News & Updates

At its April meeting, the MGEC board voted to appoint me as the Executive Director for the organization, having served in an interim capacity for the last 12 months. For those …

This year’s conference of the National Association of State Highway and Transportation Unions (NASHTU) will be held in late June in Washington DC.  MGEC is sending three people to this year’s conference, with the …

The Minnesota Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has released its 2026 report card on the state of Minnesota’s infrastructure.  For the current …

Just a reminder that if you hold a professional license that requires the completion of an ethics component, MGEC has you covered.  You still have time to view our …

The MGEC labor agreement with the State of Minnesota requires that vacation leave balances must be reduced to 275 hours at least once on or before the last day of the fiscal year, June 30th.  …

The nomination window is open for the scholarships & awards MGEC offers.  There are a number of recognitions for MGEC members as well as family members who are pursuing a STEM …

The 2026 MGEC Ethics Webinar has been uploaded to the MGEC website. This presentation is designed to meet the requirements of your Professional Development Hours of your licensure granted by the …

There isn’t a lot to report so far on the Legislative Committee on Pensions and Retirement (LPCR).  There’s the possibility of an omnibus pension bill being passed this year, but it remains to be …

The class-action grievance regarding MnDOT’s assertion that a population of Fair Labor Standards Act “exempt” employees continues; the Step 2 grievance meeting was held on March 10th.  If it …

MGEC has a series of scholarships and awards available to recognize and support not just members within MGEC, but also their families.  We have several awards and scholarships that are …

Mark your calendar for MGEC’s Annual Meeting & Golf Tournament which will be held on September 28th at Oak Marsh Golf Course in Oakdale, MN. Details and registration will be coming soon. …

On Tuesday, February 10, 2026, Donna Blackwell and Tony Kelly visited MGEC members at DOLI in St Paul, bringing with some quite good pizza with.  Even though DOLI is one of …

MGEC is excited to bring back utilities attorney Kodi Verhalen to facilitate an ethics seminar fulfills the AELSLAGID requirement in this area.  As she puts it, “The presentation will …

Do you have someone in your family studying in a STEM field?  MGEC has several scholarships available: the Connie Minetor Memorial Scholarship and the Family Members Scholarship.  …

MGEC’s class-action grievance against MnDOT continues for the eight MGEC members whom the agency is demanding pay back authorized work hours simply because those work hours occurred in a pay period …

MGEC will be hosting an Ethics Seminar on March 4, 2026, from Noon to 2:00 pm. An email with registration has been sent to MGEC members. If you did not receive the email, reach out to …

Welcome to 2026 and thank you for your trust in me as President of MGEC. Thank you to outgoing President Corey Mathisen for his two terms in that role, and all of his service to MGEC! He will continue on the …

According to the latest information from Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), the back pay from the recently implemented collective bargaining agreement will be paid on February 6th.  …

Minnesota Paid Leave (MPL) now joins the list of other leaves available for new parents, those with health conditions, as well as others who qualify for other uses, such as to take care of other …

Measured as a proportion of members relative to total MnDOT employees, MGEC leads all bargaining units in participation in the Student Loan Reimbursement Program. In the most …

While 2026 is not an active bargaining year for MGEC, that doesn’t mean we’re not active!  We are highly involved in several grievances ranging from disciplinary issues to the ongoing FLSA-exempt …

On Thursday, December 4th, about 20 MGEC members met with Interim Executive Director Tony Kelly and MGEC Representative Mark Trogstad-Issacson.  Over pizza, details of the new labor agreement between …

The details from Minnesota Management and Budget regarding backpay from the new contract are known. The mass salary update will be loaded into the payroll system the weekend of 1/16, and the new compensation …

Greetings MGEC members, I want to start off by saying THANK YOU to our current Board and staff.  I've had the pleasure of serving with so many fantastic people this year. Our Board has a wide range of …

The voting window for the MGEC membership to affirm or deny the Tentative Agreement between the state and the union has now closed.  The MGEC Teller Committee has met to review the …

MGEC and Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) have reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) on the MGEC contract with the State for July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027. Join …

