Feaver discusses goals for newly merged state employee union

HELENA – Eric Feaver is the president of the newly merged state employee union, the Montana Federation of Public Employees, which will have a membership of nearly 24,000.

The union was created after the MEA-MFT and Montana Public Employees Association merged. Feaver had been president of the MEA-MFT.

“I wouldn’t have run for election if I did not feel it was the right thing to do,” he said Tuesday, calling the merger a “tremendous opportunity for MFPE, and I want to be a part of it …”

The officers were selected during the April 6-7 meeting of the two groups in Helena.

Quinton Nyman, the former head of the MPEA, will serve as deputy executive director of the new union, Feaver said.

Union officials have said it makes sense for the two unions to merge as they already do the same thing with the same groups of people. In higher education, the MEA-MFT had represented the faculty and MPEA represented the classified workers.

Also elected April 7 were 1st Vice President Melanie Charlson of Missoula, 2nd Vice President Bill Dwyer of Dillon, Treasurer Rich Aarstad of East Helena and NEA Director Amanda Curtis of Butte.

Feaver said the union does not intend to lay anyone off because of the merger but added that some employees were leaving because of retirement and other attrition.

The union headquarters will remain at the MEA-MFT offices across from the state Capitol at 1232 E. Sixth Ave., Feaver said, adding the location is 222 steps from the front door of the Capitol building.

He said the union building is undergoing some growing pains as an architect is looking at ways to add space. And the union is undergoing growing pains as well.

“We are exponentially beyond being a teacher union,” he said.

The MFPE It is the largest union in the Montana State AFL-CIO. Members include K-12 public school teachers and support staff; state, county, and municipal employees; higher education faculty and support staff; Head Start employees, and health care personnel.

When asked by blending the unions if it would make it more powerful, Feaver said “I think numbers matter. I would like to be a union of this size than not.”

He said dues-paying members would let leaders know if the union was not producing results.

“Having a large number of employees paying dues for a union is a powerful statement, and we intend to show that,” Feaver said.

Top issues on the agenda include getting candidates elected to the Legislature.

“We need a Legislature that feels good about public schools, public programs and public services,” he said.

Feaver said the union supports the 6 mill levy, which will help fund colleges in the state through property taxes, and the Healthy Montana initiative, which would add $2 to a pack of cigarettes to help pay for Medicaid expansion.

Also dealing with the governor and Legislature on state employee pay is among the priorities.

“We want to maintain the great progress we have made over the past decade over public school funding,” Feaver said. “We have plenty to do.”

He is optimistic the goals will be accomplished.

“One of the best things about my job is that there is always a reason to come to work,” he said. “It keeps the adrenaline pumping. Every now and then, when we lose, it makes us all the more anxious to win the next time.”

Senate President Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, said he has not heard any pushback to the unions merging or thoughts of it being a bad thing.

He said always thought the two unions had worked together prior to the merger.

Sen. Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, said he feared the merger would add to the debate of public employment against Republican efforts for more private sector employment “and that is concerning.”

He said there are several Democratic members in the state Legislature who are members of public employee unions. He did note there were some Republican members of the Legislature in the public sector as well.

“It’s concerning that you have this gigantic union and their members are in the Democratic Legislature, voting for whatever they vote for,” he said, adding a  vibrant Democratic Party was needed that was diverse in its thought and not just representing public employees.

Reach Phil Drake at 406-422-0772 or at pdrake@greatfallstribune.com.

Local leaders

The following is a list of governors for Great Falls-area districts:

Governance District #5                                               

Chair: Shelli Lavinder Schwalk, 1st Vice Chair Yvette Smail and 2nd Vice Chair                 Samantha Harrington, all of Great Falls

Governance District #6                                               

Chair Trista Doke and  1st Vice Chair Mark Seiffert, both of Havre; 2nd Vice Chair         Omega Esquivel of Lewistown