By Judy Jacobs

Employees are encouraged to wear blue Jan. 11 in recognition of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. 

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security created the Blue Campaign to make human trafficking awareness a national priority. Last year, the Blue Campaign launched “Wear Blue Day” to provide a unified way to recognize National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. 

On Wear Blue Day, participants wear blue as a visual pledge to raise trafficking awareness and then post blue-attired pictures of themselves and others to social media with the hashtags #WearBlueDay and #WeWearBlueBecause. On Twitter alone, the inaugural campaign reached over four million people with trafficking awareness messages.

MnDOT is dedicated to ending human trafficking in Minnesota and is in a unique position to make a positive impact through its operation of Minnesota rest areas and airports, licensure of party buses and limousines, employment of construction contractors and procurement of supplies and services. 

Commissioner Charlie Zelle signed a pledge in January 2017, formalizing MnDOT’s commitment to stand against human trafficking through agency and public education and collaboration.  In fulfillment of this pledge, human trafficking awareness materials are available in all Class I Minnesota rest areas and truck stations, at MnDOT-operated airports, and on Commercial Truck and Passenger Regulations handbooks. Human Trafficking Awareness e-learning will be available to all MnDOT employees in the first quarter of 2018.

The District 4 maintenance shop worked with a Detroit Lakes High School chemistry class on a de-icing project in November. The school worked with Jeff Perkins, District 4 assistant district engineer - operations manager and Mike Johnson, Detroit Lakes Truck Station.

“We wanted to explain the delicate balance MnDOT tries to manage when we are applying salt and other de-icing chemicals near bodies of water,” said Perkins. “In this particular case, the project required the students to consider the motorist safety, environmental impact and cost MnDOT tries to balance while managing snow and ice removal on Hwy 10, directly adjacent to Big Detroit Lake in Detroit Lakes.”

Johnson spoke to each of Detroit Lakes High School chemistry classes about the challenges MnDOT faces when dealing with snow and ice operations.

“Mike did a great job talking about how MnDOT de-ices the roads,” said Steve Fode, Detroit Lakes High School teacher. “The way he shared his knowledge, made it very engaging for the students.”

As part of their class project, the students came up with proposals on how they would de-ice a four-mile stretch of Hwy 10.

The students had to the find the freezing point depression of deicers and then look at costs to place salt and sand. They also looked at the environmental concerns. 

Johnson spoke to the students in the classroom and brought a snowplow to show the students de-icing and snow removal parts on the plow. He also showed them the Maintenance Decision Support System/Automated Vehicle Location in-cab computer systems operators use to assist them with snow removal efforts.

Jake Arntson, transportation generalist at the Hawley Truck Station, died Dec. 14 at his home. Arntson, 33, started with District 4 in January of 2017 at the Breckenridge Truck Station, before transferring to the Hawley Truck Station in May.  

Arntson grew up on the family farm in Pelican Rapids. He was proud to support all of his kids, attending wrestling matches, dance competitions and hockey tournaments.

When not working or attending sporting events, he enjoyed spending time outdoors. His biggest passion was for cars, and he had a knack for restoring hot rods. He spent many hours fixing up his prized Model A, Ford Falcon, and attending car shows.

Arntson is survived by his wife Irina, children Connor, Danielle, Kimberly, Ariana, and Hannah, parents Randy and Vicky, sister Carrie Arntson, brother Jordan Arntson and grandparents Melvin and Delores Duenow.

WIG 2.0 teams across the state are working to advance equity and become a more inclusive workplace through employee retention, recruitment and training. These efforts are being supported and guided by the Office of Equity and Diversity.

The OED team knew it was important to increase the number of managers and supervisors attending the cultural competence classes. Two lag measures were identified to help accomplish that goal. The first was to increase the number of managers and supervisors who completed more than one of the five cultural competence classes from 13 percent to 25 percent by Sept. 30, 2018. That goal was met and surpassed by 11 percent in November 2017, with a total percentage of managers and supervisors attending at least two cultural competence classes reached 36 percent. That means that of 878 MnDOT managers and supervisors, 314 have completed at least two classes in the series.

