TO: Board of Regents

FROM : Sue I. Hill, Director, Labor Relations and Personnel

RE: Approval of the tentative agreement with International Union of Operating Engineers-Colleges of Technology

DATE:             September 25-26, 2003

Attached is a summary of the tentative agreement with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). The summary only includes the sections of the agreement where changes were made. The entire agreement can be viewed on line at: https://mus.edu/hr/cba/collbarg.html. This bargaining unit includes approximately 30 custodial, maintenance and food service employees of the Colleges of Technology.

The IUOE has resisted participation in the Montana University System Achievement Program (MAP). Employees in this bargaining unit will continue to be covered by the state classification and pay play and will receive a 25 cent salary increase, effective January 1, 2005, as provided for in House Bill 13. They are not eligible for Achievement Pay. The IUOE would like to combine this bargaining unit with the bargaining unit that includes skilled maintenance and boiler operator employees employed at the four-year units. There are some major obstacles to such a merger but we agreed to form a study committee to consider the issue further.

The language changes included in the tentative agreement are mostly minor in nature.

A two-year waiting period was added to the provision that extends the employer contribution to health insurance for four months when an employee is on a workers' compensation leave of absence. Under the tentative agreement, employees who are temporarily promoted will receive the higher pay after 2 days in the new job instead of after 3 days. The seniority provision was modified to allow for unlimited accrual if an employee is called into active military service. The IUOE will pay for the cost of copies of the agreement for employees under the new contract, and the use of the grievance committee prior to arbitration was made mandatory rather than permissive.

I recommend approval of the tentative agreement with IUOE. The bargaining unit has already ratified the tentative agreement.