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The MPEA 2007 Convention was held at the Outlaw Inn Kalispell on May 18 & 19. Morey-Bukvich AwardClint Ohman, Helena, was selected by MPEA’s Board of Directors as this year’s recipient of the Morey/Bukvich Award for outstanding service to members of his bargaining chapter, the Quality Assurance, Health Resources and Public Health and Safety Division of DPHHS. Ohman facilitates communication. As a Chapter Representative and a member of the negotiating team for the state contract, Ohman held periodic meetings with his chapter members to keep them informed of the progress or lack of progress being made. A member of MPEA since 1990, Ohman also served members of these two divisions within the largest department of state government when there was movement by his bureau to the Broadband Pay Plan. Those nominating Ohman to MPEA’s Board cited his efforts in these negotiations as “the reason there was a painless transition into the new plan, and a plan that met with the approval of the entire audit staff.” By always explaining what is happening and why, members of his chapter have not only remained informed but confident in the process. Chapter members noted his tireless efforts on their behalf. Three other members were also nominated for the Morey/Bukvich Award for their service to others. These included Beth McKenzie, Bozeman, a member of the Revenue Department Chapter; Maura Procter, Billings, with the Department of Transportation; and, LeeAnne Gills, Great Falls, from the MSU College of Technology in Great Falls. McKenzie is a commercial appraiser with the department in a unit that is jointly managed by MPEA and the MEA-MFT. As will happen, an employment change removed previous leadership. Fortunately, McKenzie was there and was willing to step in, and had to deal with labor/management issues right from the start. McKenzie’s colleagues noted that she worked tirelessly in three separate regions to initiate and foster conflict resolution processes in support of employee rights. In the process, she found a way to bridge the gap between management and its employees. She is known to have gained the trust of employees and management, and for her ability to bring a sense of “calm” to any adverse situation. Maura Procter is a right of way agent in Billings for the Department of Transportation. It is for efforts to ensure that agent pay was based on an appropriate analysis of fair and equitable wages to others in the region doing the same kind of work that colleagues believed Procter should be recognized. It was also for her diligence in seeing that new position descriptions were reflective of the knowledge, skills, abilities and duties needed to perform agent work that members sought recognition for Procter. Gills is currently the president of unit at the MSU College of Technology. She is another of those chapter representatives with the willingness to stop and listen, to deal with small problems before they become big ones, to work with both management and members and to always remain upbeat, positive and willing to assist her members. ScholarshipsMPEA awarded two $500 scholarships at its annual meeting May 18 and 19 in Kalispell. Reviewing the applications and making this year’s selection were Travis Ross, Missoula City/County Health Department, Lee Anne Gills, U of M, Great Falls, Steve Allen, Office of Public Assistance, Kalispell, Jennifer Stires, Missoula City/County Health Department, and Courtney Hartman, Labor and Industry, Missoula. The Marilyn Huestis/MPEA Scholarship was awarded to Trevor Brown, son of MSU-Billings member Deborah Brown. In his application for the scholarship, Brown states he wants a career in aviation. More specifically, he wants to pursue a career as an aviation mechanic. Brown said he wanted to attend the Helena College of Technology to study both engineering and welding. This he sees as the initial step in pursuit of his career in aviation. Although Brown has had numerous jobs in the retail sector, during the school year he has concentrated on his school work and the activities of the Tech Ed Club at Skyview High School. For the past year and half, Brown said he and fellow students in the Tech Ed Club have been working on a bio-diesel car project. The Melvin Wojcik/MPEA Scholarship was awarded to Logan Bloom of Stevensville. He is the son of Marcia Bloom, a member of MPEA’s Lone Rock School Chapter. Bloom will be attending the University of Montana where he hopes to pursue a law degree. Once that is accomplished, he hopes to focus on environmental law as conservation is important to him. While in high school, Bloom received numerous state and national awards for both his extra curricular and scholastic accomplishments, including earning academic all-state honors four years in a row, being named to the national honor role, varsity letters in track and cross country, becoming an Eagle Scout, as well as, receiving the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) award for excellence in history. Bloom has also served his school as a member of the student