Submission of Grievances A. Any employee or group of employees shall have the right to present a grievance. No employee or group of employees shall be hindered from or disciplined for exercising this right.
B. If any two (2) or more employees have essentially the same grievance they may, and if requested by the County must, collectively present and pursue their grievance if they report to the same immediate supervisor.
C. If the grievant is a group of more than three (3) employees, the group shall, at the request of the County, appoint one (1) or two (2) employees to speak for the collective group. To be considered a grievant in a group grievance, each employee must be individually identified as a grievant when the grievance is submitted at Step 2.
Group Grievances No more than five (5) grievants will be permitted to attend grievance meetings.
Settlement of Grievances The applicable procedures of this Agreement shall be followed for the settlement of all grievances. All grievances shall be considered carefully and processed promptly.
Employee Grievances (a) Grievances on behalf of employees shall be handled as follows:
Disciplinary Grievances If the grievance is not resolved at Step 2, the Union may file a request for mediation with the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) in accordance with WAC 000-00-000, with a copy to the Office of Financial Management/SHR/Labor Relations Section (OFM/SHR/LRS) and the Human Resources Office within fifteen (15) days of receipt of the Step 2 decision. In addition to all other filing requirements, the request must include a copy of the grievance and all previous responses.
Grievances Any Complaint alleging Discrimination or Harassment shall be pursuant to Board Rule 4001.2 and 4001.3 as they existed on July 10, 2021. Any amendments to Board Rule 4001.2 or 4001.3 which occur after July 10, 2021 will be submitted to the Union for approval prior to implementation for employees covered by this Agreement. Any other grievance, complaint, disagreement or difference of opinion between the District, the Union or the employees covered by the Agreement concerning application of the terms of this Agreement will be processed using the following grievance procedure:
(A) Any Employee or the Union may present a Grievance. Any Grievance which is not presented within fifteen (15) days following the event giving rise to such a Grievance shall be forfeited and waived by the aggrieved party. The grievance form shall state the name of every employee authorizing the filing of the grievance, and all grievances shall be signed by at least one aggrieved employee. An aggrieved employee shall have the right to a Union Representative appointed by the Union.
(B) The grievant shall first take up the Grievance by presenting it in writing to their immediate supervisor or designee. If the Grievance is not satisfactorily adjusted with five (5) days from the meeting with the supervisor, the Employee or the Union representative shall present the grievance in writing to the Chief Financial Officer or his or her designated representative.
(C) The Chief Financial Officer or his or her designated representative shall within ten (10) days from the day it was received, make a determination and submit the determination to the aggrieved party in writing.
(D) Each party reserves the right to litigate a question presented by the Grievance by bringing an original action in any court of competent jurisdiction in the event such party shall not be satisfied with the resolution of the Grievance. However, no such litigation may be maintained until all available steps under this grievance procedure have been pursued and exhausted. It is understood and agree to between the parties that the role of the Chief Financial Officer or his or her designee in the grievance procedure is not an exercise of a judicial or quasi-judicial function, but solely as a means to allow the parties to resolve disputes informally.
(E) Definitions: Days shall mean calendar days.
Settling of Grievances An xxxxxxx effort shall be made to process and settle grievances fairly and promptly in the following manner: It is agreed that an Employee has no grievance until he/she has first given his/her immediate Supervisor an opportunity to adjust his/her complaint within fourteen (14) calendar days of its occurrence or when they ought to have become aware of it. The Employee may request to meet with their Supervisor and is permitted to have a co-worker from their department present at the meeting. Prior approval is required to attend the meeting. The Employee has the option of making a written submission as an alternative to the meeting. The Employer will provide a written response to the complaint and if no satisfactory answer is received within seven (7) calendar days from the time it was first discussed with the Employee’s immediate Supervisor, the Employee may proceed to Step 1 of the grievance procedure.
Step 1 Failing satisfactory settlement at the complaint stage the Union may present the grievance to the appropriate Supervisor within seven (7) calendar days following the decision at the complaint stage. The grievance shall be in writing on a mutually approved form and shall include the nature of the grievance, the redress sought and the section or sections of the agreement that are alleged to have been violated. The Supervisor shall deliver his/her decision in writing within seven (7) calendar days following the presentation of the grievance to him/her.
Step 2 Failing satisfactory settlement at Step 1, the Union may present the grievance to the Administrator, or designate, in writing within seven (7) calendar days following receipt of the decision at Step 1. A meeting will be held within seven (7) calendar days from receipt of the grievance between the Administrator, or designate, and the Union. The decision of the Administrator, or designate, shall be delivered in writing within seven (7) calendar days of the meeting.
Step 3 Failing satisfactory settlement at Step 2, either party may refer the grievance to arbitration within thirty (30) calendar days following receipt of the decision at Step 2.
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.
DISPUTES AND GRIEVANCES Section 1. This Agreement is intended to provide close cooperation between management and labor. Each of the Unions will assign a representative to this project for the purpose of completing the construction of the project economically, efficiently, continuously, and without interruptions, delays, or work stoppages.
Section 2. The Port of Seattle, Contractors, Unions, and the employees, collectively and individually, realize the importance to all parties to maintain continuous and uninterrupted performance of the work of the project, and agree to resolve disputes in accordance with the grievance-arbitration provisions set forth in this Article.
Section 3. Any question or dispute arising out of and during the term of this Project Agreement (other than trade jurisdictional disputes) shall be considered a grievance and subject to resolution under the following procedures:
(a) When any employee subject to the provisions of this Agreement feels he/she is aggrieved by a violation of this Agreement, he/she, through his/her local union business representative or designated Union Representative, shall, within five (5) working days after the occurrence, or had knowledge of or should have known of the alleged violation, give notice to the work-site representative of the involved Contractor stating the provision(s) alleged to have been violated. The business representative of the local union or the designated Union Representative and the work-site representative of the involved Contractor and the Owners Representative shall meet and endeavor to adjust the matter within three (3) working days after timely notice has been given. The representative of the Contractor shall keep the meeting minutes and shall respond to the Union representative in writing and the Owners Representatives at the conclusion of the meeting but not later than twenty-four (24) hours thereafter. If they fail to resolve the matter within the prescribed period, the grieving party may, within forty-eight (48) hours thereafter, pursue Step 2 of the Grievance Procedure, provided the grievance is reduced to writing, setting forth the relevant information concerning the alleged grievance, including a short description thereof, the date on which the grievance occurred, and the provision(s) of the Agreement alleged to have been violated.
(b) Should the Local Union(s) or the Project Contractor or any Sub-Contractor of whatever tier have a dispute with the other party and, if after conferring, a settlement is not reached within three (3) working days, the dispute may be reduced to writing and proceed to Step 2 in the same manner as outlined herein for the adjustment of an employee complaint.
Step 2. The International Union Representative and the involved Contractor shall meet within seven (7) working days of the referral of a dispute to this second step to arrive at a satisfactory settlement thereof. Meeting minutes shall be kept by the Contractor. If the parties fail to reach an agreement, the dispute may be appealed in writing in accordance with the provisions of Step 3 within seven (7) calendar days thereafter.
Technical Objections to Grievances It is the intent of both Parties of this Agreement that no grievance shall be defeated merely because of a technical error, other than time limitations in processing the grievance through the grievance procedure. To this end, an arbitration board shall have the power to allow all necessary amendments to the grievance and the power to waive formal procedural irregularities in the processing of a grievance, in order to determine the real matter in dispute and to render a decision according to equitable principles and the justice of the case.
