Union members across the country responded and changed the political dynamics at every level of government.

In the short time since state legislatures and the U.S. Congress convened in January, there has been a dramatic turnabout in public policy agendas.

In state legislatures, there is increased dialogue about how to meet public service needs, as well as how to make state governments more competitive employers by improving public employee pay. And in some states, where there has been an historic bias against workers’ rights, lawmakers are talking about improving the structures for union representation.

Congress’ agenda reflects an about-face from the recent past, with priority placed on raising the working and middle classes by increasing the federal minimum wage, making college more affordable by cutting student loan interest rates, and dismantling the roadblocks that inhibit workers’ ability to form and join unions.

The new congressional leadership values retirement security and, among other goals, wants to enact legislation that will require Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.

But your work—and the work of your union—has really just begun.

There are many steps between setting an agenda and getting bills signed into law by a governor or the president, including getting legislation introduced and enacted by the legislature.

Budget realities are another factor. States like Montana and North Dakota have budget surpluses. New York, on the other hand, is projecting a $1.6 billion shortfall for fiscal year 2007-08.

State, federal budget realities will affect your jobs and pay

In an effort to restore fiscal responsibility, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted “pay-as-you-go” (PAYGO) budget rules in early January by a vote of 280-152.

Under the PAYGO rules, any new spending or tax break must be offset by spending cuts or tax increases.

PAYGO is essential to getting the federal budget deficit under control, says AFT lobbyist Bill Cunningham. Nevertheless, Congress will be faced with hard choices under PAYGO with regard to shoring up deflated entitlement programs and providing middle-class tax cuts.

Nearly half of all states, on the other hand, are facing fiscal shortfalls this year and beyond, including Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

The reasons vary, and in some states are attributable to a combination of factors. For example, Connecticut, Illinois and New Jersey “have used underfunding of state pension obligations as a way to balance operating budgets,” according to the CBPP; and Connecticut, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin “are using one-time funding sources or surpluses to fund ongoing tax cuts or expenditure increases.”

“Growing demands on state legislatures from the public and federal government will generate tremendous pressure on state lawmakers in 2007,” National Conference of State Legislatures executive director William Pound says. According to NCSL—a bipartisan organization providing research, technical assistance and a forum for policymakers to exchange ideas—the federal government as of March 2006 had shifted more than $75 billion in program costs to the states for fiscal years 2004 to 2006. Many observers expect this shift to continue.

Depoliticizing public employee pay and benefits

It is one of the biggest developments in the AFT Public Employees division to date for 2007: The North Dakota Legislature approved a state employee pay plan as one of its first orders of business, rather than one of its last.

“I have a dream that this will not be finished in the last hour of the last day of the legislative session,” Gerry Nies, an information technology technician for disability support services at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, told members of the state Senate Appropriations Committee Jan. 15—
Martin Luther King Day.

Nies, vice president of the North Dakota Public Employees Association (NDPEA), was asking the committee to support the state employee compensation bill, which increases agency salary budgets 4 percent in each year of the 2007-09 biennium, and provides $10 million to address salary inequities—the difference between salaries for North Dakota state employees and public employees in similar states. 

Quoting King’s speech to the 1961 AFL-CIO convention, Nies told the packed hearing room: “ ‘Our needs are identical with labor’s needs—decent wages; fair working conditions; livable housing; old-age security; health and welfare measures; conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children and respect in the community.’ ”

More than one dozen NDPEA leaders and members testified before the committee on the necessity of making state employee pay a priority. Dozens of other members filled the hearing room to show lawmakers they were listening, watching and waiting for action.

Carrie Smith, a child protection worker serving the Fargo area, was among the NDPEA members who testified. It was the first time she had been in the state capitol, let alone ever stood before a legislative committee advocating on behalf of her own welfare—and the welfare of other state employees.

Smith’s point to lawmakers: Some state employees are eligible for public assistance.

NDPEA member Ruth Kihm, who teaches social work at Minot State University, told lawmakers that the salary and market equity adjustments are “critically needed” if the state is going to recruit and retain a high-quality workforce.

“Too often, despite the students’ desire to stay here, despite the recruitment effort of state agencies, the compensation these young people need to pay back their student debt and provide for themselves and their families a modest and stable standard of living is found out of state,” Kihm said.

