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Politics and Government News
Brian Bakst
St. Paul

Minnesota state government unions say they have deals for big raises

A large Capitol building is seen through budding trees
Minnesota’s largest state government employee unions reached new contract deals on Friday that will bring their members the biggest raises in many years.
Ben Hovland | MPR News

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Minnesota’s largest state government employee unions reached new contract deals on Friday that will bring their members the biggest raises in many years.

The tentative agreements involve DFL Gov. Tim Walz’s administration, the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Council 5 and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees.

Union leaders say the new contracts would bring raises of 5.5 percent this summer and 4.5 percent next year. And they pointed to other adjustments to the pay scale to boost ranges for certain positions.

Adam Novotny, co-chair of negotiations for MAPE, said his union fought for bigger raises but settled for what the union said were still the biggest two-year pay bumps in decades.

“We won a double-digit increase for our members because they work tirelessly to provide the necessary services to keep Minnesotans and their communities healthier and safer,” Novotny said in a statement posted to MAPE’s website.

And the unions say there would be a $20 per hour minimum wage for state jobs and limits on health insurance increases as well as cost-free mental health visits in many instances. Other provisions clear up policies around paid leave, sick time, telework and early retirement.

The Department of Minnesota Management and Budget, which negotiates the contracts on behalf of the executive branch, confirmed that deals were struck. But an agency spokesperson said the department doesn’t discuss details prior to ratification.

It’s not immediately known how much the contracts will cost between July 1 and their expiration in two years. The Legislature recently adopted a nearly $72 billion state budget that contained significant boosts to state agency funding.

AFSCME represents state workers ranging from snow plow drivers to clerical employees. MAPE members are scientists, treatment professionals and computer technicians.

Next up are votes by rank-and-file union members. A recent law change means the contracts can take hold without legislative signoff.

AFSCME Council 5 executive director Julie Bleyhl hailed the contracts as historic.

“With the investments outlined in this tentative agreement that our union members secured, our state can better recruit and retain workers who are integral to the functioning of our excellent state services that all Minnesotans need and deserve,” Bleyhl said in a written statement.