Section 3. Association Released Time
The extent to which paid released time is granted by the Employer to employees covered by this agreement to attend meetings, and executive board meetings of the Local, City, State, Regional, and parent organizations shall be as follows: Paid leave shall become available on a fiscal year basis commencing July 1, 1998. One thousand two hundred and fifty (1250) hours will be allocated for each of the fiscal years of the agreement. Such leave as stated above shall require prior approval of the CEO, or designee, and shall not be unreasonably denied. Unused paid leave time shall expire in full on June 30 of each year of this agreement. A written record of available and used paid leave time shall be kept by the CEO or designee. All approved requests for paid leave time for the above purposes shall be deducted from the available allocation of paid leave time and in no event will requests be approved in excess of time made available pursuant to the provisions of this system. Time, used by unit members for attendance at meetings at the direction or request of the University, shall not be deducted from the total yearly hours of paid Association Release Time set forth above.

Section 4. Association Leave of Absence
Upon request of the Association, an employee may be granted a leave of absence without pay to perform full-time official duties on behalf of the Association. Such leave of absence shall be for a period of up to one (1) year and may be extended at the request of the Association. Advance approval of the CEO, or designee, is required for all such leaves of absence or the extension thereof. Requests shall not be unreasonably denied.

Section 5. Attendance at Grievance Meetings
Association stewards and Association officers may be granted released time to attend formal grievance meetings. First Step Grievance Meeting - the grievant and the appropriate steward from the grievant's district and location. Second Step Grievance Meeting - the above, plus a member of the Association Grievance Committee - no more than two (2) representatives in total. Third Step Grievance Meeting - the above, plus the Association President or other officer - no more than three (3) representatives in total. Arbitration - same as Step Three Grievance Meeting.

Section 6. Attendance at Hearings
Designated Association Officials may be granted leave of absence without loss of wages, benefits or other privileges to attend hearings before the Legislature and State Agencies concerning matters of importance to the Association and the Employer. Such leave will require the prior approval of the CEO.

Section 7. Association Use of Premises
The Association shall be permitted to use the same or similar facilities of the appointing authority for the transaction of Association business, during working hours, which have been used in the past for such purpose and to have reasonable use of the appointing authority's facilities during off-duty hours for Association meetings, subject to appropriate compensation if required by law. This section shall not be interpreted to grant an employee the right to carry on Association business during his/her own working hours, not granted elsewhere in the contract.

Section 8. Bulletin Boards
The Association may post notices on bulletin boards or an adequate part thereof in places and locations where notices usually are posted by the appointing authority for employees to read. All notices shall be on Association stationery, signed by an official of the Association, and shall only be used to notify employees of matters pertaining to Association affairs. The notices may remain posted for a reasonable period of time. No material shall be posted which is inflammatory, profane, or obscene, or defamatory of the Commonwealth, the University, or their representatives, or which constitutes election campaign material for or against any person, organization or faction thereof.

Section 9. Conventions.
Leaves of absence without loss of wages, benefits or other privileges may be granted to elected delegates of the Association to attend conventions of the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the National Education Association. Such leave will require the prior approval of the CEO or designee. Persons designated as alternate delegates shall not be granted paid leaves of absence to attend such conventions.

Section 10. Employer Provision of Information
Within thirty (30) days after final approval of this Agreement, and on a monthly basis thereafter, throughout the period of this Agreement, the appointing authority will provide the following information:

1. A computer listing of all the employees in the unit, with their home addresses as they appear on University records.
2. A computer listing of all employees in the unit, with their campus locations.
3. A computer listing of all the employees in the unit with their labor unit and seniority status.
4. A computer listing of all employees new to the unit with their campus locations.
5. A computer listing of all employees who have left the unit within the month.

1. A computer listing of all employees in the bargaining unit, by title.
2. A computer listing of all employees holding bargaining unit titles excluded from the USA/MTA bargaining unit, pursuant to G.L.c. 150E, with their title and campus location.
3. A computer listing of CC/03 employees with their campus location, job begin and job end dates, current date of hire, hourly rate and average hours worked per week.

Section 11. New Unit Member Information Sessions.
Effective upon the execution of this agreement, where the Association provides a general information session for members new to the bargaining unit since the last session was held, such members may be granted up to one (1) hour of released time to attend. Information sessions will be held not more often than bimonthly. Requests for released time will not be unreasonably denied.

Section 12. VOTE Payroll Language.
Subject to the requirements of law and upon not less than sixty (60) days prior written notice to the Chancellor, there shall be deducted from the monthly salary of any unit member the amount of money specified in such notice for contributions to the Voice of Teachers for Education (VOTE). Any written authorization may be withdrawn by the unit member by submitting a written notice of withdrawal to the Chancellor and the treasurer of the VOTE sixty (60) days in advance of the desired cessation of payroll deduction.

Section 13.Information on the Board of Trustees.
A copy of the time, place and agenda of all Board of Trustees meetings, including committee and subcommittee meetings thereof, shall be sent to the Union concurrent with distribution to Board members. In addition, the Association shall receive copies of the minutes of all Board meetings, including committee and subcommittee meetings thereof. The Association shall be provided an opportunity to request to appear on the agenda of any regularly or specially scheduled Board meetings; such requests shall not be unreasonably denied.

Section 14. The Association recognizes that requests for information made on behalf of members or the bargaining unit can require substantial time, effort and cost to the University in collecting information for a response. For information sought by the Association from the employer, not described in Sections 10 and 13 of this article, it is understood that the employer may respond to the Association that the request is excessive, burdensome or otherwise impractical to respond, provided that such response is made within ten (10) working days of receiving the request in the Labor Relations Office. If the employer does respond so, the information request shall be considered to be in abeyance and no action regarding it shall be taken by either party until a joint labor-management meeting, described in this provision, is held. As soon as possible, a labor-management meeting will be held to discuss the request for information, including alternative approaches to the provision of information and the relevancy and need for such information. If the parties do not mutually agree upon a method for responding to the information request, the employer shall then have ten (10) working days to determine if it will provide the information or decline to provide it; though the Association recognizes that in respect to some requests the actual time needed to assemble and transmit may be longer and reasonable periods of time for such activity shall be allowed.