Whenever an employee of the Township has a grievance, he or
she shall first present it verbally to his or her department head
or the Mayor. It is the responsibility of the department head or Mayor
to arrange a mutually satisfactory solution to the grievance as quickly
as possible, if such solution can and, in his or her opinion, should
be made within the discretion permitted that person. The department
head or Mayor must either conclude a mutually satisfactory solution
to the grievance within 48 hours of the time it was first presented
to him or her or, failing that, must within that time advise the employee
of his or her inability to do so, at which time the department head
or Mayor shall submit the matter, in writing, to the Council committee
under whose jurisdiction the department falls. The committee shall
investigate the grievance in an attempt to resolve the matter.
A.
When an employee is informed by his or her department head or the
Mayor that he or she is unable, within the discretion permitted him
or her, to arrange a mutually satisfactory solution to the grievance,
the employee must, if he or she wishes to present the grievance to
higher authority, namely the Mayor and Council, do so in writing in
the manner set forth in this section.
(1)
The employee shall prepare the grievance in writing, in duplicate.
The grievance should be stated as completely and as clearly as possible
in order to permit proper processing. One copy of the grievance shall
be immediately placed in the hands of the Township Clerk, who shall,
without delay, forward it to the Mayor and Council in order to advise
the Mayor and Council of the filing of the grievance.
(2)
The other copy of the grievance shall be presented by the employee
to his or her immediate department head (to whom the grievance was
made verbally). The department head shall report the facts and events
which led up to its presentation in writing, including in his or her
written report any verbal answer he or she may have previously given
the employee concerning this grievance. Within 24 hours after receipt
of the written grievance, the department head must present it, with
the information required from him or her, to the Mayor and Council
via the Township Clerk.
(3)
The department head will attempt to find a mutually satisfactory
solution to the grievance within 48 hours and, failing that, must
forward the complaint accompanied by his or her written report to
the Mayor and Council. The Mayor and Council will then consider and
formally act on the complaint.
B.
Since it is intended that most, if not all, grievances can and should
be settled without the necessity of reference to the Mayor and Council,
no grievance will be heard or considered which has not passed through
the preliminary steps set out in this article.
All papers and documents relating to a grievance and its disposition
will be placed in the employee's personnel history file.
