Dear Neighbors,
The State Capitol has been a busy place. With our abbreviated session this year, schedules and committee agendas are already full. It’s always a treat seeing constituents who made a trip down to the Capitol. Yesterday, I got to spend some time with Girls Scouts from Cotton who shared some letters with me about their troop’s priorities.
State workers deserve a raise
In Minnesota, we’re lucky to have such a dedicated team of public employees. Over 30,000 of these folks efficiently deliver services we all count on to make our state run better. They care for our veterans, they plow our roads, they ensure our food is safe, and perform countless other roles, some we can see, and some behind the scenes. Simply put: they deserve fair pay and benefits for their hard work.
They are doing all this without a new union contract since October when the joint House/Senate Subcommittee on Employee Relations rejected the one they negotiated fairly with the executive branch. On the second day of the 2018 session, my DFL colleagues and I pushed for an immediate vote to approve these. Unfortunately, some on the other side of the aisle attempted to attach problematic provisions to weaken unions and make it more difficult for future contracts to be ratified. Ultimately, the contracts were set aside for consideration another day. These hard-working men and women deserve – at the very least – the modest 2 percent raises in these contracts, and I’ll keep pushing to ratify this fair deal.
Investing in infrastructure
A big priority this session will be consideration of a robust public works bonding bill, to invest in infrastructure throughout the state. Our colleges, wastewater treatment facilities, bridges, dams, and so many other state assets need to be updated and in the process, we can create plenty of good-paying jobs. I’m working hard with local officials to ensure community priorities get funded. These include the wastewater treatment plant in Aurora, upgrades at Giants Ridge, construction of the Mesabi Trail and other trails for bikes, ATVs and off-road vehicles, and several other projects.
This is one opportunity for a bipartisan accomplishment this session. We’re already starting to discuss various proposals and, to take advantage of low interest rates, I hope we can pass a significant bonding bill this session.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with your input, or if I can ever be of assistance. It’s an honor to represent you.
Sincerely,
Jason Metsa
State Representative