McNeese State University is committed to providing a collegial workplace. The Unclassified Grievance/Complaint Policy serves as the mechanism to address complaints pertaining to working conditions, the lack of a policy or procedure, an allegedly unfair application of a policy or procedure, and alleged deviations from a policy or procedure.
The director of campus compliance and civility is available for informal discussions regarding complaints and concerns and provides unclassified employees with information concerning grievance policies and procedures.
An unclassified employee shall orally present and discuss a grievance with their department head, director, or immediate supervisor. If the issue is not resolved, then the employee may pursue the complaint at the next level in the supervisory chain. If necessary, this process continues until it reaches the director of campus compliance and civility. In the event the director of campus compliance and civility is unable to serve as the unclassified grievance officer, or if there is a conflict of interest with the director of campus compliance and civility, the Executive Leadership Team will appoint the hearing officer. In this event, both parties retain the right to petition the Executive Leadership Team on their behalf.
The director of campus compliance and civility will attempt to resolve the matter through alternative dispute resolution (https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/labor-relations/adr). It must be emphasized that each unclassified employee should feel secure pursuing the complaint without fear of coercion or retaliation.
If the discussions do not yield results, the unclassified employee may submit a grievance via the Office of Campus Compliance and Civility Complaint/Reporting Form. In the grievance, the complainant must state the problem, provide evidence to support the claim, and describe the redress requested to resolve it.
The content of the grievance cannot be altered or expanded after submission to the director of campus compliance and civility. When appropriate, the director of campus compliance and civility will send a copy via email, USPS mail, or personal delivery to the appropriate vice president, other direct supervisor(s), and the individual(s) against whom the complaint is filed.
Each party should file a written response to the complaint/grievance and submit it to the director of campus compliance and civility within five business days of receipt. After the grievance form and responses have been filed, the director of campus compliance and civility will determine if the grievance has merit and attempt to reach an amicable resolution. If the grievance is not resolved at this stage, then the director of campus compliance and civility will convene the Grievance Committee.
In the case of an adverse decision by the president and/or their designee, and after all administrative procedures of the University have been exhausted, the complainant may appeal the decision to the University of Louisiana (UL) System Board of Supervisors as described in UL System Board Rules Part Two, Chapter III, Section XIV.
The UL System Board of Supervisors and McNeese State University recognize the necessity and desirability of providing employees with a method for resolving problems in the workplace. However, by the adoption of this policy, neither the UL System Board of Supervisors nor McNeese State University intends to confer upon University employees any additional right of substantive or procedural due process not mandated by law.
This policy is distributed via the University Policies webpage.