Draft: March 18, 2015 DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES GROUND RULES BETWEEN THE MONKTON, BRISTOL, LINCOLN, NE\V HAVEN, MOUNT ABRAHAM UNION MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL AND STARKSBORO SCHOOL BOARDS AND THE ADDISON NORTHEAST EDUCATION ASSOCIATION The Negotiation Council of the Monkton, Bristol, Lincoln, New Haven, Mount Abraham Union Middle/High School and Starksboro School Boards ("Board") and the Addison Northeast Education Association ("ANEA") agree that the following ground rules shall apply to their negotiations for a successor collective bargaining agreement to the Agreement expiring June 30, 2015: 1. The authorized representatives of the Board and the Association will meet in person to negotiate the successor agreement. Each side will appoint its spokesperson, who will direct the discussion for his/her negotiation team. Other team members may speak with their spokesperson's acknowledgment. 2. Each party may use consultants or include consultants as members of their negotiating team. The Chief Negotiator/Spokesperson may designate a member of his/her negotiating team, or a consultant, to speak on a particular topic. 3. The parties agree to negotiate in good faith with the objective of reaching a mutually agreeable resolution of the issues in dispute. Nothing herein shall be interpreted to compel a party to agree to a proposal advanced by the other party. 4. The Board and the Association will have a representative at each session who is empowered to sign tentative agreements at that time. To the extent possible, when the parties agree on a proposal, the representatives will tentatively accept it by signing and dating two copies during the session, unless agreement on that proposal is tied to the resolution of another issue or proposal. If both parties agree on a proposal during a session that cannot be satisfactorily reduced to writing during the session, the parties shall designate one person to prepare the written document and provide it to the persons named in paragraph 10 below within forty-eight (48) hours after the session. These representatives shall report to each other whether the written draft is approved or disapproved. If disapproved, the written document shall be addressed at the next scheduled negotiation meeting. Each party will retain a copy of the signed tentative agreements. A tentatively agreed upon proposal is subject to final ratification of the entire agreement by the Board and by the eligible voting members the ANEA. 5. The Parties agree that they will try their best to set an agenda for each upcoming meeting prior to the end of each meeting. 6. Each bargaining session will last approximately two hours unless otherwise agreed to by both parties.
Draft: March 18, 2015 7. The meetings will start on time. Neither party will use a caucus at the beginning of a negotiating session to prepare for that session without the agreement of the other party. 8. All negotiations will be conducted in a respectful, attentive, conscientious manner. Each party has the right to caucus at anytime during any negotiations session. 9. The Parties have agreed upon an initial schedule of meeting times/dates for negotiations meetings as follows: ______________________________at 6:00PM. Each party will designate an exclusive contact for logistical and formal communications. If a meeting must be cancelled or delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, the party initiating the action will notify the designee of the other party as soon as possible. The designated person for the Board shall be Superintendent David Adams; the designated person for the ANEA shall be ________________. Each Party shall be responsible to notify the members of its negotiating team when there is a change of schedule. 10. The Parties will exchange their initial proposals no later than the _ meeting and may supplement their initial proposals at the ___________________meeting. All proposals will be in final contract language. The parties will utilize strike through to indicate language being proposed for deletion, and will propose new language in bold type. Thereafter, each Party will be free to make counterproposals to proposals offered by the other, or to amend its original proposals, but neither Party shall have the right to raise additional items for negotiations without the written consent of the other party. 11. The parties agree to use their best efforts to conclude a successor agreement through faceto-face negotiations. However, at any time after May 18, 2015, either party may declare impasse. Thereafter, the parties shall proceed in accordance with the impasse procedures in applicable Vermont statutes (Title 21) provided that the parties may, by mutual agreement, waive mediation. 12. These Ground Rules shall remain in effect until conclusion of the fact-finding hearing and shall thereafter cease to have any binding effect on the parties. 13. These ground rules may be amended by mutual written agreement of the parties.
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