Also in November 2017, the agency met the goal to achieve 100 percent completion of the Respectful Workplace training for new employees within six months after they were hired. All employees hired in May 2017 completed that training within their first six months of employment.

OED has developed a new cohort model for the Filter Shift series. Participants will take the four classes in succession while working with the same group members over time. There are four classes offered in this series.

Seeing the Difference is a pre-requisite to the Filter Shift courses. This class tackles the importance of understanding the difference in culture. Prior to taking this class, participants must complete the Intercultural Development Inventory, an assessment tool accepted by MnDOT to evaluate cultural competence.

Filter Shifts One, Two and Three explore the filters that employees instinctively operate through. These filters guide employees in making decisions and, more importantly, decisions in the workplace. They are molded by experiences, values and belief systems. These filters are unobservable and differ among individuals. The Filter Shift classes explain the concept of filters and how to identify them.

OED has identified two new lag measures to increase the number of supervisors and managers to complete the Filter Shift series to 40 percent and 100 percent employee participation for employees in the Respectful Workplace training. 

The team’s two new lag measures for 2018 are:

• By Sept. 30, 2018, 40 percent of supervisors and managers will have completed the Filter Shift Series.
• Achieve 100 percent completion of Respectful Workplace training among employees by Sept. 30, 2018.

“Our priority to advance equity under WIG 2.0 is also a commitment to the growing diversity of our customers,” said Eric Davis, chief of staff and co-champion of the Advancing Equity Priority area. “This focus will help us to better understand and better balance the diverse needs of all to achieve the best possible outcomes.”

By Mary McFarland Brooks

Contractors have a new tool in their toolbox to reach state and federal project goals linked to hiring veterans, women and minorities for transportation projects. The newly created interactive map is intended to assist contractors in identifying certified small businesses statewide by providing a visual tool to access work force centers, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Targeted Group businesses, and women- and veteran-owned businesses that are available to work on their projects.

“We developed the Mapping Minnesota tool to provide a quick and easy way to link contractors and small businesses to current and future projects,” said Kim Collins, Office of Civil Rights director.

Contractors are encouraged to visit MnDOT's GIS information site and select “Certified Small Businesses” to identify potential sub-contractors and employees who are pre-certified and available in specific geographical areas. Certified small businesses also are encouraged to visit the map to ensure they are included and to explore partnering opportunities with other listed certified small businesses.

The maps are updated monthly to reflect recent certifications; however, contractors are advised to reference the certified small business directory to verify information. 

The video, Mapping Minnesota, describes how to access certified small businesses on the maps. It also provides endorsements from small business owners and community leaders regarding the value of promoting diversity in transportation projects from design through construction.

For additional information, see:

• DBE certification directory: www.mndot.gov/civilrights/dbedirectory.html
• TGB and VET certification directory: http://www.mmd.admin.state.mn.us/mn02001.htm

Looking to expand your skills or knowledge of the agency?

The Office of Human Resources invites you to check out its 2018 Mobility Program, which offers permanent, full-time, classified employees the opportunity to apply for assignments that will last up to one year in different offices and districts. There are 34 opportunities with this round of the program, which originally started as the Manager and Employee Resource Group rotation programs.

“The goal of the mobility program is to strengthen and broaden the experience of employees and help them successfully assume increasing levels of responsibility,” said Karin van Dyck, Human Resources director. “The program benefits both employees and the agency, and helps MnDOT develop a deep talent pool for succession planning.”

Deadline for applying for the mobility opportunities is 4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5, 2018.

