# Minnesota Association of Professional Employees *Minnesota labor union representing professional state employees* The Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) is a labor union based in [[Minnesota]]. Its members are professionals employed by the state, in fields that the union's Wikipedia article describes as running from accounting to zoology.[^1] In that article, as retrieved on 27 October 2026, the bargaining unit numbers more than 18,500 employees, which the article calls large among the state's units.[^1] State professionals formed MAPE in 1980, when they voted to leave the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The founding group numbered 4,500.[^2] MAPE has no national umbrella organization, and the article ranks it among the largest independent unions in the United States.[^2] In September 2001, members of MAPE and AFSCME voted to authorize a statewide strike. Governor [[Jesse Ventura]] then ordered special training exercises for the Minnesota National Guard.[^3] ## Who MAPE represents professional employees of the state of Minnesota.[^1] The article also reports that the union has taken in some school district, county and municipal government professional employees, who work under separate bargaining agreements. The article does not date this expansion beyond "over the past five years".[^4] AFSCME, from which MAPE separated, currently represents many of the state's technicians, maintenance workers and clerical workers.[^2] Locally, members in each MAPE region elect their own officers.[^5] During the 2001 contract dispute, the governor was Jesse Ventura.[^3] ## When In 1972 the Public Employee Labor Relations Act (PELRA) gave state workers the right to join a union. Before then, the [[governor]] and the [[Minnesota Legislature]] determined state employees' rights and benefits.[^2] At first, AFSCME represented the state's professional workers under PELRA. In 1980 those professionals voted to form their own union.[^2] Beginning in 1999, according to the article, MAPE reorganized itself as a member-driven group with a new region and local structure.[^5] In September 2001, MAPE and AFSCME members voted to strike.[^3] Union and state negotiators held a preliminary meeting at the [[Bureau of Mediation Services]] on 6 September, and the Bureau held more sessions from 12 to 16 September.[^3] The 2003 round of negotiations ended with wage freezes and insurance increases. The 2005 round followed.[^4] ## Where MAPE members work at sites across Minnesota. The union divides the state into 21 regions.[^5] The 2001 negotiating sessions took place at the Bureau of Mediation Services.[^3] ## Why According to the article, state professionals found that their workplace issues differed from those of many AFSCME members. That difference led to the 1980 vote to form an independent union.[^2] The article places the 2001 dispute in the economic setting of that year. After a period of tax cuts and rebates in the late 1990s and 2000, the "dot-com" bust and the September 11 attacks were followed by grim financial forecasts and rising healthcare costs.[^3] MAPE and AFSCME members rejected the high co-payments and out-of-pocket expense limits the state proposed. The article identifies wages as the main point in dispute.[^3] ## How Each of MAPE's 21 regions elects its own slate of officers. A Delegate Assembly meets every fall, usually in the first or second week of September. The article states that its purpose is to check that the central organization meets the needs of members in every region.[^5] The article also says the region and local structure introduced from 1999 was designed to promote grassroots activism.[^5] In 2001 the two unions put the state's final contract offer to their members. On the day of MAPE's announcement, AFSCME Council 6 leaders filed an official strike notice with the Bureau of Mediation Services and the state's Department of Employee Relations.[^3] ## How much In 2001 the state offered a wage increase of about 2.5 percent per year. The state said that additional service-based increases could bring the total to about 5 percent for many workers. Union members asked for increases of about 6 percent per year.[^3] In 2005, MAPE's negotiating team set out to "hold the line" on insurance increases while winning a wage increase. The article reports that many members thought the goal unrealistic. It states that MAPE kept insurance increases in check and obtained across-the-board wage increases.[^4] ## How many - Bargaining unit: more than 18,500 employees, per the article as retrieved on 27 October 2026.[^1] - Founding membership in 1980: 4,500.[^2] - Regions: 21.[^5] - 2001 MAPE vote: 84.2 percent of members who voted rejected the state's final offer and authorized a strike.[^3] - 2001 AFSCME Council 6 vote: more than 13,000 voting members, or 90 percent, approved a strike.[^3] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Minnesota Association of Professional Employees*, lead section (revision 1375946721, retrieved 27 October 2026). Supports MAPE's description as a Minnesota union of professional state employees, the range of professions, and the figure of more than 18,500 employees. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Association_of_Professional_Employees [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Minnesota Association of Professional Employees*, section *Origin of MAPE* (revision 1375946721, retrieved 27 October 2026). Supports the 1972 PELRA enactment, the earlier control by the governor and Legislature, initial AFSCME representation, the 1980 vote, the founding group of 4,500, and the absence of a national umbrella organization. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Association_of_Professional_Employees [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Minnesota Association of Professional Employees*, section *2001 statewide strike* (revision 1375946721, retrieved 27 October 2026). Supports the September 2001 strike votes, the 84.2 percent and 13,000/90 percent figures, the AFSCME notice filing, the Bureau of Mediation Services sessions, the wage positions, and Governor Ventura's National Guard training order. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Association_of_Professional_Employees [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Minnesota Association of Professional Employees*, section *Recent history* (revision 1375946721, retrieved 27 October 2026). Supports the 2003 wage freezes and insurance increases, the 2005 bargaining goal and result, and the expansion to school district, county and municipal employees. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Association_of_Professional_Employees [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Minnesota Association of Professional Employees*, section *Structure of MAPE* (revision 1375946721, retrieved 27 October 2026). Supports the 21 regions, the locally elected officers, the fall Delegate Assembly and its stated purpose, and the post-1999 region and local structure. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Association_of_Professional_Employees