News & Updates

Bargaining resumed August 25, 2023. MGEC encouraged negotiations that focus on accepting proposals terms and conditions. The State proposed dropping many proposals. Consequently, few proposals have been agreed to …

MGEC is guided by an Executive Board. Each year about half of the positions on the board are up for election. Nominations will be received through October 28, 2023. To express interest in a …

Open Enrollment - All benefits except short term disability will be included in open enrollment this year. October 26 - Nov. 15. Information will be posted on the website …

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 …

MGEC met with the State August 17, 2023. At this stage of bargaining, the state likes to propose “drop/drop” packages to eliminate many of the proposals made by either side. MGEC asked that the process focus …

The Minnesota Asphalt Pavement Association sent a letter to Governor Walz and MMB that states, “urging you to consider the need for higher salaries for engineers at the Department of …

Nominations have started to come in for MGEC Board positions taking office January 1, 2024. Terms are two years for positions other than Vice President. Open positions include VP, Treasurer, Director …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Insurance Bargaining concluded on Thursday, June 1.  A tentative agreement was reached between the union coalition and the State of Minnesota to provide healthcare for all state employees for the next …

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 …

Did you know MGEC has a number of folks who have stepped into leadership positions as MGEC Worksite Representatives?  If you have any questions that are specific to your works location, reaching out to your …

Due to the upcoming July 4th holiday, MGEC will be closed Tuesday, July 4th. …

MGEC has opened the opportunity to apply for one of three scholarships (2 Family Member Scholarships and 1 Connie Minetor Memorial Scholarship). Applications are currently being …

Congratulations to Laura Lyons on her new position with the State of Minnesota in the Department of Commerce. Because that is not a position represented by MGEC, Laura has resigned as MGEC Treasurer. The …

Remember to use your floating holiday and meet the required fiscal year balances for vacation, etc. before the end of the fiscal year (June 30). All employees who were in employment on June 20, …

We are currently within the cycle of bargaining the health insurance plan for all state employees.  Because everyone participates in the same plan, bargaining is done as a coalition with all of the other …

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 …

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 …

Approximately 30 MGEC members braved a blustery April day to participate in our latest MGEC lunch on the 4th.  (And about 8 more joined us online!)  The lunch served as a positive forum to hear the latest …

As a state employee your health insurance is the product of collective bargaining just as the MGEC contract is.  But the process in which it’s bargained is quite a bit different. Because the State …

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 …

Reminder to save the date for the MGEC Annual Meeting & Golf Tournament scheduled for September 28th, 2023, at Oak Marsh Golf Course in Oakdale, MN. More details to follow as we get closer to the event. …

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 …

Current Contract: House File 800, and Senate File 1431 need passage to approve the 2021 – 2023 MGEC Contract The house passed the contract on March 2nd. It also has to be approved by the Senate. In the …

MGEC staff will be at the Green Lake conference rooms at MnDOT Willmar on Tuesday, April 4th from noon until 1pm.  We will provide lunch and conversation for MGEC folks.  It’s important to have …

Minnesota’s legislature has a bipartisan committee of senators and representatives known as the Legislative Committee on Pensions and Retirement.  It makes the fundamental decisions …

The 2021-2023 MGEC Contract is in effect. However, the legislature needs to approve of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for it to remain in effect once the current legislature adjourns. That …

Do you have ideas or issues with dental and health insurance that we can bring to Coalition Insurance Bargaining in March? If so email us at mgec@mgec.org. …

MGEC members have a strong presence in almost all lines of business the State of Minnesota runs.  In the spirit of having a stronger recognition of the totality and nuance of our work, we want to take a moment to …

Each year when the new board begins, they evaluate the committee list and decide which committees they feel they need. As a full member, you have an opportunity to be part of the committee and make recommendations …

Here we are wrapping up the first month of 2023! Last year marked 30 years with the State of Minnesota for me. I had the opportunity to serve the MGEC membership very early in my young career and look …

MGEC is powered by its membership.  Our strength at the bargaining table comes from those who choose to be members.  But the team that steps to the next level are those elected to the Executive Board.  Serving …

On Friday, the 13th, members of the Public Employees’ Pension Commission (PEPC) group convened to discuss the upcoming legislative session in hopes that they can lobby the legislature to …

Health insurance for State of Minnesota employees is collectively bargained.  But unlike regular contract bargaining where each bargaining unit negotiates its own package, our healthcare is bargained as a …

Article 19, section 2 of MGEC’s contract with the state ties eligible mileage reimbursement rates to the federal IRS rate.  As we are all keenly aware, transportation costs have increased, and the IRS has …

Thank you for allowing me to serve as MGEC President in 2022!  It was an honor to help lead MGEC through the many challenges presented over the past year.  I hope that we increased our transparency and …

The MGEC Executive Board changes about half its members each year. That allows all members greater opportunity for participation. This year we are saying thanks to the following board members who have …

The state doesn’t consistently provide MGEC with updates to your work and personal information.  In the event of a state shut down, we need a way to communicate with our members via their personal emails.  …

As we continue to readjust our work lives coming out of COVID, MGEC is restarting our Lunch with MGEC meetings. We want to visit our member’s worksites so that we can reconnect and …

Sometimes our fellow coworkers experience life events where they run into severe hardship because they run out of benefits and are unable to work. You can make a huge difference in their lives! Consider donating …

Employees often ask about traveling for work events or conferences. Sometimes the event or conference starts Monday morning and the employee travels during their off time on the weekend. It is common for the …

The 2023 Election results are in. Changes to the board take effect January 1, 2023 which include: Dan Sullivan (MnDOT) ascending from Vice President to President, Fernando Nacionales becoming Vice …

Employees denied the Juneteenth Holiday of 2022 shall be allowed an additional floating holiday. This was effective October 4, 2022, but the employer is just getting around to having agency payroll staff enter the …

Employees should have received backpay for periods from 7/1/21 - 6/30/22 and 7/1/22 through the pay period ending 10-25-22. In some cases, employees believe they have found errors in the amount of backpay. In those …

MMB plans to process the MGEC Range Reassignment for affected job classes the weekend of October 28, effective 10/26/2022 (the first day of the second full pay period following contract ratification, as …

MGEC members were able to get some sun, compete for golf prizes, and participate in the Annual Meeting & Dinner on Thursday, September 29th.  Held at Oak Marsh Golf Course, …

The election ballot was approved at the September 26 board meeting. Thank you to the full members who have dedicated their time by submitting a candidate form and stepping up to work on behalf of the …

Late Thursday afternoon, MGEC received information on several important dates relating to the renegotiation of our labor agreement. While we have all been anxious about finally getting the official word about …

Thank you to all of the golfers that participated in our annual golf tournament. We were fortunate to have beautiful weather which contributed to the fun day everyone had. Events like this are a great …

One of the most frustrating things that can happen when the employer unintentionally (or intentionally) violates our contract is being unable to do anything about it because of a technicality. By far, the most …