Key program features:

• Participation can be by self-nomination, nomination by the employee’s supervisor, or offered as a stretch assignment.
• Mobilities may involve work locations between Central Office and the districts.
• Duration of mobilities are indicated on each job assignment.
• At the end of the mobility, a formal evaluation of the involved employees will be done both by the host and home location.

Eligibility requirements:

• Minimum of two years full-time classified service at MnDOT
• Meet current performance expectations
• Completion or enrollment in the Office of Equity and Diversity training, “Seeing the Difference”
• Completion or enrollment in a leadership development program  
• Have not participated in the mobility program in the last two years
• Participation is supported by supervisor and office director/district engineer

Assignments vary from administrative to professional to supervisory level. Four districts and 12 offices are participating in this solicitation effort.

The Senior Leadership Team will review information submitted by all interested employees and approve and finalize the mobility assignments. 

To see detailed information about the assignments and to apply for this program, complete the application.  

For more information contact:

Human Resources 

• Bonnie Wohlberg, 651-366-3382, bonnie.wohlberg@state.mn.us
• Mary Stohr, 651-366-3370, mary.stohr@state.mn.us
• Trent Weber, 651-366-3399, trent.weber@state.mn.us

Office of Equity and Diversity

• Verona Mitchell, 651-366-4721,verona.mitchell@state.mn.us 
• Sophia Yang, 651-366-4724, sophia.yang@state.mn.us

New Library Materials

New Library Materials are available at www.mndot.gov/library/newlibmat.html. This issue is the last one of the year. The Library staff wishes you a Happy Holiday and looks forward to serving you in 2018.

New Library Materials is a compilation of new titles and other resources added to the library collection during the previous month. If you would like to be added to the distribution list, contact Pam Gonzalez at 651-366-3749.  

Previous editions of New Library Materials are available at www.mndot.gov/library/recacq-archive.html.

For other information requests, contact the Library at 651-366-3791 or email library.dot@state.mn.us, or send requests via the Ask a Librarian Web page at www.mndot.gov/library/asklibrarian.html.

By Commissioner Charlie Zelle

This has been a good year for MnDOT, one in which we have continued to build and operate a transportation system that maximizes the health of people the environment and our economy. I want to thank you for your efforts in 2017 and to encourage you to continue the momentum into 2018.

Road and bridge projects fared well this year. We opened some impressive bridges, including the St. Croix Crossing in Oak Park Heights and Hwy 53 in Virginia. We got started on the Red Wing project, after years of excellent public engagement work. And, we began the long and difficult work of rebuilding I-35W from the Crosstown to downtown Minneapolis.

In state legislative action, we received new funding for the next few years that will allow us to do more projects in our regular program as well as in Corridors of Commerce. We continued our efforts to provide an inclusive and diverse work place and to ensure that minority contractors would have equal and ready access to work on state projects.

We have progressed on our efforts to improve MnDOT’s operations through our work around Wildly Important Goal 2.0. Check out the Dec. 13 issue of Newsline to see some of the innovative approaches to advancing equity and improving customer engagement our colleagues have achieved. This year, we set in place a policy regarding public engagement that will change the way we work with the communities we serve. And we have continued work from WIG 1.0 and have seen efficiency savings amounting to $83 million.

These are just a few of the great accomplishments I’ve seen MnDOT make this year. I am very proud and pleased with our progress and I urge you all to continue your hard work into 2018.

We will begin to see the effects of the new funding from the state Legislature. And, while that funding will not solve the long-term funding gap that we see on the horizon, it will allow us to make some significant improvements in mobility and preservation that, until this past spring, we were not going to be able to do.

I also want to note Gov. Dayton’s recent selection of Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to serve as a U.S. Senator representing Minnesota. Lt. Gov. Smith has been a strong advocate and supporter of transportation during her tenure in the Dayton Administration. She spent a great deal of time visiting with MnDOT staff and promoting our efforts, even climbing into a snooper truck once to get a bridge inspector’s point-of-view. I applaud her appointment and wish her well in her new endeavor.