What’s new? January 18th the Subcommittee on Employee Relations of the Minnesota Legislature passed contracts and plans for employee groups in the Minnesota State university system. They also passed Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) pertaining to use of sick leave related to COVID-19 and to increase the amount the employer reimburses employees for safety footwear from $125 to $175. MGEC believes the MOU is unnecessary and places arbitrary limitations on the amount reimbursed to the employees. We didn’t agree to it and the employer continues to limit reimbursement to $125 for MGEC. We believe ... Read More >>
Bargaining updates
Contract Bargaining Update
After several days of bargaining without making significant progress towards a voluntary agreement, MGEC suggested the process continue with the assistance of a mediator. The first day of mediation for the 2021 – 2023 Contract was November 23. We worked hard to make an offer to the state that addressed some of our priorities and which could be recommended to the membership. Mediation was adjourned that day without the state making an offer, but they are expected to open our mediation meeting on December 7 with their counter proposal. More info will come ASAP after our mediation meeting on ... Read More >>
Contract Bargaining Update
The first day of bargaining with the state was postponed from June 24th to July 28th. With the legislature still in session, bargaining with AFSCME and MAPE was delayed and will continue into late July. The state recently informed MGEC that they would not be ready to present their opening proposals in June when MGEC was scheduled to start bargaining. MGEC prefers both sides share their proposals on the same day. The delay to July means we may know the outcome of bargaining for the larger unions when we begin bargaining. ... Read More >>
Negotiations Update February 2021
The Negotiations Committee has been working since last August to review the contract and draft proposals to revise contract language. A negotiation survey was sent out through email on February 17th. It will remain open until February 26th. Please complete the survey if you haven't already, as this information will help the Negotiations Committee prioritize between proposals. MGEC has requested dates to bargain in May and June but has not yet received a response from the employer. Coalition insurance bargaining is expected to start in April. Insurance focused issues should be ... Read More >>
MGEC Members Approve the Tentative Agreement
Members voted to approve the tentative agreement for a new contract for 2019-2021. At the time of the vote, 995 MGEC members were eligible to vote. Of the 725 members who voted, 88.5% (642) voted to approve the contract. Next steps: MMB will submit the contract to the legislature for approval before it will take effect. Most likely it will be added as a floor amendment to HF3732 and SF4006. No date has been set for the legislature to vote on these bills, due to the continually evolving situation with COVID-19. When will members see their pay increase? Unfortunately, that is unknown at ... Read More >>
MGEC Board Recommends Tentative Agreement
On Monday, January 27, 2020, the MGEC Board discussed the tentative agreement at great length. The majority of the board voted to send the contract language to the membership with a recommendation to accept the contract. The board determined that additional information will be sent to the membership in an effort to help members determine their own vote. Please watch your email or the MGEC website for future updates, including next steps in the process. ... Read More >>