MEMBERSHIP
Members – MGEC has five types of Members: Regular, Fair-Share, Associate, Chapter, and Life Members.
Regular. All State of Minnesota employees who are assigned to any of the following job classifications are automatically Members of the bargaining unit and may pay $10.20 per pay period as Member dues:
Graduate Engineer Trainee Graduate Land Surveyor Trainee
Graduate Engineer 1 Land Surveyor in Training
Graduate Engineer 2 Senior Land Surveyor
Senior Engineer Principal Land Surveyor
Principal Engineer Radio Engineer 1
Engineering Specialist Radio Engineer 2
Senior Engineering Specialist Administrative Engineer-Professional
Fair-Share. A person who is assigned to any of these classes and does not voluntarily join MGEC is "fair shared" at the rate of 85% of the regular dues, or $8.67. Fair share Members cannot vote on the labor contract or organizational matters, and they cannot take part in any MGEC social functions. Over 95% of eligible Members elect to be full paid Members rather than “fair shared” Members.
Associates: MGEC Associate Members voluntarily pay $3.00 per pay period. Associates are Registered Professional Engineers or related professionals who are employed by the State of Minnesota and are not currently members of Bargaining Unit #12, and who voluntarily choose to associate with MGEC. This status provides no opportunity to vote on the MGEC contract, or to vote or run in MGEC officer elections. Associates receive the annual MGEC newsletter and invitations to the annual meetings.
Chapter. Dues are assessed by the MGEC Board of Directors.
Life Members: The MGEC Board of Directors may grant this status to a retiring Member who meets certain membership history criteria. This status provides no opportunity to vote on the MGEC contract, or to vote or run in MGEC officer elections. No life member dues are assessed. However, some life members return to state employment and are then subject to regular member dues and benefit from on-going services. Life Members receive the annual MGEC newsletter and invitations to the annual meetings.
HISTORY
The Minnesota Government Engineers Council (MGEC) was formed in 1968 in order to
provide advocacy and profession-enhancement services for Professional Engineers
in government. The Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE) was
instrumental in the formation of MGEC, but there is no formal connection with
that group at the present time.
Initially, MGEC was a voluntary professional association of Professional Engineers who worked for the Highway and Aeronautics Departments of the State of Minnesota and the Hennepin County Highway Department. Both groups of employees were on a meet and confer basis with their respective employers and MGEC provided the informal representation for them. Professional Engineers in other departments of State government also voluntarily associated with MGEC.
In 1979 a number of significant changes took place. The Professional Engineers who worked for the State Department of Transportation (formerly the Highway and Aeronautics Departments) combined with the Principal Highway Technician Society and together they changed from an informal meet and confer status with the Department of Transportation to a meet and negotiate status. Their first contract was negotiated in the spring of 1979 and became effective as of July 1, 1979, for a two-year period.
During the 1980 Legislative Session, the Legislative Commission on Employee Relations (LCER) reorganized all Executive-branch State employees into sixteen separate bargaining units. Through the dedicated efforts of MGEC volunteers, one of these units (Unit #12) was made up exclusively of Professional Engineers and related technical professionals in all applicable State departments. On June 30, 1980, the Bureau of Mediation Services certified MGEC as the exclusive bargaining representative for all State employees assigned to Bargaining Unit #12, the "Professional Engineering" unit.
This Unit was determined to be a "supervisory" unit. Supervisory employees are treated as essential employees who cannot strike but have compulsory binding arbitration rights should the parties be unable to agree on a new labor contract.
There are Unit #12 employees in up to fifteen different departments of State government: Administration, Board of Water & Soil Resources, Commerce, Environmental Assistance, Health, Economic Security, Labor and Industry, Military Affairs, Natural Resources, Pollution Control Agency, Public Safety, Public Utilities, Revenue, State Colleges and Universities, and Transportation.
Since becoming a state bargaining unit in 1980, MGEC has negotiated labor contracts with the State of Minnesota covering all the employees in Bargaining Unit #12.
MGEC provides the following services to its Members:
Contract Negotiation and Administration – MGEC negotiates on behalf of all members of bargaining Unit #12 in biennial contract negotiations with the State of Minnesota. MGEC also assists other members in salary and fringe benefit issues.
Meet and Confer Representation – MGEC actively pursues the interest of its Members through informal discussions about problems and issues with managers, supervisors, labor relations directors, and personnel directors. This also takes place with formal Meet & Confer Teams organized by MGEC around specific issues or departments.
Grievance and Arbitration Representation – When informal efforts fail, MGEC may pursue formal grievances up to and including arbitration for any of its Members who have a legitimate complaint about wages or terms and conditions of employment.
MGEC provides the following services to its Members, Associates, and Life Members:
Legislative & Administrative Action – MGEC follows and informs Members, Associates and Life Members regarding pending legislation affecting the engineering profession, retirement, managers, and Bargaining Unit #12.
Professional Activities – MGEC keeps its Members, Associates, and Life Members aware of changes in the engineering profession by working with other groups to promote the highest standards of practice in the profession. MGEC presents two awards each year at the annual meeting for outstanding technical achievement and distinguished community service. Family members of MGEC Members, Associates, and Life Members may compete for annual college scholarships, if they are pursuing an engineering or land surveying degree.
MGEC is governed by a Board of Directors, which consists of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Past President, nine Directors and one Director for each chapter of the organization (currently there are no chapters). The offices of Vice President, President and Past President are each a one-year term to be served successively for a total term of three years. The Treasurer, Secretary, and board members serve two-year terms. Any Member of the organization (except for Fair Shared Members, Associates, and Life Members) can run for the Board.
An annual meeting is held once each year to report on the condition of the organization, to which Members, Associates, and Life Members are invited to attend. Appropriate member groups will also receive regular email updates, contract negotiation updates, and special legislative bulletins.
The staff of the organization consists of a full-time professional Executive Director and a part-time Administrative Secretary. The organization maintains an office at 475 Etna Street, Suite 11, in the Metro 94 Business Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.