COMPLAINT AND GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE 9.01 Where a difference arises between the parties relating to the interpretation, application or administration of this Agreement, including any questions as to whether a matter is arbitrable, or where an allegation is made that this Agreement has been violated or whenever an employee who has completed the required probationary period and has been accepted by the Employer for employment in the permanent service, claims that he/she has been disciplined or discharged without reasonable cause, such difference, allegation or claim being hereinafter referred to as the grievance, the grievance procedure set forth below shall apply.
9.02 The Association shall name, appoint or otherwise select a Grievance Committee of no more than three (3) who shall be members of the Association and shall have reached at least the rank of First Class Fire Fighter and other advisors as deemed necessary at the expense of the Association. The Employer shall recognize and deal with the Grievance committee with respect to any matter or dispute which properly arises from a breach of the Collective Agreement from time to time during its term. This committee shall suffer no loss as a result of their attendance at such grievance meetings, hearings, etc.
9.03 No grievance will be considered where the circumstances giving rise to it occurred or originated more than ten (10) full working days before the submission of the grievance.
Step 1 - An employee having a grievance will take the matter up through their Association representative. The President or designate shall contact Fire Management to seek a resolution.
Step 2 - If the grievance is not settled within five (5) working days, the Association shall submit the matter in writing to the Fire Chief or designate within five (5) working days of receiving the reply from Step 1. The Fire Chief or designate shall render the written decision to the Association within five (5) working days after receiving the written grievance. In the context of this Article a working day shall be deemed to be Monday to Friday excluding designated holidays.
Step 3 - If the reply of the Fire Chief is not acceptable to the Association the grievance may be referred to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) or the Director of Human Resources within five (5) working days of the written decision of the Fire Chief. The CAO or the Director of Human Resources, who together with the Fire Chief and any other advisors deemed necessary, shall meet with the Association Representatives within 5 working days to consider the grievance. Within five (5) working days of the aforesaid, the CAO or the Director of Human Resources will render a written reply to the employee and the Association.
Step 4 - If no resolve is reached at Step 3, the matter shall be submitted to arbitration. Notice shall be given within 5 business days. The parties agree that, for the purposes of this collective agreement the words of the expedited arbitration provisions of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 as amended (Section 49), will be deemed to have been incorporated into this collective agreement. Accordingly and notwithstanding any other provisions of this article (the grievance/arbitration provisions); either party may refer a grievance to expedited arbitration in accordance with the provisions of Section 49. The parties further agree that neither party will raise any jurisdictional or other objection to the application of Section 49 to a grievance under this collective agreement as it pertains to the right to an expedited arbitration. Either party is entitled however, to raise any objection, with the arbitrator with respect to whether the provisions of Section 49 have been properly utilized in respect of any specific grievance (e.g. objections with respect to time limits etc.). Such an appointment by the Minister of Labour or his or her designate will be determined to be a joint appointment in accordance with Section 53(3) of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act.
9.04 Extensions to the time limits in 9.03 may not be unreasonably withheld.
9.05 The employee in all steps of the grievance procedure shall be confined to the grievance and redress sought as set forth in the written grievance initially filed as provided.
Informal Grievance Procedure Employees are encouraged to act promptly to attempt to resolve disputes with their manager/supervisor through an informal procedure. A meeting between the manager/supervisor and the employee should take place whenever requested by either party to assist, to clarify or resolve the grievance. The employee may be accompanied by his/her Union representative at the informal meeting. Any resolution reached at the informal step must be in accordance with the provisions of this agreement, or other rule or ordinance and shall not set precedent.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE A. A grievance shall be defined as an alleged violation, misinterpretation, or misapplication of this Agreement or written Board policies affecting working conditions of the member. Should a member/Association feel that there has been a violation, he/she will take the following steps:
Step 1: The member/Association, with or without a designated representative, shall discuss the grievance with the Supervisor informally within five (5) work days of the alleged violation and, if not resolved, shall file a written grievance with the Supervisor within fifteen (15) work days of the alleged violation and discuss the written grievance with the Supervisor within five (5) work days after the grievance is filed. If no satisfactory conclusion is reached within five (5) work days following the discussion of the written grievance with the Supervisor, the member/Association shall submit the written grievance within five (5) work days of the discussion with the Supervisor to Step 2. A grievance which is not within the scope of a Supervisor's authority may be filed initially at step 2. The written grievance, as required herein, shall contain:
a. it shall be signed by the grievant(s)/Association.
b. it shall be specific;
c. it shall contain a synopsis of the facts giving rise to the alleged violation;
d. it shall cite the section or subsections of this contract or written Board policy alleged to have been violated;
e. it shall contain the date of the alleged violation;
f. it shall specify the relief requested;
g. it shall indicate approval or disapproval by the Association.
