Grievance Steps Prior to initiating a formal written grievance pursuant to this Article, an employee or PEF is encouraged to resolve disputes subject to this Article informally with the appropriate immediate supervisor.
(a) Step One: The employee or PEF shall present the grievance to the facility or institution head or a designated representative not later than 30 calendar days after the date on which the act or omission giving rise to the grievance occurred. The facility or institution head or designated representative shall meet with the employee or PEF and shall issue a short plain written statement of reasons for the decision to the employee or PEF not later than 20 working days following the receipt of the grievance.
(b) Step Two: An appeal from an unsatisfactory decision at Step 1 shall be filed by the employee or PEF, on forms to be provided by the State, with the agency or department head or the designee within 10 working days of the receipt of the Step 1 decision. Such appeal shall be in writing and shall include a copy of the grievance filed at Step 1, a copy of the Step 1 decision and a short plain written statement of the reasons for disagreement with the Step 1 decision. The agency or department head or a designee shall meet with the employee or PEF for a review of the grievance and shall issue a short, plain written statement of reasons for the decision to the employee and to the President of PEF or the President’s designee no later than 20 working days following receipt of the Step 1 appeal.
(c) Step Three: An appeal from an unsatisfactory decision at Step 2 shall be filed by PEF through its President or the President’s designee, on forms to be provided by the State with the Director of the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations, or the Director’s designee, within 30 working days of the receipt of the Step 2 decision. Such appeal shall be in writing, and shall include a copy of the grievance filed at Step 1, and a copy of all prior decisions and appeals, and a short, plain written statement of the reasons for disagreement with the Step 2 decision. The Director of the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations, or the Director’s designee, shall issue a short, plain written statement of reasons for the decision within 30 working days after receipt of the appeal. A copy of said written decision shall be forwarded to the President of PEF, or the President’s designee.
(d) Step Four: Arbitration:
(1) Contract grievances which are appealable to arbitration pursuant to the terms of this Article may be appealed to arbitration by PEF, by its President or the President’s designee, by filing a demand for arbitration upon the Director of the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations within 15 working days of the receipt of the Step 3 decision. If the Step 3 decision has not been issued within the time period for the issuance of such decision, a demand for arbitration may be filed by the President of PEF or the President’s designee at any time after expiration of the time period established for the issuance of the Step 3 decision, except that in no case may a demand for arbitration be filed later than 15 working days after receipt of the Step 3 decision.
(2) The demand for arbitration shall identify the grievance, the department or agency involved, the employee or employees involved, and the specific term or provision of the Agreement alleged to have been violated.
(3) Within a reasonable time after the effective date of this Agreement, the Director of the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations and the President of PEF, or their designees, shall meet to agree upon a panel of arbitrators selected from lists submitted by the parties. The composition of the panel of arbitrators shall be agreed to by the State and PEF and such panel shall serve for the term of this Agreement. After receipt of the demand for arbitration, the parties shall meet to select an arbitrator from this panel. The essential method of selection of the arbitrator for a particular case shall be by agreement and, if the parties are unable to agree, the arbitrator shall be assigned from this panel on a rotating basis. Initial assignment for rotation shall be determined by lot.
(4) Arbitrators shall have no power to add to, subtract from or modify the terms or provisions of this Agreement. They shall confine their decision and award solely to the application and/or interpretation of this Agreement. The decision and award of the arbitrator shall be final and binding consistent with the provisions of CPLR Article 75.
(5) Arbitrators shall confine themselves to the precise issue or issues submitted for arbitration and shall have no authority to determine any other issues not so submitted to them nor shall they make observations or declarations of opinion which are not essential in reaching the determination.
(6) All fees and expenses of the arbitrator shall be divided equally between parties. Each party shall bear the cost of preparing and presenting its own case.
(7) Any party requesting a transcript at an arbitration hearing may provide for one at its expense and, in such event, shall provide a copy to the arbitrator and the other party without cost.
(a) The arbitration hearing shall be held within 60 working days after receipt of the demand for arbitration or as soon thereafter as is practicable.
(b) The arbitration decision and award shall be issued within 30 calendar days after the hearing is closed by the arbitrator.
Policy Grievance – Employer Grievance The Employer may institute a grievance alleging a general misinterpretation or violation by the Union or any employee by filing a written grievance with the Bargaining Unit President, with a copy to the Labour Relations Officer within twenty (20) days after the circumstances have occurred. A meeting will be held between the parties within ten (10) days. The Union shall reply within ten (10) days after the meeting, and failing settlement, the matter may be referred to arbitration.
(a) 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, either of the parties may, after exhausting the grievance procedure established by this Agreement, notify the other party in writing of its decision to submit the difference or allegation to arbitration, and the notice shall contain the name of the first party's appointee to an Arbitration Board. The recipient of the notice shall, within ten (10) days, inform the other party of the name of its appointee to the Arbitration Board. The two appointees so selected shall within ten (10) days of the appointment of the second of them, appoint a third person who shall be the Chairperson. If the recipient of the notice fails to appoint a nominee, or if the two nominees fail to agree upon a Chairperson within the time limit, the appointment shall be made by the Minister of Labour for Ontario upon the request of either party.
