Grievance Timelines

There are different ways for employees to settle informal and formal disputes and to address complaints with their employer. SLOCEA works hard at settling member disputes and issues with the employer at the lowest level to avert taking formal measures, however sometimes that is unavoidable. A grievance is the formal process wherein an employee is seeking a remedy due to a violation and lodges a formal complaint against their employer. Grievances are filed for a variety of reasons. Every agency that SLOCEA represents handles the grievance process a little differently and each has specific timelines and guidelines that must be adhered to when filing a formal grievance.

County of San Luis Obispo

Guidelines for the grievance process for County employees are cited in Civil Service Commission Rule 4 and is defined as, “A Grievance is a dispute between one or more classified employees and the County involving the interpretation, application or enforcement of a County ordinance, rule, policy, practice or agreement”. 

The timeline for filing a grievance is cited under Rule 4.03 (c) Step 1, which states, “Within 20 business days following the event which caused or led to the dispute, or within 20 business days after it is determined that the dispute cannot be resolved informally, the Grievant or representative must initiate Step 1 of the grievance procedure by serving a completed County Grievance Form to the Human Resources Director”.

Los Osos Community Services District

Employees of the LOCSD must follow grievance guidelines per section 29.1 of the MOU as defined in section 5010 of the Personnel Policy manual which states, “The purpose of this policy is to provide a procedure by which employees may formally claim that he/she has been affected by a violation, misapplication, or misinterpretation of a law, District policy, rule, regulation or instruction.” Level I of the process requires the employee to give notice to the employer 30 days following the incident that caused or led to the problem.

Superior Court of California

Grievance procedures and guidelines for employees of the Superior Court can be found in Section 25 of the MOU. The purpose of the procedure is to “resolve grievances informally at the lowest possible level and to provide an orderly procedure for reviewing and resolving grievances promptly.” As per 25.2 a grievance is defined as, “A dispute of one or more employees, or a dispute between the Court and the Union, involving the interpretation, application, or enforcement of the express terms of this MOU.” The section defines the processes for an Informal Grievance and the steps of a Formal Grievance and the various timelines for each.

Contact SLOCEA

It is important that if you are seeking a remedy and find the need to file a grievance that you reach out to a SLOCEA representative for assistance.  Email info@slocea.org or call our office at 805-543-2021 for assistance.

By Theresa Schultz, Senior Labor Representative