Big wins for vacation accrual

DNR MAPE Meet and Confer was successful in negotiating the removal of the five-year cap on vacation accrual credit and implementing the vacation accrual credit language negotiated in the 2023-2025 contract. This wouldn't have happened without our union fighting for change!

Below is the updated 2023-2025 contract language that is now implemented at the DNR:

• removed limitations to allow all prior work experience related to the current position,
• removed the requirement that prior positions be vacation-eligible positions,
• removed the requirement for documentation from a previous employer(s) and
• removed the four-year limitation that stated if there was a four-year or more gap in state service, vacation accrued before the four-year gap in service would not be credited.

This last piece is a big win for creating a more equitable workplace that supports staff who choose to leave state service either to care for children or other family members, pursue a graduate degree, move out of state, or many other reasons.

We are grateful to the more than 500 DNR staff who signed the petition that pushed this initiative over the finish line. We have been sharing with management since October 2023 that the 5-year cap and the implementation of the new contract language was an important issue for the majority of DNR MAPE members. We are extremely proud of our work with management on this accomplishment and it wouldn’t have happened without you!

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