Transit Managers’ and Supervisors’ Association

TMSA members,

Here is some news worth sharing about our association:

• Assistant Transportation Manager (ATM) Position Classification Worksheet (PCW) update

In a recent conversation with Brian Funk, there may have been some delays in processing the PCW submission due to a technical issue, the issue should be resolved and the PCW moving forward to HR to begin work.

• Accountability

              Recently, there have been members reaching out for help with crucial conversations between them and their managers that utilize an employee development tool. Such tools include things like a letter of expectation, coaching, or counseling. These usually feel pretty formal, sometimes follow investigative interviews, and most require a signature.             

              The 2025 council survey has shown, among other things, that Metro Transit employees value accountability. TMSA members should take that to heart. In practice, accountability will sometimes take shape as crucial conversations that include employee development tools and/or discipline.

              Our collective bargaining agreement has clear language describing only formal discipline as subject to the grievance process. The employer and arbitrators take the view that employee development tools are not formal discipline. Among the concerns with these tools are: What happens when there are inaccuracies? Where do these memos get filed?  TMSA has requested discussion on the issue and will provide updates when available. Until then, here are some things that members should know regarding “employee development tools”:

1. Framing matters! For some, coaching or other interaction about their job performance is taken as feedback that helps them improve; on the other end of the spectrum, some find it to be the first step in discipline and a threat from their manager… “improve or else”. The way you choose to regard the interaction will make a difference. During any of these crucial conversations, I recommend you ask questions; you should conclude the interaction with a clear understanding of what expectation you didn’t meet and how you can change your behavior to meet that expectation in the future. Do not be afraid to ask for a performance improvement plan if that is what you want.  
2. Investigative interviews are when your Weingarten rights are in play! If at any time your manager is asking you probing questions you reasonably believe could result in discipline, you should ask for TMSA representation before answering. See the NLRB’s website for the most widely accepted guidance on Weingarten rights.
3. Signing a coaching or other memo does not indicate agreement, only acknowledgement, and you may print your comments on it when signing, such as “I acknowledge receiving this document but do not agree with it”.

• Contract wages/backpay grievances

The affected TMSA members who had contract wage implementation and/or backpay issues are now all but resolved. One member with some unique complexities to their grievance is still open, but work is underway to move that through the grievance process.

• Get my pay right! (pay concerns outside of contract implementation)

              Pay is always a central concern for members, but more so now because of the recent contracts, growth of the organization, and MN salary history ban; all of which have added growing complexity to the compensation landscape. TMSA members have reported new hires with similar amounts of skill, education, and experience that are offered starting wages equivalent to TMSA members with decades of council service.

              HR’s statement of purpose in their compensation policy includes “predictable movement through the salary range”, given reports that run contrary, they are not always achieving that purpose; additionally, whatever compensation element we had in place to recognize years of service is no longer operating as well as it had.

              Our employer does have an internal HR process (see HR 3-1c) that addresses disparities or “incorrect salaries”. This process is called a “salary analysis” in the policy and is also known as an “off cycle salary analysis” or “equity analysis”. Unfortunately, there is not a great deal of clear information regarding that process available to employees.

               This overview of the process is from the Metro Transit September 2024 manager’s meeting:

1. The employee’s manager initiates the request for review through preparing written documentation for MT leadership review, clearly highlighting the reasons for the request and related details to support the need for a review (I believe MT calls these 5-point memos).
2. The manager submits the request to their executive leadership for review and approval.
3. Once approved by leadership, the manager forwards the request/approvals to HR.
4. HR reviews the request, conducts the salary analysis based on internal equity.
5. HR notifies the manager of the results.
6. The manager communicates the outcomes to the employee.

              As with other HR deliverables, the mechanics of a salary analysis are not subject to review through data practices requests due to legislation that designates it as “non-public” data, and possibly more frustrating is that the processing time for a request is also known only to HR, if known at all.  

