Subdivision 1. Units. The following are the appropriate units of University of Minnesota employees. All units shall exclude managerial and confidential employees. Supervisory employees shall only be assigned to unit 13. No additional units of University of Minnesota employees shall be recognized for the purpose of meeting and negotiating.

(1) The Law Enforcement Unit consists of the positions of all employees with the power of arrest.

(2) The Craft and Trades Unit consists of the positions of all employees whose work requires specialized manual skills and knowledge acquired through formal training or apprenticeship or equivalent on-the-job training or experience.

(3) The Service, Maintenance, and Labor Unit consists of the positions of all employees whose work is typically that of maintenance, service, or labor and which does not require extensive previous training or experience, except as provided in unit 4.

(4) The Health Care Nonprofessional and Service Unit consists of the positions of all nonprofessional employees of the University of Minnesota hospitals, dental school, and health service whose work is unique to those settings, excluding labor and maintenance employees as defined in unit 3.

(5) The Nursing Professional Unit consists of all positions which are required to be filled by registered nurses.

(6) The Clerical and Office Unit consists of the positions of all employees whose work is typically clerical or secretarial, including nontechnical data recording and retrieval and general office work, except as provided in unit 4.

(7) The Technical Unit consists of the positions of all employees whose work is not typically manual and which requires specialized knowledge or skills acquired through two-year academic programs or equivalent experience or on-the-job training, except as provided in unit 4.

(8) The Twin Cities Instructional Unit consists of the positions of all instructional employees with the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, including research associate or instructor, including research fellow, located on the Twin Cities campuses.

(9) The Outstate Instructional Unit consists of the positions of all instructional employees with the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, including research associate or instructor, including research fellow, located at the Duluth campus, provided that the positions of instructional employees of the same ranks at the Morris, Crookston, or Waseca campuses shall be included within this unit if a majority of the eligible employees voting at a campus so vote during an election conducted by the commissioner, provided that the election shall not be held until the Duluth campus has voted in favor of representation. The election shall be held when an employee organization or group of employees petitions the commissioner stating that a majority of the eligible employees at one of these campuses wishes to join the unit and this petition is supported by a showing of at least 30 percent support from eligible employees at that campus and is filed between September 1 and November 1.

Should both units 8 and 9 elect exclusive bargaining representatives, those representatives may by mutual agreement jointly negotiate a contract with the regents, or may negotiate separate contracts with the regents. If the exclusive bargaining representatives jointly negotiate a contract with the regents, the contract shall be ratified by each unit.

(10) The Graduate Assistant Unit consists of the positions of all graduate assistants who are enrolled in the graduate school and who hold the rank of research assistant, teaching assistant, teaching associate I or II, project assistant, or administrative fellow I or II.

(11) The Academic Professional and Administrative Staff Unit consists of all academic professional and administrative staff positions that are not defined as included in an instructional unit, the supervisory unit, the clerical unit, or the technical unit.

(12) The Noninstructional Professional Unit consists of the positions of all employees meeting the requirements of section 179A.03, subdivision 13, clause (1) or (2), which are not defined as included within an instructional unit, the Academic Professional and Administrative Staff Unit, or the supervisory unit.

(13) The Supervisory Employees Unit consists of the positions of all supervisory employees.

Subd. 2. University of Minnesota employee severance. Each of the following groups of University of Minnesota employees has the right, as specified in this subdivision, to separate from the instructional and supervisory units: (1) health sciences instructional employees at all campuses with the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, including research associate, or instructor, including research fellow, (2) instructional employees of the law school with the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, including research associate, or instructor, including research fellow, (3) instructional supervisors, (4) noninstructional professional supervisors, and (5) academic professional and administrative staff supervisors. This right may be exercised by petition between September 1 and November 1. If a group separates from its unit, it has no right to meet and negotiate, but retains the right to meet and confer with the appropriate officials on any matter of concern to the group. The right to separate must be exercised as follows: An employee organization or group of employees claiming that a majority of any one of these groups of employees on a statewide basis wish to separate from their unit may petition the commissioner for an election during the petitioning period. If the petition is supported by a showing of at least 30 percent support from the employees, the commissioner shall hold an election on the separation issue. This election must be conducted within 30 days of the close of the petition period. If a majority of votes cast endorse severance from their unit, the commissioner shall certify that result. Where not inconsistent with other provisions of this section, the election is governed by section 179A.12. If a group of employees severs, it may rejoin that unit by following the procedures for severance during the periods for severance.

History: 1984 c 462 s 12; 1987 c 186 s 15; 1991 c 77 s 1,2; 1997 c 156 s 5