On Wednesday, November 5th, a “meet and confer” meeting was held between senior MnDOT staff and MGEC. The goal of a meet and confer is to identify issues that affect members within a specific agency that don’t rise to the level of a solution that needs to come from the bargaining table. This meeting’s agenda included clarification on the Student Loan Reimbursement program, and discussions on concern over changes to teleworking affecting some members, and our mileage issue over reimbursements for meals while traveling. A MGEC member reached out to us about being denied a student loan ... Read More >>
Time Entry for Overnight Workers
Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB)– the state agency that manages operations for its various agencies – announced that they are altering how they expect time to be entered for employees who have workdays that stretch across calendar days. Specifically, this is almost always employees who work overnight. While most MGEC members work “regular” workdays, we do have members who work overnight and we want to make sure they are aware of the change. In order to better comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act, MMB wants hours worked to be recorded on the actual day they are worked. The ... Read More >>
MGEC Metro Representative Needed
Do you value what MGEC does for you? Do you see new employees come into your workplace and recognize the importance of being a member of MGEC? MGEC’s Representatives serve as our site-based ambassadors to answer questions from folks in the workplace as well as reaching out to new employees to become MGEC members. Their work is CRITICAL to keep MGEC strong! Is this something you’re interested in? Send us a note of interest. Heather Gardner, our longtime Representative based in Roseville, has moved to a different location and we have a strong need there. Let us know! ... Read More >>
Open Enrollment is Open October 25th – November 13th
The statewide Joint Labor Management Committee met October 15th to discuss changes to next year’s health plan. There aren’t any large-scale changes in this off-cycle year, but there are some items to pay attention to. MOST important is Open Enrollment from October 25th-November 13th. Bear in mind that Veteran’s Day is right before the close of open enrollment; don’t wait until the last minute to review your coverages and make any changes! Two items discussed at the Joint Labor Management Committee (the task force that negotiates healthcare) include ensuring that you make elections that ... Read More >>
Meetings; In-Person vs. Virtual
Has the digital age replaced the value of face -to-face interaction? No. While each person communicates using differing modalities, and digital communication is more frequent and in greater quantity that what we’ve experienced before, it is not a replacement for person-to-person interaction. Perhaps I’m old fashioned, but I value seeing the person I’m communicating with. Besides their written and spoken words, there is much additional information and context gained through visual non-verbal communication. Having attended many meetings virtually, it’s my experience that the experience richer, ... Read More >>
MGEC Ballots Have Been Sent
If you are a member of MGEC in good standing, you should have received a ballot for this year’s election of the MGEC Board and Officers. If you haven’t received it, make sure you check your spam filter to ensure you’re receiving all the communications from us. If you are NOT an MGEC member, now is an opportunity to exercise your right to participate in the organization by becoming a member in good standing! Why leave your future in the hands of others? Join now! ... Read More >>