| DALLAS COUNTY PEACE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION |
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| Martha Rand (Communications) |
| 2nd Vice-President |
| Pattie Dotsy (C.I.S.) |
| Secretary |
| Board of Directors |
| Board of Directors |
| Parliamentarian |
| Sefton Burke (Court Desk) |
| Board Member |
| Anthony Rounds (Intake) |
| Fiscal Officer |
| Board of Directors |
| Roshunda Brown (George Allen Jail) |
| Board of Directors |
| Board of Directors |
| Wilson Womack (Intake) |
| Michael Herron (Court Desk) |
| Board of Directors |
| Board Member |
| Anthony Guinn (Suzanne Kays Jail) |
| Robert Walker (Release Section) |
| Board Member |
| Charles Bailey (Warrants Division) |
| 1st Vice-President |
| Board of Directors |
| Aretha Evans (Suzanne Kays Jail) |
| Board Member |
| Willie Green (Communications) |
| Board of Directors |
| Sergeant at Arms |
| EMPLOYEE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES INFORMAL AND FORMAL 1. INFORMATION TO EMPLOYEES Employees will be advised of grievance policies and procedures at least once a year. Each division will decide the method for advising employees. Acceptable methods include permanently posting this regulation of a summary of it on all official bulletin boards, distributing it to all employees, and including it in an official meetings, shift meeting, etc. 2. ASSISTANCE TO EMPLOYEES Employees must be told they can seek assistance from their Personnel Office submitting grievances. Personnel’s assistance will be limited to advice on procedures and making available Personnel records. They must be advised that the Personnel Office may not serve as their advocate. Additional assistance may be secured from the Legal Advisor’s Office if appropriate. 3. USE OF OFFICAL TIME AND RESOURCES Employees must use reasonable amounts of official time, subject to supervisory approval, to: A. Get advice on rights and privileges from official sources. (For example: meet with a representative of the Personnel Office). B. Get information on or assistance with grievances from official sources. C. Present grievances. (Meet with the management officials considering the grievance) The time allowed depends on the facts of the specific case. Official time will not be granted for preparing a grievance. Such as organizing materials, writing and typing the grievance. A Grievant is not entitled to use County resources, such as typing assistance, word processor supplies or material in preparing the grievance. 4. PURPOSE This directive prescribes grievance procedures for resolving employment dissatisfactions. These procedures give an employee the opportunity to have dissatisfactions with any aspect of his or her working conditions, working relationships, or employment status objectively reviewed. 5. ELIGIBILTY Any Category “B” and “C” Permanent, Full-Time Civil Service employee may process a personal grievance. Any Category “B” and “C” Probationary Civil Service employee may file a grievance except those relating to his | her performance rating or dismissal. In any investigations conducted by the Commission they shall have the power to subpoena and require the attendance of witnesses and the production thereby of books, papers, and other evidence pertinent to the investigation. As well as the power to administer oaths to such witnesses. 6. RESPONSIBILITIES A. The Sheriff will: 1. Maintain a positive work environment where employees feel free to discuss their dissatisfactions with management. 2. Make a special effort to insure that most grievances are resolved informally and fairly by management. 3. Insure compliance with this directive. B. The Civil Service Commissioners will: 1. Investigate through hearing procedures employee grievances. 2. Render decisions to the Sheriff and the Grievant on all issues which the Commission has jurisdiction and raised in the grievance hearing related to the original grievance submitted. 3. Render decisions establishing the proper penalties for a grieved offense when it has been determined that an error has been committed. C. Managers and Supervisors will: 1. Assist the Sheriff in maintaining a positive work atmosphere in which most grievances are resolved informally. 2. Insure that employee grievances are handled fairly and promptly as provided in this directive. D. Dallas County and Dallas County Sheriff’s Department Personnel Officers will: 1. Provide technical advice to management and employees on this directive and other rules and regulations that may be related to the grievance issues. 2. Publicize the procedures that apply to the submitting and processing of grievances with the Sheriff’s Department. 3. Insure compliance with this directive. E. Employees and their representatives will: 1. Resolve dissatisfaction informally at the lowest possible supervisory level. 2. Promptly notify the immediate supervisor when the procedures in this directive are being invoked. 3. Comply with the procedures and time limits in this directive. 4. Cooperate with management if investigation or hearing of the grievance is necessary. 7. GRIEVANT’S RIGHTS A. All employees will be treated fairly in all respects. Those who believe they have not been so treated have a right to present their grievances to management officials for prompt consideration and fair decision. An employee may exercise this right in his or her own behalf or may elect to be accompanied, represented, and advised by a representative of his or her own choosing at the formal hearing. In exercising this right, the employee and his or her representative will be free from restraint, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal. B. Day-to-day discussion between employees and supervisors about working conditions and other employment matters are the best means of conducting effective work relationships. Supervisors and managers will try to resolve employee dissatisfactions in normal, day-to-day dealings with employees. However, when a matter cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the employee, he or she may seek a resolution by filing a grievance. C. Dissatisfactions and disagreements sometimes arise among people in any work situation. Thus, the filing of an occasional grievance by an employee will not reflect unfavorably on an employee’s good standing, performance, loyalty, or worth to the organization. Also, the occasional filing of a grievance does not reflect unfavorably on the quality of supervision or on the general management of an organization. 