HENNEPIN WORKERS KICKOFF CONTRACT CAMPAIGN
Approximately five hundred Hennepin County employees rallied at noon Monday to kickoff negotiations on their 2006 - 2007 Contract. Council 5 represents nearly 5,000 Hennepin County workers in nine local unions. Members have not had a raise in three years.

Speaking to the crowd on the Hennepin County Government Center Plaza , Council 5 Executive Director Eliot Seide declared the workers at Hennepin County do important work and deserve a raise. Seide said the union will seek a seven percent raise for the next two years, pointing out the cost of living has increased by seven percent since 2003.

"I promise you that AFSCME will fight to help you keep your head above water," Seide said.

Hennepin County Assistant County Attorney Jim Appleby told the crowd the county has "some of the best and the most experienced lawyers anywhere" working to protect the public. But, Appleby said, "Without a fair contract it won't stay like this very much longer. Hennepin county wages are no longer competitive in either the public or private job market."

Solveig Nilsen , a Hennepin County Librarian, said when she was hired twenty-five years ago, salaries at the library were competitive. "We didn't expect fame or fortune for the work we've chosen to do," Nilsen said, "but we're passionately committed to it, believing that free and open public libraries are an absolutely essential component of democracy." Nilsen said she and her coworkers hope for a fair wage increase that acknowledges that contribution.

Finally, Monica Jochmans , a Child Protection Social Worker, said she and her peers make a difference every day in Hennepin County , "one child at a time". She lamented that in a time when much lip service is paid to family values, "little attention is paid to the value of bringing services to families in need."

Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin , who is also AFSCME's endorsed candidate for Mayor of Minneapolis, said he and fellow Commissioner Gail Dorfman "stand here today to honor your work, the services you provide, and we stand here today to say you deserve a fair contract. You make this community better." Dorfman added, "When I look at our communities, I know they're healthy and vibrant largely because of the work that you do everyday. The way we thank you, the only way we have to thank you, is by giving you adequate pay and benefits for the excellent work you do." Dorfman said she never wants to ask Hennepin County employees to sacrifice pay and benefits again.

Members left the rally chanting, "We're the front line, not the bottom line!"

A great big thank-you to the Hennepin County Employees Unions Action Committee for planning a highly successful rally!

Click here to read the contract proposal to Hennepin County for 2006 - 2007.