MGEC is very thankful that Minnesota Department of Health has finally staffed Human Resources appropriately and fully. The agency provided services to the public throughout the COVID crisis. Staff often took on new responsibilities while maintaining their prior assignments. Thankfully, MDH rewarded their employees for such stellar performance with bonuses this last year. MGEC met with MDH HR and Labor Relations this past week to address the following topics: Lateral Postings, Mileage calculations while teleworking, Teleworking, and Meal reimbursements For more details contact ... Read More >>
MDH Executive Meet and Confer
July 17, 2023, MDH started Executive Meet & Confers on a quarterly basis. MGEC began with thanking Commissioner Brooke Cunningham for making communication and working with employees a new priority. MGEC also carried to this meeting the discussion about MDH requiring meal receipts. Other agencies have reimbursed meals without that requirement. Other participants raised their voice suggesting appreciation for MGEC bringing this topic to the forefront this will be investigated by the labor relations and the commissioner. Why did the department of Health require receipts when some other ... Read More >>
MGEC Elections
Each year the MGEC Executive Board has positions open for the following year allowing half the board to turn over each year. Past board members usually comment that being on the board was educational, a good experience, and gave them broader exposure to their work world. The 2024 election for positions starting January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2025 is open. Be part of the bargaining process for the next contract. The election takes place the end of October or early November. Full members are encouraged to express interest to contact MGEC or call 651-774-0996 to ask questions. Nonmembers can sign ... Read More >>
Bargaining Opener
The bargaining cycle for the next MGEC contract kicked off Tuesday, July 18th at the MnDOT Training Center in Arden Hills. MGEC’s bargaining team exchanged proposals with the State in the first of what is expected to be a series of meetings. Additional meetings are scheduled in August through October. Time is needed by both sides in between meetings to study each proposal and carefully consider responses. Often times, proposals (and responses) interact with each other, and all this must be carefully thought out to do right by the membership. Bargaining a labor contract is rarely a ... Read More >>
Significant Gains for State Employees
The conclusion of the Minnesota Legislature’s session brought some significant changes to state law. Many long-sought worker protections across a number of industries were won! The protections include state employees who work under MGEC’s contract. Several elements of the Public Employee Labor Relations Act (PELRA) were changed in the legislative session that are relevant to MGEC. Some of the changes include: Pay in the event of a government shutdown. The law now requires states employees to be paid upon the end of a shutdown. MGEC proposed similar language in 2015 because our ... Read More >>
Contract Bargaining
In May MGEC surveyed members asking questions about their priorities and preferences for the next contract. The MGEC Bargaining Team met in June and will meet again in July to prepare the bargaining strategy and proposal for July 18th, the first day of bargaining with the State of Minnesota. It’s clear, the Across the Board (ATB) agreed to by AFSCME & MAPE (5.5% 7/1/23 and 4.5% 7/1/24) will impact these discussions. MGEC has many other issues to address a few of which include: the calculation of overtime (vacation, sick, holiday and compensatory time should count when calculating OT), ... Read More >>