The NEW OSEA Chapter 600 - Lane County Head Start


Article 1

Term of Agreement

Labor Management Committee, Zipper and Savings Clause

 

1.1     This Agreement shall be effective upon bilateral execution of the parties' authorized representatives, and shall continue in effect through July 31, 2005.

 

1.2     If the Association wishes to negotiate a Successor Agreement, it shall notify the Agency no later than February 1 of the year the contract is to expire. By its failure to provide notice as herein provided, the Association shall waive its right to renegotiate this Agreement and it shall automatically be extended one (1) year.

 

1.3     This Agreement shall not be modified in whole or in part by the parties except by an instrument, in writing, duly executed by both parties, except the implementation of this Agreement shall be subject to available funds.

 

1.4           Labor-Management Committee

 

1.4.1     A Labor-Management Committee shall be established to address matters as provided herein.  Meetings of the Committee shall be convened once each three (3) months, unless mutually agreed otherwise by the parties.  The Joint Labor-Management Committee will include a maximum of three (3) Agency representatives and three (3) Association representatives.

 

1.4.2     Any party expecting to raise an issue in the next meeting of the Labor-Management Committee shall forward an agenda title and description of the item to the other party no less than fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the meeting.

 

1.4.3     The purpose of the Committee’s meetings shall be to address matters of mutual concern to the parties.  Accordingly, the Committee will not discuss grievances.  The Committee will not function in place of the grievance procedure or the negotiation process. Subjects of discussion to include:

 

1.4.3.1                    Disseminate general information of interest to the parties.

 

1.4.3.2                    Give representatives an opportunity to express their views, or to make suggestions of subjects of interest to the parties.

 

1.4.3.3                    For any discussion or consensus of matters subject o negotiations or matters that could influence changes in the current or future labor contracts, it is understood  that approval processes, for the Association and both the Board and Policy Council, are required.

 

1.4.4     The Association representatives shall be released from work to attend any meetings of the Labor-Management Committee that are scheduled during said employees’ normal hours of work.  However, said employees shall not be paid by the Agency for the time they are released from their regular duties to serve as representatives of the Association.

 

1.5     The Association and the Agency agree that all issues were fully bargained by the Agency and the Association during negotiations for the Agreement. Such issues include, by way of illustration and not by limitation, workload and all assignments during the workday and work year.

 

1.6     The Association and the Agency both mutually agree that the execution of the Agreement is in full and final satisfaction of all bargaining demands and obligations pertaining to all working conditions of members of the Association's bargaining unit. The parties mutually agree that this executed Agreement is a complete representation of both the subjective and objective manifestations of the parties and was reviewed carefully prior to the affixing of signatures. Both parties further agree that this Agreement supersedes all past practices and that there shall be no legal or quasi-legal challenges to inclusions or omissions, real or perceived, from this Agreement.

 

1.7     Nothing in this Agreement that conflicts with state or federal law or regulation shall be binding upon either party.  In the event that any Article in this Agreement is declared invalid by any administrative panel or court of competent jurisdiction or is voided by statute during the term of this labor Agreement, the parties hereby agree that any such determination, action or legislative nullification shall apply only to a specific article or part of the article directly affected.  It is further agreed that all other articles shall remain binding.


Upon timely written notification from either party to the other, the parties shall enter into negotiations for the purpose of attempting to obtain a replacement to the text or provision that was invalidated.

 


Article 2

Duty of Fair Representation

 

2.1           The Association shall represent all bargaining unit members in the Agency within the bargaining unit equally and without discrimination.  The Association agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold the Agency harmless against any claim, demand, suit, or liability (monetary or otherwise) arising from any action taken or not taken by the Association with respect to its duty of fair representation.

2.2           OSEA acknowledges that employees serving as Association representatives shall normally be provided release time, but such release time will not be paid for by the Agency.

 


Article 3

Unit Description

 

3.1     By certification of the National Labor Relations Board, the Association is the sole and exclusive bargaining representative for all employees as defined herein.

