The Environmental Services monthly employee newsletter
ES Joint Labor Management Committee
With nearly 18 months of experience under their belts, union representatives and managers on the Environmental Services Joint Labor Management Committee are pausing to reflect on what they've learned and achieved.
The committee's goal is to improve communication between labor representatives and MCES management. Both groups agree that their work together has increased trust, created solutions tailored for different work environments, and built more unity.
The committee has 24 members representing management and five groups of employees: interceptor workers, plant operators, machinists, painters, and electricians.
"We have great conversations in our monthly meetings," said Jacquelyn Lebeis, a former interceptor service worker and now plant operator at the Metro Plant. She co-chairs the committee with Leisa Thompson, MCES general manager.
"It isn't always a bed of roses, because we have disagreements," Lebeis said. "But we bring things up and talk about them. We focus on the best way to move forward instead of just reacting. I have definitely seen an increase in trust because of our work together."
Cory Bergerson, business representative for Local 49 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, encouraged management to form the committee. He saw similar groups work in other settings.
Continue on MetNet.
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A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, MCES management and union representatives agree that open communication has been key to weathering the uncertainties and handling issues that have arisen in our wastewater collection and treatment facilities.
In early March last year, then-assistant general manager Larry Rogacki (now retired) initiated weekly phone calls between MCES management and two unions to address operational issues. Management tapped Alexis Baker, program manager in Labor Relations and Compensation, to facilitate the conversations. Marcy Cordes, chief labor relations officer, also started regular phone calls with all of the unions across the Council.
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"The pandemic response required a lot of improvisation, like scheduling challenges," Baker said. Normal work shifts were spread out to reduce the number of employees on-site at one time to lessen the chance of COVID-19 spreading among employees. Plans were made to provide job coverage due to sickness or caring for someone who was sick.
"We needed to keep communication as open as possible," said Cory Bergerson, business representative for Local 49 of the International Union of Operating Engineers. "Everyone was scared, and no one knew what was going to happen."
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A message from the Environmental Services Executive Team
(Reprinted from All ES email March 22, 2021)
As a nation and community, together we grieve the horrific acts of hatred and violence against our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed a disturbing increase in violent hate crimes and xenophobic rhetoric against our Asian community. This is a community that has experienced racism and exclusion throughout our history, but tends to be overlooked in discussions about diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In MCES, we want to assure all members of the Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities that we stand in solidarity with you in condemning these acts of hate, violence, and bigotry.
In the weeks and months ahead as national and international media focus on Minneapolis with the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, discussions about social justice, racial equity, and policing will most certainly be present in our workplace. The events surrounding the acts of hate in Atlanta and the trial here may serve as a source of new or renewed trauma for some employees and may bring forward strong emotions. We are sending this message to assure you that in MCES we want to provide the most support for our employees and their families during this time, and we encourage dialogue and understanding. Our workplace must always be safe and welcoming to ensure inclusion for everyone.
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Five years into a phosphorus loading permit aimed at benefitting the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin, MCES is maintaining excellent permit compliance.
"Thanks to our plant operations, process engineering, and plant engineering staff all working toward our common goals, we have consistently complied with this permit," said Leisa Thompson, MCES general manager. "And for the last two years, our numbers have been coming in at about 30% below the permit limit." (See "Plant Effluent Total Phosphorus Loading - 12-Month Rolling Sum" graph.)
The Mississippi Basin Total Phosphorus Permit has been in effect since September 2015. It is referred to as the "umbrella permit" because it covers the combined wastewater effluent discharges of five of our treatment plants - Eagles Point, Empire, Hastings, Metro, and Seneca - which discharge to or upstream of Mississippi River Pools 2, 3, and 4 and Lake Pepin (approximately Saint Paul to Lake City).
The permit resulted from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's concern that Lake Pepin was impaired for nutrients and that many wastewater treatment plants upstream of the lake would need to meet new stringent limits for total phosphorus (TP) to restore the lake.
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Position information sessions provide a new opportunity for hiring managers to promote their positions to all Council employees. Employees have the opportunity to learn more about job opportunities within Environmental Services. Hiring managers discuss the position and Human Resources presents the hiring requirements and process. Participants are invited to ask questions. These sessions can help employees decide whether to apply or help them plan for skill building to prepare themselves for new opportunities within the Council in the future.
Upcoming position information sessions
Position information sessions are publicized in Council newsletters, flyers, ES-All emails, and in the Workforce and Equity announcements. Visit the announcements site for the March 31, 4:30-5:15 p.m. information session about the ES construction inspector position.
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MCES's New Employee Welcome Workshop will launch this summer, after pilot testing in April. As part of the MCES Workforce Plan, a team designed this division-specific, new-employee onboarding. The virtual, six-hour orientation (three two-hour sessions over three weeks) will help MCES build a more-inclusive, productive, and innovate workforce by helping new employees to:
- Connect to our mission and align their work with division strategies and goals.
- Build connections with employees in other departments.
- Be empowered to access tools and resources.
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Continuous improvement is essential to MCES's strategy to improve business process efficiency and effectiveness. Through our organization membership in the Performance Excellence Network (PEN), MCES staff can tap into this nonprofit's resources to build continuous improvement skills.
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Lisa Dyste troubleshoots LIMS upgrade
For her work on extensive troubleshooting during the laboratory information management system (LIMS) upgrade in December 2020, a Keystone Award was presented to Lisa Dyste, business systems analyst 4 in Performance Excellence & Analytics.
