MPSEA members,

A few key dates / reminders for the coming weeks:

• Board Elections

  • Submit any statement of interest/candidacy to any Board member (https://www.mpsea.org/board-members) by March 18, 2021.

  • Vote for your MPSEA Board representatives on SurveyMonkey between March 25 and April 2, 2021. A link to the SurveyMonkey ballot and a document including all candidates’ Statements of Interest will be emailed to MPSEA members when voting opens on March 25th.

• Annual Meeting – The annual meeting will be held virtually this year.  Key points are:

  • Date – April 8, 2021

  • Format - Zoom (link/s to follow via email)

  • Time – NOON and 5 PM. Note that the noon meeting will feature a Q&A with Mayor Rhodes-Conway.

South Central Federation of Labor (SCFL)

The MPSEA Board is considering joining the South Central Federation of Labor (SCFL).  SCFL provides support to labor organizations like MPSEA while organizing and advocating for justice and worker’s rights.  The 2021 Annual Meeting will include a discussion on joining SCFL – interested MPSEA members can take a few moments to familiarize themselves with SCFL’s goals and accomplishments at https://www.scfl.org/. In addition, a list of recent SCFL accomplishments (2019 and 2020) is included at the link below. Feel free to submit any questions you may have to the Board.  We will be asking for your feedback on joining SCFL via email in the near future. 

Thank you for your continued support of MPSEA and your fellow employees.

Solidarity,

The MPSEA Board

From the organizers of the Second Harvest Food Bank fundraiser:

On behalf of the City staff organizers for the Second Harvest Food Bank fundraiser, I would like extend our sincere thanks to MPSEA for its generosity.

Because of MPSEA’s $1,000.00 donation, we were able to give a total of $4,500 in cash to Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin! This amount again exceeded our prior year’s donation – in large part due to MPSEA’s generous contribution.

Thank you all for supporting this important gifting opportunity! Please watch for the Mayor’s Blog for more regarding MPSEA’s generosity.

MPSEA members:

The Board is pleased to announce our annual meeting date and format.  To better serve our members, the MPSEA Annual Meeting will held virtually at two different times.  It will be on:

Date – April 8, 2021

Time – Noon and 5 PM (NOTE: The Noon meeting will feature a Q&A with Mayor Rhodes-Conway

Location – Virtual (A link will be sent to members before the meeting)

Both meeting times will include updates from the Board regarding wage equity, the telework policy and more, discussion of current proposals for action, drawings for prizes (gift cards for local vendors / restaurants!), and MPSEA Board election results. 

MPSEA BOARD ELECTIONS

This spring, there are three seats open on the Board.  Serving on the Board is a rewarding experience where you will be directly involved in efforts to influence policies that affect the pay, benefits and workplace environments of our members. Serving on the Board is an opportunity to meet people throughout the City, including policy makers, and it provides a chance to gain excellent leadership skills.  The time commitment for Board members is about 2 to 4 hours per month between Board meetings and related preparation, and occasional meetings with HR and other entities.  If you are interested in running for one of these open seats, please let one of the Board members know.  Members who wish to run for the Board should be aware of the following timeline:

• March 18 – Call for candidates closes.  (Members interested in running for the Board should submit a short bio for members to review in voting. The bio should describe your work at the City and your interest in serving on the Board);

• March 25 – April 2 – Election open at Survey Monkey

• April 8 – Results announced at Annual Meeting

Thank you for your continued membership and support.

Solidarity,

The MPSEA Board

When you go to set up your UI Benefits account for the first time, you will be prompted to answer the following question:

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"Why are you no longer working for this employer?"

YOU SHOULD SELECT the first choice – “Laid Off / Lack of Work (any duration.)”   As instructed in the gray box above it regarding COVID-19.

Why does this matter?  If you choose the other logical choice – “Still Working – Part time or full time or reduced hours” you will be prompted to register with the Wisconsin Job Service and this requires uploading a resume to their system.   And, you will get a message that you HAVE to register with the Job Service and upload the resume or you’ll be denied. 

HR has looked into this and confirmed w/ DWD that while both choices are OK,  “Laid Off / Lack of Work” will allow you to avoid the Job Service requirement.  Workshare participants are supposed to be exempt from both the Job Search and Job Service requirements.

MPSEA Members,

The City of Madison’s Workshare program begins next Monday, February 1, 2021 and will run through March 14th. Employees participating in the Workshare program should reach out to their supervisors and administrative staff to ensure that they understand their level of participation and all rules associated with reporting Workshare time.

To assist employees in understanding Workshare, the City’s HR department has developed a Workshare website on EmployeeNet. The site includes helpful information, including an FAQ page and links to resources on the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development (DWD) website. In addition to this general City employee information, some City departments and divisions have drafted department-specific Workshare guidance and FAQ documents.

Employees are encouraged to speak with their supervisors if they have questions, or send an email to uibenefits@cityofmadison.com.

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Solidarity,

The MPSEA Board