MPSEA has received a request from the nurses working at UW Hospital, asking our members to support their efforts to have the UW Hospital Administration recognize their union.  Nurses will be picketing at the UW Children's Hospital and have asked for our support.  The picketing will occur on:

Date - February 24

Time - 4 PM - 8 PMLocation - UW Children's Hospital (1675 HIghland Ave - do NOT use the Emergency Dept parking!)

What - Picketing to support the UW Nurses unionization drive (MPSEA Board members will be present, at a minimum, from 5-7 PM)

Since Act 10, nurses have been asked to do more and more.  With the Covid pandemic, nursing staff have been asked to deal with higher patient loads, cost cutting measures, understaffing, and high turnover rates.  To attempt to address this, nurses are requesting that UW Hospitals recognize their union and negotiate with them over pay and working conditions.  

The MPSEA Board stands in solidarity with these nurses who are working to ensure a safe work environment, while also providing top notch quality care for everyone in need of health care.  Additionally, the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Madison have also expressed support for this unionization effort (Legislative File 67100).  

The MPSEA Board is inviting our members to join in solidarity and support UW Nurses as they work to protect themselves, their patients, and our community through ensuring safe working conditions.

MPSEA Members,

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Within the last week, several new Covid programs and initiatives have been announced. This update is intended to summarize resources that the MPSEA Board feels could be useful to City of Madison employees:

1. Free Covid tests! The US government is providing four at-home Covid antigen tests to each US household, to be distributed by the USPS near the end of January 2022. To sign your house up for its tests, please visit https://www.covidtests.gov/ and click the “Order Free At-Home Tests” button. It’s very fast and easy!

2. More free Covid tests! In addition to the above distribution program, beginning Jan 15, 2022, private insurance companies are required to cover the cost of up to eight FDA-approved at-home Covid antigen tests (or four packs of two tests), up to $12 per individual test ($24/two pack), each month. Individual health insurance plans may set up their own network of pharmacies at which to pick up tests, or you may purchase the tests from an out-of-network provider (including online) and submit a reimbursement request to your insurance company. If you have questions about local preferred test providers for your insurance company, OR if you’d like to get specific instructions on how to submit for reimbursement, contact your health insurance provider or check their Covid resources. For a list of FDA-approved at-home antigen tests, please visit https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-emergency-use-authorizations-medical-devices/in-vitro-diagnostics-euas-antigen-diagnostic-tests-sars-cov-2.

3. Free N95 masks! Beginning late this week, the federal government will send N95 masks from the US’s Strategic National Stockpile to pharmacies and community health centers across the country, including here in the Madison area. The locations that receive the masks will be those that partnered with the government on the vaccine campaign, and include national chains Walgreens, CVS and Target. Each individual will be entitled to three N95 masks at no cost. The initial batch of masks shipped will be sized for adults only. The masks will be available for pick-up in participating storm starting late next week. Snug-fitting N95 masks offer the best protection against the spread of all Covid variants. Additionally, recent data suggests that wearing a high-quality mask can actually protect the wearer from receiving an infectious dose of Covid even in the presence of those with less protection in place. As we continue to weather the omicron surge, MPSEA strongly encourages all adults to go claim their free masks!

MPSEA will continue to monitor new information about available Covid resources, and share it as it becomes available. If you have any questions, please reach out to any Board member. Stay safe and healthy!

In Solidarity.

The MPSEA Board

MPSEA Members,

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Please note the following important issues.

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Emergency Paid Leave

Please note that, per the Mayor’s email today (1/14/22) at 3:15pm, all City employees will receive 40 hours of Emergency Paid Leave (EPL) for immediate, Covid-related use. Please read the City’s new EPL policy at https://www.cityofmadison.com/employeenet/coronavirus/policies-procedures/emergency-paid-leave-guidance. The MPSEA Board wants to highlight a few critical points so that staff can best benefit from this new leave category:

1. The leave guidance requires documented proof of the claimed reason for leave. Please see the linked guidance for acceptable uses of leave, as well as acceptable forms of documentation. If you or a family member test positive on an at-home rapid antigen test, a clear photograph your positive test and documentation of the date on which it was taken is considered acceptable proof. If you have questions about other documentation options, please reach out to your supervisor or HR for guidance.

