ARTICLE 9 ALLIANCE PRIVILEGES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Coventry School District

By October one (1) of each year, the District shall provide in electronic form to the Alliance the names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, FTE status, and position of record, and seniority number of all bargaining unit members.

Any member of the bargaining unit may authorize the District to deduct from his/her pay the amount of dues charged by the Alliance.  This authorization shall be in writing and forwarded to the payroll office. The District agrees to implement all the terms of dues checkoff authorizations submitted to the District by the Alliance and agreed to by the
employee.

The Employer shall adhere to the specific provisions in each dues check-off authorization regarding the duration, renewal, procedure for revocation, amount of dues deducted, and all other provisions agreed to by the employee as stated in the authorization.

When a bargaining unit member has so authorized a dues deduction, such authorization cannot be cancelled except during the week preceding October one (1) each year.  Cancellation shall be in writing, and forwarded to the payroll office  and Alliance President within that week.

9-1. Fair Practices

As sole collective bargaining agent the Alliance shall continue its policy of accepting into voluntary membership all eligible persons in the unit without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, or marital status.

9-2. Negotiations

9-2.1. All collective bargaining shall be conducted at the level of the Committee. The Committee or the Alliance may designate any person or persons to negotiate or bargain on its behalf. Negotiations shall be held at times mutually agreed upon by the parties.

Members of the Alliance Negotiating Committee shall upon arrangement, be excused from duty with pay for teaching time spent in negotiations or other scheduled occasions with the Committee or its representative, with the provision made for substitute relief.

9-3 Alliance Activity at the School Level

9-3.1. The Principal shall meet upon request within five (5) days after a written agenda has been received, with a committee, elected by Alliance members in the school, and the Alliance representative to consult on school problems, policies and procedures.

9-3.2. At least one bulletin board shall be reserved at an accessible and conspicuous place in each school for the exclusive use of the Alliance for the purpose of posting material dealing with proper and legitimate business of the Alliance.

9-3.3. The Alliance shall have the right to place material dealing with the proper and legitimate business of the Alliance in the mailboxes of the teachers. In accordance with Rhode Island State Labor Relations Act, Title 28, Chapter 7, Section 13 of the General Laws of the State of Rhode Island, no rival organization shall have such privilege.

9-3.4. Members of the Executive Board of the Alliance and/or Building Representatives shall have the right to schedule Alliance meetings, in the school before or after regular class hours, and during the lunch time upon three (3) days notification to the principal, if feasible.

9-3.5. The Alliance shall be given a place on the agenda of the building teachers' meetings for reports and announcements.

9-3.6. The recruitment of teachers for membership in any teacher's organization shall be the responsibility of classroom teachers. Administrators shall not participate in this recruitment. No members of the various administrative staff shall participate in the distribution of recruitment materials or in the collection of funds for any organization.

9-3.7. Building Alliance Representatives at the middle/secondary level shall be excluded from assignment to homeroom/advisory duty.

9-4. Alliance Activity at the School District Level

9-4.1. Alliance officers may use the communications facilities of the School District for the conducting of Alliance business. This includes telephone, duplication equipment, regular courier service, and e-mail. Any charge for toll calls shall be paid for by the Alliance.

9-4.2. The Superintendent shall meet at mutually agreeable time with the representatives of the Alliance to discuss matters of educational policy and development, as well as matters relating to the implementation of this Agreement.

9-4.3. One or more regular staff members of the Alliance or other official representatives of the Alliance are free to visit schools during school hours to confer on working conditions, grievances, or other matters relating to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, providing such visits would not interfere with the teaching duties of said representatives, or the regular teaching activities of the school.

9-4.4. The President of the Alliance shall be free to visit the schools to investigate the working conditions, teacher complaints or problems, or for any other purpose relating to Alliance affairs. His/her visits shall not interfere with teacher duties. As a courtesy to the principal, the President shall give a twenty-four (24) hour notice to the principal, if feasible, any time he/she visits a school to confer with the principal.

9-4.5. Teachers desiring to have Credit Union payments deducted from their regular bi-weekly check may do so by filing an individual request with the payroll section of the Human Resources Office. Deductions shall commence no later than the second (2nd) pay period after the individual request has been filed.

9-4.6. In the event of an emergency the President of the Alliance or the building representative shall be relieved of his/her assigned duties to conduct that Alliance business which the President or the building representative and his/her Principal mutually agree cannot be conducted at any other time.

9-5. Information to the Alliance

9-5.1. The Committee shall make available upon request to the Alliance any information, statistics, and records relevant to negotiations, grievances or necessary information for the proper and legitimate enforcement of the terms of this agreement.

9-5.2. The Alliance President shall be furnished a copy of the agenda and Committee enclosures of every Committee meeting two days in advance of each regular meeting or special meeting of the Committee. Pursuant to Rhode Island General Laws, when an emergency meeting is called, the Alliance President shall be furnished a copy of the agenda and Committee enclosures as soon as possible.

9-6. Alliance Duty Provision

Either the Alliance President or the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), if from the secondary level shall be allowed two (2) additional unassigned periods per day (or its equivalent in another mode of instruction) in addition to the regular unassigned period. If at the elementary or special services level, he/she shall be scheduled for a one-half (1/2) school day schedule. If the Alliance seeks additional unassigned time for the Alliance President, the Alliance shall pay the district for each additional period beyond the two (2) unassigned periods provided in Section 9-6.

If the individual holding the Alliance position is an elementary teacher that teacher shall be assigned to a part-time program. Should that individual cease to hold that Alliance Office, he/she shall be allowed to bump the least senior teacher according to his/her last regular position of record (building and grade).