council, acted as a Boy Scout senior patrol leader and troop guide, positions that require him to not only run scouting programs but to act as a mentor to younger scouts. Bloom also noted that his family will be supporting three children in college within the next two years. Thomas E. Schneider AwardEach year an award is presented to an outstanding and long time MPEA member in the region in which the annual meeting is being held. The award was named for Thomas E Schneider because of his 35 years of service as executive director. This year’s winner was Thomas Mohler, who has been employed by the Department of Labor and Industry and involved in MPEA since July of 1976. Tim Fellows from the Department of Transportation, was nominated, unopposed, at the May 18, 19 annual meeting for the position of MPEA President. It is a position he has held for a number of years. The position of First Vice President will now be held by Department of Labor and Industry employee Dan Dolan of Butte. Dolan was nominated unopposed and is presently the Association’s Second Vice President. Bill Walters, a longtime employee of the City of Great Falls planning department, was nominated to the position of Second Vice President, unopposed. Walters has previously served on the MPEA Board as its Third Vice President and has also served as a Regional Director from the Great Falls Region. Kristine Milligan, who works for the Department of Public Health and Human Services, was nominated unopposed to become MPEA’s Third Vice President. Milligan works in the Great Falls Office of Public Assistance and previously served as Fourth Vice President. Department of Labor and Industry member Steve VanTighem was nominated unopposed for the position of Fourth Vice President. Currently, VanTighem represents MPEA members in the Great Falls as one of MPEA’s five regional directors. Crystal Murphy, City of Helena, was nominated unopposed for the position of Secretary/Treasurer. Murphy has held this position for several terms. In odd numbered year’s MPEA members also elect regional directors to represent members in Region 4 which represents any members in the 597 zip code and Region 5 which represents any members in the 598 & 599 zip codes. Pam Burgess-Hayes, Missoula City/County Health Department, was nominated unopposed for the position of Region 5 Director. Lisa Sheehan, Bozeman School District, was nominated unopposed to be MPEA’s Region 4 Director. MPEA By-Laws provide that those nominated unopposed are elected. Richard Pimentel Disability Management Expert Montana’s workers compensation data has shown a steady increase in claims in a business not normally associated with accidents, injuries or other safety concerns. The business is state government in Montana. Dept of Administration has brought a nationally renowned expert on disability management, Richard Pimentel, to Montana to assess the situation. Pimentel has completed his assessment and was at MPEA’s Annual Meeting May 18 and 19 to share some of his findings and to discuss what is to be done. In short, there is no consistency among departments, or agencies, or, for that matter, even bureaus within the same division of a department on the handling of claims. Pimentel attributed this in part to the desire of some to keep someone they liked and to use the process in place to get rid of someone a particular supervisor or manager didn’t like. Pimentel is in the process of putting together a manual that is to be used by all management personnel to ensure that there is one process for all bureaus, divisions and departments. The idea of singular process is to ensure consistency and fair treatment of employees, according to Pimentel, who also believes in the development of a transitional employment plan. It is Pimentel’s belief that getting a worker back to work as soon as is appropriate will help in the healing process. It is for this reason that he believes in transitional employment plans. He also stressed the need to have such plans developed in such a way that they do indeed lead back to meaningful employment and are not disrespectful. Pimentel also discussed the demographics of an aging population and that state workers are older by several years than the average. “We certainly are smarter about things as we age, but if an injury does occur the length of time it takes to recover is longer,” Pimentel noted. He also explained another problem in Montana. “There are no good occupational physicians. Occupational medicine is a science. Your local ‘doc’ isn’t going to be skilled in that area,” Pimentel said. A Vietnam veteran, Pimentel made a point of comparing all the recycling work that is part of our thinking, then asked what was wrong with the concept of recycling ourselves into meaningful work. MPEA convention sites through 2010 have been selected by members attending Annual Meetings. Missoula was selected at this year’s conference for the site of the 2010 MPEA meeting. In 2008, members will be meeting in Butte June 6 & 7 and in 2009 MPEA members will be meeting in Great Falls. |
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