Scientific and Engineering Unit Specific Agreements

Click on the article number to review the actual agreed to language for that specific article.   Article language is in PDF format.

Article 1 – PREAMBLE
No changes other than dates.

Article 2 – PUPOSE AND INTENT
No changes other than title changes to Department of Civil Service.

Article 3 – RECOGNITION
No changes other than title changes to Department of Civil Service. 

Article 4 – DUES DEDUCTION AND SERVICE FEE
Student Assistants who are working on their Master’s Degrees and are full dues paying members will be permitted to utilize the Professional Development Fund on a limited basis.

Article 5 – SECONDARY BARGAINING AND WORK RULES - No change. 

Article 6 – LABOR-MANAGEMENT MEETINGS
Add Letter of Understanding from previous contract regarding meeting with the Office of the State Employer when conduct by management and supervisory staff is not addressed through other means. 

Article 7 – DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE AND PERSONNEL FILES
Investigations should be undertaken within twenty days. Clarification of when disciplinary action is removed from the personnel file. 

Article 8 – EMPLOYEE COUNSELING
The employee will be given advance notice that they will receive a notice of formal counseling when practicable. 

Article 9 – GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
Clarification on what to reference in the American Arbitration Association Rules.

Article 10 – UNION RIGHTS
Travel time over eight hours for a job interview will be pre-determined by the Employer. 

Article 11 – SENIORITY
Seniority ties will be determined by adding the last four digits of the employee’s identification number; seniority lists to be distributed electronically and employees have fifteen days to report corrections; super seniority restriction of five per department changed to ten. 

Article 12 – LAYOFF AND BUMPING
Many changes including – Union receiving a copy of bumping and layoff notices the same time employees do; change from an irrevocable decision on whether or not to take a layoff or a bump without knowing where the bump is– new language requires the state to specify where an employee’s bump would be so they make an educated choice on whether or not to take the bump; limiting seniority of NERE’s who are currently in the bargaining unit to only their actual time in the bargaining unit; clarification that all limited term and non-career appointments are expired prior to any permanent positions within the program/division/funding source; assurance of starting the bumping chain with the most senior position; maintenance of six temporary layoff days with inverse seniority continuing to be basis for layoff. 

Article 13 – TRANSFER
If an employee refuses a reassignment, they may place their name on a recall list from the county where they were reassigned; employees may sign up for a transfer within their county in a different division.

Article 14 – NON-DISCRIMINATION - No change.

Article 15A - EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
No change. Clarification discussion at the table that the “up to four days of administrative leave” provided by the department for training does not include any training the Employer sends the employee to. 

Article 15B – EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PDF funds$125,000 per fiscal year of the Agreement.

Article 16 – PROFESSIONAL FEES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS - No change. 

Article 17 – TRAVEL
Receipts are required for all meals.

Article 18 – RELOCATION EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT
Employees do not have to move to a residence which is 25 miles closer to the new work location in order to be eligible for relocation expenses. They must demonstrate their intent to move. 

Article 19 – HOURS OF WORK AND OVERTIME
Four ten hour work days or a flexible 80 hour pay period are an available schedule in all departments – denial is not grievable but must be based upon criteria; elimination of lunch period requirement on an occasional basis if approved by supervision; overtime and compensation calculation does not include sick leave as time worked. 

Article 20 – HOLIDAYS
New language regarding work on a holiday to clarify that the least senior employee is not assigned every holiday if there are not enough volunteers. The least senior employee is assigned a holiday and won’t be assigned again until all other employees have been assigned to work on an inverse seniority basis. 

Article 21 – PAID ANNUAL LEAVE
Adding language requiring a supervisor to respond to a request in a timely manner which is normally ten days of receipt of the request. If it is not approved, a specific reason must be given as to why; clarification on ability to receive 30 calendar days of annual leave donation per calendar year; annual leave donations can be made in one hour increments. 

Article 22 - SICK LEAVE - No Change.

Article 23 – UNPAID LEAVE
A medical leave of absence may be granted after an employee has completed the equivalent of six months of employment; addition of two weeks of sick leave per parent upon the adoption of a newborn or special needs child; addition of existing Letter of Understanding regarding Disaster Response pay. 

Article 24 – Contained in Economic Summary
Article 25– Contained in Economic Summary

Article 26 – COMPENSATION UNDER CONDITIONS OF GENERAL EMERGENCY - No change.

Article 27 – DEFERRED COMPENSATION
Addition of Roth 401k upon approval to set up the plan.

Article 28 – FLEXIBLE COMPENSATION PLAN - No change.

Article 29 – WORKING OUT OF CLASS
Letter of Understanding to initiate negotiations immediately upon approval by the Civil Service Commission to allow negotiation over W.O.C. using previous contractual language.

Article 30 – MANAGEMENT RIGHTS – No change.

Article 31 – NO STRIKE/NO LOCKOUT – No change.

Article 32 – SUB-CONTRACTING – No change.

Article 33 – INTEGRITY OF THE BARGAINING UNIT – No change. 

Article 34 – JOINT LABOR- MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
Addition of topics to address through labor management – training and education, health and safety, technology and equipment, supervisor/employee relations.

Article 35 – DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING – No change.

Article 36 – MISCELLANEOUS – No change. Discussion that supplemental employment language supercedes departmental language regarding the “potential” for a conflict of interest. 

Letters of Understanding still contained in the Agreement:
Department of Agriculture regarding 9 and 10 levels adjusting schedule and compensatory time.

Executive Orders 1996-1 and 1996-2 regarding splitting DNR and DEQ.

Health and Safety Agreements for Agriculture, Community Health, Environmental Quality, Natural Resources, and State Police.

Shift Assignments covering employee working for Department of Community Health.

Statewide Recall Form

MDOT Statewide Recall Form

Agriculture Statewide Recall Form

Community Health Statewide Recall Form

Layoff and Bumping Maps

HRMN codes

Use of State’s E-mail system

Banked Leave Program