Grievance Procedure A. A grievance shall be defined as an alleged violation, misinterpretation, or misapplication of this Agreement or written Board policies affecting working conditions of the member. Should a member/Association feel that there has been a violation, he/she will take the following steps:
Step 1: The member/Association, with or without a designated representative, shall discuss the grievance with the Supervisor informally within five (5) work days of the alleged violation and, if not resolved, shall file a written grievance with the Supervisor within fifteen (15) work days of the alleged violation and discuss the written grievance with the Supervisor within five (5) work days after the grievance is filed. If no satisfactory conclusion is reached within five (5) work days following the discussion of the written grievance with the Supervisor, the member/Association shall submit the written grievance within five (5) work days of the discussion with the Supervisor to Step 2. A grievance which is not within the scope of a Supervisor's authority may be filed initially at step 2. The written grievance, as required herein, shall contain:
a. it shall be signed by the grievant(s)/Association.
b. it shall be specific;
c. it shall contain a synopsis of the facts giving rise to the alleged violation;
d. it shall cite the section or subsections of this contract or written Board policy alleged to have been violated;
e. it shall contain the date of the alleged violation;
f. it shall specify the relief requested;
g. it shall indicate approval or disapproval by the Association.
Step 2: The Superintendent or his/her designated agent shall arrange a meeting with the grievant and/or the designated Association representative within ten (10) work days after receipt of the grievance to discuss the grievance. Within ten (10) work days of the discussion, the Superintendent or his/her designated agent shall render his/her decision in writing, transmitting a copy of the same to the grievant, the Association representative, and appropriate Supervisor, and place a copy of same in a permanent file in his/her office. If the decision of the Superintendent is unsatisfactory to the Association, the Association may appeal same to the Board of Education by filing a written grievance, along with the decision of the Superintendent, with the officer of the Board in charge of drawing up the agenda for the Board's meeting, within ten (10) work days of receipt of the Superintendent's decision.
Bereavement Leave (a) Upon the death of an employee's spouse, spouse to include same sex partner, child or stepchild, an employee shall be granted leave up to a maximum of five (5) continuous calendar days without loss of pay. One of the days of leave shall include the day of the funeral or equivalent service. Additional days off with or without pay may be granted by the Employer. Part-time employees will be credited with seniority and service for all such leave. In the event of a delayed interment or ceremony for reason of religion or other protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code, an Employee may save one of the days identified above without loss of pay to attend the interment or ceremony.
(b) When a death occurs in the immediate family of an employee, the employee shall be granted leave up to a maximum of three (3) continuous calendar days without loss of pay around the date of the funeral or equivalent service provided that the employee must be regularly scheduled to work such days to receive pay.
(c) Immediate family shall be defined as parent, step-parent, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, daughter-in- law, son-in-law, legal guardian, grandmother, grandfather, and grandchildren.
(d) An employee shall be granted one (1) day bereavement leave without loss of pay to attend the funeral, or if there is no funeral, an equivalent service for his or her aunt or uncle, niece or nephew. Where there is a funeral but the employee cannot attend by reason of religion or other protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code, the employee shall be granted one (1) day bereavement leave without loss of pay to attend an equivalent service within a week following the funeral.
(e) An employee will not be eligible to receive payment for any period in which she is receiving any other payments. For example, holiday pay or sick pay.
(f) Where it is necessary, with as much notice as possible, the employee may apply for personal leave of absence in addition to bereavement leave. Permission for such leave shall not be unreasonably withheld.
MANAGEMENT RIGHTS 3.01 The Union acknowledges that all management rights and prerogatives are vested exclusively with the Employer and without limiting the generality of the foregoing; it is the exclusive function of the Employer:
(a) To determine and establish standards and procedures for the care, welfare, safety and comfort of the residents in the facility.
(b) To maintain order, discipline and efficiency and in connection therewith to establish and enforce reasonable rules and regulations.
(c) To hire, transfer, layoff, schedule, recall, promote, demote, classify, assign duties, discharge, suspend or otherwise discipline employees for just cause, provided that a claim of discriminatory transfer, promotion, demotion of classification or a claim that an employee has been discharged or disciplined without just cause, may be the subject of a grievance and dealt with as hereinafter provided.
(d) To have the right to plan, direct, and control the work and direction of employees and the operation of the facility. This includes the right to introduce new and improved methods, facilities, equipment and to control the amount of supervision necessary, work schedules, the combining or splitting up of departments, and the increases or reduction of personnel in a particular area or on the whole.
3.02 The Employer will exercise these rights in a manner consistent with the Collective Agreement and apply the provisions of the Collective Agreement in a reasonable manner.
Dispute Resolution All or any disputes arising out or touching upon or in relation to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the interpretation and validity of the terms thereof and the respective rights and obligations of the Parties, shall be settled amicably by mutual discussion, failing which the same shall be settled through the adjudicating officer appointed under the Act.
Intellectual Property The Company and the Subsidiaries have, or have rights to use, all patents, patent applications, trademarks, trademark applications, service marks, trade names, trade secrets, inventions, copyrights, licenses and other intellectual property rights and similar rights necessary or required for use in connection with their respective businesses as described in the SEC Reports and which the failure to so have could have a Material Adverse Effect (collectively, the “Intellectual Property Rights”). None of, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received a notice (written or otherwise) that any of, the Intellectual Property Rights has expired, terminated or been abandoned, or is expected to expire or terminate or be abandoned, within two (2) years from the date of this Agreement. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the SEC Reports, a written notice of a claim or otherwise has any knowledge that the Intellectual Property Rights violate or infringe upon the rights of any Person, except as could not have or reasonably be expected to not have a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Company, all such Intellectual Property Rights are enforceable and there is no existing infringement by another Person of any of the Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its Subsidiaries have taken reasonable security measures to protect the secrecy, confidentiality and value of all of their intellectual properties, except where failure to do so could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.