MADISON, Wis. – Former CUNA Mutual Group President/CEO Mike Kitchen resigned after he disclosed that he offered money to a group of employees looking to create a separate bargaining unit – that group has made progress. The employees have officially filed their petition with the National Labor Relations Board. Whether or not they will get the separate unit is up for debate as there are a lot of qualifications they will need to fulfill to be designated as professional employees. The union of course isn't happy with the move for two reasons: it shows a rift among represented employees and they believe it will slow down labor negotiations. A union official said CUNA Mutual has been quiet since learning of the petition being filed, so that may be indicative that they are playing a wait and see game. A CUNA Mutual spokesperson said the petition will have no effect on negotiations and noted that the two groups negotiated on August 24 and 25 for six hours and are trying to agree on new meeting times.