needed services like health care, corrections, college faculty and care for our state’s veterans, seniors and the most vulnerable,” Minnesota Association of Professional Employees President Megan Dayton said. "Passage of these contracts simply means that we can continue to provide services to these people around the state."
A spokeswoman for the Senate Republican Caucus said that leaders in that chamber hoped to take up the contracts next week.
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The union groups said they would continue pressing leaders to take up the contracts ahead of the May 23 close of the 2022 legislative session.
“With just a week left in the legislative session, it would be criminal to not pass this and potentially have a pay cut,” Minnesota Nurses Association President Mary Turner said. “This is not the way to honor the heroes of our pandemic.”
Follow Dana Ferguson on Twitter @bydanaferguson , call 651-290-0707 or email dferguson@forumcomm.com.
