Walz orders state workers back to office 50% of time; unions slam 'unilateral' decision

Yahoo

26-03-2025

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is ordering state employees to return to the office for at least half of their working hours, a major change to the state's pandemic-era remote work policies.
The new policy, which has received swift pushback from union leaders, requires state agency workers to work in-person for at least 50% of their scheduled work days beginning on June 1.
"This approach balances the flexibility of telework with the workplace advantages of being in the office,' Walz said in a statement. 'Having more state employees in the office means that collaboration can happen more quickly and state agencies can build strong organizational cultures more easily."
The policy change provides an exemption for employees who live more than 75 miles away from their primary work location.
Walz's office says the change "supports the economic vitality of office districts," such as downtown St. Paul, bringing more foot traffic back to businesses and public spaces.
It comes at a time of major struggle for downtown St. Paul, which has huge amounts of vacant office space and is seeing retailers close up shop, including downtown's only grocery store, Lunds & Byerlys.
Walz's office claims that 60% of state government workers already work in-person, and about 60% also worked in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, two major unions in the state are denouncing Walz's decision.
The Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 5 announced they have denounced Walz's "unilateral decision to revoke teleworking agreements in place for state workers across Minnesota."
The two unions represent nearly 40,000 state workers.
MAPE President Megan Dayton said she was "appalled and disgusted" by Walz's attempt to "claw back telework agreements under the guise of 'organic collaboration' and 'stewardship of office space" in a statement.
"This unilateral decision by our governor is eerily reminiscent of the disruptions our public servant counterparts are facing at the federal level. There, I said it: This reeks of Musk," she said, referring to the actions of billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk – of whom Walz has been critical – as he makes wholesale changes to federal government structure.
'Let's call this what it really is: This is a unilateral move by a bad boss without consultation or consideration of the very staff he claims to care deeply about investing in. I never thought the same public worker attacks and micromanaging mannerisms of our federal administration would be mirrored in Minnesota," Dayton added. "For administrators to unleash this kind of chaos on hard working employees when we're about to start negotiating our next contract feels, at best, hypocritical, at mid, a strategic effort to erode the progress we've made to enhance our working conditions and productivity, and at worst, a short-sighted attempt at engineered attrition."
Bart Andersen, AFSCME Council 5 executive director, said the union "won't tolerate unilateral changes to our members' work."
"The Administration's decision to impose sweeping workplace policy changes without engaging our union and labor partners first is not just unacceptable – it's an act of blatant disrespect," Andersen said.
"Our union members must have and deserve a seat at the table every step of the way. We are demanding full transparency and meaningful dialogue immediately. AFSCME Council 5, alongside our fellow labor union partners, will do whatever it takes to defend our members' rights, safeguard their ability to work safely and effectively, and continue delivering high-quality public services for all Minnesotans.'