§ A314-11. Grievances.

A. 

General policy.

(1) 

It shall be the general policy of the City to adjust grievances of employees within the framework of these rules and other regulations. Supervisory personnel of the City shall be responsible for receiving and acting upon grievances. Employees exercising their rights under this section shall be free from reprisal. No City employee may avail himself or herself of more than one grievance procedure on any one complaint.

(2) 

The processing of grievances is limited by the job duties and responsibilities of the employees and shall therefore be accomplished during normal working hours, only when consistent with such employee's duties and responsibilities. The aggrieved employee shall be allowed a reasonable amount of time without loss of pay when a grievance is investigated and presented to the City during normal working hours, provided the employee has notified and received the approval of the employee's supervisor.

B. 

Grievance procedure.

(1) 

First step. The employee shall take up the grievance with the employee's immediate supervisor within 10 working days of the date of the grievance or the employee's knowledge of its occurrence. The supervisor shall attempt to resolve the matter and shall respond to the employee within five working days.

(2) 

Second step. If the answer is not satisfactory, the employee's grievance shall be reduced to writing with a copy to the City Council within five working days of the supervisor's first step answer. All grievances shall state the fact upon which they are based, when they occurred, the specific provisions of the rules allegedly violated, the remedy requested, the avenue through which to redress is sought, and shall be signed by the employee who is aggrieved. The City Council shall give a written answer to the employee within five working days after the receipt of the written grievance. A copy of the supervisor's response shall be sent to the City Council. Any grievance not appealed in writing to the third step by the employee within five working days of receipt of the supervisor's response shall be considered waived.

(3) 

Third step. If the grievance is not resolved in the first and second step the employee may request a hearing before the City Council.