Mainstreet Radio's Laurel Druley reports on the looming government workers strike. State agency officials say they have contingency plans in place to compensate for the void a strike could leave.
In the wake of the events in 2001, state and union leaders are under public pressure to come to a contract agreement. The September 11th attacks have brought a changed perspective to the negotiating table. Still more than half of Minnesota's government work force could walk off the job Monday if no agreement is made.
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LAUREL DRULEY: State employees and administrators agree, contract issues that seem so important two weeks ago pale in comparison to the ongoing international crisis. Ken DeCramer, president of the Rochester Department of Transportation Union, says two weeks ago, state workers were fed up and ready to take action. Today, he says, they have mixed feelings about a strike.
KEN DECRAMER: It went from such a strong, unified front that-- there was such a strong, strong feelings from the members that we needed a better contract. And we needed the insurance to be improved. And to go to this with so much mixed feelings, it's really been hard.
And they don't want to do anything that's going to harm the state. I mean, they live here, too. Their families are here. And they don't want to create any more problems.
LAUREL DRULEY: Still, many workers continue to say the pay raise offered by the state is not enough to cover the increase in health care premiums. The members of both the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees complain their wages were frozen in the early '90s and have lagged behind the cost of living increases since then.
If there's no last-minute agreement, many workers are still prepared to walk off the job. That means roadkill might be left for the birds. Road construction projects may stretch into late fall. And some state medical and mental health services could be scaled back. These are just a few of the possible consequences of the potential 29,000 state workers' strike.
State-run veterans facilities and treatment centers would take a hit in the event of a strike. A spokesman from the Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne says about 80% of their employees are union members. He says replacement workers will be brought in, in an effort to keep things business as usual.
Doctors and registered nurses at the Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Facility would not strike. But all of their nursing assistants, clerical, and maintenance staff could. Officials from the Department of Human Services say National Guard troops have been trained over the last few weeks to take over those jobs. Dennis Stauffer, a Department of Natural Resources spokesman, says they have made plans for a potential walkout, too.
DENNIS STAUFFER: The reality is people should expect some reduction in services. We have a lot of people that do very important work. Certainly, life will not continue as normal without them. But we have tried to identify those things that affect the public and that would compromise our work in some major way if we don't maintain them. And we're going to focus on those tasks.
LAUREL DRULEY: Stauffer assures lakes will still get stocked, wildfires will be prevented, and hunting season will continue as scheduled. Laurie Luethmers, president of the AFSCME union at St. Cloud state, says 350 of their employees are AFSCME workers. They are the support staff, the people who keep computers up and running, food hot in the dining halls, and the classrooms, dorms, and offices clean.
LAURIE LUETHMERS: We are the frontline people. We are the ones that students and visitors see before any supervisors, managers, or administrators. So they're going to have to be doing our work, basically. Being the front line, we're the ones that normally get the grief and the angry students because of whatever reason. And this way, they'll have to deal with it themselves.
LAUREL DRULEY: Luethmers hopes others don't see a strike as unpatriotic. She says many of the state workers are veterans who fought for the freedom to strike. Laurel Druley, Minnesota Public Radio, Rochester.