Grievance Procedure

A grievance should be brought to the immediate supervisor’s attention within five (5) working days of the action that is the subject of the grievance, or the grievance will not be considered. The subject of the grievance should be informally discussed between the employee and the supervisor in a good faith attempt to resolve the dispute. If a resolution is reached, such shall be reduced to writing and sent to the Director of Human Resources for approval and, if approved, implemented. If the grievance involves allegations of harassment or discrimination by the supervisor, the reporting provisions of the appropriate policy addressing those types of complaints should be followed.

If the grievance is not satisfactorily resolved by the immediate supervisor within five (1) working days of receipt of the informal grievance, the employee must present the grievance in writing, within five (5) working days of the supervisor’s response to the department Chair or Director for consideration and further action, or the grievance will not be considered further. The written grievance must state specifically what the grievance is, all pertinent facts, any specific policy, procedure, rule or regulation upon which the employee relies and must stipulate a remedy or solution. This written grievance will be the basis for all future discussions and appeals. A written decision by the Chair or Director will be sent to the employee and to the Director of Human Resources within ten (10) working days of receipt of the formal grievance.

Complaints not satisfactorily resolved by the department Chair or Director may be appealed in writing to the appropriate Vice President within five (5) working days of the date of the previous decision. If the appeal is not timely taken, the matter will not be considered further. The appeal must state why the previous decision is not acceptable. The Vice President will render a written decision within thirty (30) working days of receipt of the appeal. This decision will be sent to the employee and to the Director of Human Resources.

Should the grievance still remain unsettled to the employee’s satisfaction, the employee may appeal the decision within five (5) working days of the date of the previous decision to the Director of Human Resources. If the appeal is not timely taken, the matter will not be considered further. The Director of Human Resources will have the matter studied by a committee composed of three (3) full-time University employees; one selected by the Vice President, the second selected by the employee, and the third selected by the other two (2) committee members. The committee will accumulate and study the statements of fact and render a decision to the Director of Human Resources within thirty (30) working days. The Director of Human Resources will then review the committee’s findings and render a decision to all parties involved within five (5) working days. This decision will be final and binding to all parties.

If a grievance is resolved, there shall be no retroactive adjustment as to pay or other monetary matters prior to the date the grievance was first submitted.

The provisions in this Policy Manual for a system whereby an employee, through the Grievance Procedure, may present his/her side of any dispute is not, and shall not be construed to be, a modification in any way of the “at will” employment doctrine described in Sections 1.4 and 1.5 heretofore. Nothing in this Section shall be, or shall be construed as, a contract or other commitment that the University must have good cause or any cause for disciplinary action or for discharge of any Classified Employee. The University retains the final decision in any matter pertaining to disciplinary action or discharge, and retains the right to terminate this Grievance Procedure at any step for any reason, including abuse of the Grievance Procedures.