Workforce Development Initial Bargaining Proposals April 4, 2019

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

Proposal

Article of Contract

Page

Phased Retirement

New article

2

Student loans

6

3-4

Licensure / Certification

6

5

Professional Development Credits

6

6

 

Workforce Development
Phased Retirement

Eliminate Letter 12 (phased retirement pilot letter)
Eliminate last section of Article 16 (reference to Letter 12)

New Article XX

Phased Retirement Program. 

A. Eligibility. 

Employees who have reached age fifty-five (55) and have ten (10) or more years of state service shall be eligible for phased retirement. 

B. Implementation.

An employee requesting phased retirement shall submit their request to the Appointing Authority. The length of the phased retirement period and the work schedule for the employee shall be mutually agreed to by the employee and the Appointing Authority. At the end of the phased retirement period the employee must separate from state service. In no event shall the length of time for phased retirement exceed the number of years mutually agreed upon.  The Appointing Authority must provide the reason(s) for denial of a request for phased retirement to the employee in writing, within ten (10) days. 

C. Benefits.

The Employer retirement contributions necessary to accrue allowable service credit in the retirement fund during the period of part-time employment shall be paid by the Employer at the same amounts as would have been paid had the employee been employed full-time. 

Employees electing phased retirement shall be eligible for Employer-paid insurance benefits as if the employee were employed full-time. Employee contributions necessary to maintain all benefits as if the employee were employed full-time shall be the responsibility of the employee. 

Employees participating in the phase retirement program will receive vacation, holiday, and sick leave benefits in accordance with Appendices A, B, and C.

D. Expectations.

Employees participating in the phased retirement program are expected to train and mentor a current state employee in all job duties required of their position.

 

Workforce Development
Student Loans

Article 6 

Section XX. Student Loan Payment Reimbursement.

A. Employee Request and Discretionary Approval.An employee may request and the Appointing Authority may approve reimbursement for the employee’s student loan payments, made on their outstanding student loan balances.

B. Eligible Payments.In order to qualify for this reimbursement, the student loan payments must be made by the employee after the effective date of this agreement.

C. Exclusion.Student loan reimbursement payments cannot be applied to Continuing Education Units that are required to maintain an employee’s license or credentials.

D. Payment Amounts.Student loan reimbursement payments shall not exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) per calendar year per employee, up to twenty five thousand dollars ($25,000) in total payments issued to any employee.

E. Payment Dispersal.Loan reimbursement payments may be disbursed once or twice yearly, in accordance with a disbursement schedule determined by the Appointing Authority.

F. Employee Length of Service Requirements.  Employees must have been employed by the Employer at least one (1) year in a part-time or full-time position and be anticipated to work at least one thousand forty four (1,044) hours per year.

G. Employee Retention Requirement.Employees who are approved to receive a student loan payment reimbursement must remain actively employed by the Appointing Authority for a period of one (1) year after receiving a reimbursement payment.  Employees who voluntarily separate sooner than one (1) year after receiving such payment shall be required by the Appointing Authority to repay the student loan reimbursement received the previous year.

Such repayment shall be on a prorated, monthly basis.  The repayment requirements may, under special circumstances, be waived by the Commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget.  Such waiver must be requested in writing by the Appointing Authority. 
Retention and repayment requirements do not apply in the case of death or layoff.

H. Documentation of Student Loan Payments Required.The employee must provide documentation of actual student loan payments as described below:

  • For reimbursement of loan payments: Documentation of actual loan payments made within the twelve (12) months immediately prior to application for loan payment reimbursement.
  • For lump sum loan payments: Documentation that the amount disbursed has been applied to the student loan will be provided to the Appointing Authority within sixty (60) calendar days of the disbursement.

I. Failure to provide required documentation of payments.  If the employee does not fulfill the reporting requirement as described in H above, the employee will be required to repay the total amount.

 

Workforce Development
Licensure / Certification

Article 6

Section 9. Certification and Licensure. The Appointing Authority shall, upon request of the Association, meet and confer regarding implementation of any new certification and/or licensure requirements for existing employees.  If tThe Appointing Authority/Employeradds new requirements for licensure or certification of current employees, the parties agree to meet and negotiate on the subject of the reimbursement of shall reimburse necessary expenses incurred by thoseemployees in order to obtain or renew such licensures or certifications required for their position.

 

Workforce Development
Professional Development Credits 

Article 6

Section XX. Professional Development Credits. Upon completion of one (1) year of continuous employment (without a break in service), full-time unlimited, full-time seasonal, part-time unlimited, and part-time seasonal employees, classified and unclassified, may for the purpose of professional development, be permitted to enroll in credit courses at any Minnesota State college and/or university with tuition paid by the Employer. Such enrollment is at the discretion of the Appointing Authority and shall not exceed eight (8) credits per academic year (the academic year runs from the beginning of the fall semester through the end of the summer session). The employee will pay all applicable fees.