Procedural Steps Grievances shall be presented and adjusted in the following manner:
A. Step I - An employee shall present the grievance informally via oral or electronic communication to his/her immediate supervisor.
B. Step 2 - Any grievance not resolved informally in Step 1 shall be submitted in writing to the immediate supervisor provided that such grievance is submitted within twenty (20) days following knowledge of the act or condition which is the basis of the complaint. The immediate supervisor shall have ten (10) days to give a written decision after receipt of the grievance.
C. Step 3 - If the grievance is not settled in Step 2, the grievant may move it to Step 3 by written notice to the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee within ten (10) days after receipt of the Step 2 decision. The Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee shall have ten (10) days to give a written decision after receipt of the grievance.
D. Step 4 - If the grievance is not settled in Step 3, the grievant may move it to Step 4 by written notice to the Chairman of the Board of Education within ten (10) days after receipt of the Step 3 decision. The Board shall have twenty (20) days to give a written decision after receipt of the grievance. If the Board chooses not to consider the grievance, they will notify the grievant within ten (10) days, and said grievance may be moved to Step 5 without comment or prejudice.
E. Step 5 - Arbitration Procedure - Any grievance concerning the alleged violation, misinterpretation or misapplication of any provision of this Agreement that has been properly processed through level four of the grievance procedure as set forth above and has not been settled or waived may be appealed to arbitration by the Association by serving written notice on the Board within five (5) days after the Board’s answer at level four of the said grievance procedure. If the Association fails to serve such notice of its intention to arbitrate within this time limitation, it shall be deemed to have waived the arbitration and the grievance shall be considered settled.
Level IV a. If the grievant is not satisfied with the disposition of his/her grievance at Level III, he/she may file the grievance within five (5) days of the Level III response for transmittal to the Board.
b. The Board will hear the grievance at its next regularly scheduled meeting or a special meeting which has been called for that purpose. The Board shall transmit its written decision to the grievant within five (5) days of the meeting. The decision of the Board shall be final. Nothing in this section shall be construed so as to deny a grievant any appeal rights available under the law.
Level II In the event the grievance is not resolved in Level I, the decision rendered may be appealed to the Superintendent of Schools, provided such an appeal is made in writing within ten (10) days after receipt of the decision in Level
I. If a grievance is properly appealed to the Superintendent, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall meet regarding the grievance within fifteen (15) days after receipt of the appeal. Within ten (10) days after the meeting, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall issue a decision, in writing, to the parties involved.
Level III In the event the grievance is not resolved in Level II, the decision rendered may be appealed to the School Board, provided such an appeal is made in writing within ten (10) days after receipt of the decision in Level II. If a grievance is properly appealed to the School Board, the School District shall hear the grievance within twenty (20) days after the receipt of the appeal. Within twenty (20) days after the meeting the School Board shall issue its decision in writing to the parties involved. At the option of the School Board, a committee or representative(s) of the School District may be designated by the School Board to hear the appeal at this level, and report its findings and recommendations to the School District. The School District shall then render its decision.
Level I If the grievance is not resolved through informal discussions, the School District designee shall give a written decision on the grievance to the parties involved within ten (10) days after receipt of the written grievance.
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.
Staffing Levels To the extent legislative appropriations and PIN authorizations allow, safe staffing levels will be maintained in all institutions where employees have patient, client, inmate or student care responsibilities. In July of each year, the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of each agency will, upon request, meet with the Union, to hear the employees’ views regarding staffing levels. In August of each year, the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Budget and Management will, upon request, meet with the Union to hear the employees’ views regarding the Governor’s budget request.
Notification; Procedural Matters Promptly after receipt by an Indemnified Party under Section 3.1 of notice of any claim or the commencement of any action, such Indemnified Party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Indemnifying Party (or if a claim for contribution is to be made against another party) under Section 3.1, notify the Indemnifying Party (or other contributing party) in writing of the claim or the commencement of such action; provided, however, that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Party (or other contributing party) shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have under Section 3.1 except to the extent it has been materially prejudiced by such failure; and provided, further, however, that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any Indemnified Party (or to the party requesting contribution) otherwise than under Section 3.1. In case any such action is brought against any Indemnified Party and it notifies the Indemnifying Party of the commencement thereof, the Indemnifying Party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that, by written notice delivered to the Indemnified Party promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such Indemnified Party, the Indemnifying Party elects to assume the defense thereof, it may participate with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Party; provided, however, that if the defendants in any such action include both the Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party and the Indemnified Party or parties shall reasonably have concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it or them and/or other Indemnified Parties that are different from or additional to those available to the Indemnifying Party, or if the use of counsel chosen by the Indemnifying Party to represent the Indemnified Parties would present such counsel with a conflict of interest, the Indemnified Party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to assert such legal defenses and to otherwise participate in the defense of such action on behalf of such Indemnified Party or parties. Upon receipt of notice from the Indemnifying Party to such Indemnified Party of its election so to assume the defense of such action and approval by the Indemnified Party of such counsel, the Indemnifying Party shall not be liable to such Indemnified Party under this paragraph for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with the defense thereof, unless (i) the Indemnified Party shall have employed separate counsel (plus any local counsel) in connection with the assertion of legal defenses in accordance with the proviso to the immediately preceding sentence, (ii) the Indemnifying Party shall not have employed counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party to represent the Indemnified Party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action or (iii) the Indemnifying Party shall have authorized the employment of counsel for the Indemnified Party at the expense of the Indemnifying Party. No party shall be liable for contribution with respect to any action or claim settled without its consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. In no event shall the Indemnifying Party be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from its own counsel for all Indemnified Parties in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances.
Procedural Matters The Trustee may maintain a proceeding even if it does not possess any of the Notes or does not produce any of them in such proceeding. A delay or omission by the Trustee or any Holder in exercising any right or remedy following an Event of Default will not impair the right or remedy or constitute a waiver of, or acquiescence in, such Event of Default. All remedies will be cumulative to the extent permitted by law.
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.