              In a recent conversation with Sheri Chesness regarding salary analysis, she acknowledged the opportunity for improvement and offered this comment:

 “HR is currently addressing capacity gaps and working to increase staffing to better meet organizational needs. I am excited to share we have recently promoted an HRBP Manager and are in the process of recruiting, hiring, and onboarding additional HRBP team members, including coverage for our ES partners. Current state for our MT team includes 2 active HRBPs, with build out to be at 1 HRBP Manager and 3 HRBPs. Our aim is to be fully staffed and onboarded by the end of the year (for a full HRBP team to be comprised of 1 Senior Manager, 1 HRBP Manager, 6 HRBPs, and 2 Associate HRBPs). We recognize that current limitations have impacted service delivery and response times, including salary analysis requests. We appreciate, and sincerely thank you for, your patience as we work to build the team.”

              When a member does get a salary analysis completed, a central point of concern is that when the HRBP provides the result to the manager, they provide little evidence to support it. A difficult task here for HR to be sure; the employee asks them to show their work when legislation instructs not to. This points to an underlying issue, which is that many members are not willing to trust HR. This trust issue is one the TMSA needs to collaborate with HR to improve, and it will take some concessions from both sides. TMSA members will have to blindly trust them in situations where legislation dictates (because neither party has a choice unless legislation changes). However, in cases that allow, HR is going to have to put in the work to be transparent without referring people to the public data request runaround. When asked questions meant to gain understanding, HR is going to have to come across, because understanding is fundamental in building trust.   

• Final note

An organization as large as the council is bound to neglect the individual at some point along the way, and that is one of the many reasons the TMSA is so vital to the council. Through our association we can speak up for the voices that would otherwise go unheard because we are stronger together. We ensure individuals don’t get lost in the fray, that they don’t become just a cog in the machine.

I invite each of you to reflect on what you want the TMSA to be, what you want it to achieve for you and the other members it represents. Are we an association that just negotiates a bargaining agreement and executes grievance provisions? Or are we an association that strives to continually improve outcomes for the employer, the employee, and the region.

I appreciate all of you and thank you for the opportunity to serve!

TMSA members,

Here is some news worth sharing about our association:

• TMSA board member and Council executive meet and greet

TMSA board members met with Council executives on Thursday 2/27/25. In attendance from TMSA: Maria Cone, Mark Lawson, and myself; from the Council: Sheri Chesness, Ryan O’Connor, and Cassandra Tabor. The meeting’s purpose was for in-person introductions and general conversation. I was encouraged by the gesture alone, but moreover by the candor offered by Cassandra, Ryan, and Sheri regarding misses and opportunities within the HR team that have impacted the TMSA. My overall impressions were of people with the desire and energy to collaborate on making the Council a great workplace. Also of note were Ryan’s words of confidence in Lesley Kandaras’ leadership at Metro Transit and his conviction that people should not simply complain about what is wrong but be engaged in doing something about it. Perhaps he is someone that will walk the talk.

• Contract wage issue/backpay grievance(s) response

The employer has asked for an extension to the grievance filed by Mr. Haefner last year while they continue to work on the specifics of each grievant’s case. They cite resource constraints as the central cause of delay, basically the payroll team is over encumbered in keeping normal payroll operations functioning. In addition, a key payroll employee has retired leaving a large gap in the payroll team.

 We are now due to receive a response on 3/12/25 after agreeing to a two-week extension. HR will need to find short term strategies to meet the needs of their internal customers (I acknowledge payroll is technically part of finance…).

From a feels-like standpoint, I am disgusted with how long this whole affair has been drug out. I don’t believe anyone at Metro Transit could delay service to its public customers as long as HR has to its internal ones…I have had shorter waits at the DMV…

Despite my feelings on the subject, I am again encouraged that with new leadership our HR team is becoming stronger foundationally. Sheri Chesness had this to say in a 3/3/25 communication to TMSA leadership regarding the grievance(s):

“Thank you for reaching out and for your patience as we work through this request. I understand your frustration regarding the delays in response and the ongoing review of backpay. Please accept my sincere apologies for the lack of timely communication.

