It shall be the policy of the Town that there shall be a grievance procedure available for the use of its employees. The purpose of the grievance procedure shall be to settle employee grievances as expeditiously and fairly as possible to insure efficiency and high employee morale. It shall be the responsibility of all parties to come to a quick and amicable solution; grievances shall be taken up at such times as to minimize loss of productive work. Any grievance must be presented in or within five calendar days of the occurrence of the alleged grievance.
A.
Step I: Whenever an employee has a grievance relating to his/her employment, he/she shall orally make it known to his/her immediate superior that he/she is presenting a grievance in accordance with this clause. His/her superior shall attempt to resolve the grievance and shall verbally respond to the employee within five working days of being told of the grievance. If the grievance is not satisfactorily resolved, the employee may then take Step II.
B.
Step II: The employee shall put his/her grievance in writing on a form to be supplied by the Board of Selectmen (hereinafter referred to as "the grievance form") and present it to his/her department head, who may be the same person as in Step I. The submission of the grievance in writing at this step must be within 12 working days of the occurrence of the alleged grievance. If the grievance is not filed in writing at this step within that period, the grievance shall be considered to be waived. The department head shall attempt to resolve the grievance and shall submit an answer in writing on the grievance form to the employee within five working days of the receipt of the grievance. If the grievance is not satisfactorily resolved hereunder, the employee may then take Step III.
C.
Step III: The employee shall file with the Town Administrator a written statement of his/her grievance on the grievance form within five working days of the employee's receipt of the department head's answer at Step II. The Town Administrator shall attempt to resolve the grievance and shall submit an answer in writing on the grievance form to the employee within five working days of the Town Administrator's receipt of the grievance. If the grievance is not resolved to the employee's satisfaction at this step, the employee may then take Step IV.
D.
Step IV: The employee shall file a written statement of his/her grievance on the grievance form with the Board of Selectmen and request an informal hearing before the same at its next regular meeting, or at a special meeting if the Board deems this advisable. The Board shall notify the appropriate department head and/or superior to be present at said hearing. All parties, including the Board, shall be entitled to be represented by a duly authorized representative. Within 15 days of the hearing, all parties shall be notified in writing of the decision of the Board, which decision shall be in writing. The decision of the Board of Selectmen shall be final and binding on all parties with regard to all grievances (except as may be otherwise provided in contracts negotiated between the Town and a certified bargaining unit of employees).