Preparation Period During the preparation period, a teacher will have no other assignment except in an emergency situation. It is recognized that the preparation period is a scheduled part of the teacher's work day and the teacher is expected to be in his/her respective Building. If the teacher must leave the Building during his/her preparation and/or lunch period, he/she must notify the Building switchboard operator.
Negotiations At the written request of a Party, each Party will appoint a knowledgeable, responsible representative to meet and negotiate in good faith to resolve any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement. The Parties intend that these negotiations be conducted by non-lawyer, business representatives. The location, format, frequency, duration, and conclusion of these discussions shall be left to the discretion of the representatives. Upon agreement, the representatives may utilize other alternative dispute resolution procedures such as mediation to assist in the negotiations. Discussions and correspondence among the representatives for purposes of these negotiations shall be treated as confidential information developed for purposes of settlement, exempt from discovery, and shall not be admissible in the arbitration described below or in any lawsuit without the concurrence of all Parties. Documents identified in or provided with such communications, which are not prepared for purposes of the negotiations, are not so exempted and may, if otherwise discoverable, be discovered or otherwise admissible, be admitted in evidence, in the arbitration or lawsuit.
Negotiation In the event of any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the affected party shall notify the other party, and the parties shall attempt in good faith to resolve the matter within ten (10) days after the date of such notice (the “Notice Date”). Any disputes not resolved by good faith discussions shall be referred to senior executives of each party, who shall meet at a mutually acceptable time and location within thirty (30) days after the Notice Date and attempt to negotiate a settlement.
Leave for Negotiations Members of the MSEA-SEIU bargaining team (whose numbers shall not exceed three (3) for each unit plus the President and/or Vice President of MSEA-SEIU) shall suffer no loss in pay or benefits for participation in negotiations for a successor Agreement. Additionally, leave may be requested for other members necessary for par- ticipation on specific negotiations issues and such leave shall not be unreasonably denied. MSEA-SEIU shall give reasonable notice to the Office of Employee Relations of the names of those bargaining team members who will be attending particular bargaining sessions. MSEA-SEIU recognizes that exceptional circumstances might preclude the release of an individual on a particular day. The Office of Employee Relations will notify affected agencies of those individuals designated or otherwise requested to be made available on particular dates for participation in negotiations and will inform those agencies of the day, or days, when negotiations will take place. No additional compensation shall be paid if negotiations extend beyond the end of an employee's normal work hours. However, a good faith effort shall be made to schedule non-standard workweek employees so that their days off shall not fall on days of negotiations. Any designated employee who has a State vehicle assigned shall be allowed to use the vehicle while traveling to and from negotiations. Such employee shall be considered to be in duty status and shall have his/her uniform available for necessary use.
