Common use of General Ground Rules for Grievances Clause in Contracts

General Ground Rules for Grievances. All employee grievances must follow this chain of appeal. At no time will an employee bypass a supervisor or Department Head, or approach a Council member with a grievance. All references to number of days will be understood as days in which the City's main administrative office is open for business. Time limits may be waived upon consent of both parties. In formal meetings at Step II through V, the employee has the right to have a representative, attorney, counsel, etc. in attendance. Beginning with Step II of the Grievance Procedure, all grievances must be in writing, using the approved City Grievance Form. An aggrieved employee may be represented by any person in an advisory capacity, to assist in presenting all facts relevant to the grievance, and necessary to the equitable solution of the grievance. The City Attorney may be present in an advisory capacity to City supervisors and/or managers. If the employee chooses to be represented by an attorney, then the City Attorney need not be restricted to an advisory capacity, but may function in such matters as cross examination, weighing of evidence, etc. Employees shall have freedom from reprisal for use of the Grievance Procedures. If a grievant fails to carry his/her grievance forward to the next level within the prescribed time period, the grievance shall be considered settled based upon the decision rendered at the most recent step utilized. If a supervisor or manager fails to respond to an answer within the given time period, the grievant may appeal their grievance to the next higher level.