Policy Manual

III-30 Student Employee Grievance Procedure 

(Regents 6/27-28/74; amended 9/93; 8/1/23)

Effective August 1, 2023, this policy has been revised. For the most current version without redlining, return to III-30.

1. Eligibility. This procedure has been established to provide covered biweekly student employees with a formal process for resolving workplace disputes. These procedures The procedure shall apply to and be considered the right of any University of Iowa non-academic biweekly student employee who: 
   1. Is a student currently registered in an undergraduate, graduate, or professional program on campus at the University of Iowa; and 
   2. Has no other employee grievance procedure available for use. Specifically, employees covered under the Graduate Student Employment Standards are not covered by this grievance procedure. 
2. Definition. A "grievance" is a difference, complaint or dispute regarding the interpretation or application of established policies and/or procedures governing terms of employment, working conditions, hours of work or compensation. General Wage adjustments are excluded from the grievance procedure. 
3. Filing time limit. The initiation period for A grievance must be initiated within 21 30 calendar days of the date of discovery, by the employee, of the grievance, and within one year of the actual incident. The date of the act, event, or discovery shall not be included in the computing of calendar days. Under no circumstance shall a grievance be considered timely after 12 calendar months from the date of the occurrence. 
4. Accompaniment. The employee shall have the right to be accompanied by two representatives throughout the proceedings. no more than two nonconflicted observers or support persons at all stages of the grievance process. It is a violation of institutional policy to restrain, interfere with, coerce, or discriminate against an employee acting as a support person in accordance with this procedure.
5. Employee grievance preparation. The employee shall be allowed a reasonable time, not to exceed four hours, off from duties without loss of pay to investigate a grievance. Such time is to be scheduled with the supervisor's permission. What is constitutes a reasonable time shall be determined by mutual consent of the parties involved. If the parties are unable to agree, the time reasonably necessary to investigate the grievance should will be determined by the Vice President for Student Life Director of University Employee and Labor Relations (for main campus employees); Director, Labor and Employee Relations, UI Health Care (for health care employees); or designee. 
6. Time limits and waiver. All levels of supervisory personnel involved shall be directed to consider grievances as soon as is reasonably possible. An extension of the time limits specified in the grievance procedure may be made when mutually agreed upon by the employee and the administrator to whom the grievance is being addressed. parties or when supervisory scheduling or availability so requires. Failure of management to provide a response within the stated or agreed-upon time frame will constitute a denial of the grievance. Failure of the employee to appeal a grievance from one level to another within the time periods specified herein shall constitute a waiver of the grievance. 
7. Adjustment of grievances. The mechanism for handling grievance proceedings is as follows. An effort shall first be made to resolve or adjust an alleged grievance informally between the employee and the immediate supervisor. Such informal efforts to resolve the grievance must be initiated in writing by the employee within 30 calendar days following the time at which the employee could reasonably have been made aware of the grievance. At a mutually agreeable time, the employee presents the grievance orally to the employee’s immediate supervisor. If the parties are unable to resolve the grievance informally, the employee may proceed with the grievance as follows:
   1. Step 1. A grievance proceeding shall be commenced by the employee presenting the grievance orally to their immediate supervisor. Such supervisor shall make an immediate response to the grievance. 
   2. Step 2 1. If the oral response of the immediate supervisor fails to satisfy the employee, within four working days of receipt of the immediate supervisor's oral response, the employee shall file a written grievance with the immediate supervisor. If no oral response is made, a similar writing shall be filed with the immediate supervisor within four working days of presenting the oral grievance. In either case, the writing shall set forth with reasonable particularity: If the grievance is not resolved through informal discussions, the grievance must be filed in writing with the immediate supervisor within 45 calendar days following the time at which the employee could reasonably have been aware of the grievance. The writing shall set forth with reasonable particularity: 
      1. The events concerning which the employee feels aggrieved; The specific events and issue(s) involved; 
      2. The date or dates on which the events occurred; The date of the incident(s) or alleged violation(s) that took place;
      3. The date of the presentation of the oral grievance to the immediate supervisor; The specific policy or procedure alleged to have been violated;
      4. The date of the immediate supervisor's oral response, if one was made; and The date of the oral presentation of the grievance to the immediate supervisor; and 
      5. The employee's understanding of the immediate supervisor's oral response, if one was made. The relief sought. 
         
         Within four working days 14 calendar days of receiving the written grievance, the immediate supervisor shall respond to the employee in writing stating with reasonable particularity the supervisor's understanding of the facts and of their oral the supervisor's response, if either or both differ from that of the employee. If not resolved: 
   3. Step 3 2. The written grievance shall be sent by the employee within five working days 14 calendar days of receipt of the supervisor's response to the department head and an administrator designated by the Vice President for Student Life or a designee. A meeting called by the administrator will then be held, if possible within five working days 10 calendar days of receipt of the grievance or as soon thereafter as is feasible among the administrator, the department head or their designee, the employee and the employee's representatives support person, if any. A written response is required within five working days 10 calendar days following the meeting. The response must be written by the department head in consultation with the administrator. If not resolved: 
   4. Step 4 3. The written grievance should shall be forwarded by the employee within five working days 14 calendar days of receipt of the department head's response to the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer. Within five working days 10 calendar days of the receipt of the written grievance, or as soon thereafter as feasible, a meeting should be called by the Chief Human Resources Officer or their designee of appropriate parties necessary to review the issues related to the complaint grievance, at which the employing department and the grievant employee may present arguments and/or witnesses in support of their position. The final administrative determination should will be made by the Chief Human Resources Officer, or designee, in consultation where appropriate with the Vice President for Student Life, to be communicated to the parties in writing within three working days 10 calendar days of the meeting. 
      
      The decision of the Chief Human Resources Officer or their designee shall constitute final university action on the grievance.

(See also III-31.)