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 thus far. For instance, MGEC is waiting for the state to put the wages increase on the table. A summary follows. Tentative Agreements Use of Paid Parental Leave for stillbirth or death of child Employee working out of class is eligible to receive pay based on the work out of class assignment Increase meals to Breakfast $9 to $11 ($12 high-cost) Lunch $11 to $13 ... Read More >>
Bargaining updates
Bargaining Update
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 on proposals most important to reach a voluntary agreement that might be satisfactory to the parties. Given a clear history of the state providing the same Across The Board (ATB) increases to all unions, MGEC proposed the State make their economic offer so all proposals could be considered at the same time. The State responded with a take it all or nothing package that included increases ... Read More >>
Bargaining Opener
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 expected to be a series of meetings. Additional meetings are scheduled in August through October. Time is needed by both sides in between meetings to study each proposal and carefully consider responses. Often times, proposals (and responses) interact with each other, and all this must be carefully thought out to do right by the membership. Bargaining a labor contract is rarely a ... Read More >>
Contract Bargaining
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 and proposal for July 18th, the first day of bargaining with the State of Minnesota. It’s clear, the Across the Board (ATB) agreed to by AFSCME & MAPE (5.5% 7/1/23 and 4.5% 7/1/24) will impact these discussions. MGEC has many other issues to address a few of which include: the calculation of overtime (vacation, sick, holiday and compensatory time should count when calculating OT), ... Read More >>
Insurance Bargaining Update
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 two years. Unlike previous bargaining cycles where the employer came to the bargaining table with take-away, regressive proposals and we fought to maintain coverage, this year features discussions that actively improve the healthcare experience. Some of the notable features of this year’s agreement include: 6% and 2.7% premium increases for the respective years of the agreement; $0 ... Read More >>
SEGIP Bargaining Update
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 Employee Group Insurance Plan (SEGIP) is a benefit that is the same for all state employees, it is bargained in a coalition with all of the state’s unions. That coalition has recently started meeting to determine what the proposals will be for the first round of bargaining with the state, which begins on April 25th. MGEC put out the call for ideas from our members a few weeks back. We heard ... Read More >>