B. Grievances and Contestations

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1. Cooperation

  1. If a member finds that someone is acting in a way that said member deems to be uncooperative or otherwise unacceptable, members are encouraged to approach one another and discuss their concerns. If an appropriate resolution cannot be reached or if a member feels uncomfortable about approaching another member, the member should seek the Community Coordinator, House Coordinator, another compensated coordinator, or another trusted member and voice their concern. Members’ anonymity will be respected, except in cases where mandatory reporting requires coordinators to report an incident.  If a member reports an incident in order to protect the wellbeing of themselves or another member in a drug-related incident, they will not be punished in any way for their report.
  2. If a member is concerned with the performance of a coordinator, they are encouraged to voice their concern to the President, or other compensated coordinators to take appropriate action.
  3. While cooperation is the best way to solve such problems, it is not always possible. If an appropriate resolution cannot be reached, the Grievance Procedure (below) exists when attempts at cooperation are unsuccessful or impossible.  For serious infractions, it is suggested that the member go through the Central Level Grievance procedure or pursue legal action, if they are comfortable with doing so.

2. Rights and Rules

  1. Members have the right to file grievances. The filer of a grievance may withdraw the grievance at any time.
  2. Members who issue grievances are to be treated anonymously unless they explicitly request otherwise.

a. Central level-sponsored moderation is recommended and available on request for any interpersonal conflicts. Members should be aware that the support of the Member Resources Supervisor at Central Office is always available to them.

b. Members have the right to challenge the work performance of any member, with or without an elected position, via the Grievance Procedure. Sanctions may include compensation reduction (when applicable), fines, additional workshift hours, workshift position change (when applicable) and recall (when applicable).

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3. Grievance Procedure 

  1. If the member wishes to remain anonymous, they can issue a grievance against an individual by informing the President or a trusted member of their grievance. The member initiating the grievance procedure should include all details of the situation for which they are initiating the grievance procedure. Using the House Bylaws and/or BSC Policy  as a guide, they should suggest the appropriate recourse. The President or trusted member will then carry out the grievance on the member’s behalf.
  2. If the member wishes to go forward with his or her own grievance, or the member is handling the grievance on behalf of somebody else, then the member or the person acting in their stead must inform the  individual under scrutiny that the grievance procedure has been initiated. If they contest the grievance, they can request that the President add the grievance motion to the agenda of the next council. If they do not contest the grievance, then the appropriate coordinators must be informed to handle any penalties. Grievances recommending member termination, probationary contract or Persona Non Grata (PNG) are automatically contested and must be brought to Council.

4. Contestation Procedure

  1. If somebody brings a grievance against you that you feel is unjust, try to work out the situation by talking to that person. If that fails or if the original filer of the grievance chooses to be anonymous, bring the issue to Council. The person who brought the grievance against you must request to add the grievance motion to the next Council agenda.
  2. Council will discuss the case and determine what recourse, if any, is appropriate for the situation. If you feel the decision made by Council was unjust, you can appeal to the BSC Conduct Committee.
  3. By resolution of Council, a member may be offered a conditional contract in lieu of house level termination. Violation of a conditional contract will result in house level termination. The member may appeal their termination in accordance with AdCode XXVII.

5. House Level Terminations

  1. Serious offenses may result in house level termination pursuant to central level Policy Directory Sec II.XXVII:D