Hearing Procedures The hearing shall be held at the earliest convenient date, taking into consideration the established schedule of the Board or hearing officer and the availability of the CSEA representative, counsel and witnesses. The parties shall be notified of the time and place of the hearing after ensuring availability of all necessary parties. The employee shall be entitled to appear personally, produce evidence, and have CSEA representation. The employee shall be entitled to a public hearing if he/she demands it when the Board is hearing the appeal.
18.12.1 The complainant may also be represented by counsel. The procedure entitled "Administrative Adjudication" commencing with Government Code 11500 shall not apply to any such hearing before the Board or a hearing officer. Neither the Board nor a hearing officer shall be bound by rules of evidence used in California courts. Informality in any such hearing shall not invalidate any order or decision made or approved by the hearing officer or the Board.
18.12.2 All hearings shall be heard by a hearing officer (who shall be an attorney licensed in the State of California) except in those cases where the Board determines to hear the appeal itself. In any case in which the Board hears the appeal, the Board may use the services of its counsel or a hearing officer in ruling upon procedural questions, objections to evidence, and issues of law. However, the Board must employ separate counsel from the one presenting the case for the complainant.
18.12.3 If the appeal is heard by the Board, the Board shall affirm, modify or revoke the recommended personnel action.
18.12.4 If the appeal is heard by a hearing officer, he/she shall prepare a proposed decision in a form that may be adopted by the Board as the decision in the case. A copy of the proposed decision shall be received and filed by the Board and furnished to each party within ten days after the proposed decision is filed by the Board. After furnishing the proposed decision to each party, the Board may:
18.1.4.1 Adopt the proposed decision in its entirety.
18.1.4.2 Reduce the personnel action set forth in the proposed decision and adopt the balance of the proposed decision.
18.1.4.3 Reject a proposed reduction in personnel action, approve the disciplinary action sought by the complainant or any lesser penalty, and adopt the balance of the proposed decision.
18.1.4.4 Reject the proposed decision in its entirety.
18.12.5 If the Board rejects the proposed decision in its entirety, each party shall be notified of such action and the Board may decide the case upon the record including the transcript, with or without the taking of additional evidence, or may refer the case to the same or another hearing officer to take additional evidence. If the case is so assigned to a hearing officer, he/she shall prepare a proposed decision, as provided in item Section 18.12.4 above, upon the additional evidence and the transcript and other papers which are part of the record of the prior hearing. A copy of this proposed decision shall be furnished to each party within 10 days after the proposed decision is filed by the Board.
18.12.6 In arriving at a decision or a proposed decision on the propriety of the proposed disciplinary action, the Board or the hearing officer may consider the records of any prior disciplinary action proceedings against the employee in which a disciplinary action was ultimately sustained and any records that were contained in the employee's personnel files and introduced into evidence at the hearing.
Hearing Procedure A. The Personnel Commission may conduct hearings of appeals or may appoint a hearing officer to conduct the hearing and report findings and recommendations to the Commission. If the Personnel Commission orders a hearing, said hearing shall be held in closed session. The employee shall be given written notice of his or her right to have the complaints or charges heard in an open session rather than closed session pursuant to Government Code section 54957. The notice shall be delivered to the employee personally or by mail at least twenty-four (24) hours before the time for holding the closed session.
B. Hearings shall be conducted in the manner most conducive to determination of the truth, and neither the Commission nor its hearing officer shall be bound by technical rules of evidence. Decisions made by the Commission shall not be invalidated by any informality in the proceedings.
C. The Personnel Commission or its hearing officer shall determine the relevancy, weight, and credibility of testimony and evidence. It shall base its findings on the preponderance of evidence.
D. Each side will be permitted an opening statement (Board first) and closing arguments (employee first). The Board shall first present its witnesses and evidence to sustain its charges and the employee will then present his witnesses and evidence in defense.