I want to assure you that we recognize the importance of this issue. As you are aware, the employee who has been working on this item must prioritize payroll operations, in addition to managing a high volume of work requests and serving on the BPSI team for payroll. That said, we remain committed to addressing the union’s request as soon as possible. I sincerely appreciate your grace and understanding as we navigate these capacity challenges. We are so grateful for finance/payrolls partnership and collaboration, especially following the retirement of our HR Compensation Analyst, which has left a key vacancy we are eager to fill. We all share the disappointment in not being able to provide the timely response our teams strive for.

With many new staff members, including myself and our CHRO, we are working to diligently learn, ask the right questions, and establish systems that will serve us well in the long term – though I acknowledge that this transition has created short-term challenges. Please know we are actively coordinating across teams to ensure we can meet expectations more effectively moving forward.

I appreciate your patience and understanding and will continue to keep you updated on progress.”

• Assistant Transportation Manager (ATM) Position Classification Worksheet (PCW) update

In a recent meeting with Metro Transit’s soon retired director of bus transportation Christine Keunen I asked about the ATM PCW issue that has been delayed several times. For those unfamiliar with it, the ATM position has changed substantially since it was last examined and a revision to the PCW is long overdue. The update would reflect the roles and responsibilities currently required of ATMs and it would also trigger analysis of the salary for the position. Christine stated that much of the work is complete and her intent was to place the request for review with HR before she retires; if that happens it will be as close as we have gotten to the finish line with the issue as far as I can tell.

• Final notes

The phrase “drinking from a firehose” has been useful while I continue to learn as much as I can about the TMSA and the needs of its members. I have also been truly honored that some of you have shared deeply personal issues with me; know that I take very seriously your confidence and am doing what I can to make Metro Transit a great workplace. Looking forward to seeing or hearing from you on Wednesday 3/12/25 for the Bylaw informational session at Noon!

Your TMSA met with employer representatives on 2/12/25 to present our statement of grievance in connection with the contract implementation and how the employer had made mistakes in both wage calculations and backpay calculations. As this issue was above any single division director’s level of purview, it proceeded directly to step 2 and was heard by Lesley Kandaras, the General Manager of Metro Transit in accordance with our contract. Those at the table for the employer included the Deputy Regional Administrator, Deputy Chief of Human Resources, Metro Transit Chief Operating Officer, and others.  Mr. Haefner represented the TMSA and put forth a well-reasoned argument of the TMSA’s position for the 14 TMSA members whose pay rate was not calculated correctly and for the 6 members whose backpay was not calculated correctly. No immediate response from the employer was obtained at this meeting and there was little in the way of discussion surrounding it. According to our contract §7.04, the employer has 14 calendar days in which to respond or will find themselves in violation of our contract terms, so the TMSA is expecting a response of some kind by Wednesday 2/26/25.

In a related issue, the employer continues to delay off cycle salary analysis requests until the wage and backpay grievances are settled. While it does little to allay frustration in this delay, know the employer has been honoring backpay for any salary analysis adjustments to the date of the request’s submission. Mr. Lawson has often said that rushing the employer in such matters will not benefit the members, a sentiment that despite my angst in advising anyone wait longer, I agree with. When we have found a path forward regarding the wage grievances, which do have bearing on the salary analysis requests, then your TMSA will be in a better position to begin advocating for the completion of outstanding requests.

Thank you for taking the time to stay informed and engaged with your association and please reach out if you have any questions,

TMSA members,

It has been an interesting journey for the TMSA in recent months and I’ve been searching for how to best serve the membership, regular updates are a good place to start:

