Divided workers have in common they suffer divisions

AFSCME-MN's 2023-2025 tentative agreement for the master state contract proposed a rare-sized, long overdue pay increase for Minnesota's public employees, and since a majority voted to accept, not strike, compensation changed upward for all Minnesota's state public employees across all units, north, south, east and west, all units and classes, on all steps.

There were critics advising against accepting something good in lieu of something better, they sowed doubts on those who negotiated for that raise, and this undermined the basic trust in election integrity that is necessary for members to participate by casting votes.  At some point those believing polling places, on polling day, are an ideal scene to pressure unsolicited personal points of view, at some point when leaning-in to share gets close enough and loud enough, it becomes intimidation that suppresses one's right to vote.

An economic division explain's some of this, why as one travels north, out to the the farms and forests, away from suburban wealth centers where luxe cosmopolitan living comes easy, outstate where factory closings and cyclic boom-busts make gaming casinos the most stable and dependable employment, desperate precariousness reigns.

State worker raises might never come again, they are a rarity indeed, so why was there complaining about dental quality of a gift horse? Sometimes overlooked in negotiating for AFSCME is that raises need to appear proportionate enough in recognizing career-long, sustained effort at competent public service performance: seniority some call it.  Overlooking this division, those feeling their dedication to service darn near turned the biggest state worker raise ever into negotiation incompetence and union graft poison because in human psychology, pie dividing matters if 'wrong people' appear to get disproportionate raises. 

There are today more, not less, deadly mortal risks doing jobs related to healthcare directly facing the public. Public employment - sounds risky. Nurses, doctors, first responders, peace officers - those who work plowing highways, caring for others or enforcing laws can end up sleepless, burned-out, be denied leave in a spiral of understaffing, suffer repetitive nightmares about undoable things they did, with some unable to forget sights that cannot be unseen. Those who worked through COVID stresses and daily face the grind and wear in lean times suffer psychic stresses that drain resilience, physically damage health, darken hope and reduce everyone's trust in both public service and ethical health care.

Is there any division between workers that hasn't tracked some employee payroll reduction? When non-negotiated COVID pandemic policy health edicts shut down state workplaces, workers got sent home and they scattered, lost homes and many experienced a mandatory policy-making decision render their puzzle of survival insoluable. That was the front-end of  double-whammy COVID payroll reduction whipsawing hitting state workers both "coming and going" by giving no option out, no choice or negotiation in the matter. First cut hits those sent home, then further winnowing-out follows for those who survived COVID's rock-and- a-hard-place policy pinch. No mystery here - home workers 'enjoying' remote work but yetstill able to raise their families, nearly 25% will never return, so do the math.

This is division between remote workers vs. non-remote workers: a big change in the state's under-negotiated telework policy requiring remote workers to work in-person at employer premises for at least 50% of scheduled workdays beginning June 1, 2025, with an exemption for employees who live more than 75 miles away from their primary work location.  These decisions are not made with members’ voices at a negotiation table, they are not mutually agreed to as acceptable, respectful workplace terms and conditions.

AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Bart Andersen said:

"Let me be perfectly clear: as Executive Director of AFSCME Council 5, representing more than 18,000 state employees, we will not tolerate unilateral changes to our members’ work. The Administration’s decision to impose sweeping workplace policy changes without engaging our union and labor partners first is not just unacceptable—it’s an act of blatant disrespect. Our union members must have and deserve a seat at the table every step of the way. We are demanding full transparency and meaningful dialogue immediately. AFSCME Council 5, alongside our fellow labor union partners, will do whatever it takes to defend our members’ rights, safeguard their ability to work safely and effectively, and continue delivering high-quality public services for all Minnesotans."

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