Human Rights Meet & Confer minutes Mar 7, 2019

Publish Date
Committees
Human Rights

MAPE / MDHR MEET AND CONFER MINUTES

March 7, 2019

 

 

For the Union:           Brianne Lucio, Heidi Hovis, Jill Keen, Shawn Swinson-Stafford (chair), and Lenora White

 

For Management:      Commissioner Rebecca Lucero and General Counsel Peter Zuniga

 

 

1  Procedural topics

Management and MAPE discussed the following procedural topics:

  • Shawn Swinson-Stafford thanked Jill Keen for chairing the last two meetings.
  • Scott Buetel left the Committee effective March 6, 2019.
  • Laura Danielson is out of the office today.
  • Deputy Commissioner Irina Vaynerman was unable to attend due to another commitment.
  • Cathy Bisser and Jodie Segelstrom declined the meeting, having no new information to report concerning the Hay process / range reassignment and EO3 position.

 

2  Approval of agenda / Management agenda item

Management and MAPE discussed the topic of MDHR office space, as previously suggested by Irina Vaynerman:

  • Rebecca Lucero explained that MDHR has contracted to make sure that its space is accessible.  Management has finished the contractual work and the physical work will happen soon.  MDHR wants to make sure that its office space is ADA compliant. 
  • Rebecca Lucero also explained that MDHR is working with its landlord to explore the option of relocating to a different space.  Management does not know if relocation will actually happen.  In considering other spaces, Management is keeping the matters of light-rail access and parking in mind.  
  • Management and MAPE discussed MDHR’s former office space, located at 190 East Fifth Street in Saint Paul.  Management and MAPE specifically discussed that the State partially subsidized employee parking in Galtier Plaza, but that the public had to make their own parking arrangements on the street or in parking garages.
  • Rebecca Lucero mentioned that MDHR has moved Kaytee Hanson, Audel Shokozadeh, and Mai Thor to different spaces within the office.
  • Shawn Swinson-Stafford asked Rebecca Lucero if Management had a tentative timeline for possibly relocating to a different office.  Rebecca Lucero replied that there is no current timeline and that, e.g., it could be anywhere from three months from now to three years from now.

 

3 Approval of minutes

Management and MAPE discussed the following minutes-related topics:

  • Shawn Swinson-Stafford acknowledged that he was not present for the February 6, 2019 meeting, but expressed faith that Jill Keen recorded accurate minutes.  Shawn Swinson-Stafford then proposed accepting those minutes as being accurate.
  • Peter Zuniga suggested adopting a practice of assuming that minutes are correct, but continuing to provide a space to ensure that corrections can be made.  Shawn Swinson-Stafford agreed with this approach.  There were no objections to this approach.

 

4 Hay process / range reassignment / EO3 position

Management and MAPE discussed the following Hay / range-reassignment topics:

  • Shawn Swinson-Stafford asked Rebecca Lucero and Peter Zuniga if it was correct that Management has no new information.  Rebecca Lucero and Peter Zuniga confirmed that Management has no new information.
  • Rebecca Lucero noted that Management has been putting pressure on MMB to make progress with these issues.

 

5 Scheduling

Management and MAPE discussed the following meet-and-confer scheduling topics:

  • Given how busy members of Management and MAPE are, Shawn Swinson-Stafford proposed meeting bimonthly instead of monthly.
  • There were no objections to meeting bimonthly.
  • Rebecca Lucero noted that if issues arise in the interim between meetings, Management and MAPE can speak informally or schedule an interim meeting.

 

6 Making the meet-and-confer process more collaborative

Management and MAPE discussed the following collaboration topics:

  • Rebecca Lucero expressed a desire to make sure that the meet-and-confer process is collaborative, as opposed to just checking in concerning various issues.  Shawn Swinson-Stafford noted that Management and MAPE have collaborated during Meet and Confer, such as working together on the disposition of comp time near the end of each fiscal year.  Shawn Swinson-Stafford also noted that MAPE is interested in working collaboratively with Management and that Management and MAPE can put any topic on the agenda.
  • Management and MAPE briefly discussed a few topics that might be on the next agenda, such as the rolling over of comp time, MSRS presentations(s), and any topics that arise for Management or MAPE.  Shawn Swinson-Stafford noted that an MSRA presentation was coming up soon and asked if that would be the annual presentation for this year (Management previously agreed to host recurring MSRS presentations).  Brianne Lucio and Peter Zuniga noted that Management had agreed to host MSRS presentations twice per year, so that new employees would get the information shortly after their hire).

 

7 Miscellaneous

Management and MAPE discussed the following miscellaneous topics:

  • As MAPE Steward Jill Keen is retiring in May 2019, Management and MAPE discussed MAPE’s potential need for a new steward at MDHR.
  • At Brianne Lucio’s request, Management agreed to permit the inclusion of steward-training information in the MDHR internal newsletter.  Rebecca Lucero noted that Tim Carey is working on making the newsletter more dynamic, such that including information of a temporary nature (e.g., a specific training date)-as opposed to information that seldom or never changes (e.g., a steward’s name and contract information)-would be fine.
  • Rebecca Lucero noted that Management is working on changing the culture of MDHR, including making structural changes.  Rebecca Lucero then asked MAPE if there is anything else Management should do in making these changes.  MAPE did not propose any additional changes, but did thank Rebecca Lucero for increasing the transparency with which Management operates.
  • As today is Jill Keen’s last day on the Committee, Shawn Swinson-Stafford thanked her for her excellent service and noted that the Committee will miss her.

 

8 Tentative scheduling of next meeting

  • Management and MAPE tentatively agreed to meet from 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM on Thursday, May 9, 2019.