For the first time in MAPE history, our contract was passed on pure votes before the last day of the session.

The initial bill provided $70 million dollars in funding for the central corridor and which was negotiated into the final settlement. The projects in this bill (including those negotiated at the end) provide Minnesota jobs and a $10 million dollar – 100 bed facility at the Mpls. Vets Home.

Representative Chris Delaforest offered an amendment to remove the MAPE provision from the major Finance bill. The provision requires the state to honor and pay employees in all job classes according to the state's own compensation studies.

Rep. Chris DeLaforest offered an amendment disallowing a health insurance company from surveying public employees for the purpose of assessing the health of an individual or collective group. Completing the current health assessment allows employees to receive a $5 co-pay discount. MAPE opposed the legislative restriction of these assessments because it was an attempt by the legislature to mandate against something that was agreed to in the collective bargaining process and voted on by our members.

Omnibus Pension Bill

Employee Free Choice Act

The Employee Free Choice Act is a resolution supporting the right for all employees to join a union.

This legislation would have required DHS to notify appropriate members of the Legislature's Finance committees of their intent to close a facility. It would have given patient's families and staff the opportunity to be heard before the closure of the facility. The Finance committee, which appropriates state money, would have the opportunity to adjust funding if they felt the closure should be prevented.

Health Care Reform Bill

. This bill simply places 12,000 more uninsured Minnesotan's in a position to qualify for Minnesota Care. It was the biggest step by the 2008 legislature towards universal health care. The bill calls for a study of affordability and begins to pay doctors for health outcomes.

A provision is now in state law that states an employee may be granted paid leave to donate blood at a location away from work. The leave may not exceed three hours in a 12 month period. Employees must provide at least a 14 day notice to the employer. MnSCU employees were exempted from this legislation.

The deficit bill closed corporate tax loopholes saving the state nearly $109 million in future tax breaks and lost jobs. The Legislature also held strong using only $50 million dollars from the Health care Access Fund to balance the budget as opposed to the Governor's $250 million proposal.

This provision would have required employers to honor sick leave for adult children, spouse, siblings, parents, grandparents, or stepparents. This did not prevent an employer from providing greater benefits nor did it alter current collective bargaining agreements that already recognized the use of sick leave for children, spouse, sibling, parent, grandparent, and stepparent.

This bill would have increased the minimum wage indexing, eliminated the training wage and required employer notice of how to report minimum wage violations and what the applicable minimum wage is. Under the language, minimum wage would have increased to $6.75 per hour on 7/24/08 and $7.75 per hour on 7/24/09. Employees under the age of 18 would have increased to $5.35 and $5.75. The bill was vetoed by the Governor.