Legislators should know what a shutdown would mean to you and to the people of Minnesota who rely on you to do your job. Follow these easy steps to have your voice heard!

Step One:  Find your legislators: 

Find who represents you to call and/or email your State Senator and State Representative.

Step Two: Use your Personal Email

We are acting politically as MAPE, so please use your personal email. 

Step Three: Craft your message

• Provide your name and where you live, so they know you are a constituent.
• Tell them “My job matters to me, my family and the people of Minnesota. We need resolution on a state budget that supports our work and avoids a government shutdown”. 
• ASK: “Can I count on you to support me and my fellow state employees with the resources we need so we can continue to provide critical services to Minnesotans and avoid a government shutdown?”

Step Four: Make sure to include your home address so they know you are a constituent. 

Elected officials take the most time with their constituents. Make sure they know you are one! 

Step Five: cc your union! 

Let us know that you’re emailing! Cc action@mape.org

I received a layoff notice in the mail in early June. Does that mean I will be laid off on June 30? 

Potentially. As of June 8, MMB still did not know who would be laid off and who would be designated as a priority 1 or 2 critical service. Conflicting legal precedent and many things that are yet to be decided at the legislature are leaving us with very little solid information on who will or will not be laid off if there is a government shutdown on July 1. 

If I am laid off, am I eligible for Unemployment Insurance? 

Yes.

If I am laid off on July 1, will I still receive my July 2 pay check?

Yes, the paychecks that go out on July 2 are for a pay period that ended June 22. In a shutdown scenario, agencies would keep enough payroll staff working to process payroll.

If I am laid off, can I use accrued time off (i.e. sick, vacation or comp time) during that time?

State employees will not be able to use any paid leave (VAC, SIK, Comp time, etc.) in the event of a shut down. State agencies are not able to operate without approved budgets so there would not be a way to pay employees.

If I am laid off, will I continue to be covered with Health insurance or will I need COBRA? 

Employees who are laid off on involuntary unpaid leaves of absence and are eligible to receive insurance through SEGIP will remain eligible with the same coverage level and employer contribution for the duration of the shutdown, regardless of years of service. This applies to unclassified employees as well.

How will my premiums be paid? 

Premium deductions for employees’ share of premiums that were missed during the shutdown will be taken out beginning with the second full paycheck received after the return to work and will be spread out on subsequent paychecks for as many periods that were missed. 

How do seniority and bumping rights affect layoffs, especially in areas with Priority 1 and 2 Critical Services? 

• Layoffs or involuntary unpaid leaves of absence as a result of the shutdown and the MOU only applies to employees who will not be directed to perform priority 1 or 2 critical services.
• The assignment of employees to perform priority 1 or 2 critical services will be by seniority provided that the senior employees are capable and qualified to perform the assigned work.
• The MOU waives Article 17, Section 3 of the MAPE Contract for the first thirty (30) days for any layoffs as a result of a state shutdown.
• If a layoff is longer than 30 days and an employee chooses to bump, the position change will be permanent.
• Employees who are laid off and choose not to bump will return to their former position, work location, shift and schedule at the conclusion of the shutdown.
• Employees who are laid off or on involuntary unpaid leaves of absence as a result of the shutdown will not be able to liquidate accrued vacation, severance, or comp time.

I work in the Minnesota State System. Does this apply to me? 

For employees of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, a potential layoff or involuntary unpaid leave of absence would have to be triggered by the Board of Trustees determining that funds are no longer available to continue operation.

What happens at the end of the shut down? 

Once the shutdown ends, all employees who are laid off or on involuntary unpaid leaves of absence, who did not exercise bumping rights if the shutdown was longer than 30 days, will be recalled to work and will be returned to their prior position, work location, shift, and schedule. Employees will receive a return-to-work date in the recall notice they receive.

If a layoff is longer than 30 days and an employee chooses to bump, the position change will be permanent.

What happens to my pension during the shutdown? 

Time on layoff or involuntary unpaid leaves of absence because of the shutdown will be considered “continuous service” for purposes of vacation accruals, seniority, severance pay eligibility and eligibility for insurance for part-time employees.

Regarding your MSRS pension, service accruals are controlled by MSRS and can’t be altered with an MOU. MSRS counts months of service based on an employee getting paid for that month. Find out more information here about MSRS during a shut down. https://www.msrs.state.mn.us/state-shutdown-faq

Will I receive backpay after I return to work?

Unfortunately, no, but you would be eligible for unemployment insurance.

REMINDER: Employees who are laid off or on involuntary unpaid leaves of absence are eligible for unemployment benefits. For more information, visit our page on Unemployment Insurance. 

Minnesota Unemployment Insurance department in DEED has a variety of resources available to help you navigate UI.

This page includes information on:

• Apply for Benefits: What you should know before applying
• Apply for Benefits: Completing the online application
• Tour your account
• Benefit Payment: How to get paid
• Appeal: Filing an Appeal
• Password: Key to your account
• Password: Forgot it? Don't guess- Reset!
• Requestion for information: I received one...now what?
• and more!

2021 Bill Tracker

July 1: Session Update

The House and Senate pressed forward to pass a budget before midnight July 1, averting a government shutdown and keeping agencies running. Many last-minute compromises were made to pass the bills through the respective chambers, including some police accountability measures and an end to the governor’s peacetime emergency powers on July 1. After passing all agency budgets and getting them signed by the Governor before midnight, the tax bill was passed overnight and is likely to be signed by the Governor shortly. While the end to the peacetime emergency meant that the legislature was no longer required to meet in special session every 30 days, they are anticipated to convene again in September to determine how to allocate the $250 million in essential worker premium pay from the federal COVID relief funds.

Additionally, an amendment was added to the tax bill to authorize the commissioners of health or human services to declare public health disasters, as well as extend the executive order permitting MMB to redeploy the state workforce until August 1st, 2021 in order to allow state employees who were redeployed for COVID 19 response to transition back to their original positions.

June 18: Session Update

• Session convened on Monday and the House and Senate have been making some slow progress.
• Thursday, June 17, the House took up some of the budget bills that are ready to go- namely Higher Ed, Commerce, Agriculture, Jobs and Legacy budgets.
• After the House passes these budgets they will be sent to the Senate. 
• We understand that there are other budget bills that have been agreed upon or close to completed, but have yet to be posted to the House or Senate schedule. 
• The Governor, Senate Majority Leader and Speaker of the House continue to work to find agreement on the other remaining half dozen or so bills.
• With less than 2 weeks to go until the budget must be finished to avoid a government shutdown, we are glad to see this progress, but we know there is still a tremendous amount of work to do. 

June 14: Session Update

• The 2021 legislative session ended on May 17 without a single budget bill getting passed by the legislature. They have until June 30 at 11:59 p.m. to finish the budget before the government shuts down. 
• Special session will begin on June 14, as statutorily required for the Governor to extend his emergency powers. Once the special session is convened, the legislature plans to use the opportunity to continue working on the budget bills and can pass them as they are completed. Between the regular legislative session and scheduled special session, legislative working groups have been engaged in negotiations to reconcile budgets and policy language within the parameters set by the Governor, Speaker of the House and Majority Leader of the Senate. Though some information is known about the workgroups and progress that has been made, these workgroups mostly work privately. If you find this frustrating, you’re not alone. Read the Minnesota Reformer’s take on that here. 
• Though the session will begin on June 14, we expect it to last for a few days or potentially weeks. We will be monitoring progress and pushing legislators to arrive at a good deal that does not balance the budget on the backs of workers and avoids a shutdown. 
• If you want to take action, check out our action page.