August 18, 2023 update
After an intense marathon of mediated negotiation sessions, the ASF negotiating team received a “Last Best and Final Offer” from Minnesota State. This offer directly addresses many of the membership’s top priorities, a testament to the power of our collective efforts. A Last Best and Final Offer obligates ASF membership to vote on the offer. This action has avoided a strike for the time being. Please see the summary of tentative agreements and final tentative agreement documents attached. From as far back as our State Board can remember, this is a historic settlement, which benefits members overall whether they are early in their career, mid-career or well into their career.
The ASF Negotiations Team and ASF State Board both voted to recommend members to ratify (vote yes) the last best and final offer. We adhere to State ASF bylaws (Section 3) for contract ratification. Ballots will be emailed on August 31 (check your spam/junk/other folders) and will be due by noon on September 7. Please see the timeline below.
- If the membership votes YES, the settlement will be retroactive to July 1, 2023.
- If the membership votes NO, either:
- Membership will go on strike (and try to get a better offer-which may or may not happen; management offers can change – not always for the betterment of our members).
- If membership chooses not strike, the last best and final offer will be put into motion.
Members are welcome to join us for a statewide membership webinar on Tuesday, August 22 at noon. An email invite has been sent. Campus membership meetings will take place August 23-30. Your campus ASF leadership will send details. The salary grids, summary of changes, and tentative contract language documents are linked below.
Summary of Tentative Agreement
Tentative Agreement Contract Language
Updated Salary Grids (2023-24, and 2024-25)
Full 2023-2025 Tentative Agreement Contract with Markup
Recent member activity played a pivotal role in shaping this historic offer. Thank you for your unwavering support and solidarity. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the negotiations team and Teamsters for their hard work, time and dedication. Also many thanks to our members and supporters for coming out, making signs, info picketing, talking to the media etc. Members went out of their comfort zone to get this done. Your activity played a pivotal role in shaping this historic offer. We couldn’t be more grateful for your commitment. Together, we’ve made remarkable progress, and there’s much more ahead.
We know we have a lot of work to do and we are NOT done – this is phase I. We pushed management hard for the formation of a compensation and equity study workgroup. If the contract is ratified, there will be a call out for interest and a group will be formed this fall and continue to meet with recommendations solidified by April 26, 204. This is just the start and we are already gearing up for the next round of negotiations. I encourage you to join the next Negotiations Team – it provides the opportunity to make change and to bond and network with fellow ASF members across the state. Together, we’ve made remarkable progress. Let’s continue moving forward, stronger than ever!
Thank you for your unwavering support and solidarity.