It is the purpose of this article to provide a procedure whereby
employees may resolve disputes or complaints concerning the terms
or conditions of their employment.
The Village of Bloomfield recognizes that every employee has
the right to be treated fairly in matters arising from employment
by the Village; that each employee should have the opportunity to
be heard fully any time his right to fair treatment has been violated;
and that a carefully designed grievance process can help to reduce
personnel dissatisfaction, increase morale, identify problems in the
organization and increase the positive perception employees have of
their employment with the Village. Therefore, whenever an employee
believes that he has been treated unfairly with regard to the terms
and conditions of his employment, he may initiate proceedings as specified
in this article in order to resolve those matters.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEE
All permanent, probationary or regular part-time employees.
"Regular part-time employees" are those who work 20 hours per week
or more on a continuous basis for at least six months.
Once the department's grievance procedure has been exhausted,
an employee and his representative have the right to explain and argue
the grievance before an appeal panel. The panel consists of appointed
representatives from the Village Board, a departmental representative
who is responsible for explaining the department's position and any
other Village employee who the aggrieved employee may select as his
representative. The hearing is informal and no record will be kept
of the proceedings, although there is a right to cross-examination.
Findings of the appeal panel shall be rendered within 15 days of the
hearing and are binding upon all parties involved.