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Preserving
Member-Run Unionism
MAPE Wins
Two-Week Strike
MILWAUKEE, Wi. – Much to the amazement of the Ventura
administration, the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE), an independent
union of 10,000 state employees, struck for 2 weeks.
They report that their picket line was honored by 90% of the membership. They
were able to secure tentative agreement on a package including raises of 3%
retroactive to July 1, 2001, a lump sum payment of $250 and a discretionary step
reinstated in January 2003.
They explain, "These battles for fairness must be waged
over time with constant effort. Had we ratified a contract with annual wage
increases of 2% and an inadequate health insurance package, we would have
invited our employer to take additional advantage of us next time.
Although annual increases of 3 %, with no step increase for one year of the
biennium, but an improved health insurance package is not what we would have
preferred - it is a much better contract than the one we voted down. This
struggle is similar to that between a playground bully and the other kids in the
class. Those who fight back, even though they take their scrapes, eventually
become less appealing targets for the bully."
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