January 11, 2005

Memorandum of Understanding

The Santa Monica Community College District ("District" or "administration"), the Santa Monica College Faculty Association ("Faculty Association") and the California School Employees Association, Chapter 36 ("CSEA") hereby agree to creation of a joint Collegewide Benefits Committee as provided below:

I. Structure:

The committee will be composed of nine voting members and one or more resource person(s). Three members will be selected from the three constituent groups: the Faculty Association, CSEA, administration. Each constituent group selects their representatives. Each member has one vote; the resource person(s) has no voting privilege

A quorum is defined as seven of the nine voting member including at least one of the co-chairs

The committee will have 2 co-chairs from 2 different groups. The co-chairs may not be from the same constituent groups. The committee will elect the co-chairs. For any motion and or proposal to be adopted by the committee, it must have 2/3 + 1 affirmative votes of the voting members present at a committee meeting where a quorum is present. For the committee to take a vote a quorum must be present.

The committee may meet as frequently as deemed appropriate by the members of the committee but will meet at least once per month. Release time shall be provided for members of the committee for the time in which the committee is meeting.

II. Mission :

The role of the committee is to contain the cost of the District's health benefits program while maintaining the quality of the benefits available to the employees, retirees, and eligible dependents.

The committee shall have the authority to:

1. Review the District's health benefits program and recommend to the District and the respective bargaining units any changes to the current program's benefits necessary to contain costs while maintaining the quality of the benefits available to employees , retirees, and eligible dependents .

2. Recommend the selection or replacement of a benefits consultant to: a. assist the committee in evaluating and recommending health benefit plans and b . represent the Collegewide Benefits Committee in obtaining information and quotes from various health care providers or consortiums.

3. Evaluate and recommend a benefit plan provider(s).

4. Review and make recommendations regarding communications to faculty and staff regarding the health benefits program and their use of health care services under it.

5. Review and make recommendations regarding benefit booklets, descriptive literature, and enrollment forms.

6. Study recurring enrollee concerns and make recommendations for their resolution.

7. Participate in an annual review of the effectiveness of the health benefits program.

The District will make available to the committee all relevant District financial information and any other relevant and non-privileged/confidential information that the committee may need.

The committee shall submit its recommendation(s) to the parties no later than two (2) weeks from the date that PERS releases its rates for 2006. In the event that the committee makes no recommendation(s) or fails to submit its recommendation(s) by the deadline set forth above, the issue of health benefits shall solely be addressed in negotiations between the respective parties.

III. Negotiations

During the period of time prior to the committee submitting its recommendation(s), there shall be no negotiations between the parties on anything contained in Article 10 and the status quo as set out in Article 10 shall be maintained. Article 10 will be reopened for negotiation once the committee submits its recommendation(s).