It’s been 2 weeks since an agreement was announced between public employee unions like MAPE and AFSCME and the Dayton administration. Mike Parry, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Employee Relations, still hasn’t seen the contracts. Yesterday, Chairman Parry issued this statement:
PARRY CALLS ON DAYTON TO RELEASE LABOR CONTRACTS
Waseca- According to an announcement on Thursday, May 31st from AFSCME Council 5 (AFL-CIO), AFSCME and MAPE reached a “tentative deal on a two-year collective bargaining agreement with the State of Minnesota.”
The announcement came after nearly 11 months of stalled negotiations between the Dayton administration and labor unions. As a result, state employees have been working under expired contracts, receiving automatic, unnegotiated salary increases.
Subcommittee on Employee Relations Chairman Mike Parry (R-Waseca) sent a letter on Friday, June 1st requesting a copy of the contract to the Minnesota Management and Budget Department (MMB). The letter was another attempt by Senator Parry and members of the subcommittee to obtain information about the progress of collective bargaining activities with state employees, as afforded the subcommittee by Minnesota statute 3.855.
Friday, more than two weeks after the deal was announced, Subcommittee on Employee Relations members have yet to receive a copy of the contract from MMB.
“It’s been more than two weeks since I requested a copy of the contract from Governor Dayton’s administration. MMB Commissioner Schowalter assured me that I would receive the information midweek this week but so far, nothing. What are Governor Dayton and his union buddies trying to hide in the contracts?
Given the Dayton Administration’s refusal to substantively participate in past meetings and the drawn out, 11 month negotiation process, it was not surprising that they are stalling and delaying the release of the agreed contract with subcommittee members,” said Senator Parry. “Minnesota deserves transparency and accountability, but the Dayton Administration continues to keep the public in the dark, siding with big union interests instead of Minnesota taxpayers.”
It’s time for Gov. Dayton to release the contracts so the Subcommittee on Employee Relations can fulfill its oversight responsibilities.
As I wrote earlier, it’s been announced that Gov. Dayton caved on most of the unions’ major demands. If Gov. Dayton doesn’t get this information to Chairman Parry’s subcommittee, they can’t complete their oversight responsibilities.
If Gov. Dayton doesn’t release the contracts, Parry’s subcommittee won’t have a choice but to reject it. They certainly can’t give a contract its blessing without first finding out what’s in it. If Gov. Dayton doesn’t give the committee the information, they should reject it without hesitation.
I suspect that that’s Gov. Dayton motive. I’d bet that ABM, AFSCME, MAPE and other PEU’s want so they can rail about the GOP’s war against working families. I’d bet the proverbial ranch that Denise Cardinal and Carrie Lucking are chomping at the bit for the time they can start that meme.
Frankly, I triple-dog dare them. The conservative blogosphere will eviscerate them if they try telling those tall tales. It isn’t that we have a huge readership. It isn’t that we’ll have a Alida Messinger-sized advertising budget.
It’s that the DFL will have to repeat that again and again and again, only to have the conservative blogosphere destroy their meme with a week’s worth of truthtelling.
It’s time for Gov. Dayton to turn the contracts over to the subcommittee. If he doesn’t, then that’s proof that Gov. Dayton would rather have the political issue than do what’s right.
Tags: Union Contracts, Mark Dayton, Alida Messinger, Carrie Lucking, Denise Cardinal, ABM, AFSCME, DFL, Mike Parry, Oversight, MNGOP, Advise and Consent
“They certainly can’t give a contract its blessing without first finding out what’s in it.”
Aw, c’mon, Gary! That’s how we pass health care legislation in this country!
In seriousness, the contracts need to be produced immediately, as they are the product of an absolutely legitimate oversight request. Good catch.
Gary:
Silly question has the union voted on the contract. Usually depending on notification procedures to have an official vote could take a week or two. Dayton could be holding it up out of courtsey so the union could vote on it and if approved then the state gets to vote on it.
Of course if it has been voted on then there is no excuse at all not to show it to anyone in the legislature that wants to see it!
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Walter, there’s a deadline for the legislature, too. By law, they have to take action on it in 30 days. If the legislature doesn’t take action, it automatically goes into effect. That’s state law.
Going through a complex contract takes time. In other words, there isn’t time for courtesy on this.
Gary:
The ratification I was talking about was the union. Because if the union approves it then the legislature has to approve it. If the union doesn’t then it’s a moot point.
Of course won’t the 30 days kick in only once the legislature is in official session. It seems like in the past the contract gets approved during the summer and then the legislature has acted in the past when they are in session.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Actually, the legislature isn’t under any obligation to approve it under any circumstances. That’s the check to the governor’s balance.