Progression For progression for all classifications under this agreement, refer to Schedules A to D.
Step III 21.5.1 If the employee desires to appeal the grievance to Step III, the employee shall indicate in writing the reason for the appeal and present it along with the original written grievance to the Municipal Employee Relations Officer or designee within ten (10) working days following receipt of the written decision at Step II.
21.5.2 Within ten (10) working days after receipt of the appeal to Step III, the Municipal Employee Relations Officer or designee shall schedule a meeting with the employee, the appropriate Union representative, and the Department Director or designee to discuss the matter. A written decision shall be given to the employee or the appropriate Employee Organization representative within ten (10) working days following the meeting.
21.5.3 If the decision of the Municipal Employee Relations Officer or designee is unsatisfactory, the appropriate Employee Organization representative may appeal the grievance to Step IV - Arbitration.
Step IV If the grievant is not satisfied with the disposition of the grievance or if no disposition has been made within the above stated time limits, the grievant and/or the Association shall complete Grievance Report Form, Step IV, within ten (10) school days after notification of Step III disposition and submit the grievance to final and binding arbitration according to the voluntary rules and regulations of the American Arbitration Association. The Arbitrator's decision will be final and binding on all parties. The cost of arbitration shall be the responsibility of the party losing arbitration.
Step 2 (a) If the grievance is not resolved at Step 1, the grievant or designated representative may submit the grievance in writing on a grievance form as contained in Appendix B of this Agreement, to the Agency Head or designated representative within 15 days following receipt of the decision at Step 1. The grievance form must contain the same information as the grievance filed at Step 1. The grievance shall include a copy of the grievance form submitted at Step 1, together with the written response and documents in support of the grievance.
(b) The Agency Head or designated representative shall communicate a decision in writing to the grievant and the PBA Grievance Representative, if any, within 15 days following receipt of the written grievance. If the Agency Head fails to respond within the time limit, it shall be deemed a denial.
(c) If a grievance, alleging that a disciplinary action (reduction in base pay, demotion, involuntary transfer of more than 50 miles by highway, suspension, or dismissal) was taken without cause, is not resolved at Step 2, the PBA representative, or the grievant or grievant’s representative, if not represented by PBA, may appeal the grievance to arbitration as provided in Article 6, Section 3(G)(4), below, within 15 days after receipt of the Step 2 decision.
STEP II If the grievance is not resolved at Step I, the Association may refer the grievance to the superintendent or the superintendent's official designee within fifteen (15) days after receipt of the Step I answer. The superintendent shall arrange with the Association representative for a meeting to take place within fifteen (15) days of the superintendent's receipt of the appeal. Within ten (10) days of the meeting, the Association shall be provided with the superintendent's written response, including the reasons for the decision.
Incremental Progression Three (3) Year Trained Teacher - Professional Development
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 7.1.4 (f), a 3 year trained teacher may apply for progression by annual increments from Proficient 4 to 8 subject to the following conditions:
(i) completion of at least twelve (12) months service on Proficient 4;
(ii) participation in one hundred and fifty (150) hours of accredited professional development activities to be achieved at an annual average rate of not less than thirty (30) hours (five (5) days) and to be undertaken outside the hours engaged in teaching; and
(iii) provision of a statement outlining the knowledge and skills acquired through participation in professional development.
(b) Applications for progression identified in paragraph 7.1.6 (a) shall be made through the principal of the school and be subject to assessment and recommendation to the school authority by a panel consisting of:
(i) a representative of the school authority;
(ii) a representative of the teacher seeking progression;
(iii) a representative jointly agreed to.
(c) Applications for progression identified in paragraph 7.1.6 (a) shall include:
(i) certification of participation in accredited professional development activities by activity providers; and
(ii) a brief statement on a standard agreed, outlining the additional knowledge and skills acquired and their application in the teacher's work.
(d) No teacher shall be required to undergo classroom or other inspection for the purposes of certification.
(e) The review panel identified in paragraph 7.1.6 (b) shall make a recommendation to the employing authority as to whether in its opinion the teacher has satisfied the eligibility criteria in clause 7.1.6 (a).
(f) A teacher who is assessed by the review panel as having satisfied the requirements contained in clause 7.1.6 (a) shall be entitled to progress to the next incremental pay step (Proficient 4 to 8 as appropriate) effective from their date of application or on the completion of twelve (12) months' service on their current incremental step (whichever is the later).
Step 3 i. The employer shall investigate the complaint. The investigation shall be conducted by a person who shall have training and/or experience in investigating complaints of harassment. The complainant may request that the investigator shall be of the same gender as the complainant and where practicable the request will not be denied.
ii. The investigation shall be conducted as soon as is reasonably possible and shall be completed in ten (10) working days unless otherwise agreed to by the parties, such agreement not to be unreasonably withheld.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE (Continued 6. The Board and the Administration will cooperate with any investigation of any grievance, and will furnish such information insofar as possible. Costs, if any, shall be paid by the requesting party. The cost of the copies shall comply with board policy.
7. Forms for filing a grievance and written decisions shall be given appropriate distribution to administrators, supervisors, and teachers. These forms will be readily available in each school office or from an Association representative.
8. The P.R.&R. Committee and such administrative personnel as designated by the Superintendent shall meet at least once annually to discuss and agree upon how grievances are to be handled. Such meetings shall be held prior to or during the first day of the school year. Such meetings shall be co-chaired by the chairman of the P.R.&R. Committee and a designee of the Superintendent and shall be conducted within the regular work day so far as possible.
9. A grievance must be initiated within fifteen (15) days following the act or condition or knowledge of the act which is the basis for said grievance.
10. The number of days indicated at each step shall be considered as maximum. If the aggrieved fails to file the grievance within the time limits specified in the succeeding sections of this procedure, it shall be presumed that said incident or grievance has been resolved. If the responding party fails to comply with any time limit in the succeeding sections of this procedure, the grievance may automatically be appealed to the next step in the grievance procedure. Both parties may, however, in writing, mutually agree to extend the time limits.
11. It shall be mutually agreed that the handling of any professional grievance may be conducted within the regular work day if such can be done without interruption of the students’ educational program.
12. In the event a grievance is carried to Step Four, the grievant and a member of the P.R.&R. Committee shall be granted released time with pay to attend hearings held by the arbiter if the hearing is held within a contract day.
Step I 18.3.1.1 An employee may present the grievance orally either directly or through the Union representative to the immediate supervisor. The grievance must be presented within ten (10) working days following the event or events on which the grievance is based. The immediate supervisor shall make whatever investigation is necessary to obtain the facts pertaining to the grievance. Within ten (10) working days after receiving the oral grievance, the immediate supervisor shall give the employee an oral reply.
18.3.1.2 If the employee is not satisfied with the reply of his/her immediate supervisor, he/she may appeal the grievance to Step II.
Step 1 Within fifteen workdays of the occurrence of the grieved action (or from the day the employee should have known about the action) the employee shall present a formal written grievance (on the grievance form) to Agency Head and/or his/her Designee.