8. REPRESENTATION A. In the formal grievance hearing, a grievant can be accompanied, represented, and advised by a representative of his or her own choosing. The representative’s service must not result in a conflict or apparent conflict of interest or position, conflict with the priority needs of the Department, or cause unreasonable costs to the County through loss time, etc. The Sheriff’s Department will not select a representative for an employee or require any person to serve as the representative of another. The grievant must make all arrangements for a representative. B. Representatives must be designated in writing. The representative’s name will be sent through the grievant immediate supervisor to the Personnel Office. Changes in representatives must be noted I writing in the same manner. If the representative is a Sheriff’s Department employee, the Personnel Office should promptly provide the representative’s supervisor a copy of the written designation. C. The representative must obey the same rules of conduct and procedures as the employee Sheriff Employees may use reasonable amounts of official time to act as a representative. Their supervisor must approve their use of official time. However, official time will not be granted to an employee for repeated service as a representative when it interferes with the performance of regular duties. In this situation, the employee will be given the choice of reducing his or her representational activities or to perform then in a leave status. For leave to be taken, the supervisor must approve it. 9. INFORMATION FROM RECORDS AND REGULATIONS A. Upon request, employees will be given information from official personnel records related to their grievances. Also, they will be given full access to relevant regulations and official directive (when feasible, extracts or copies of these regulations and directives will be given to the employee on request.) However, records will not be released if prohibited by a law or regulation. 10. INFORMAL PROCEDURES THESE PROCEDURES MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE THE GRIEVANCE CAN PROGRESS TO THE FORMAL PROCEDURE. A. FIRST STEP 1. The employee must present the grievance to the employee’s supervisor. Employees must inform, in writing, the supervisor that their presentations are the first step of the grievance procedure. 2. The employee must present the grievance formally within 7 days of the action’s occurring or of learning of its occurrence. Grievances over continuing conditions may be submitted at any time. For example: An employee can grieve a detached assignment to a lower grade job only during the 7 day period immediately after the effective date of the detachment. However, a grievance over continuing requirements to work in excessive heat or cold may be submitted at any time. The fact that an employee only recently learned of an occurrence does not automatically guarantee that the employee’s grievance is timely. The employee must always exercise due diligence in his or her own behalf. 3. When the supervisor receives the grievance, he or she will try to resolve it. If the issues are outside the supervisor’s authority and responsibility, he or she must contact the officials who may be able to help. 4. If the supervisor cannot resolve the grievance within 7 days of receiving it, the employee has the right to go to the second grievance step. The supervisor must tell the employee that he | she was unable to resolve the grievance and that the employee has a time limit of 7 days for submitting the grievance o the second step. B. SECOND STEP 1. If the grievance is not resolved I the first step, the employee must advise the supervisor in writing that he or she wishes to go to the second step. This must be done within 7 days after step one is completed. If the supervisor fails to tell the employee within the 7 days period described above that the grievance cannot be resolved, the employee can automatically go to the second step on the 8th day. 2. After being told that the grievance will go to the second step, the supervisor will set up a meeting within 7 days. The meeting will be between the employee, the supervisor, and the officials below the Sheriff who have the authority to decide on the matters involved in the grievance. 3. During this meeting, the grievance will be considered informally. However, the official holding the meeting will prepare a memorandum for record (MFR). The MFR will briefly summarize the grievance, the consideration reached, and the course of action decided on during the meeting. All parties will be given a copy of the MFR within 7 days after the meeting is completed, 4. If an acceptable solution is not reached during the meeting, the MFR will tell the employee of his or her right to submit the grievance formally. The MFR will also state the time limits for submitting a formal grievance and to whom it should be addressed. C. EXCEPTIONS TO THE INFORMAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES: Some grievances may be filed formally, without going through informal procedure. In these cases, the formal nature of the actions involved and the consideration given to the actions involved and the consideration given to the employee’s position before issuing the decision substitutes for the informal procedure. Therefore, grievances involving the following issues may be filed under the formal procedure within 10 days of the decision or occurrence being grieved: 1. Grievances stemming from termination 2. Grievances stemming from suspensions 3. When management officials and the employee agree that the steps of the informal procedure would serve no useful purpose, either one or both steps may be waived. For example: Steps may be waived if the employee and the supervisor have recently discussed the matter fully, but failed to reach a resolution. Since this action fulfilled the requirements for the first step of the grievance procedure, it is unnecessary to repeat it. When management officials and the employee agree to waive one or both informal steps, management will document the reason for the waiver in the grievance file. The employee and a management official will sign the waiver. 