On Thursday, September 3rd, MGEC visited the Maplewood MnDOT facility with a Pizza Lunch. We had a great turnout and a meaningful discussion of current events that affect MGEC members.
Two interactive issues dominated the discussion: wage adjustments and healthcare. As we know, bargaining in each occurs in its own set of negotiations. Healthcare bargaining occurs just before MAPE and AFSCME get to the heart of their contract bargaining, and the reason ties back our discussion in Maplewood: as hard as we fight against it, healthcare spending competes with the funding available for salary increases. Members at the lunch discussed the importance of maintaining the value and accessibility of the SEGIP benefits that we have bargained while also keeping pace on wages with comparable employers. Members shared their experiences – and we communicate those experiences to the employer when we get to the bargaining table. There’s no substitute for in-person, free flowing discussions.
Special thanks to Blake Nelson, recent retiree, for his help setting up this MGEC Pizza Lunch. To set one up at your workplace, reach out to your MGEC Representative or Donna.