• Recognition:
  • It has been challenging to digest the volume of information coming my way during the transition into the president’s role; I want to take a moment to recognize and thank Mr. Haefner for his stewardship of the TMSA and for his mentorship during the transition.
• Contract:
  • We do not currently have a signed contract in place, though our ratification does make it binding without signature if I understand our TMSA legal counsel correctly.
  • The ratified contract is currently with the employer for signature copy drafting, it will then go to TMSA for review, as long that review reveals no discrepancy, it may then proceed to signatures. The employer has not committed to a date on providing that copy yet, so the ball is still in their court so to speak. TMSA Counsel has reached out to them requesting a target date for the signature copy.  
  •  Another casualty of the extended time for negotiation and ratification of the contract is that Mr. Haefner will not be able to sign it as president, which is disappointing given the time and effort he expended to negotiate it for us.
  • Mr. Haefner continues to serve the membership as the chairperson of the contract negotiations committee that he created while president. This is to ensure that the person that was at the table executes what was negotiated.
• Class action Grievance:
  • TMSA currently has a fluctuating number of pay issues that were filed as a class action grievance with the employer. The original 2^nd step grievance meeting with the employer was “unavoidably” delayed from 1/29/25 and been rescheduled for 2/12/25. Should there be remaining instances that TMSA and the employer cannot agree on at that meeting, it will proceed to the grievance arbitration committee for review; pending such review it may advance to arbitration. As these grievances were initiated prior to 1/1/25 and stem from contract implementation, Mr. Haefner is leading the grievance proceedings in connection with his continued role as contract negotiations chairperson.
• Next Contract Negotiations:
  • I have already asked the employer to begin considering the next contract negotiation schedule, if we have been consistently late each term, a change in approach is needed to deliver on time. Late contracts result in lost earnings potential as backpay doesn’t include interest, and last I checked,  landlords and mortgage lenders don’t take IOU’s while employees wait for a raise.
• Salary compression/Salary issues:
  • With the new salary history ban in place, the employer has been using a different approach to salary offers for internal and external hires. Unfortunately, in so doing they are creating wage disparities and forgoing the financial recognition for tenure. If you have been adversely affected by the recent salary administration practices, please reach out to me directly; or for more information regarding the Council’s salary administration procedure, click here or search “salary” in the Policies and Procedures library.
  • Many of you have off cycle salary analysis requests in place already, but the employer is reluctant in many cases to do anything with them until the contract wage issues are ironed out, this is at the insistence of the employer not the TMSA. Advocate for yourself, if your request is aged more than 30 days, ask for a target completion date, if the target completion date is greater than 90 days, reach out to me so I can meet with council leadership on the issue.
• Vice President:
  • As Mr. Cook shared in a previous communication, he has chosen to hang up his hat, which he does on a robust career of service to both Metro Transit and the TMSA.
  • In a bit of a nod to a PRO plan but with TMSA, Mr. Cook has chosen to continue representing members by championing retiree benefit issues. Please take a moment to let Mr. Cook know how valued his service has been to you and thank him for his ongoing commitment to serving the TMSA.   
  • The TMSA board is now working through how to fill the vacancy which is less than straightforward because our current by-laws are not explicit in how such a vacancy may be filled.
• TMSA by-laws:
  • The by-laws committee initiated and led by Mr. Cook has made significant progress towards a final draft for membership ratification. Mr. Cook has asked Mr. Lawson to step into his role as chair of the committee as he retires, and Mr. Lawson has accepted.
  • Next by-law committee meeting is scheduled for 2/10/25.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve,

Christopher Darsow
President Transit Managers and Supervisors Association
515 N. Cleveland Avenue, St. Paul, MN  55114
Desk 612-349-5091 | Cell 320-420-7518
  Book a meeting with me

The employer presented a final offer to the TMSA on August 22, 2024.  The TMSA members with voting rights voted on the final offer on September 4 through 6.  The final offer was not approved by the TMSA members with voting rights.

Here is the final offer that was presented on August 22, 2024.

1. Three Year Contract

2. General Increase 2024-2026

Effective January 6, 2024 – 5.5%

Effective January 4, 2025 – 4.5%

Effective January 3, 2026 – 3.0%

3. Performance Grid

Effective January 6, 2024 – 2.5% with rating of met expectations

Effective January 4, 2025 – 2.5% with rating of met expectations

Effective January 3, 2026 – 2.5% with rating of met expectations

4. Compression Adjustment

• This is a one-time adjustment.

• Limited to TMSA supervisors with ATU direct reports who received a recent grade movement in the technical maintenance departments

• The 2024 general increase, steps/performance increase will be considered first before determining who might be eligible for this adjustment.

