Rule 3359-22-04 | Contract professional grievance committee.
(A) Membership.
(1) Composition and eligibility.
(a) The professional staff grievance committee "PSGC" shall be comprised of seven professional staff who have current membership on the professional staff advisory committee ("PSAC") ref: rule 3359-22-03 of the Administrative Code. "PSGC" will retain the right to appoint one additional member from all campus full-time professional staff to hear the grievance. Such appointee will be given a vote on the findings and remove themselves from the committee once the findings have reached a decision. A minimum of five members of the grievance committee (including additional appointees) is required to hear a grievance.
(b) Every attempt should be made by "PSAC" to make membership on "PSGC" a cross-representation of campus academic and administrative units, avoiding significant representation from any given unit.
(c) No member may serve more than two consecutive full terms.
(2) Terms of office.
(a) Term of office shall be "PSAC" appointment for one year and run simultaneously with "PSAC" membership and the university of Akron fiscal year.
(3) Election/appointment.
(a) "PSGC" members (seven) are appointed from current "PSAC" membership at the annual meeting. The appointed members of "PSGC " shall meet following the annual meeting and elect a chair from its membership as soon as possible after the commencement of new terms. The chair shall serve for one year and may serve no more than two successive terms in this capacity.
(4) Vacancies.
(a) Should a vacancy occur, the "PSGC" shall immediately use the appropriate course of action to appoint or select a replacement from within the "PSAC" membership; should the vacancy occur within two months prior to the normal appointment process, the "PSGC" may choose to leave the post vacant for that period. The person appointed will serve out the remaining term.
(b) Removal from membership/office. Any member of the "PSGC" may be removed from membership/office for cause, (i.e., nonattendance at "PSGC" meetings, failure to carry out an assigned role in a grievance procedure before the "PSGC," indiscretion in the conduct of "PSGC" duties, or violation of confidentiality. Removal from membership/office shall occur upon vote by the "PSGC." Five votes are required to carry a removal. In the event of a removal from membership/office, a new member/officer shall then be elected by the "PSGC" to complete the term of office.
(B) Duties and responsibilities.
(1) Membership on the "PSGC" is a privilege and responsibility of members of the professional staff ("PSAC"). Every effort will be made in the members' organizational units to adjust schedules or otherwise flexibly accommodate any disruptions caused by that person's membership.
(2) No member of the "PSGC" shall discuss matters presently before the "PSGC", or matters which have been previously brought before the "PSGC", except as necessary in the discharge of the "PSGC" responsibilities and functions. No member of the "PSGC" shall speak for the committee nor release written material, except as provided by the grievance procedure.
(3) Members of the "PSGC" should exclude themselves from any participation in which a conflict of interest may exist or where unforeseen circumstances exist that may cause a significant conflict. If they do not exclude themselves, the "PSGC" at its discretion may exclude such members from participating, or void any actions taken by such members, on the basis of its findings of conflicts of interest.
(4) The chair shall preside over the "PSGC" and shall insure that it functions in accordance with the procedures and standards provided, ref: rule 3359-22-05 of the Administrative Code. In the absence of the chair, a vice chair may be appointed to serve. The chair shall cause records to be maintained of the findings and recommendations of the "PSGC." Retention and administration of such records are subject to review by the human resources department.
(5) The "PSGC" shall prepare an annual report each year and present it as a supplement along with PSAC's annual report to the president. This report shall be comprised of a digest of all grievances which came before the committee and any formal recommendations the "PSGC" wishes to make to the president with regard to the conduct of the committee.
(6) Meetings of the "PSGC" shall be confidential and closed to the public, except for those persons requested by the "PSGC" to participate in proceedings before the committee.
(C) Operating procedure.
(1) The "PSGC" may amend by simple majority vote of the full committee the grievance procedure or any of the provisions of rule 3359-22-04 of the Administrative Code, subject to the approval of the president, or the president's designee(s), and board of trustees. Any such amendments must be forwarded through legal and human resources departments.
(2) Robert's "Rules of Order" shall be the final authority in determining the process of conducting the affairs of the committee, except as otherwise stated herein.
(3) At all times, a simple majority of the full committee shall be required to carry a vote, except rules governing removal from membership/office.
Last updated June 5, 2023 at 8:26 AM
Supplemental Information
Amplifies: 3359
Prior Effective Dates: 12/22/1989, 2/6/2006, 1/31/2015, 12/15/2018