Opinion ID: 1804878
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Proposals 7 and 10.

Text: Proposal 7 calls for the employer State to allow a paid leave of absence to several union representatives to attend labor/management meetings. Those meetings would be held to discuss mandatory subjects of bargaining. Proposal 10 is similar. It would grant a paid leave of absence to the union president or designee to attend labor/management meetings such as LEECALM and QCALM. AFSCME believes both proposals are proper subjects of mandatory bargaining because leaves of absence, are listed in section 20.9 as a mandatory topic. Consistent with our analysis of proposals 2, 9, and 16, we look at these proposals for the predominant characteristic of the subject matter. In both proposals 7 and 10 the subject matter to be negotiated is whether a leave of absence for the purpose stated must be granted to employees and if granted, with or without pay. By this analysis, we hold that proposals 7 and 10 come within the statutory category of mandatory subjects of negotiation under section 20.9.