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MnSCU-IFO Master Agreement 1999-2001

ARTICLE 6
Association Rights

Section A. Dues Check-Off.

Subd. 1.

The Employer agrees to cooperate with the Department of Finance and the IFO in facilitating the deduction of membership dues established by the IFO from the salary of each faculty member who has authorized such deduction in writing.

The aggregate deductions of all faculty members shall be remitted together with an itemized statement to the IFO office no later than fifteen (15) calendar days following the end of each payroll period.

Subd. 2.

In accordance with Minnesota Statutes, the IFO may request the Employer to check off a Fair Share fee for each member of the unit who is not a member of the IFO.

Subd. 3.

The IFO agrees to indemnify and hold the Employer harmless against any and all claims, suits, orders or judgments brought or issued against the Employer by a faculty member as a result of any action taken in accordance with the provisions of this Section.

Section B. Meet and Confer

Subd. 1. State IFO Meet and Confer.

The IFO shall have the right to meet and confer with the Board or designee(s) pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 179A.08.

Arrangements for meet and confer sessions with the Board shall be in accordance with established Board procedures for meetings. If the meet and confer session is with the Board's designee the procedure shall be as follows.

A mutually acceptable time and place for such conferences shall be arranged upon request of either party. The Employer shall provide the facilities. A written agenda and pertinent materials shall be submitted by the party requesting the meeting at least fourteen (14) calendar days in advance of the scheduled meeting date. Additional matters may be placed on the agenda upon notice of either party. When the subject of meet and confer involves any one of the areas provided below, the other party shall have the right whenever possible to ten (10) days from the time of the meet and confer in which to respond to the party who has placed the item on the agenda. The IFO shall have the right to make policy recommendations including but not limited to the following areas: budget planning and allocations, programs and program development, long-range planning, and development of campus facilities. Such recommendations may be made at meet and confer sessions, or by presentations at meetings of the Board. Also, subject matters for meet and confer meetings may include matters such as implementation of this Agreement. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to preclude other components of the university or System from making policy recommendations. The IFO President and the Chancellor shall confer on the need for faculty to serve on System-level committees, after which the IFO shall appoint the faculty By mutual agreement between the IFO President and the Chancellor, the Chancellor in his/her discretion may appoint an agreed-upon number of additional faculty members to serve ex officio as resource persons based on professional expertise.

Subd. 2. University Meetings.

The Association may establish a local committee to meet and confer with the President, or when the President is not on campus, his/her designees, at least monthly for the purpose of discussing matters of mutual concern. Additional committees which deal with meet and confer issues or which are appointed via the meet and confer process may be established as mutually agreed to by the Association and the President. The Association and the President shall confer on the need for faculty to serve on college and university-level committees, after which the Association shall appoint the faculty. By mutual agreement between the Association and the President, an agreed-upon number of additional faculty members may be appointed by the President to serve ex officio as resource persons based on professional expertise. Faculty members appointed to committees in an ex officio capacity will not serve as representatives of other faculty.

The Administration shall provide the facilities and set a mutually acceptable time and place for such conferences upon request of either party. A written agenda shall be submitted by the party requesting the meeting whenever possible at least five (5) duty days in advance of the scheduled meeting. Additional matters may be placed on the agenda upon notice by either party. When the subject of meet and confer involves any one of the areas provided below, the other party shall have the right to ten (10) duty days from the time of the meet and confer in which to respond in writing. Implementation of new policies or changes in existing policies affecting any of the listed areas shall not occur until the opportunity to meet and confer and respond to the proposals has been provided to the Association. Either party may request a meet and confer for a response, the meeting to be held ten (10) duty days after the meet and confer session at which the topic was introduced. In such case no action shall be taken on the topic under consideration prior to the conclusion of this second meet and confer.

Failure of the Association to meet and confer or to respond shall not prevent the Administration from implementing decisions. The Association shall have the right to make policy recommendations, including but not limited to the following areas: curriculum; evaluation of students; graduation requirements; admission policies; budget planning and allocations; the reallocation of vacant positions that had previously been filled by tenured or probationary faculty members from one department or program to another; programs and program development; long-range planning; development of campus facilities and procedures for the selection of personnel.

Also, subject matters for meet and confer meetings may include matters such as implementation of this Agreement. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to preclude other components of the university or System from making policy recommendations.

Section C. Information.

The Employer and Administration agree to provide the IFO and Association with information pertaining to the System and university budgets, both present and proposed, and statistical/financial or other information necessary for the negotiation and implementation of collective bargaining agreements or the processing of grievances. Such information shall be supplied, as it becomes available, to the IFO and Association, upon its written request, and within a reasonable time thereafter. This shall include monthly reports of additions and deletions to the unclassified payroll. It is understood that this Section shall not be construed to require the Employer to compile information and statistics in the form requested which are not already compiled in such form, unless mutually agreeable.

Section D. Communications.

In each building containing offices assigned to members of the bargaining unit, the Administration shall set aside appropriate bulletin board space for IFO or Association use. The IFO or Association shall have the right to use the university distribution mail service for mailings to faculty members.

Section E. Copies of Agreements.

The Employer shall print and distribute final copies of the Agreement to all members of the appropriate unit within forty-five (45) days after execution and legislative or legislative commission approval.

Section F. Association Membership.

The Employer and Administration hereby agree that all employees of the System in this bargaining unit shall have the right to organize freely, join and support the IFO and/or the Association for the purpose of engaging in collective bargaining.

Section G. IFO/Association Business.

Duly authorized representatives of the IFO/Association shall be free to transact official IFO/Association business necessary to the performance of IFO/Association responsibilities to bargaining unit members, including grievance representation activities. Such business may be conducted on the campuses at reasonable times so long as it does not interfere with the normal functioning of the university.

Section H. Release Time.

Subd. 1. Release Time for IFO President.

Upon request of the IFO, the IFO President shall be granted release time from his/her university assigned workload in the amount requested. In the event that the amount of release time is less than full time, the scheduling and amount of release time shall be subject to mutual agreement between the affected university, the IFO, and the faculty member.

The IFO shall reimburse the university at the applicable minimum adjunct rate set forth in Article 11, for the amount of release time granted.

In addition, upon request of the IFO, the IFO President shall be granted up to sixty (60) extended duty days to fulfill his/her duties as IFO President. The IFO shall reimburse the university for the full cost of the IFO President's wage and benefit package for each such day.

Subd. 2. Other Release Time.

Upon request of the IFO, the Employer shall afford release time to a maximum of two hundred (200) semester credit hours or two hundred (200) semester credit hours, to IFO or Association officers for purposes of conducting duties at the state or local level. The IFO shall reimburse the Employer for such release time at the applicable minimum adjunct rate set forth in Article 11 for the release time granted for the first or one hundred thirty-three (133) credit hours and the actual replacement cost of the salary and benefits for any additional hours of the release time granted. The total payment by the IFO to the Employer shall not exceed the total actual replacement costs.

Subd. 3. The Association shall notify the President by August 1 yearly as to the number of credits of release time to be used for the academic year.

The Akita Association shall notify the Provost by February 1 yearly.

Section I. Sabbatical.

Upon returning to his/her university, a faculty member who has served as IFO President shall be given the right to a one (1) semester sabbatical after serving one (1) term in office, and two (2) semesters if he/she has served more than one (1) term. The sabbatical shall be at the rates and consistent with the provisions of Article 19, Section C, Subd. 3-7.