What are Grievance Policies and Procedures Resources?

The Montana Municipal Interlocal Authority (MMIA) has a template Personnel Policy Manual available. Any policy or procedure that a city or town is contemplating adopting should be reviewed by the city attorney prior to implementation. In addition, as detailed earlier, the Montana Human Rights Bureau has sample policies on grievance policies and procedures available through their website. Sample Grievance Policy Employees are allowed to use the grievance procedure without penalty, harassment or retaliation for doing so. Each grievance will be fully processed until the employee receives a satisfactory decision/explanation or until the employee's right of appeal is exhausted. Employees should attempt to resolve all disputes prior to involving the (MAYOR/CITY MANAGER) and/or their designee. Employees are encouraged to discuss disputes with their supervisors informally and in a timely fashion. The Clerk/Personnel Director may attend meetings between the supervisor and employee if necessary. In the event a dispute cannot be resolved informally, the employee should file a grievance, in writing, to the supervisor and/or their designee within ten working days of the occurrence of the disputed issue. The written grievance should outline the disputed issue, relevant facts, and appropriate remedy. Upon receipt of the written grievance, the supervisor and/or their designee will investigate the dispute and respond to the grievance within 
ten working days of receipt of the grievance. If the response is not acceptable to the employee, the employee may proceed to the next step. The employee may forward the written grievance and/or their designee's response to the (MAYOR/CITY MANAGER) and/or their designee with 14 calendar days from the date of the supervisor and/or their designee's response. The 
(MAYOR/CITY MANAGER) and/or their designee will investigate the grievance. The (MAYOR/CITY MANAGER) and/or their designee shall conclude their investigation and write a report within 30 calendar days from receipt of the grievance appeal. This step concludes the final appeal process for the employee. Information concerning employee grievances is confidential information and is to be discussed only with individuals involved in the investigation or on a need-to-know basis. Management decisions on grievances will not set precedent and are at the discretion of the (MAYOR/CITY MANAGER) and/or their designee so long as it does not violate any laws, regulations or policies set forth in this manual. Management decisions are not binding on future grievances unless they are officially stated as a policy.