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 protections include state employees who work under MGEC’s contract. Several elements of the Public Employee Labor Relations Act (PELRA) were changed in the legislative session that are relevant to MGEC. Some of the changes include:
- Pay in the event of a government shutdown. The law now requires states employees to be paid upon the end of a shutdown. MGEC proposed similar language in 2015 because our membership experienced significant economic loss in the 2011 shutdown. While the state said “no” in that round of negotiation, the legislature this year said “yes”;
- Funding the Public Employee Labor Relations Board (PERB), so we can allege unfair labor practices without the expense of going to district court;
- 30 minutes of access time for new employees within 30 days of hire, an issue that we were preparing a grievance on;
- Contact information for new employees as well as the ability to use employer space and email to conduct union business;
- Protection of data as “non-public” for materials used for the PERB and arbitrations;
- No requirement of legislative approval for negotiations. When we conclude negotiations with MMB, we will know what we agreed on without any worry that our agreement will be used as a political football
See link for more information.