Step 2: The Superintendent or his/her designated agent shall arrange a meeting with the grievant and/or the designated Association representative within ten (10) work days after receipt of the grievance to discuss the grievance. Within ten (10) work days of the discussion, the Superintendent or his/her designated agent shall render his/her decision in writing, transmitting a copy of the same to the grievant, the Association representative, and appropriate Supervisor, and place a copy of same in a permanent file in his/her office. If the decision of the Superintendent is unsatisfactory to the Association, the Association may appeal same to the Board of Education by filing a written grievance, along with the decision of the Superintendent, with the officer of the Board in charge of drawing up the agenda for the Board's meeting, within ten (10) work days of receipt of the Superintendent's decision.
Written Grievance If the grievance is not resolved at Step 1, the home care worker and/or Union representative shall set forth the grievance in writing including a statement of the pertinent facts surrounding the grievance, the date on which the incident occurred, the alleged violations of the Agreement, and the specific remedy requested. The written grievance shall be submitted to the Employer within thirty (30) calendar days of the occurrence of the alleged violation or within thirty (30) calendar days of when the home care worker or the Union could reasonably have been aware of the incident or occurrence giving rise to the grievance. The written grievance shall be submitted by email to xxxxx.xxxxxxxxx@xxx.xx.xxx. The Employer or the Employer's designee shall meet with the grievant and their Union representative within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of the written grievance, in order to discuss and resolve the grievance. Subsequent to this meeting, if the grievance remains unresolved, the Employer will provide a written response to the grievance by email within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date the parties met to discuss the grievance. If the response does not resolve the grievance, the Union may, within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of the response, proceed to Step 4, Arbitration. As an alternative prior to final and binding arbitration in Step 4, if the matter is not resolved in Step 2 the parties may choose by mutual agreement to submit the matter to mediation in order to resolve the issue. The party requesting mediation of the dispute must notify the other party by email no later than fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt by the Union of the emailed response from the Employer in Step 2. The party receiving the request for mediation must notify the other party by email within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of the request whether or not it agrees to mediate the dispute. If the party receiving the request does not agree to mediate the dispute, the Union may, within fourteen (14) calendar days of the email notification of the decision not to mediate, proceed to Step 4, Arbitration. If the parties agree to mediation, they shall select a neutral mediator. Both parties shall submit a statement of their position on the issue. The mediator may also bring the parties together in person to attempt to resolve the issue. The parties shall each pay one-half (1/2) the costs or fees, if any, of the neutral mediator. Each party shall be responsible for its own costs, including the costs of representation, advocacy and the costs of that party's appointed representatives. If the issue is successfully resolved by mediation, the decision shall be binding on all parties, and shall, unless specifically agreed otherwise, form a precedent for similar issues. If the issue is not successfully resolved through mediation, the Union may, within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of a written declaration of impasse or rejection of a settlement offer from either party, proceed to Step 4, Arbitration.
Steps of the Grievance Procedure All grievances shall be processed in accordance with the following procedure. Grievances over final counseling or dismissal will begin at Step Two. For all other grievances, the parties may agree to waive Step One. For grievances filed directly at Step Two, the grievant will have thirty (30) calendar days from the occurrence of the situation, condition or action that caused the grievant to file. Within thirty (30) calendar days of the occurrence of a situation, condition, or action that caused the grievance, the employee(s) affected and/or the xxxxxxx or Union representative shall present the grievance to the employee’s immediate supervisor for resolution. The Human Resources Consultant may also attend, if desired by the University. Presentation of the grievance shall include a short written description of the subject of the grievance and the contract Articles allegedly violated. If the grievance is directed against the employee’s immediate supervisor, the grievance may be presented to the next higher level of supervision. In the event the employee’s immediate supervisor does not have authority to resolve the grievance, the grievance will be presented at the level having authority to act as determined by the Employer. The Employer will respond within five (5) calendar days of the meeting. In the event an employee files a grievance outside the department in which the employee is employed and the grievance cannot be resolved at Step One, the grievance will be processed at Step Two by the level of management as designated by the University in the department which has been named in the grievance. If a satisfactory settlement is not reached in Step One, and the employee wishes to pursue the matter further, said grievance shall be put into writing on the agreed upon grievance form and referred to the department head or designee or to the next appropriate level of management and the Office of Labor Relations within fifteen (15) calendar days after the decision from Step One. The date of alleged occurrence of the grievance shall be specified. The parties shall attempt to meet to resolve the grievance within fifteen (15) calendar days following the date of written submittal. At this step, the Union agrees to cite all known sections of the Agreement and/or written policy or practice allegedly violated and to provide a copy to the Human Resources Office and Office of Labor Relations. The grievant may be represented by a xxxxxxx and a union staff representative. The University will be represented by the appropriate management official(s) or designee(s), a representative from the Office of Labor Relations, and a Human Resources Consultant, if desired by the University. The University will respond in writing within ten (10) calendar days.
Informal Grievance 1. Within fourteen (14) calendar days of the event giving rise to a grievance, the grievant shall present the grievance informally for disposition by the immediate supervisor or at any appropriate level of authority within the department.
