Playing Smart changelabsolutions.org | kaboom.org 75 set up rules of prioritization. A task force or similar body should establish clear prioritization rules; schools and youth-focused uses would likely get first priority, as those groups’ missions are most closely aligned with the school’s mission. Schedules are critical, but these alone do not guarantee the gates will be unlocked when they are supposed to be. School staff members, including custodians, coaches, and principals, need to support the joint use of “their” facility by showing up and letting you in. Getting to that level of support will require strong relationship-building efforts – time-consuming and “soft” tasks typically considered outside the job descriptions for most public or nonprofit agency personnel. While joint use agreements usually do not start with an exchange of keys and alarm codes, trust increases as both parties fulfill their obligations. A written agreement that sets clear expectations lays the groundwork for a long-term relationship based on mutual gains and trust. Staffing Issues School district staff members are often unionized, and unions should be involved throughout the process of negotiating joint use agreements. Issues such as salary, overtime pay, and funds for maintenance and operations can and should be addressed in the negotiation process, especially when volunteers during joint use hours might handle some tasks that unionized labor performs during school hours. It’s important to have some knowledge of how unions are structured. Unionized workers are organized into bargaining units, groups of employees represented by a single labor union. All bargaining units operate under contracts negotiated with their employer. These contracts outline salary and benefits for the unit and, in most cases, clearly lay out work rules. Bargaining unit leaders and members tend to be concerned about changes that could adversely affect their salary, benefits, and work hours. If the contract precludes any volunteer work, reopening the contract to change that language cannot happen until the next negotiation cycle. Ignoring or violating the contract could leave the agency open to a union action, which may result in negative publicity and bad relations with the workforce and union leadership – and could ultimately rule out future joint use activities. However, if there is nothing in the contract that specifically precludes the use of volunteer labor, sit down with the bargaining unit leadership (and the local union leadership, if appropriate) and present the plan. Although this section places a special focus on working with unions, many of the concepts apply to working with staff members from a variety of agencies.
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