Since we are now fully in the campaign mode on the upcoming city elections, I'd like to pose the following question to our many candidates for city offices. A recent Star Tribune editorial (Feb. 1) highlighted a situation where the Minneapolis City Council was considering an intervention in a labor negotiation between the City and their professional employees, represented by MPEA. (I don't think this contract has been settled, yet.) According to the Strib , "The issue in question is whether the city should continue treating about 300 professional staffers _ mostly planners, accountants and technology specialists _ as hourly workers, offering them compensatory time off (labor's preference), or whether they should be considered salaried employees able to use administrative leave (the city's goal). In his Feb. 10 response to the Strib, MPEA President Doug Pasche says "So, what is the real reason the city is demanding that exempt employees give up the ability to earn compensatory time? The only answer that makes any sense is that the city wants to work its professional employees for more than 40 hours a week and not be contractually responsible for providing them with any benefit for the extra work." The Union cites the inclusion of compensatory time in the contracts of professional employees of the State and MCDA, and faults the city for not bargaining in good faith, leaving them without a contract for many months. The jobs of Councilmember and Mayor include a great deal of management responsibility. Two questions for our city council and mayoral candidates: 1.) Should the city council intervene in the MPEA negotiations? Why or why not? 2.) Should salaried employees receive the same compensatory time as hourly employees? Why or why not? Eagerly awaiting a response.... Niel Ritchie East Harriet Farmstead Ward 10 _______________________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