E. Each side will be allowed to examine and cross-examine witnesses.
F. Both the Board and the employee will be allowed to be represented by legal counsel or other designated representation. The employee may, at his/her option, be represented by legal counsel and/or union representation, or any other person designated by the employee. If the employee files an appeal, the employee shall be required to attend the Commission Appeal Hearing, even if the employee’s designated representative appears on his/her behalf. If the employee fails to appear, the employee will be deemed to have forfeited his/her rights to further appeal and the Personnel Commission shall allow the Board of Trustee’s disciplinary action to stand.
G. The Commission may, and shall, if requested by the Board or the employee, subpoena witnesses and/or require the production of records or other material evidence.
H. The Commission may, prior to or during a hearing, grant a continuance for any reason it believes to be important to its reaching a fair and proper decision.
I. Whether the hearing is held in a public or Executive Session, the Commission, after it concludes the hearing, may deliberate its decision in Executive Session. No persons other than members of the Commission, its counsel, and the Director of Personnel shall be permitted to participate in the deliberations. If the Personnel Director or any staff was a witness in the proceedings, he shall also be barred from the Commission's final deliberations.
J. The Commission shall render its judgment in an open session as soon after the conclusion of the hearing as possible and in no event later than fourteen (14) days. Its decision shall set forth which charges, if any, are sustained and the reasons therefore.
K. The Commission may sustain or reject any or all of the charges filed against the employee. It may sustain, reject, or modify the disciplinary action invoked against the employee. It may not provide for discipline more stringent than that invoked by the Board.
L. The Commission order of judgment will be filed with the Governing Board and the charged employee and shall set forth its findings and decision. If a dismissal is not sustained, its order shall set forth the effective date the employee is to be reinstated which may be any time on or after the date of disciplinary action.
Arbitration Procedures In the event that the teacher and the School Board are unable to resolve any grievance, the grievance may be submitted to arbitration as defined herein:
1. Request: A request to submit a grievance to arbitration must be in writing signed by the aggrieved party, and such request must be filed in the office of the superintendent within ten (10) days following the decision in Level III of the grievance procedure.
GRIEVANCE AND ARBITRATION PROCEDURES 8.01 Any employee(s) or the Union may present a complaint at any time without recourse to the formal written procedure contained herein. Failure to comply with this step, or the manner in which it is complied with shall not interfere with the formal grievance procedure, nor shall this step be subject of preliminary objections in any arbitration hearing.
8.02 At any step in the grievance procedure, including the complaint stage, the employee may be accompanied by his/her employee representative.
8.03 Grievances shall be registered with the Employer as follows: Step No. 1 An employee(s) or the Union on his/her/their behalf or in its own stead may present a grievance in writing to the Director of Care. Such grievance must be presented within ten (10) days of the date of its occurrence or when the employee or the Union reasonably ought to have been aware of this occurrence. The Director of Care shall render a decision in writing in ten (10) days following the day on which the grievance was submitted. If this decision is unsatisfactory to the employee(s) or the Union, Step No. 2 may be followed within ten (10) days. The grievance in writing shall be referred to the Administrator of the Home or designate who shall call a meeting of the Grievance Committee at the request of either party within seven (7) days of the filing of the grievance or such further period as the parties may agree. Within three (3) days following this meeting or within ten (10) days following the submission to the Administrator of the Home or designate if no such meeting is held, the Administrator of the Home or designate shall reply in writing to the employee(s) and the Chairperson of the Grievance Committee. If this decision is unsatisfactory to the employee(s) or the Union, Step No. 3 may be followed within ten (10) days. Within ten (10) days after the decision is given at Step No. 2 the grievance may be referred to the Chief Administrative Officer of the County or designate and the employee accompanied by his/her representative shall meet within ten (10) working days with the Chief Administrative Officer and Committee of Management or their designates. The employee may also be accompanied by a full-time representative of the Union if so desired at this stage. The Employer will render a decision in writing within ten (10) days following such meeting. If the decision is unsatisfactory to the employee(s) or the Union, it may be referred to arbitration.
