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.
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.
Layoff A layoff is defined as any mandatory, permanent or prolonged reduction in the number of full-time or part-time nurses employed by the Medical Center. A layoff may also occur if there is a mandatory reduction in scheduled hours or change of shift. Where skill, competence, ability and experience are substantially equal in the opinion of the Employer, seniority shall be the determining factor when utilizing this layoff procedure. The Employer will give the Association, the local unit chairperson and the affected full-time and part-time nurses at least thirty (30) calendar days’ advance written notice of a layoff or pay in lieu thereof, based on scheduled hours missed. As soon as practical thereafter, the Employer will provide the Association with a roster listing all bargaining unit nurses, their seniority, unit, shift and hours worked per pay period. Upon request, the parties will meet for the purpose of reviewing the procedure to be utilized and the order of layoff. If the Employer determines a layoff to be necessary, the following procedures shall be followed:
6.2.1 The Employer shall identify the unit(s), shift(s) and number of FTEs which will be subject to layoff. The position(s) of the least senior nurse(s) on the unit and shift to be eliminated to accomplish the required FTE reduction on that unit and shift will be identified. Those nurses whose positions have been eliminated shall be considered “displaced nurses”. The Local Unit Chairperson or designee, if available, shall be present when displaced nurses are given their bumping options. The Local Unit Chairperson or designee’s time off shall not be paid.
6.2.2 Displaced nurses, by seniority, shall have the following options:
a. A displaced nurse wishing to remain on his/her unit may bump into the position of either the least senior full-time or the least senior part-time nurse on the nurse’s unit; or
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 No 1 Step No. 2
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 4 In the event the dispute is not resolved at Step 3 above, either party may serve upon the other and the COORDINATOR written notice by certified mail, within five (5) working days, requesting that the dispute be resolved by arbitration. If such a written notice is served, the parties shall jointly request the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to submit the names of five (5) qualified arbitrators, from which list the UNION and the EMPLOYER shall alternately strike names until only one name is left, which person shall hear and resolve the dispute. A hearing shall be conducted by the arbitrator, at which time the parties to the dispute shall be given the opportunity to appear and offer evidence in support of their positions. A decision by the arbitrator shall be rendered in writing within a reasonable time, not to exceed ten (10) days after the conclusion of the hearing. The decision by the arbitrator shall be final and binding upon the parties; provided, however, that the arbitrator shall not have the authority to alter or amend the provisions of this AGREEMENT in any way. The reasonable expenses and fees of the arbitrator shall be borne equally by the parties.
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.
Recall from Layoff Full-time and regular part-time nurses shall be recalled in the order of seniority unless otherwise agreed between the Hospital and the local Union, subject to the following provisions, provided that a nurse recalled is qualified to perform the available work:
(a) Full-time and regular part-time nurses on layoff may notify the Hospital of their interest in accepting occasional vacancies and/or temporary vacancies which may arise and for which they are qualified. Such notification of interest shall state any restrictions on the type of assignment which a nurse is willing to accept, and shall remain valid for six weeks. However if a nurse declines an occasional or temporary vacancy the Hospital shall not be obliged to call upon the nurse again during the balance of such six-week period.
(b) For the purposes of this article, an "occasional vacancy" shall mean an assignment which is anticipated not to exceed five shifts (37.5 hours). Occasional vacancies shall be offered first to regular part-time nurses on layoff who have expressed interest, and if no such part-time nurse accepts then to full-time nurses on layoff who have expressed interest, and if no such full-time nurse accepts then to casual part-time nurses.
(c) For the purposes of this article, a "temporary vacancy" shall mean an assignment which is anticipated to exceed five shifts (37.5 hours). Temporary vacancies which arise in the full-time bargaining unit shall be offered by seniority first to full-time nurses on layoff who have expressed interest, and if no such full-time nurse accepts then by seniority to regular part-time nurses on layoff who have expressed interest, and if no such part-time nurse accepts then to casual part-time nurses. Temporary vacancies which arise in the part-time unit shall be offered by seniority first to regular part-time nurses on layoff who have expressed interest, and if no such part-time nurse accepts then by seniority to full-time nurses on layoff who have expressed interest, and if no such full-time nurse accepts then to casual part-time nurses.
(d) A nurse to whom an occasional or temporary vacancy is offered may accept or decline such vacancy and in either case shall maintain her or his position on the recall list. The acceptance of a temporary vacancy that is anticipated to exceed sixty (60) calendar days shall be considered a recall from layoff for purposes of Article 10.06(c). No new notice of layoff will be required and the nurse will be deemed to be laid off at the conclusion of the temporary vacancy. A full-time nurse on layoff who accepts a temporary full-time vacancy within thirty (30) days of the effective day of layoff will continue to receive benefit coverage for the duration of the temporary vacancy. A full-time nurse who has worked for more than 600 hours in 140 calendar days as the result of accepting one or more temporary vacancies shall thereafter be eligible for benefit coverage as a full-time nurse and shall be paid accordingly, and shall continue to receive benefit coverage so long as she or he continues to fill a temporary vacancy and such full-time employee shall accrue seniority in the manner prescribed for full-time employees throughout the period of employment. Otherwise, a full-time employee who accepts a temporary or occasional vacancy shall be paid her or his regular full-time rate of pay together with a percentage payment in lieu of benefits at the rate specified for part-time nurses. A full-time employee who accepts a temporary part-time vacancy or occasional vacancies as provided herein will accrue seniority throughout the period of such employment in the manner prescribed for part-time nurses. A part-time employee who accepts a temporary or occasional vacancy will accrue seniority throughout the period of such employment in the manner prescribed for part-time nurses.
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.
