The City and the Union will, within the first thirty (30) days after the signing of this agreement, establish a Joint Labor/Management Committee consisting of the Mayor, the President of Local 7, and an equal number of representatives, not to exceed five (5) per side, to study the feasibility of implementing a total quality management-type or other similar system for the City's Local 7 staffed operations. Should this committee decide that a T.Q.M.-type system is feasible; a steering committee, consisting of an equal number of representatives, not to exceed five (5) per side, shall be formed within thirty (30) days of this decision, and shall meet at least monthly to implement and oversee the process.
If formed, the steering committee shall also assume the functions of the labor- management committee provided under Section 2117.37, Performance Appraisal Systems and Incentive Plans. If not formed, then the labor-management committee called for under Section 2117.37, “Performance Appraisal Systems and Incentive Plans”, shall be utilized.
The quality management system shall be people-focused and shall aim at a continual increase in both internal and external customer satisfaction. The TQM system shall provide for examination of existing operations toward improvement in current work processes and for examination of City services not currently performed by City employees.