Public Notice Detail

ST. PAUL, MN (June 29, 2000) - The Minnesota State Court System and AFSCME Council No. 65 AFL-CIO reached tentative agreement last week on the first labor agreement in the state’s judiciary. The tentative agreement covers the final year of the current biennium and is a one-year contract covering the clerical, technical and administrative employees in the Fifth and Ninth Judicial Districts.  This agreement brings under one contract the court employees of 32 different counties within the state. 

On Friday, June 23, the court also reached a tentative agreement with the Minnesota Teamsters Public & Law Enforcement Union, Local No. 320 on a one-year agreement covering court employees in the Seventh Judicial District.  This new agreement folds ten additional counties into one agreement.

Both of the unions and the court system have been bargaining since early May and were attempting to reach an agreement before a July 1st deadline when employees in these judicial districts will be transferred from county to state employment as a result of legislation.  The agreements are the first within the judicial branch since courts established a framework to accommodate union representation in the judiciary under the Minnesota Public Employment Labor Relations Act (MPELRA) legislation that took effect August 1999. 

Representatives from both of the unions and state court administration expressed their appreciation that the parties were able to effectively present their perspectives and work cooperatively to resolve the problems of transferring hundreds of employees from county to state employment.

The unions and the court system have declined to release details of their tentative agreements until the unions have an opportunity to meet with their members. 

The parties expect the ratification votes to occur in late July, and then to be approved by the courts.