(b) Within thirty (30) calendar days of the receipt of notice referred to in Article 8.12(a) above, either party may require a process for a sole arbitrator where the grievance concerns:
i) a job posting ii) a short term layoff
Employee Grievance If an employee considers there has been a significant change to the job content of the position held, the employee may initiate a grievance by using Step 1 of the Grievance Procedure. If the issue is not resolved at this step, the Job Classification Review Procedure of Article 22.02(B) above shall be utilized.
Policy Grievance – Union Grievance The Union may institute a grievance alleging a general misinterpretation or violation of this Agreement by the Employer by submitting a written grievance at Step No. 1 within twenty (20) days after the circumstances have occurred. This section shall not apply to disciplinary grievances or application of competitive clauses under this Agreement.
Employee Grievances (a) Grievances on behalf of employees shall be handled as follows:
Complaints Procedure (a) A formal complaint must be submitted in writing within six months of the last alleged occurrence.
(b) A complaint must be submitted through the Union and/or directly to the Executive Director (or the equivalent or designate). When the Executive Director has received a complaint, they will notify the respondent and the union staff representative of the substance of the complaint in writing within 15 days.
(c) The complaint must contain the specific instance(s) and date(s) that the alleged harassment occurred, the names of any witnesses, an explanation of how the action constitutes a violation of Article 29 (Harassment), and the remedy sought.
(d) The Executive Director or their designate will investigate the complaint and will complete their report in writing within 30 days.
(e) The Employer will take action to resolve the complaint within 10 days of receiving the investigator's report.
(f) The Employer will advise the respondent, the complainant and the Union in writing of the substance of the investigator's report and the resolution of the complaint.
(g) If the resolution involves separating employees, reasonable efforts will be made to relocate or reschedule the respondent. The complainant may agree in writing to be transferred or rescheduled.
(h) If the resolution involves separating an employee and a respondent who is not an employee, reasonable efforts will be made to remedy the situation.
(i) If the respondent is the Executive Director (or equivalent), or where there are possible systemic issues or multiple complaints, the following process will be used:
(1) The complainant will contact the Union.
(2) As soon as possible but within 30 days the Union will notify the Executive Director (or equivalent) and CSSEA. Clause 29.4 (a) and (c) apply to the notice. CSSEA will inform the Employer's Board of Directors.
(3) CSSEA and the Union will appoint either Xxxxx Xxxxx or Xxxxxx Xxxx to resolve the complaint. (The person appointed is referred to below as "the Appointee".)
(4) After consultation with the parties involved, the Appointee will establish the process to resolve the complaint. The process may include - at the Appointee's discretion - any of the following (or any combination of them): fact-finding, mediation, making recommendations or a full report, or conducting an expedited arbitration. In exercising their discretion with respect to the process, the Appointee will consider the parties' desire that the process be fair and expeditious, that it minimizes disruption in the workplace, that it respects individual privacy to the degree possible in the circumstances, and that it keeps costs to a reasonable level. The Appointee will submit any report or recommendations to CSSEA and the Union. The report and recommendations will remain confidential, except for distribution to the Employer's Board of Directors, the complainant and the respondent. The Appointee may stipulate conditions she/he deems appropriate with respect to distribution. Any outcomes of the process are without prejudice or precedent for other proceedings.
(5) The Appointee's fees and expenses will be shared by the Employer and the Union.
(j) The Employer may take appropriate action, including discipline, against a complainant if the investigation determines that the complaint is frivolous, vindictive or vexatious.
Group Grievance Where a number of employees have identical grievances and each employee would be entitled to grieve separately they may present a group grievance in writing signed by each employee who is grieving to the Administrator or her designate within ten (10) days after the circumstances giving rise to the grievance have occurred or ought reasonably to have come to the attention of the employee(s). The grievance shall then be treated as being initiated at Step No. 1 and the applicable provisions of this Article shall then apply with respect to the processing of such grievance.
Policy Grievance Where either Party disputes the general application, interpretation or alleged violation of an article of this Agreement, the dispute shall be discussed initially with the Employer or the Union, as the case may be, within thirty (30) days of the occurrence. Where no satisfactory agreement is reached, either Party may submit the dispute to arbitration, as set out in Article 10.
Employer Grievance The Employer may institute a grievance by delivering the same in writing to the President of the Local Union and the President shall answer such grievance in writing within five working (5) days. If the answer is not acceptable to the Employer, the Employer may, within ten (10) working days from the day the President gives her answer, give ten (10) working days notice to the President of the Local Union of its intention to refer the dispute to arbitration.
Separate Grievance File All documents, communications and records dealing with the processing of a grievance shall be filed in a separate grievance file and shall not be kept in the personnel file of any of the participants.
