While 2026 is not an active bargaining year for MGEC, that doesn’t mean we’re not active! We are highly involved in several grievances ranging from disciplinary issues to the ongoing FLSA-exempt issue where the state seems to insist that our members work for no compensation. Guided by our Board and Advocacy Committee, it is important that we never drop the ball defending your rights under the MGEC contract. We expect some of these issues to go all the way to arbitration. There is no such thing as the “status quo” in labor relations, and we must remain vigilant to protect what we have. While we had some success at the bargaining table using a data-driven approach to get range reassignments for some of our classifications, we also use the non-bargaining years to continue to collect and analyze salary data in preparation for the next cycle. If you have knowledge of comparable salary data, let us know!
As a member-led organization, we’re excited to have two new board members who will help guide our work. 2026 promises to be a very active year with a great deal of governmental action at both the federal and state levels that will affect our members. As always, if you have feedback, we’d like to hear it.