ARTICLE II ALLIANCE JURISDICTION

Pawtucket School District

Section 1 Building Delegates

(a) The school principal shall recognize the elected Alliance building representative as the official  representative  of the Alliance in his/her school.

(b) Investigation and processing of grievances shall be done outside school hours, but in situations which, in the opinion   of   the   duly   authorized   building   delegate, requires emergency action, the delegate may, subject to the approval of the Superintendent, investigate such grievances during school hours.

(c) Building delegates may receive the assistance of an Alliance officer or a staff representative to aid in the processing of a grievance. Whenever possible, such assistance will be given after close of the regular school day.

Section 2

Meetings During Working Hours

Whenever it is mutually agreed that teachers shall participate in conferences, meetings, or negotiations during working hours, they shall suffer no loss of pay for the period of such participation.

Section 3

Leave Of Absence For Alliance Duties

The School Committee agrees that any member of the Alliance selected to a position requiring leave of absence from his/her teaching position shall be given an initial leave of absence without pay for Alliance duties for one (1) year.

Section 4

Monthly Meeting With Superintendent

A monthly meeting shall be held during the school year with the Superintendent and the Local Alliance President to discuss any matters of concern to either party.  These meetings shall be held at a mutually agreeable time  and  place.  The  Local  Alliance President and the Superintendent shall determine  the representatives who will attend the meetings for their respective sides. Attendance at these meetings shall be restricted to no more than three persons for each side, except as the parties may otherwise agree. Whenever possible, the parties should exchange, several days in advance of a meeting date, notice of the subject matters they wish to discuss.

Section 5 Union Dues

The Alliance shall determine the total amount to be deducted from its members’ salaries for dues and shall notify the Superintendent thereof in writing before September 1. Said amounts shall be deducted equally from the members’ salary checks throughout the year.

Section 6

Definition Of Certified/Licensed Personnel Service

The parties agree to the following with respect to the definition of "total certified/licensed personnel service accumulated with the Pawtucket School Department".

Service shall include:

(a) All the time a certified/licensed personnel has been employed in a bargaining unit position by the Pawtucket School Department notwithstanding the fact that he/she may have resigned and subsequently been re-employed.

(b) A person who begins in a position  as  a  substitute  and then is subsequently appointed to that position, shall accrue service from the beginning of employment.

(c) Paid leave of absence. (Paid leaves shall accrue seniority at the same rate as the pay proportion.)

(d) That period of employment in the Pawtucket School Department as a  long-term  substitute  for certified/licensed   personnel   who   were   appointed   and then assumed long-term substitute status due to the fact that they got married.

(e) All service as a one year appointee if said certified/licensed personnel is subsequently appointed.

(f) Any laid off certified/licensed personnel who assumes long term or per diem substitute status will be credited for the actual number of days worked.

(g) Part time certified/licensed personnel  shall  accrue seniority at the same rate as the pay proportion.

(h) Certified/licensed personnel who are promoted to administrative positions after August 1, 1985, and return to the bargaining unit within two (2) years will be credited with such time for seniority purpose. Such certified/licensed personnel who remain in an administrative position beyond a two (2) year  period shall not be eligible for administrative seniority if they return to the bargaining unit.

Certified licensed/personnel service shall not accrue for:

(a) Unpaid leaves of absence.

(b) Service as an administrator (excepting "h" above).

If two or more certified/licensed personnel have equal service, ties will be decided by lot.

This definition of seniority shall be used whenever  reference is made to seniority within the contract except for layoff and recall. For the purposes of layoff and recall, seniority shall be defined as the total length of time from the date of last appointment and including all leaves.

Any disputes or misinterpretations arising out of the contents of this agreement shall be resolved pursuant to the  grievance procedure of the contract.

Section 7

Part-time Employment

Any persons certified or licensed by the State of Rhode Island, and who are employed on a part-time basis (excluding substitutes) to perform the duties of members of this bargaining unit, shall receive prorated pay and benefits in accordance with all of the provisions of this agreement. All said part-time positions shall be posted and all the names and addresses of those selected shall be forwarded to the President of the Alliance in a timely fashion. No part-time positions shall exist or be created in any manner so as to supplant full-time positions requiring same certification but shall be supplemental to existing positions. A substitute shall be defined as someone who takes the place of a bargaining unit member.

Section 8

Union President Release Time

The President of the Alliance shall be provided with release time in an amount equivalent to one fifth (1/5) of his/her schedule of teaching and/or other professional duties. The President of the Alliance shall continue to be provided full pay and all other benefits of professional employment by the Committee.

In the event that the President of the Alliance is a teacher in an elementary school, the Alliance will reimburse the Committee for fifty percent (50%) of the cost incurred for a substitute.

Section 9 Information Requests

I. Information to the Alliance

a. The Pawtucket School Committee shall, upon request, make available to the Alliance within thirty (30) days any public records kept by the School Department. The Committee shall not be required to generate non-existing, special reports or data under this Section.

b. The Alliance President shall be furnished a copy of the agenda and Committee enclosures of

every School Committee meeting at the time the agenda is posted but no later than two (2) full business days in advance of each regular meeting, work session, or special meeting of the Committee. Pursuant to RI General Laws, when an emergency meeting is called, the Alliance shall be furnished a copy of the agenda and Committee enclosures as soon as possible.

c. The School Committee shall notify the Alliance President whenever a special meeting of the Committee open to the public is to be held. If such meeting is to be held during school hours, the Alliance President or his/her designee will be relieved of his/her teaching duties so that he/she may be in attendance at such meetings when the agenda is related to teachers or the Alliance Contract.

d. In electronic form, no later than October 15th and updated at the midpoint and end of each school year, the Pawtucket School Department shall provide to the Alliance President the names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, FTE status and position of record.

II. Negotiations

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

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

III. Use of School Facilities

a. The Alliance shall have the right to use school buildings for professional meetings, at no cost, during times when buildings are occupied by the custodial staff and provided also that such use does not interfere with or impair the instructional program in any way.

b. Except in emergency situations (which shall require notice as soon as practicable), the Principal of the building involved must be notified at least five (5) school days in advance of the time and place of such meeting.