Faculty Grievance and Appeal Procedures
A. Grievance Procedures
Grievances are covered by respective CBA of tenure-track and non-tenure-track units. Complaints other than contractual CBA grievances should be referred to the Chair, who will consult as the Chair deems necessary with appropriate individuals, officials and/or committees. The Chair is the final departmental authority in dealing with grievances not covered by CBA, but the complaining faculty member has the right to take the grievance to the appropriate higher authority of the College or University. Resolution of disputes resulting from joint authorship is governed by appropriate University policy.
B. Informal Procedure
Any faculty member who believes that they may have a grievance is strongly encouraged, before initiating a formal grievance or appeal, to talk with the Chair about any issue(s) of concern. The Chair may seek the advice and recommendation of individual faculty members or faculty advisory groups in seeking informal resolution of a dispute or complaint.
C. Formal Procedure
Formal procedures for addressing grievances affecting the terms and conditions of employment of faculty are described in the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement. Disputes involving substantive academic judgments are subject to a separate academic appeals process governed by the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Faculty grievances that are not directly related to the terms or conditions of employment and are not academic appeals are appropriately addressed within the Department, whenever possible. The Chair and/or faculty members will initiate an informal dialogue with all parties involved in a dispute and strive to reach a resolution agreeable to all parties.