MEET AND CONFER GROUND RULES BETWEEN OCONTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OCONTO EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AND NON-REPRESENTED PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES

MEET AND CONFER GROUND RULES BETWEEN OCONTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OCONTO EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AND NON-REPRESENTED PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES

po3005Adopted September 1, 2015

3005 - MEET AND CONFER GROUND RULES BETWEEN OCONTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OCONTO EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AND NON-REPRESENTED PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES

Preamble

The Oconto Unified School District has promulgated this Board Policy statement regarding its meet and confer meetings with the Oconto Education Association and other employees. This Policy Statement, though made by the Board, has been discussed with the Oconto Education Association (Association) and the Association supports its terms. The purpose of this Policy Statement is to establish ground rules for the purpose of facilitating discussions of issues of mutual concern to the District and its teaching and related professional staff, maintaining harmonious working relations, but refraining from collective bargaining over non-mandatory subjects of bargaining and acknowledging the District's right to meet and confer with other groups and/or individuals who share common mutual concerns.

Mutual Understandings

  1. The District recognizes that employees are more productive and committed to their responsibilities when they have meaningful input through the Association and other entities or individuals in discussions concerning compensation, benefits, hours of work, conditions of employment and educational programs for the benefit of the students. To that end, the District and the Association hereby agree to make a good faith effort to meet and confer at reasonable times and places subject to the terms of Wisconsin's Open Meeting Law in order to provide the Association and other entities or individuals with a meaningful opportunity to listen and provide employees' views in advance of any District proposed decisions concerning the above-mentioned issues and/or other issues of mutual concern.

  2. Likewise, the District agrees to meet and confer at reasonable times and places subject to the terms of Wisconsin's Open Meeting Law regarding suggestions brought forward by the Association on behalf of its members, other entities, or individuals concerning said topics referred to in paragraph 1.

  3. It is understood and agreed between the parties that any such discussions do not constitute collective bargaining; there is no obligation on the part of any party to reach agreement; there is no obligation to set forth any discussions in a binding agreement; the District is free to meet and confer with other groups and/or individuals as it chooses concerning topics of mutual concern and the District is free to invite other groups and/or individuals as it chooses to any meet and confer meetings that are held with the Association.