Grievances

Austin Community College seeks to achieve and maintain good employee relations and harmonious working conditions. To attain such goals, the College shall resolve grievances at the lowest level possible and respond promptly. The grievance process provides the mechanism for handling employee complaints regarding conditions of work, interpretation of policies and procedures, disciplinary actions or any other personnel matter related to their employment.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervisors are responsible for the management of employee concerns, problems, and complaints. Supervisors shall ensure that employee complaints are resolved in a timely manner. To resolve grievances informally, the supervisor shall meet with the employee to discuss his concerns. The supervisor should investigate the concerns before making a final decision. Upon reaching a decision, the supervisor shall meet with the employee to discuss the results. If the employee is not satisfied with the supervisor's resolutions, the employee may request a meeting with the next level supervisor to discuss his/her concerns. The employee may appeal the supervisor's decision up through the supervisory chain. If the employee does not feel the concerns will be resolved through the supervisory chain, the employee may file a formal complaint with the Office of Human Resources. A sample of the form to be used is located at http://www3.austincc.edu/it/eforms/frontpage.php?ID=HURE.009. The five-part form may be obtained from any Campus Manager's Office or the Office of Human Resources.

Management of Employee Complaints

An employee who desires to file a formal complaint about a problem or concern shall complete the Statement of Grievance and submit it to the Office of Human Resources. Grievances regarding a personnel action should be filed immediately after the event and within the academic year in which the action took place, but no later than one (1) year after the action occurred. The Office of Human Resources will send the form to the next level supervisor for review and response. The next level supervisor shall meet with the employee within ten working days to discuss the employee's concern. The next level supervisor has ten days to investigate, interview witnesses and send a response to the Office of Human Resources. The next level supervisor shall notify the employee of the outcome of the review.

If the employee accepts the outcome, no further action should be taken. If the employee does not accept the resolution of the next level supervisor's decision, the employee may request 1) review and decision by the Executive Officer, 2) Grievance Committee, or 3) mediation. The Office of Human Resources will coordinate the review of the grievance by the Executive Officer or Grievance Committee.

Mediation temporarily halts the grievance process and is available to the employee at any time. To request mediation, the employee should contact the HR Associate Vice President's Office and request mediation. The Office of Human Resources will contact the supervisor to propose mediation. Both parties must agree to mediate in order for mediation to be successful. If the parties agree, the Office of Human Resources shall select a mediator and advise the parties. Once the first meeting is scheduled, the mediation occurs between the parties and the mediator, and the Office of Human Resources is no longer the coordinator. A list of College mediators as well as additional information about the mediation process is available at: www.austincc.edu/hr/avp/mediation.php.

No reprisals or retaliation of any kind shall be taken at any level against an employee for filing a grievance. If the employee suspects reprisal or retaliation, the employee should immediately make a report to the Associate Vice President of Human Resources.

The Associate Vice President of Human Resources shall maintain all records of grievances.

Resources

The sample Statement of Grievance is located at: http://www3.austincc.edu/it/eforms/frontpage.php?ID=HURE.009. The five part form is located in the Campus Manager's Office or can be obtained from the Office of Human Resources, 223-7572.

The Administrative Rule regarding grievances is located at: www.austincc.edu/admrule/6.08.005.htm.

The Mediation Process is located at: www.austincc.edu/hr/avp/mediation.php