Labor Relations Fundamentals for Community College Districts

employee-employer disputes, or be restricted to contractual and/or major disciplinary disputes only. The purpose(s) behind most grievance procedures include:

 To provide a prompt and orderly process for addressing disputes regarding the interpretation of contract language (also working conditions and other relevant practices, as appropriate)

 To interpret provisions of the collective bargaining agreement



To protect rights of employees

 To protect rights of management and employee organizations.

The grievance procedure is intended to resolve the employee’s immediate problem; however it also serves to clarify the meaning of the contract language as well. The resolution of the grievance may become precedent for applying the contract in similar situations and for resolving similar grievances. Often, the final step in the grievance procedure calls for presenting the grievance to a neutral third party (e.g., arbitrator) for a decision. Usually rules define which procedure an employee should use, given the nature of the complaint. In most grievance or appeals procedures, the first step involves the employee and/or the union representative presenting the grievance to the supervisor for resolution. Should the supervisor not be able to resolve the grievance, it may go to the next step. Most grievance procedures provide for three to five appeal steps from the first level supervisor up through line management to a top-level administrator, board of trustees, or arbitrator. These additional steps give both management and the employee organization an opportunity to correct mistakes, resolve misunderstandings, understand one another’s positions, and explore solutions and compromises. C. G RIEVANCE P ROCEDURES R EQUIRE S UPPORT AND C OMMITMENT TO B E S UCCESSFUL The first requirement for an effective grievance procedure is full and active support from a district’s top management. The district must educate is supervisors and employees about the basic philosophy and purposes of the procedure. Second, supervisors must accept the workforce’s right to grieve and that grievances are not, per se, unfavorable reflections on supervisors. Supervisors must be willing to discuss complaints, no matter how trivial, with serious concern for the employee’s concerns. Acceptance means that supervisors recognize the value of an effective grievance procedure as a method of achieving efficient and orderly operations with a minimum of friction on the part of subordinates. A third requirement is that employees must feel free to express their complaints without fear of discrimination or retaliation. They must be protected against reprisals whenever they raise questions about supervision or working conditions. This can be accomplished only if the highest

Labor Relations Fundamentals for Community College Districts © 2019 (c) Liebert Cassidy Whitmore 32