Leaders and members of the North Dakota Public Employees Association (NDPEA) were at the capitol when Gov. John Hoeven signed the state employee compensation bill into law in February. NDPEA president Gary Feist, pictured far left, says passage of the measure early in the legislative session "was history in the making. State employees' salaries have always been one of the last or the last bill passed prior to this year."

Under the pay package, state employees will receive percent salary increases in each year of the 2007-09 biennium. The measure also establishes a $10 million equity pool "to help solve some of the equity and compression problems that have occurred over the years," Feist says.

NDPEA members did their part to make their pay a legislative priority. In addition to the dozen-plus who testified before the Legislature, dozens more called and e-mailed their elected representatives to ask for their support.