2. Presentation of an informal grievance shall be a prerequisite to the institution of a formal grievance.
Grievance Process (a) Either party, with the agreement of the other party, may submit a grievance to Grievance Mediation at any time within ten (10) working days after the Employer’s decision has been rendered at the step prior to arbitration. Where the matter is so referred, the mediation process shall take place before the matter is referred to Arbitrator.
(b) Grievance Mediation shall be scheduled within twenty (20) working days of the grievance being submitted to mediation, or longer period as agreed by the parties.
(c) No matter may be submitted to Grievance Mediation which has not been properly carried through the grievance procedure, provided that the parties may extend the time limits fixed in the grievance procedure.
(d) The parties shall agree on a mediator.
(e) Proceedings before the Mediator shall be informal. Accordingly, the rules of evidence will not apply, no record of the proceedings shall be made and legal counsel shall not be used by either party, unless otherwise mutually agreed.
(f) If possible, an agreed statement of facts will be provided to the Mediator, and if possible, in advance of the Grievance Mediation Conference.
(g) The Mediator will have the authority to meet separately with either party.
(h) If no settlement is reached within five (5) working days following Grievance Mediation, the parties are free to submit the matter to Arbitration in accordance with the provisions of the collective agreement. In the event that a grievance which has been mediated subsequently proceeds to arbitration, no person serving as the Mediator may serve as an Arbitrator, unless otherwise mutually agreed. Nothing said or done by the mediator may be referred to Arbitration.
(i) The Union and Employer will share the cost of the Mediator, if any.
Grievance Procedure Steps Step 1: (a) Any employee who feels aggrieved must discuss the grievance with the employee's immediate supervisor within fourteen (14) days of the date on which the employee or the Union first learned or may reasonably have been expected to have learned of its cause unless the parties agree in writing to extend the fourteen (14) day period. The employee, if he or she so desires, may be accompanied and represented by the employee's stew- ard or a Union representative. The Union also may initiate a grievance at Step 1 within 14 days of the date the Union first became aware of (or rea- sonably should have become aware of) the facts giving rise to the griev- ance. In such case the participation of an individual grievant is not re- quired.
A Step 1 Union grievance may involve a complaint affecting more than one employee in the office. Whenever the facts giving rise to a grievance relate to an incident/issue occurring or arising on a specific date and in- volve more than one employee in the office, a Step 1 or Step 2 grievance may only be initiated by the Union as a Union grievance on behalf of all involved employees within a specific work location in an installation as provided in Article 17.2A or as defined by local practice. Should any grievances concerning the same incident/issue be filed at Step 1 by indi- vidual employees, the Union will consolidate all such grievances and se- lect a representative grievance which may be appealed to Step 2. Should multiple grievances concerning the same incident/issue be improperly filed/initiated at Step 1 by the Union, management shall notify the Union, and if so notified, the Union shall consolidate all such grievances and select a representative grievance which may be heard at Step 1.
Formal Grievance Procedure 1. In the event that a complaint cannot be resolved informally, the parties shall pursue the first step in the formal grievance procedure before making any application for arbitration, unless the College and the AAUP agree in writing to alter the procedure or waive one or more of the steps by proceeding directly to arbitration.
2. Upon written request of the AAUP Contract Compliance Officer, the College shall submit any requested documents in its possession which may be necessary for investigation of the grievance. The College shall deliver such documents as soon as is reasonably possible, but no later than seven (7) days after receipt of a written request.
3. Internal Steps in the Procedure
a. Step One: The Director of Human Resources
(1) Within thirty (30) days of when the AAUP learns of, or in the exercise of reasonable diligence should have learned of, an alleged violation of the provisions of this Agreement, the AAUP shall submit to the Director of Human Resources a completed Faculty Grievance Form or a dated, signed, written description of the grievance, clearly labeled "grievance" containing substantially the same information as provided for on the Faculty Grievance Form.
(2) Within eight (8) days of receipt of the written grievance, the Director of Human Resources shall convene a meeting to discuss the grievance. Such meeting shall include the grievant(s) and/or the designated representative(s) of the AAUP and shall be scheduled at a time which is mutually convenient to the parties.
(3) The Director of Human Resources shall attempt to determine the facts pertaining to the grievance and shall notify the grievant and the AAUP in writing of his/her decision within eight (8) days in a Grievance Disposition Form or in a document containing substantially the same information as contained in a Grievance Disposition Form, which shall include written details of the reasons which support the decision.
(4) Within eight (8) days after receipt of the disposition of the Director of Human Resources, the AAUP may appeal the decision in writing to the College Grievance Officer, by submitting a Grievance Disposition Reaction Form or a document containing substantially the same information as contained in a Grievance Disposition Reaction Form.
(5) By agreement, the parties may decide to advance the grievance to step two of the procedure, or to appeal directly to arbitration at step D(4) of this article.
Statement of Grievance The grievance shall contain a statement of:
1. Specific situation, act or acts complained of as violation of this Agreement, or written rules, regulations or policies;
2. The damage suffered by the employee; and
3. The relief sought.