 

3.2       Specifically included in the bargaining unit are all of the following employees: 

 

3.2.1  All full-time and part-time employees not otherwise excluded herein.

 

3.3     Specifically excluded from the bargaining unit are all of the following employees:

 

3.3.1   All confidential employees.

 

3.3.2   All supervisory employees, including all employees holding the titles of Child Development Consultant, Health Consultant, Family Services and Mental Health Consultant, Nutrition Consultant, Human Resources Consultant, and Information Systems Manager.

 

3.3.3   All program managers.

 

3.3.4   All temporary employees. 

 

A temporary employee is one who is to fill a position created for the purpose of completing a specific task, created for a time certain or for a seasonal purpose.  A temporary employee will be hired for a period not to exceed ninety (90) working days.

 

3.3.5     All substitute employees.

 

A substitute employee is one who is hired for the purpose of filling a position of an absent employee.

 

3.3.6     All volunteers.

 

3.3.7     Limited Term Employee

 

Employees hired to provide assistance to a single social needs child are subject to dismissal if the child becomes unavailable, leaves the agency, or is judged to no longer require such assistance, or funds are exhausted.

 


 

Article 4

Dues Deduction – Financial Core Implementation

 

4.1 Employees covered by this Agreement at the time it becomes effective and who are members of the Association shall be required to pay dues to the Association at a rate established by the Association.  The Agency agrees to deduct from the wages of each Association member the dues of the Association.  Each such employee on the form provided by the Association shall submit an annual payroll deduction authorization to the Agency in writing.

 

4.2 The Agency agrees to transmit the dues and fees deducted as provided herein to the Oregon School Employees Association.

 

4.3 Financial Core Fee Authorization Procedures

 

4.4      At such time as the Association advises the Agency that an Association        

          membership vote has adopted a resolution that all bargaining unit members, 

          regardless of membership in OSEA, shall be required to pay either dues or a fair

          share fee, the Association may, by operation of this agreement, assess

          members of the bargaining unit either dues or a fair share fee, consistent with 

          the provisions of the National Labor Relations Act.

 

 

4.5 In the event that a “financial core fee” is authorized as provided herein, said financial core fee shall represent the bona fide cost of representation for members of the bargaining unit.  Financial core fees that may be assessed pursuant to this Agreement shall not include the Association’s costs for the following:

 

4.5.1     Charitable donations or interest-free loans made by the Oregon School employees Association.

 

4.5.2     Political lobbying.

 

4.5.3     Costs associated with illegal strike activity.

 

4.5.4     Litigation not involving the negotiation of agreements or settlement of grievances.

 

4.5.5     Any other cost determined to be inappropriate by the National Labor Relations Board or any court of competent jurisdiction.

 

4.6 In the event that a “financial core” fee is authorized as provided herein, the Association certifies that it will provide the following to employees subject to financial core fee deductions:

 

4.6.1     A reasonable explanation of the basis of the fee.

 

4.6.2     A reasonably prompt opportunity to challenge the fee being assessed.

 

4.6.3     The holding of disputed amounts in escrow pending resolution of any challenge.

 

4.6.4     An impartial determination of any challenge to a fee as provided herein.

 

The Association agrees to hold the Agency, it’s Board members, administrators, managers and all other agents, individually and collectively, harmless against any and all claims, suits, orders, or judgments brought against the Agency as a result of the provisions of this Article.

 


Article 5

Association Responsibility

5.1           The Association shall represent all employees within the bargaining unit equally and without discrimination.

 

5.2           The Association shall provide copies of this Agreement to all employees in the bargaining unit and to all new employees.

 

5.3           During the term of this Agreement, the Association and members of the bargaining unit as individuals or as a group will not initiate, cause, permit, or participate or join in any strike, work stoppage, slowdown, picketing, or any other restriction of work.  Employees in the bargaining unit, while acting in the course of their employment, shall not honor any picket line established by the association or by any other labor organization when called upon to cross such picket line in the line of duty.  The agency agrees that it will not lock out bargaining unit employees for the term of this Agreement.

