The Minnesota State Legislature is considering this week (today?) whether to ratify the MAPE contract. This was the contract that was agreed to after a two-week strike last fall, but it’s not finalized until the Legislature ratifies it, and things do not look good. What’s the hold-up? Domestic partner benefits, something that’s par for the course in most major Minnesota companies but apparently causes some serious conniption fits in our legislators. Unbelievable.