PAT is being modernized and is expected to be ready in June 2024. This is the final year using the current version and colleges, departments, and units will begin using the new platform in July 2024.

Talent Strategy will provide additional details, including a training and communications plan at the February HR Leads meeting. Please contact Shannon Luloff (smacdon1@umn.edu) with any questions.

Please note there are limitations with respect to publishing information on departmental websites regarding GA employees. Recently, we were informed that some departments have websites and/or directories that include items such as the GA’s University email address, a phone number, etc. According to the Board of Regents policy, these items are not “directory information.” They are “limited directory information.” Therefore, such GA information should not be posted for public view. We have followed up with the HR Leads of those specific areas but have not completed a comprehensive audit of all GA websites.  

Please see below for what is directory information in accordance with the policy and remind your campus, college, or unit regarding these requirements.  

"For students appointed as fellows, assistants, graduate, or undergraduate hourly employees, directory information shall also include their title, appointing department or unit, appointment dates, duties, and percent time of the appointment.”

If a department has inadvertently posted private or limited directory information regarding their GAs without the GA’s consent, the department should report the error via the procedures outlined in the security breach policy.  

I am excited to announce the newest member of the Employee and Labor Relations team. Staci Darling will be joining our team as an ELR Liaison on Monday, December 11. She has more than 10 years of HR experience at HealthPartners and the University. She most recently served as an HR Business Partner at the Office of Academic Clinical Affairs. As ELR Liaison, Staci will work closely with OHR Contact Center leadership and HR leads to provide guidance on University policies, labor contracts, HR processes, and procedures. If you have not already reviewed ELR’s revised roles and responsibilities structure, please take a moment to do so.

As a reminder, the new Minn. Stat. Sec. 179A.07, Subd. 9 law allows unions to have in-person access to new employees in the bargaining unit for 30 minutes of paid time within 30 days of starting employment. If new employee orientations are being held, the applicable union(s) should be notified by local HR at least 10 days in advance. Please work with the unions to ensure compliance with this new requirement which apply to all unions at the University, including LELS, 1-M, 1-B, IBEW, Trades Council(s), Teamsters, AFSCME, UEA-D, UEA-C, and GLU-UE. 

We wanted to spotlight what a couple of campus, college, units are doing to ensure compliance with the new law.

• Extension: Due to a dispersed geographical workforce, Extension arranges remote new employee orientation meetings between the employee and AFSCME.
• CSE: The College of Science and Engineering has arranged monthly meeting times for the GA union (GLU-UE) to meet with new GAs hired into their college.

Additionally, please remember that the following resources are available to the HR community to help ensure compliance with the new law.

• Link to List of Union Representatives
• Reporting Tools and New Employee Orientation Meetings
• Guide to New Employee Orientation
• Minn. Stat. Sec. 179A.07, Subd. 9

Updates
We have now passed our second month of bargaining with the graduate assistant union (GLU-UE). We are currently bargaining non-economic items. We anticipate, sometime in early 2024, we will begin bargaining economic items. 

Reminders
As a reminder, please continue to remind leaders in your campus, college, or unit not to engage in the following:

1. Unilaterally change GA terms and conditions of employment.
2. Engage in discussion with GAs regarding subjects of bargaining. 

Compensation and Appointment Letters for Incoming GAs – Fall 2024
Pertaining to compensation and appointment letters of incoming GAs for fall 2024, we have received the following questions and have included responses below. 

Q1: Can we increase salaries of new GAs for Fall 2024?

A: No. Campuses, colleges, and units shall offer the same amount as those incoming during fall 2023 but inform GA (via the language below) that we are in negotiations and this amount is subject to change. The following is language you will need to incorporate into your appointment letters:

The University is currently in collective bargaining with the graduate assistant union (GLU-UE) and compensation amounts are subject to change pending the outcomes of bargaining. 

Q2: Can we offer relocation or other funds outside of the stipend?

A: No. Under no circumstances should any campus, college, or unit begin a new compensation program or initiative. However, if the department or campus, college, or unit, has a practice of offering funds outside of stipends, they will need approval prior to continuing to do so. Please follow the process for approval below. 

Email the GA campus, college, or unit relocation or other lump sum payment plan to elr@umn.edu with the following information:

• Which department in the campus, college, or unit is offering this form of compensation to incoming GAs. 
• Which departments in the campus, college, or unit do not offer this form of compensation to incoming GAs. 
• For those that do offer this benefit, please include:
  • How many years has this been in effect,
  • Whether it is offered to every new incoming GA,
  • The amount offered and any other relevant details. 
• Supporting documentation in the way of policies, procedural documents, etc.

If you wish to meet and discuss any questions or seek clarification to the process, you can reach out to Coy Hillstead, Sr. Labor Relations Consultant (chillste@umn.edu).

Reporting Tools and New Employee Orientation Meetings

To ensure that the University meets our requirements with the new employee orientation meetings, we recently shared a report that campuses, colleges, and units can pull to view new hires. In addition to the reporting information we shared, there is another report (Personnel Basic Information) available to help with pulling reports for labor-represented personnel by individual union(s). You will need to enter your college code and employee class code to run these reports. 

The employee class codes by individual bargaining units are noted below:   

• AFSCME Clerical: LRC
• AFSCME Technical: LRT
• AFSCME Healthcare: LRH
• Teamsters: LRS
• Trades: LRR
• GLU-UE: GRD
• Police: LRP
• UEA: FTD
   

It is imperative that HR provide a 10-day notice to the union if they conduct new employee orientation. An updated union contact list is available for your reference.

Supervisors across the system will receive an email today from AVP Katharine Bonneson regarding an update to the Weather Thresholds Appendix of the University’s Campus and Building Closing Policy. The change addresses protective measures supervisors of outdoor employees can take to support them when the air quality index (AQI) is predicted to be Very Unhealthy (201-300) or Hazardous (301-500). Suggestions include reducing or rescheduling outdoor operations, encouraging more breaks if outdoor activity cannot be avoided, and allowing the use of N95 respirators.

For more information and resources can be found on the Health, Safety, and Risk Management (HSRM) website. 

Following the recent Guide for New Employee Orientation and Union Meetings brown bag session, we have expanded the guidance and FAQs based on the questions raised in the meeting. The updated guide includes expanded clarification on the roles of local HR and the union with each of the four options as well as an expanded FAQ. 

Please reach out to the ELR team at elr@umn.edu with any additional questions.  

As previously communicated in the “End of COVID Public Health Emergency” email, campuses, colleges, and units will no longer need to submit a request for approval to hire independent contractors and engage current temporary agency arrangements, nor will OHR need to approve any hires.

For Twin Cities campus faculty tenure-track and tenured positions, please work with your dean to submit an annual hiring plan for tenure-track and tenured faculty to the Provost’s Office by the start of each academic year. The plan should describe the positions the college intends to fill, confirm the college has a budget for the new hires, and provide a short justification for each position.

If, over the course of the year, the hiring plan changes, colleges can submit an updated plan for the Provost’s approval. Non-tenure stream positions do not need to be submitted for approval. Please reach out to Associate Vice Provost Ole Gram with questions.

Other system campuses: please follow tenure-track hiring guidance as provided by your chancellor.