2. While EPL will appear on 1/22/22 paychecks, it is available to cover Covid-related leave taken (as per the policy linked above) starting 1/9/22. If you take Covid-related leave during this current pay period, and have the required documentation, this leave is available to you! If you need assistance in coding this leave, please contact your supervisor for assistance.

Changes to Employee Handbooks and Pay

In December, the Common Council passed a series of changes to the employee handbooks, including a new pay differential for employees who are required to be bilingual as a function of their position.  This adds $1.00 pay differential to all hours worked for those employees.  MPSEA has advocated for this differential, with our Coalition partners (Local 6000, the MCAA, and Local 236). 

There are additional changes coming in the next pay period as well.  First, all members of Comp Groups 18, 43, and 44 (along with those represented by our Coalition Partners), will receive a 1% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA).  This is the first step towards pay parity with sworn fire and police employees who are still represented by unions, and therefore, able to legally bargain wage increases. 

Second, after years of working on this matter, members of Comp Groups 18, 43, and 44 are no longer subject to the residency penalty.  Prior to Jan 1, 2022, any member of Comp Groups 18, 43, and 44 (and those Comp Groups only!), was subject to a 1% penalty in their longevity pay if they did not live in the City of Madison’s corporate limits.  After many long years of effort, this penalty was finally eliminated with the passing of the 2022 budget.

In Solidarity.

The MPSEA Board

Dear MPSEA Members,

We hope that you had a relaxing holiday season! We wanted to share some quick information with you as the country grapples with both the delta and omicron Covid variants. Incoming data from several countries, including the United States, suggests that the best defense against all circulating Covid variants is to get vaccinated and, if eligible, get the booster with an mRNA (Pfizer or Moderna) vaccine!

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1. As of this week, the CDC has changed their guidelines to encourage everyone 12 years of age and older who received their second Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at least ago to receive a booster shot. Note that only the Pfizer vaccine is approved (as a primary series or a booster) for children 12-17 years old. To learn more about eligibility and recommendations re: boosters, please consult the CDC’s booster shot website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html.

2. To find a booster shot for any qualifying adult or child 12 years of age and older, OR to find a primary vaccine for children 5-11 years old, please visit https://www.vaccines.gov/.

3. The MPSEA Board recognizes that this latest Covid surge is happening at difficult time for its members and all City employees, particularly as many employees are returning to on-site work. The MPSEA Board is actively monitoring return-to-site policies across several City of Madison departments. If any member has questions or concerns regarding their particular situation, or their department’s return-to-site policy in general, please feel free to contact any MPSEA Board member. We want to be a helpful resource to our members as we navigate this together.

In solidarity,

The MPSEA Board

Members of CG 18, 43 and 44,

Over the past weekend, the CDC authorized booster shots for everyone over the age of 18 that received their last Pfizer or Moderna Covid vaccine 6+ months ago, OR their one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine 2+ months ago (see more information at the CDC’s Covid-19 booster shot website). Some studies have suggested that the protective benefits of Covid-19 vaccines wane with time, and that receiving a booster shot is a key component of remaining fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Getting vaccinated is one of the easiest and best ways to protect ourselves, our families and vulnerable members of our Madison community, and MPSEA strongly encourages anyone eligible to get their booster shots as soon as possible ahead of the holiday season!

Our own excellent Public Health Madison Dane County has booster shots available at several locations – take a look at the PHMDC Vaccination Appointments page to book one today! If you’re unable to find an appointment time or place that works for you at PHMDC’s clinics, check out Vaccines.gov to find a full list of providers with boosters in stock (you can even search by brand). Remember that mixing and matching boosters and original vaccine brands is allowed, and in some cases encouraged. In other words, if you originally received a Johnson & Johnson shot, for example, go ahead and book that Moderna booster!

And as a reminder, kids 5 and up are now authorized to receive the two-dose Pfizer vaccine series. This age group’s vaccine series is NOT identical to an adult’s (16+) Pfizer series, so if you’re getting your child scheduled for a vaccine, make sure you select the 5-11 series! Both the PHMDC and Vaccines.gov sites listed above allow users to search specifically for this special childrens’ vaccination series.

MPSEA hopes that all employees enjoy a happy, safe and healthy holiday season with their friends and families! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate (as always) to reach out to any Board member.

In Solidarity.

The MPSEA Board