ARTICLE 34
RELEASE TIME FOR BARGAINING
A. NOTICE
UPTE shall provide in writing the names of the designated permanent
members of its bargaining team to the Office of Labor Relations at least
thirty (30) calendar days prior to the first scheduled bargaining session. In
the event any designated member is to be permanently replaced, the name
of the permanent replacement shall be communicated in writing to the
Office of Labor Relations. The Office of Labor Relations shall acknowledge
in writing the newly designated permanent replacement, and inform the
appropriate work location. Such notification of a permanent replacement
shall be made to the Office of Labor Relations two (2) workweeks prior to
the first scheduled bargaining session to be attended by the replacement
employee. Alternates or substitutes for any of the designated team
members may be permitted when UPTE has provided the University with
the name and work location of the replacement at least two (2) weeks in
advance of the date of the change, unless the parties agree to a shorter
notice period.
B. RELEASE TIME
1. Pre-Bargaining Release Time for Successor Negotiations
Unless mutually agreed otherwise, up to nine (9) UPTE
representatives (no more than one (1) from each campus) shall
receive five (5) days of paid release time in order to provide the
University with a comprehensive set of initial proposals for the
beginning of bargaining. UPTE shall notify the University two (2)
weeks prior to the dates requested for meetings pursuant to this
Section and shall designate the UPTE representatives for purposes
of the Section.
2. Release Time for Negotiations
UPTE shall designate as a bargaining team member for the unit not
more than one (1) active status bargaining unit employee per
campus, for a total of no more than eleven (11) bargaining unit
employees. These designated team representatives shall be in
without-loss-of-straight-time-pay and benefits status for attendance
at scheduled bargaining sessions for the unit including reasonable
travel time to attend bargaining sessions. Without-loss-of-straight-
time-pay status shall be provided only for bargaining sessions, and
only for the days which the member would have been scheduled to
work had s/he not been released from her/his work assignments to
attend scheduled bargaining sessions. The hours for which any of
the designated union bargaining team members are in without-loss-
of-straight-time-pay status shall not exceed the bargaining team
member's actual scheduled work hours for any one day of a
scheduled bargaining session and shall not exceed forty (40) hours
per week. Time in without-loss-of-straight-time-pay status for the
purpose of bargaining shall not count in the calculation of overtime,
and will not result in any double payment for the hours in such
status. Deviation from this paragraph may be made only by mutual
agreement of the parties on a case-by-case basis.
Bargaining sessions are defined as the pre-scheduled face-to-face
meetings, and related caucuses during meeting days, for the
purpose of negotiating terms and conditions of an Agreement. If no
meeting actually takes place during the scheduled meeting day as
the result of the University's unavailability to appear at the
bargaining table, or the University agrees that a full-day union
bargaining team caucus is necessary to the bargaining process, the
University may designate a day without a face-to-face meeting as a
"bargaining session".
C. An employee designated as a bargaining team member for the unit shall
provide her/his supervisor with written notice of their intent to attend
scheduled bargaining sessions as soon as practicable following the
scheduling of bargaining sessions. A bargaining team representative may
be denied release time for bargaining, either in paid or unpaid status, if
her/his supervisor is not provided at least fourteen (14) calendar days prior
notice of her/his need for release time, unless the parties agree to a shorter
notice period.
D. UPTE committee members present at each bargaining session shall
provide their signature on the attendance roster provided by the University
at each bargaining session.
E. Reasonable travel time means actual travel, via the most expeditious
method of transportation available, to and from scheduled bargaining
sessions for the designated employees.
F. Attendance by a bargaining team member at scheduled bargaining
sessions shall constitute fulfillment of the employee’s work obligation for
that day.
G. The University shall make a good faith effort to modify a bargaining team
member's work schedule in order to accommodate her/his participation in
bargaining sessions.