Dear Colleagues,

I am writing today to say, thank you.

Thank you to the over 22,000 dedicated state employees who were unable to come to work for the people of Minnesota, because of the government shutdown. Thank you also to all of you who continued to work in very difficult circumstances. I consider every one of you to be an essential employee of the state, and I am grateful for your service. On behalf of the millions of Minnesotans who benefit from your service and professionalism, thank you.

For the last six months we have had a debate in Minnesota about what we expect and need from state government, and how we should pay for it. There have been fundamental differences between the Legislature and myself, and in the end we both were required to accept a difficult and unsatisfactory compromise.

It makes hard cuts, but it also makes new investments in our schools, protects health care for thousands of seniors and disabled people, and prevents even worse cuts to state government services. We agreed upon a bonding bill that will put thousands of Minnesotans back to work, and we agreed on efficiencies and improvements that will help you provide even better services to our fellow citizens.

Most importantly, I am excited to finally spend almost all of my time working with you to get Minnesota working again.

For generations, our state has been powered by the ideas of inventors, pioneers, bright minds and excellent workers. These are hard times, but in our history we’ve faced even graver dangers, more difficult challenges, under worse conditions, and with fewer resources than we do today.

Now it’s our turn, our challenge, and our responsibility. Now is the time for us to summon our best, to be our best, to do our best. It won’t be easy. But by working together, we will get Minnesota working again and build a better future for all Minnesotans.

Thank you. 

Sincerely,
Mark Dayton

Employees can find post-shutdown information and links to resources on the iHUB at ihub/shutdowninformation/. The website includes information about:

Unemployment insurance benefits

Employees can still request unemployment benefits for the week of July 17. Most employees will be eligible for partial unemployment benefits for the three non-working days prior to the July 21 recall. For more information or to request a payment, visit www.uimn.org/.

SWIFT

The state of Minnesota implemented SWIFT, the new financial and procurement system, on July 1. The new system now integrates administrative functions across state agencies, including financial, procurement, reporting and human resources/payroll functions.

Timesheets and paychecks

New timesheet codes went into effect July 1 with the implementation of SWIFT. The Resource Consumption Application User and Approver manuals are currently under development and will be posted on the iHUB soon. Employees with payroll questions can contact the RCA Help Desk at 651-366-3020 or their payroll administrator for assistance with:

• First-time access
• Use of short-form, long-form timesheets
• Invalid passwords
• Defaults
• Business expenses

Employees will not receive their first paycheck until Aug. 12. Those with specific questions regarding paychecks can contact their payroll administrator. For information about payroll deductions, visit www.bereadymn.com/.

Employee assistance

Several resources are available to employees who are dealing with post-shutdown challenges both at home and in the workplace.

Employees with personal/household challenges can contact the Employee Assistance Program/Life Matters at 1-800-657-3719 or www.mylifematters.com. Those who visit the website can sign in using the password: STMN1.

Tips for cultivating resilient characteristics also are available for employees to help them through the process of reacclimating to work.

By Commissioner Tom Sorel

Late last week, I stood out on the front steps of the MnDOT building, welcoming back employees after a 20-day layoff. It was a difficult moment, because I knew that employees suffered during the shutdown from uncertainty as well as financial hardship. And, I knew that there would be a great deal of hard work ahead of the agency to regain the work we had lost during those three weeks.

It was also a proud moment. You returned with a smile, glad to be back at work and looking forward to seeing your co-workers once again. And, I know you were also anxious to return to your jobs and get back to the business of providing safe and reliable transportation options for Minnesota.

I was reminded a number of times during the shutdown of the importance of the work that we do. Our efforts to improve the safety and mobility of the traveling public were obvious in their absence. And the thousands of jobs that our construction projects provide were sorely missed by the private sector. Traffic reporters struggled without our cameras in the metro area. And travelers suffered because our rest areas were closed.

The shutdown was a difficult and wrenching experience for all state employees as well as for state government and the public as well. The effects will echo across our state for months to come.

I also had a strong sense of well-being as I stood out on that step. That feeling comes from the fact that I know MnDOT will come out of this crisis in strong fashion. This agency has weathered some difficult times in the past, and time and again has shown how strong and resilient it is.

I attribute that to you—MnDOT's tremendous work force of dedicated professionals who have the best interests of the traveling public at heart. I saw that dedication on the first day back, when employees jumped into work and projects and got things moving again.

I recognize that everyone’s been through a wide range of emotions these past few weeks, and that we all will be going through a certain amount of healing in the weeks to come as we adjust to life post-shutdown. I encourage you to take care of yourselves, and help your co-workers do the same, as we all regain our momentum and get back to what we do best—serving the citizens of Minnesota.

I am very proud to be part of this great team at MnDOT. And, I think the state of Minnesota is most fortunate to have this strong team working on Minnesota transportation every day.

So I want to welcome you back, for myself, and on behalf of the citizens of Minnesota. You were sorely missed!