The LIMS 12.2 upgrade had several unexpected technical challenges that caused inaccurate calculation of lab results. Accurate numbers are critical for our wastewater treatment plant permit compliance reporting and daily operations decisions. Our Industrial Waste and Water Resources functions and several watershed districts also rely on accurate data from the lab.
In response, Dyste quickly pored through dozens of pages of hand-typed code for the multiple calculation functions in LIMS, identified the faulty strings of code, and manually restored them. She also ensured that subsequent calculations would not be impacted by the corrections she had made and investigated for other potential problems in the system.
Keystone Individual Awards for earning multiple WATER Awards
Fifteen employees received multiple WATER Awards from their peers (at least three in a two-year period) and were selected to receive Keystone Individual Awards. They exemplify the MCES values of commitment, excellence, inclusiveness, integrity, and respect.
Full information on MetNet.
A recap of recent Met Council announcements relevant to MCES
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FSA changes allowed through March 31: Met Council employees are allowed to change their 2021 healthcare and/or daycare flexible spending account (FSA) election amount(s), without a qualified family status change, for a limited time. This is not an opportunity to newly elect an FSA. Click the link below to review the full details and instructions on MetNet.
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COVID-19 vaccine update: Today, the state opened eligibility of the COVID-19 vaccine to all Minnesota residents over the age of 16. Gov. Walz announced the expansion on Friday. The Met Council strongly encourages staff to receive the vaccine. With the announcement of expanded eligibility, we will update our employees as soon as we have information on new opportunities.
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Review and update your email signature by April 1: Employees must use the approved email signature templates, which were recently updated. You may populate the template with your personal information, but you cannot add or modify elements. Follow the instructions to copy and paste the template in Outlook for your use.
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Unconscious bias training for all staff due April 22: The Unconscious Bias course is part of the Council-wide racial equity training program and is required for all Met Council employees. The online course launched in February and must be completed in Learn by April 22. Employees have received notification emails with a link to the training.
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Two technology updates: The antivirus software used on most Met Council computers is changing from McAfee to Windows Defender (rolling out now). Due to some security updates, the Met Council's login screen for Office 365 is changing (planned for April 8).
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Reminder: Tax forms available: Employees can access their W-2 tax form through Employee Self Service. Tax form 1095-C, which provides proof of health insurance, was mailed to employees in early March.
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Fit For Life opportunities: A variety of new wellness opportunities open to all employees are coming up in April, including financial counseling sessions, a six-week sustainability challenge, and a dance fitness program.
Full information on MetNet.
COVID-19 RESOURCES
Anniversaries
Congratulations to these employees celebrating milestone anniversaries!
35 YEARS
Joel Belmares, assistant manager, Technology & Project Management, Metro Plant
David Quast, principal engineer, Plant Engineering, Robert Street
30 YEARS
Kyle Colvin, manager, Wastewater Planning & Community Programs, Robert Street
15 YEARS
Sara Smith, manager, Sustainability, Metro Plant
10 YEARS
Jeffrey Gerhardson, inventory technician, Assets & Materials Management, Seneca Plant
5 YEARS
John Clark, senior environmental scientist, Water Supply Planning, Robert Street
Staffing changes
Posted by Human Resources since the February Update
NEW HIRES
Bob Gruenhagen, contract administrator, Construction Services, Metro Plant Construction Field Office (CFO)
Aaron Head, interceptor service worker, Interceptor Services, Mounds View Lift Station
Ken Knudsen, contract administrator, Construction Services, Seneca Plant CFO
Jetsen Krueger, interceptor service worker, Interceptor Services, Regional Maintenance Facility
Christian Chermak, plant operator, Blue Lake Plant
David Swanson, plant operator, Metro Plant
Daniel Szuberski, plant operator, Metro Plant
DEPARTURES
Roger Anderson, machinist mechanic, Maintenance & Security, Metro Plant
Anne Banttari, program technical specialist, Plant Engineering, Robert Street
Megan Berg, principal administrative specialist, Administration & Communications, Robert Street
Nicholas Dragich, lab analyst 1, Analytical (Lab) Services, Metro Plant
Dean Korthof, contract administrator, Construction Services, Blue Lake Plant CFO
Rachel Malmer, electrician apprentice, Maintenance & Security, Metro Plant
Gregory Marah, plant operator, Eagles Point Plant
Nathan Rasmussen, machinist mechanic, Maintenance & Security, Empire Plant
Melissa Roberts, financial analyst, Pretreatment & Finance, Robert Street
Mustafa Shabazz, electrician apprentice, Maintenance & Security, Metro Plant
Dan Wahlberg, interceptor service worker 2, Interceptor Services, Mounds View Lift Station
Jeanine Wilson, plant operator, Blue Lake Plant
POSITION CHANGES
Steven Kummer, contract administrator, Construction Services, Blue Lake Plant CFO (formerly office engineer, Southwest LRT Field Office)
Jacquelyn (Jax) Lebeis, plant operator, Metro Plant (formerly interceptor service worker 1, Mounds View Lift Station)
Brett Penn, plant operator, Metro Plant (formerly interceptor service worker 2, Mounds View Lift Station)
Story idea? Contact Deb McKinley by email: deb.mckinley@metc.state.mn.us.
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