“I feel that all workers are entitled to dignity and courtesy and respect, no matter where they are employed,” said NDPEA member Tom Morth, who works for the Department of Social Services in Bismarck. “And one principle method of showing respect is regular and meaningful increases in pay, in recognition of a job well done.”

A unanimous Senate approved the pay bill a week later, followed by a unanimous endorsement by the House in early February. At press time, Gov. John Hoeven had invited NDPEA to a signing ceremony for the bill.

Early passage, combined with the fact that state employee pay was considered separately from the Office of Management and Budget bill, marked two dramatic shifts in legislator attitudes toward state employee pay.

The change was not by accident, however. It was precipitated by a constant dialogue between leaders and members of NDPEA and lawmakers, including Gov. Hoeven, since March 2004, when the union released the results of an employee satisfaction survey that revealed a demoralized workforce.

Support for public services, respect for public employees

North Dakota’s public employees are not the only public service providers who have felt the slight of budget decisions.

“The number one need for public employees in Colorado is respect,” says Marge Lambeth, a member of the Colorado Federation of Public Employees.

In survey after survey conducted by the AFT at the local and national levels, members say they want respect—adequate funding to do their jobs and commensurate pay and benefits.

For Lambeth, the 2006 elections offered an opportunity to promote new agendas, including electing a worker-friendly new governor. Lambeth, along with many of her union colleagues, actively campaigned on behalf of the state’s new governor—Bill Ritter.

Early into his term, Gov. Ritter has already acknowledged the value of public employees. One of his priorities is to improve government efficiency and management; and he plans to do it by involving state employees in the process.

“Our state employees are really smart people,” he said in his State of the People address. “They understand how government works. And they know better than anyone how it can work better. We need their good ideas, and then we need to put them into action.”

Meanwhile, in neighboring Kansas, the relationship between the Kansas Association of Public Employees (KAPE) and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius continues to mature.

Less than one week after the governor’s re-election victory, KAPE’s governmental relations team met with Gov. Sebelius to discuss the union’s legislative priorities for 2007.

“The cornerstone of our legislative agenda is to ‘reward, recognize and retain’ public employees,” KAPE president Brian Thompson explains.

The governor listened. KAPE reports that Gov. Sebelius’ proposed budget incorporates three of the union’s four major legislative objectives, including a 4 percent wage package.

‘Don’t take anything for granted,’ Montana leader says

Public employees in Montana, represented by the MEA-MFT, know firsthand that electing candidates who support public services and public employees is the first step in the legislative process, which is inherently ongoing and cyclical.

Unlike most of the country, where policy agendas have shifted as a result of the 2006 elections, the turnabout happened in Montana after the 2004 elections. MEA-MFT worked hard to get gubernatorial candidate Brian Schweitzer and a new Legislature elected. But those victories did not minimize the need for continuing member involvement.

“We don’t take anything for granted that we are for or against—and we never have,” says MEA-MFT president Eric Feaver, who also is an AFT vice president.

State employee pay and benefits—both healthcare and retirement—are among the MEA-MFT’s legislative priorities for the 2007-09 biennium.

State employees represented by MEA-MFT ratified a two-year pay plan in December. The deal was negotiated and finalized between three public employee unions, including the MEA-MFT, and the governor’s office in November.

Despite agreement between the unions and the governor’s office, the deal—like all pay plans for public employees, collectively bargained or not—must be approved by the Legislature.

“Like a good ball game, this isn’t over until the fat lady sings,” says Feaver. “Members should not assume it is a done deal.”

The union is asking members to contact their elected officials by phone, e-mail or personal visits. The union also encourages members to visit the MEA-MFT Web site for updates about what is happening in the Legislature with regard to the pay plan and other issues that will affect their lives both on the job and off.

Make your vote count by letting your voice be heard

You voted for a change in course. Now it’s time to work with your union at the local, state and national levels to get legislation introduced, enacted and signed into law.

Whether your union is sponsoring an informational picket during contract negotiations, testifying before a legislative committee or encouraging you to contact your legislators, your participation in these activities is critical to positive outcomes.

NDPEA’s Nies admits that many members are apprehensive about sharing their opinions with legislators. But it is essential.

“I don’t think people understand how powerful it is to go [to the Legislature] and speak,” says Smith, whose own eyes were opened when a senator approached her after her testimony to follow up. “They do listen.”