Wages and Economics Initial Bargaining Proposals April 4, 2019

The Association retains the right to modify, add to, or delete these proposals

Proposal	Article of contract	Page
Across-the-board increase	24	2
Add a longevity step	24	3
Retention incentive	24	4
Increase severance pay from sick time	13	5
Deferred compensation – adding comp time and vacation	24	6
Deferred compensation – unused funds	24	7
Per diem / meals	18	8-9

 

Wages
Across-the-board increase

Article 24 Wages.

Section 3. First Year Wage Adjustment.Effective July 1, 2019 2017, all salary ranges and rates for classes covered in this Agreement shall be increased by (union reserves right to propose), rounded to the nearest cent. The compensation grids for classes covered by this Agreement are contained in Appendix E-1. Employees shall convert to the new compensation grid as provided in Section 2. Conversion to the new compensation grid shall not change an employee’s eligibility for step progression increases.

Section 4. Second Year Wage Adjustment.Effective July 1, 2019 2020, all salary ranges and rates shall be increased by (union reserves right to propose), rounded to the nearest cent. Salary increases provided by this Section shall be given to all employees including those employees whose rates of pay exceed the maximum rate for their class. The compensation grids for classes covered by this Agreement are contained in Appendix E-2. Conversion to the new compensation grid shall not change an employee’s eligibility for step progression increases.

 

Wages
Add a longevity step

Article 24 Wages.

Section XX.  Longevity Step.  All employees who have been at the top of their salary range for five (5) years shall receive the equivalent of a two (2)-step salary adjustment, effective at the start of the pay period nearest to the employee’s anniversary date. Partial years of service at the top of the salary range, and years in which steps are added to the top of the schedule for these ranges shall not be counted toward the calculation of the five (5) year period.  Employees shall receive this two (2)-step adjustment every five (5) years that they remain at the top of their salary range.

 

Wages
Retention incentive

Article 24 - Wages

Section XX. Retention Incentive for Employees at the Salary Range Maximum.Employees who have been at the maximum salary rate for their job classification for five or more years shall receive a one-time lump sum payment of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) on their first anniversary date after ratification of this agreement.  Subsequently, employees who remain at the maximum salary rate of their job classification shall receive this payment every five (5) years.

 

Wages
Increase severance pay from sick time

Article 13 – Severance Pay

Section 1.  Eligibility.  All employees who have accrued twenty (20) years or more continuous State service shall receive severance pay upon any separation except for discharge for cause from State service.  Employees with less than twenty (20) years continuous State service shall receive severance pay upon: retirement at or after age 65; death; or layoff, except for seasonal layoff.  Employees who separate from State service for reasons other than discharge after ten (10) years of continuous State service and who are immediately entitled at the time of separation to receive an annuity under a State retirement program shall, notwithstanding an election to defer payment of the annuity, also receive severance pay.  

Severance pay shall be equal to forty percent (40%) of the employee's first nine hundred (900) hoursaccumulated but unused sick leave and twelve and one-half percent (12½%) of the employee’s accumulated but unused sick leave in excess of nine hundred (900) hours times the employee’s regular rate of pay at the time of separation.
…

 

Wages
Deferred compensation – adding comp time and vacation

Article 24 - Wages

Section 14. Deferred Compensation Plan. The Employer agrees to provide employees with a State-paid contribution to the deferred compensation program under Minn. Stat. 352.96.  The State-paid contribution shall be in an amount matching the employee's contribution on a dollar for dollar basis as permitted by Minn. Stat. 356.24 not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00) per employee in each fiscal year of the Agreement.

An employee may choose to convert some or all of his/her compensatory time bank one time during each fiscal year at a time of their choosing so long as the total hours converted in a fiscal year do not exceed forty (40) eighty (80).

An employee may choose to convert some or all of their vacation time bank one time during each fiscal year at a time of their choosing so long as the total hours converted in a fiscal year do not exceed forty (40).

 

Wages 
Deferred compensation – unused funds

Article 24 – Wages

Section 14.  Deferred Compensation Plan.  The Employer agrees to provide employees with a State-paid contribution to the deferred compensation program under Minn. Stat. 352.96. The State-paid contribution shall be in an amount matching the employee's contribution on a dollar for dollar basis as permitted by Minn. Stat. 356.24 not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00) per employee in each fiscal year of the Agreement.

The Employer shall designate funds equal to $200 for each MAPE-represented employee employed as of July 1 of each fiscal year to cover the full cost of the implementation of this section.  Unspent funds shall be distributed on June 30 of the same fiscal year to all employees who made an employee contribution to the Deferred Compensation Plan during the fiscal year.  Amounts shall be distributed equally, except that no employee may receive more under this paragraph than the employee’s own contribution to the deferred compensation program.

An employee may choose to convert some or all of his/her compensatory time bank one time during each fiscal year … 

 

Wages
Per diem

ARTICLE 18 - EXPENSE ALLOWANCES

Section 5. Meal Allowances. 

Per Diem Allowance.Employees assigned to be in travel status for a full business day between the employee's temporary or permanent work station and a field assignment shall be granted a per diem as follows:

A. Except for the metropolitan areas listed below, the maximum per diem shall be $71.00 per day. 

B. For the following metropolitan areas the maximum per diem shall be $75.00 per day.

Reimbursement Allowances. Employees assigned to be in travel status for less than a full business day between the employee's temporary or permanent work station and a field assignment shall be reimbursed for the actual cost of meals including a reasonable gratuity. Receipts will not be required. Employees must meet the following conditions to be eligible for meal reimbursement:

A. Breakfast. Breakfast reimbursements may be claimed only if the employee is on assignment away from his/her temporary or permanent work station in a travel status overnight or departs from home in an assigned travel status before 6:00 A.M. 

B. Noon Meal. Eligibility for noon meal reimbursement shall be based upon the employee being on assignment, over thirty-five (35) miles from his/her temporary or permanent work station, with the work assignment extending over the normal noon meal period. 

C. Dinner. Dinner reimbursement may be claimed only if the employee is away from his/her temporary or permanent work station in a travel status overnight or is required to remain in a travel status until after 7:00 P.M. 

D. Reimbursement Amount. Except for the metropolitan areas listed below, the maximum reimbursement for meals including tax and gratuity, shall be: 

Breakfast $ 9.00 $11.00
Lunch $11.00 $13.00
Dinner $16.00 $20.00

For the following metropolitan areas the maximum reimbursement shall be:

Breakfast $11.00 $18.00
Lunch $13.00 $19.00
Dinner $20.00 $34.00

The Metropolitan Areas are:

Atlanta 
Boston 
Cleveland 
Denver 
Hartford 
Kansas City 
Miami 
New York City 
Portland, OR 
San Francisco 
St. Louis 
Baltimore 
Chicago 
Dallas/Fort Worth 
Detroit 
Houston 
Los Angeles 
New Orleans 
Philadelphia 
San Diego 
Seattle 
Washington D.C. 

See Appendix L for details related to the boundaries of the above-mentioned metropolitan areas. 

The metropolitan areas also include any location outside the forty-eight (48) contiguous United States. 

Employees who meet the eligibility requirements for two (2) or more consecutive meals shall be reimbursed for the actual costs of the meals up to the combined maximum reimbursement amount for the eligible meals.