Lawmakers and union members gathered on the Minnesota State Capitol steps on Thursday to speak out against Gov. Tim Walz’s plan for thousands of state employees to return to the office.

Walz sent out a memo on Tuesday notifying government employees that starting on June 1, at least half of their shifts will have to be in person. The policy would affect about 15,000 of 40,000 state workers.

“Workers are angry. Workers are threatening to quit over this,” said Rep. Luke Frederick, DFL-Mankato. “In conversations with the agencies, there’s questions about how even to implement this, about whether there’s even office space.”

Megan Dayton — president of the Minnesota Association of Public Employees, which represents 18,000 state workers — said union members were “totally taken by surprise” by Walz’s directive. She said government workers who have been working remotely for years are now scrambling to find child care or get a second car to comply with the new policy.

Walz’s return-to-office order provides an exemption for remote employees who live more than 75 miles from their primary workplace. But measured from the Capitol Complex, that could stretch as far as Hinckley, Litchfield or Mankato.

Dayton shared testimony from one woman who lives in Rochester and was hired for a remote position with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency three years ago. That woman is now being asked to commute to St. Paul for half of her shifts.

“She thinks that it’s a use of power that is ridiculous, outrageous and downright wrong, and she feels like it mirrors the disruptions that federal workers are facing. She thought Minnesota was better than this,” Dayton said.

AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Bart Andersen said Walz’s announcement caught his union off guard, too. He emphasized that telework has enabled Minnesota agencies to hire talent from all corners of the state, rather than just people who live in the metro.

“They’ve gotten qualified employees that are doing a good job. They are collaborating with their coworkers,” Anderson said. “They’re not in a bubble. They’re not isolated. They’re working with their teams, and they’re getting the work done.”

The unions say they will use an appeal process laid out in their collective bargaining agreements.

A policy memo provides more details about the policy change. It said the 50% of the days employees are allowed to telework will be measured on a monthly basis.

According to the memo, parents will not be able to use teleworking in the morning and evening to make up for time away from work used to handle school drop-off and pick-up. It said only full workdays will count toward the in-office requirement.

Additionally, it explains the percentage of telework allowed for employees who live more than 75 miles from their primary work location will be at least 50% “at the discretion of their appointing authority.”

“We do have some provisions in our contract that allow for telework, that allow for a meeting with the supervisor and then an appeal process when those things change,” said Dayton. “We’ll be using those to the fullest.”

According to Dayton, MAPE’s collective bargaining negotiations with the state begin on April 15 ahead of the current contract’s expiration on June 30.

“Now our labor unions are in a position where they have to fight for something they already had that just got taken away,” said Rep. Frederick.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reached out to Walz for his response to the concerns laid out on Thursday but has yet to hear back.

On Wednesday, Walz said he understood some employees would be upset but that there will be flexibility.