8.04 A policy grievance may be presented by either the Union or the Employer at Step 2 of the Grievance Procedure.
8.05 Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Article, should the Employer discharge, suspend or discipline an employee or employees, notification by the Employer to such employee or employees shall be made in the presence of a member of the Union. Should the employee(s) or the Union on his/her/their behalf file a grievance against the discharge, suspension or discipline, it shall be reduced to writing and filed within ten (10) days under Step No. 3 of the Grievance Procedure.
8.06 Before any grievance is submitted to arbitration, the parties may meet with a Grievance Mediator in order to attempt to resolve such grievance. The parties may refer any number of outstanding grievances to the Grievance Mediator for possible resolution. Each party shall pay one-half (1/2) of the fees and expenses of the Grievance Mediator.
8.07 When either party requests that a grievance be submitted to arbitration, the grievance shall be submitted to one of the following panel of sole Arbitrators: ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ If a grievance has already been submitted to one of the Panel of Arbitrators, then any subsequent grievances shall be submitted to the next Arbitrator on the Panel. In order to accept an appointment, the Arbitrator must agree to render an award within thirty (30) days of the last day of hearing.
8.08 In the event that the parties mutually agree to refer a grievance to a tripartite Arbitration Board, the party requesting arbitration shall advise the other of its nominee to the Arbitration Board. Within ten (10) days thereafter, the other party shall answer, in writing, indicating the name and address of its appointee to the Arbitration Board. The Chair shall be selected from the Panel of Arbitrators set out in paragraph 8.07 above.
8.09 Once appointed, the Arbitration Board or single Arbitrator shall have all the powers set out in Section 50 of the Labour Relations Act including the power to mediate/arbitrate the grievance and to limit evidence and submissions.
8.10 Each party shall pay the costs and expenses of its appointees and the costs and expenses of the Chairperson shall be borne equally by the parties. Arbitration hearings shall be held in the community of the Employer or at such other places as may be agreed upon by the Union and the Employer.
8.11 The Arbitration Board shall not have jurisdiction to amend or add to any of the provisions of this Agreement, or to substitute any new provisions in lieu thereof, nor to give any decision inconsistent with the terms and provisions of this Agreement.
8.12 No person may be appointed as an arbitrator who has been involved in an attempt to negotiate or settle the grievance.
8.13 Any time limit referred to in the Grievance and Arbitration Procedures shall be exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and holidays observed by the Employer and the days off of the aggrieved employee including vacation, and such limits may be extended with the agreement of both parties.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE & ARBITRATION It is the mutual desire of the parties hereto that complaints of employees shall be adjusted as quickly as possible. If an employee has a complaint related to an alleged violation of the Collective Agreement may at option discuss it with immediate supervisor within three (3) days after the circumstances giving rise to the complaint (grieved action) have occurred or have or ought to have reasonably come to the attention of the employee. The Supervisor shall give a response to the complaint within three (3) days. These discussions will not establish precedent. Failing settlement, or failing a response to the complaint, it may be taken up as a grievance in the following manner and sequence: Procedure: Any employee or group of employees, for whom the Union is the bargaining agent, may refer grievances to the appropriate Union ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ covered under this Collective Agreement. Grievances must be filed within fifteen (15) working days of grieved act or except where both parties agree to an extension of time. There is no grievance until an employee has reported complaint to the Supervisor. The grievance form shall contain a statement giving particulars of the grieved action, a statement as to the remedy sought and the provisions of the Agreement alleged to have been breached, provided that this does not preclude the or Employer from relying upon other provisions of the Agreement. Step Grievance form is completed in duplicate and signed by the employee and Union ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, presented to the Supervisor by the Union ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ and (at their option). Both copies are to be returned by the Supervisor with signed comments to the Union ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ within three (3) working days. Once a grievance has been filed no Supervisor or Employer Official shall discuss said grievance with the grieved employee except in the presence of a ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ or Union Official. Step If satisfaction is not obtained in Step the Union ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, within five (5) working days, may refer the grievance to the Department Manager or designate, who will meet and discuss the grievance with the Union ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, (at their option) and the Human Resources Consultant then render a decision in writing on the prescribed forms within five