Cathleen Cotter is a committed mother and activist. She has been a MAPE member for over ten years and currently serves on the MAPE PAC Board. In addition, she is pursuing her Masters of Advocacy and Political Leadership at the University of Minnesota Duluth with the help of a scholarship from the AFL-CIO.

Recently, MAPE Political Affairs Coordinator Kendal Killian sat down with Cathleen to discuss her activism and other issues.

Kendal Killian: What is our official involvement within MAPE?

Cathleen Cotter: I have been a member of MAPE for over ten years. Currently I am in Local 202. I also serve on the MAPE PAC Board of Directors and have been a delegate and alternate to the assembly over the years. I first get more heavily involved in MAPE during the strike, when I served as a runner. That experience is really what pushed me to get more involved in the union.

KK: What is your job title? What does your work entail?

CC: I am a Business Analyst in the Child Support Enforcement Division, within the Department of Human Services. I work on interstate child support enforcement. As I like to say, I help get money for Minnesota families.

KK: When did you first get involved politically?

CC: I have always been interested in politics. I have a distinct memory of being taken to a Hubert Humphrey rally as a young child. After law school, I actually ran for State Assembly in Wisconsin in 1990 and lost the nomination to the eventual winner. In much the same way that the strike inspired me to get more involved in MAPE, the budget cuts in 2003 and the shutdown in 2005 motivated me to get more involved politically. I became more aware of the direct connection between our elected officials and the decisions that affect my job.

KK: What district do you live in? Who are your legislators?

CC: I live on the East Side of St. Paul in Senate District 67. My legislators are Senator Mee Moua and Representative Tim Mahoney. They are both great advocates of working class issues.

KK: What issues do you think MAPE members face?

CC: Well, I think we have an issue with the large percentage of our workforce at the top of the pay scale. Many of us have no more steps to move up to, so we are more in need of cost of living increases and more vulnerable during pay freezes. There will be a huge wave of retirees in the next few years. While that poses many issues for MAPE in terms of pension and health care issues, it also will force many changes in the way our state government operates. With those retirements we will lose a considerable amount of institutional memory and know-how. We will need to learn to adapt and be more nimble.

KK: Do you feel connected to the labor movement?

CC: My dad was a small business owner. A pharmacist who owned his own stores. We were always Democrats, though. It was instilled in me at a very young age that we were lucky to have as much as we did and should help those less fortunate. iin a broad sense this is what the labor movement is all about.

KK: A few years ago you attended MAPE Camp Wellstone. How has that experience influenced your journey as an activist?

CC: I was very impressed by Camp Wellstone. It really lit a fire under me to get more involved. Until that point, I had always enjoyed politics but I really had no idea how you could get paid to be an organizer and work in politics on a full-time basis. Camp Wellstone is what led me to find the Masters of Advocacy and Political Leadership (MAPL) program at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

KK: Tell us about that. What have you learned through your experience at UMD?

CC: Well, the MAPL program at the University of Minnesota Duluth is a fascinating program, full of bright, motivated people. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from people like Jeff Blodgett and Erik Peterson. Being in classes with 20-somethings keeps me on my toes and helps me be a better state employee and activist.

KK: Recently you donated a kidney to a family member in need. What motivated you to do that and how does that experience relate to your activism?

CC: Well, simply put, the call was put out with my family for an organ donor. I started the process a year ago and in February was notified that I was a match. It was an easy decision for me because I feel I am surrounded by abundance and this is a great way to share that abundance. The support my coworkers gave and my short term disability coverage made the process easier and less costly. I think organ donation is very important; in fact I may do one of my MAPL internships with Donate Life Minnesota. The state should do more to assist donors; I would like to see changes to the vacation donation program to allow vacation donation to organ donors. I also think the State should again provide one week of paid time off for employees who are organ donors.

Profiles of Team MAPE members will be a regular feature here at TeamMAPE.org. Stay tuned for more additional interviews with Team MAPE activists.