 

5.4 The Agency shall provide the Association with reasonable space at the Agency’s administration building and other facilities where the Agency has posted, as required by law or regulation, employment-related notices.  The Association may place its bulletin boards adjacent to such regulatory postings.  The Association’s bulletin boards shall be reasonable in size for the particular space that is available.  The Association may use its bulletin boards to post communications with bargaining unit members and shall include a statement that its source is the Association.  The Association shall take assertive steps to assure that the posted material is not defamatory, scurrilous, untrue or unlawful.  The Association shall also maintain the bulletin boards to assure that the posted material is timely and neat in appearance.

 

5.5 Use of Agency Mail:  The Agency shall allow the Association to post notice of Association-sponsored events on the agency’s electronic portal.

 


Article 6

Agency Rights

The Association hereby recognizes the prerogative of the Agency to operate and manage its service delivery, operations, and responsibilities according to its determination. As the employer in this contract, the Agency retains all of the functions, rights, powers or authority not specifically abridged, delegated or modified by this Agreement. By way of illustration and not by way of limitation, the Agency shall have the right to:

 

6.1     Manage and control the Agency’s business, the equipment, the operations and to direct the working forces and responsibilities of the employer

 

6.2     Direct the work of all of its personnel, determine the number of shifts and hours of work and starting times and scheduling of all the foregoing. Further, it shall maintain the right to establish, modify or change any work or business hours or days.

 

6.3     The right to direct the working forces, including the right to hire, promote, discipline, suspend and discharge employees, evaluate employees on the basis of performance and conduct, transfer employees, assign work or extra duties to employees, create and revise position descriptions, determine the size of the work force and to lay off employees.

 

6.4     Determine the services, supplies and equipment necessary to continue its operations and to determine the methods, schedules and standards of operation, the means, methods, and processes of carrying on the work including automation thereof or changes therein, the institution of new and/or improved methods or changes therein.

 

6.5     Adopt reasonable rules and regulations.

 

6.6     Determine the qualifications of employees, including physical capacities.

 

6.7     Determine the location or relocation of its facilities, including the establishment or relocations of new sites, buildings, departments, divisions or subdivisions thereof and the relocation or closing of offices, departments, divisions or subdivisions, buildings or other facilities.

 

6.8     Determine the placement of operations, production, services, maintenance or distribution of work, and the source of materials and supplies. 

 

6.9     Determine the financial policies, including all accounting procedures, and all matters pertaining to public relations.

 

6.10    Determine the size of the management organization, its functions, authority, and amount of supervision and table of organization.

 

6.11       Determine the policy affecting the selection, training or testing of employees.

 


Article 7

Inclement Weather Closure

7.1           It is the responsibility of all bargaining unit members to report to work if their worksite is in operation.  If bargaining unit members are unable to report for work they must call their supervisor as early as is practicable.  Time loss will not be paid but may, at the bargaining unit member’s option, be covered by paid vacation or personal holidays.

 

7.2           If a bargaining unit member’s worksite is closed owing to inclement weather, the bargaining unit member is obligated to report to the worksite if or when road conditions allow.  Time lost under such circumstances will, nevertheless, be paid.

 

7.3 This article shall automatically sunset upon the expiration of this Agreement unless and until it is included in a bilaterally ratified contract.

 


Article 8

Bus Drivers – Assignment and Responsibilities

 

 

8.1           A bus driver shall hold his/her regular route(s) from year to year unless said bus driver chooses to relinquish such route(s).

 

8.2           Specific job route(s), including those, not taken prior to the beginning of the school year, shall be posted and made available to bus drivers.  Bidding shall be based on seniority as defined in this Agreement.  The creation of such routes shall be at the discretion of the Agency.

 

8.3 The bidding referenced in Section 8.2 herein will be conducted in accordance with rules established by the Agency.  Bus drivers may bid at their own discretion or may submit a proxy bid in advance of the bidding.  In the event either of the above options are not exercised, the Agency may assign routes to the driver at the Agency’s discretion.