After five bargaining sessions comprising forty hours of face-to-face interaction at the bargaining table (and countless hours preparing for bargaining), MGEC and the State of Minnesota …

The people who comprise the bargaining team are your peers – they work at the state as engineering professionals and bring their experiences to the bargaining table.  There’s no substitute for …

The MGEC election cycle is complete and the results are in and certified!  We have deep appreciation for the members who step up to donate their energy to help MGEC in its mission of service to its …

Are you getting the most out of your healthcare dollars?  Open Enrollment is the once-per-year opportunity to make any changes to your healthcare network, providers, as well as to …

Last month, MGEC was made aware of “notice of overpayment” letters going to some of our members threatening legal action if they didn’t “repay” hours of approved work.  As we have advised in …

On Wednesday, October 1st, MGEC resumed its Pizza Lunch series with a visit at the Baxter MnDOT facility.  MGEC members from all state agencies – not just MnDOT – were extended invitations, and …

Bargaining for the 2025-27 labor agreement between the state and MGEC kicked off Tuesday, September 9th with the exchange of proposals from both parties.  The state came to the table with a list of 41 proposals …

Ballots for the election of this year’s MGEC Director and Officer election have been sent to Full MGEC members.  If you have not received a ballot, please reach out to mgec@mgec.org to ensure that we have your …

THANK YOU to the MGEC members who came out to this year’s Annual Meeting and Golf event!  We had a great afternoon of golf as well as a productive annual meeting and dinner.  Results of …

The MGEC Board Election Ballot has been sent to Full Members. Only Full Members are allowed to vote. Voting closes on November 4th, at 4:30 pm. If you are a full member and did not receive the ballot, …

We have heard from a number of MGEC members who have received letters from MnDOT about “overpayments” made when employees worked authorized overtime in pay periods containing a holiday.  These …

Bargaining for the 2025-27 labor agreement between the state and MGEC kicked off Tuesday, September 9th with the exchange of proposals from both parties.  The state came to the table with a list of 41 proposals …

MGEC is powered by its membership, and its Board of Directors is composed of people who work in the state service just like yourself.  We have a deeply committed and active board, and there are opportunities to …

THANK YOU to everyone who came out to the MGEC Annual Golf Tournament! We had 36 MGEC players across 9 teams playing alongside one of our sponsors from WSB! This event would not be possible …

As you’re no doubt aware, the contract between MGEC and the State of Minnesota expired on the last day of June.  While it is always a source of frustration to have a contract expire before a successor labor …

For the past 18 months, the MGEC Board and Membership Committee have reviewed our Constitution and Bylaws to ensure our organization is up-to-date, transparent, and efficient. Full …

Registration is open for both the MGEC Golf Tournament and the MGEC Annual Meeting & Dinner. The Golf Tournament and Annual Meeting & Dinner will be held at the Oak …

On Wednesday, August 13, MGEC met with MnDOT senior leadership in our quarterly meet-and-confer meeting to discuss items of interest.  The first agenda item related to the …

On Monday, August 18, the Joint Labor Management Committee met to learn the details of 2024 and 2025 healthcare spending across the SEGIP plans.  That information is …

The Golf Tournament will be located at Oak Marsh Golf Course in Oakdale, MN which begins with a shotgun-start at 2 pm. Please arrive by 1:30 pm to allow time to check in …

MGEC Officers and staff have met with the Minnesota Office of Management and Budget (MMB) to set up dates and protocols for the negotiation of the next labor agreement.  We share the …

As we covered in last month's newsletter, there is an ongoing issue for some of our “FLSA exempt” members who worked approved overtime that occurred in pay periods that also have a holiday.  The …

Several MnDOT FLSA exempt employees have recently been asked to pay back hours they worked in pay periods that contained both holidays and approved overtime.  While …

If you are participating in the deferred compensation (MNDCP 457b) program, first off, congratulations on taking charge of your financial future!  But you also need to be aware that the …

MnDOT Metro District will be notifying employees in the near future of a new survey process that will assess the current state of the Metro District and inform decision-making as it moves forward.  According …

This is your final reminder to submit your MGEC scholarship applications for the Family Member Scholarships and the Connie Minetor Memorial Scholarship. Applications must be …