• After these pay increases have been completed, the afore mentioned supervisor’s pay will be adjusted so that their pay is at least 5% higher than the top of the range of their highest level ATU direct report in the afore mentioned maintenance classifications. As per the contract, if the 5% increase results in a supervisor’s pay falling between two steps, they will be moved to the higher step.

5. Steps

Effective upon ratification, add steps 10 and 11 with 2.5% between steps

Section 11.04 – Step Movement (2024 – 2026)

Employees on salary Step 4 through 8 will be eligible to move up one step in their Pay Grade effective on the first day of the payroll period immediately following January 01, 2024. To receive this adjustment, the employee must have received a performance rating of “achieves expectations” or better on their 2023 performance review.

Employees on salary Step 4 through 10 will be eligible to move up one step in their Pay Grade effective on the first day of the payroll period immediately following January 01, 2025. To receive

this adjustment, the employee must have received a performance rating of “achieves expectations” or better on their 2024 performance review.

Employees on salary Step 4 through 10 will be eligible to move up one step in their Pay Grade effective on the first day of the payroll period immediately following January 01, 2026. To receive this adjustment, the employee must have received a performance rating of “achieves expectations” or better on their 2025 performance review.

6. Shift Differential – New Language

Effective upon ratification, all employees will receive a shift differential of five percent (5%) for all hours worked in a shift scheduled to end between 8:00 PM and 11:59 PM, and seven percent (7%) for all hours worked in a shift scheduled to end between 12:00 AM and 7:00 AM and/or scheduled to start between the hours of 10:00 PM and 3:00 AM: excluding ambassador shifts, overtime and pay for time away from work.

7. Training Differential

Increase to $1.50 per hour

8. Split Shifts (Letter in back of contract)

Agree to meet and confer before creating schedules which have split shifts.

9. Pay on Promotion/Demotion Delete Language due to New Pay History Law

Employees must be placed on an identified step, unless the promotion results in a salary rate falling within the performance range of the new salary range. Demotions which are disciplinary (for cause or for performance related reasons) or which are voluntary shall result in a salary reduction which is a minimum of seven percent (7%) not to exceed ten percent (10%); not to exceed the new salary range. Employees must be placed on an identified step, unless the demotion results in a salary rate falling within the performance range of the new salary range. New employees who are not in their probationary period during the first payroll period in January shall be eligible for a step/performance adjustment at the beginning of the first payroll period immediately following January 1st following the successful completion of probation. New employees hired after July 1st shall receive a step/performance adjustment upon successful completion of their probationary period at the beginning of the payroll period following the successful completion of their probationary period.

10. On Call Pay

TMSA supervisors, Grade H and below, who are expressly assigned by management to remain on call outside their normal work hours, shall be compensated at the rate of two (2) hours at their normal rate of pay for each twenty-four (24) hour period.

If assigned to remain on call, the supervisor is expected to answer their phone and respond as necessary. If circumstances require the supervisor to report to work outside of their normal work hours, they will be paid for all hours worked at their normal rate of pay or will be allowed to balance hours within the pay period.

Housekeeping

• Add Juneteenth as a holiday.

The gift card winners from the TMSA Membership Meeting 4/18/2024. 

Robert Rimstad

Connie Skinner

Christopher Ziegler

Renae Pereira-Webb is the selected union representative for this task force.

Metropolitan Governance Task Force (mn.gov)

renae.pereira-webb@metc.state.mn.us

Just a reminder that the next TMSA membership meeting will be held on Tuesday 10/17/2023. As in the past it will be a Teams meeting.

Just a reminder that the next TMSA membership meeting will be held on Thursday April 20^th at noon. As in the past it will be a Teams meeting, but we can also set up some meeting rooms at MT facilities for people who want to attend that way.

Look for your meeting invite soon. And remember that meetings are restricted to dues paying members, so please don’t share the meeting invite with anyone who shouldn’t have it. If you think someone didn’t get invited in error, please contact the TMSA officers and we’ll take care of it.

Members may notice a new MOU that has been signed between the TMSA & Met Council. This will allow our members to receive the $3000 referral bonus if the person they refer for Information Services Division.