After years of grumbling and questions, the Minnesota Department of Heath decided to end their practice of requiring receipts for meals reimbursement. Thanks to Fernando Nacionales for listening to employees and speaking out when the issue was raised in a Meet & Confer between MDH management and MGEC! Thank you to MDH leadership for taking a new look at an old issue. The amount of meal reimbursement is still too low. But it’s being discussed in bargaining this year and increases are expected. ... Read More >>
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Department of Labor & Industry Lunch with MGEC
MGEC Representative and Board Member Sam Padelford facilitated Lunch with MGEC at the Department of Labor and Industry on Wednesday, June 14th. Pizza came by way of Little Oven, and the lunch was an excellent opportunity to talk face-to-face about what’s going on in MGEC. Topics that came up included the future of telecommuting, how agencies vary in their use of job titles under the MGEC contract, and status updates on health insurance and our upcoming contract bargaining. Having questions asked and answered in person – with quick opportunity for follow-up questions – is a strength of ... Read More >>
Bargaining Update
MGEC has started the process to bargain the 2023-2025 labor agreement. We are always interested in the bargaining process for the other unions like MAPE and AFSCME. They recently started bargaining with MMB. Those unions are seeking ATB increases around 10% per year. There is no way of knowing what they will eventually settle on, but it’s very relevant for MGEC members because they will set “the pattern” that we will have to contend with. ... Read More >>
AELSLAGID Proposed Rule Update
The Minnesota Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design (AELSLAGID) is proposing a set of rule changes that will affect licensed professionals over the coming months. A summary of the proposed changes can be found on the AELSLAGID website. The general intent of the proposed changes is to streamline and clarify various processes surrounding required licenses. If you have any questions or would like to comment, please contact AELSLAGID directly. ... Read More >>
Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement
The Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement (LPCR) met a number of times this legislative session and held its last regular meeting on Monday, April 17. Comprised of members from the House and Senate, it has produced an Omnibus Pension bill and a Pension Policy bill that have been sent on to the appropriate legislative committees. The issues of priority to the LPCR included lowering the “assumed rate of return” from 7.5% to 7%. While this puts some downward pressure on the asset projections moving forward, the LPCR’s perspective is that it’s important that the assumed rate of ... Read More >>
Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS)
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) is the state agency that oversees the safe operations of pipelines by working with operators. OPS performs that function through various inspections: field and records, O&M, operator qualifications, integrity management, damage prevention, and more. OPS has about 15 inspectors that cover the entire state. Their main office is in St. Paul with two remote offices in Fosston and Granite Falls. OPS also enforces the state’s One Call law - Call 811. Like other states, Gopher State One Call ensures that anyone ... Read More >>