11. FORMAL PROCEDURES A. If a grievance cannot be resolved through the informal procedures, the employee may submit the grievance in writing if not previously submitted. This grievance must explain the specific issues involved and the relief sought. 1. The grievance must be submitted within 7 days of receiving the MFR of the informal meeting or within 7 days of signing the waiver agreement. A formal grievance may also be submitted under the following conditions: A. If 7 days pass since the second step meeting and no MFR is received from the official. B. If 7 days pass since the second step meeting was requested by the grievant but it was not held. B. The employee will submit the grievance to the Legal Advisor’s Office who will send it to the Dallas County Personnel Office for scheduling for a hearing. With the grievance, the Legal Advisor’s Office will send the following information for utilization by the Civil Service Commissioners: 1. A written designation of the employee’s representative, if any. 2. An MFR of the informal second step meeting or a waiver of the informal steps. 3. A letter of transmitted that summarized the efforts made to resolve the grievance and explain management’s position on whether the grievance is timely, whether it can be grieved, and why the relief sought not be granted. 4. A statement that the employee and the employee’s representative have been afforded an opportunity to review the appropriate material relative to the grievance. 12. REJECTING A GRIEVANCE The Legal Advisor’s Office of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department will review each grievance for compliance with this directive and recommend to the Civil Service Commission rejection of a grievance if: A. It has not been submitted in a timely manner. B. The matter grieved is not covered by the Sheriff’s Department grievance system. C. The grievance has not been processed through the informal procedures. D. The grievant’s request does not meet the definition of “personal relief” or the personal relief requested cannot be granted. 13. FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS The Personnel Office and supervisors must insure that the employee’s status as a productive member of the workforce is maintained and he or she does not suffer reprisals for filing the grievance. The employee must not let his or her performance suffer due to dissatisfaction with the grievance processing and/or final decision. 14. WITNESSES The Legal Advisor’s Office will call witnesses who are requested by the grievant and by management if sufficient information has been submitted concerning their contribution to the inquiry phase of the grievance. When the Commissioners determine that because of distance or similar factors, it is impractical to have to have the witness appear personally, the Commissioners will decide how best to get the witness’ testimony. Witnesses will be treated as follows: 1. Witnesses who are Sheriff’s Department employees will be in a duty and pay status when participating in the inquiry. 2. Witnesses who are not Sheriff’s Department employees may be invited to appear. These witnesses cannot be compelled to appear or testify. 3. Each witness will be told by the Commissioners that complete Testimony is needed and that under their policy he or she may not be subject to any restraint, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal as as result of such testimony. 15. DISSMISSING A GRIEVANCE The decision of the Civil Service Commissioners to dismiss a grievance is final. The Commissioners will dismiss grievances under the following conditions: 1. When the grievant requests it in writing. 2. Upon the death of the grievant. 3. When the grievant does not furnish the required information and proceed with his or her grievance after being advised to so by the Commissioners or their designated representative. 16. POSTPONING GRIEVANCES Grievance hearings will be scheduled at least 20 days prior to the hearing. Grievances will be heard as scheduled. In the event of absence of the Grievant or his representative or management at the hearing, the grievance will be decided upon the record and that decision is final. Postponement of a grievance will only be allowed in extreme emergencies such as medical problems supported by a physician. Non availability of the representative such as an attorney is insufficient reason for postponement. 17. DECISION IMPLEMENTATION 1. REMEDIAL ACTIONS A. The Dallas County Pesonnel Office will advise the employee, in writing, the decision by the Commissioners concerning his grievance. This action will be taken promptly. FORMAL GRIEVANCE COMPLAINT 1. Grievant’s Name: (Last, First, Middle Initial) 2. Grievant’s Telephone Number: Work: Home: 3. Grievant’s Address(City, State, Zip) 4. Is Grievant being represented: Yes ____ No____ 5. Name / location of Organization responsible 6. Name / Rank of person(s) you for the dissatisfaction Believe to have caused the dissatisfaction 7. Your Title and Grade 8. Date on which the dissatisfaction to place: Month: Day: Year: 9. Explain specifically how you were treated differently from other employees that gave rise to your dissatisfaction. If you complaint involves more than one basis for your dissatisfaction, list and number each allegation separately and furnish specific, factual information in support of each. Your grievance will not be accepted for processing unless you have complied with these requirements. (You may attach additional pages if you require more space) 10. List below names of your witness and what factual information each will be expected to contribute through their testimony to the investigation of your complaint. 11. What specific corrective action do you want taken on you complaint? (If more than on allegation is being made, state overall corrective action desired and specific corrective action desired for each separate allegation) Date: Grievant’s Signature: ______________________________ Dallas County Sheriff’s Department Grievance Procedures DOWNLOAD GRIEVANCE FORM HERE |