In alignment with Colorado State Personnel Board Rule 8-4, the College of Arts and Sciences Appointing Authority works in conjunction with Campus Human Resources to administer the formal grievance process for classified staff. The grievance process is designed to address and resolve problems, not to be an adversarial process.

The grievance process is used for disputes that do not involve pay, status, or tenure and those that are not related to performance management. All grievances must be initiated within 10 calendar days of the incident(s) being grieved. The grievance process is initiated by submitting the grievance form to Campus Human Resources before the 10-day deadline.

The University of Colorado Boulder grievance process is established for CU Boulder and System Administration certified and probationary classified staff in permanent positions pursuant to Chapter 8 of the State of Colorado Personnel Rules and Procedures. These employees may grieve matters that are not otherwise directly appealable or reviewable by the State Personnel Board. Appealable matters include those that adversely affect current base pay, status, or tenure. At any time during the grievance process, mediation may be requested through Human Resources, by either party involved in the grievance, which may be provided by the CU Boulder Ombuds Office or the State Mediation Program.

Grievances may not be initiated to address issues pertaining to leave sharing, discretionary pay differentials, or final performance evaluations that do not result in corrective or disciplinary action.

Grievance Procedure

The grievance procedure consists of two steps once grievance has been discussed with Employee Relations at 303-492-0956, and grievance form is completed (Here is the Spanish version).

Step 1 - Informal Discussion: An informal discussion with the person against whom the grievance is filed.

The grievant has ten (10) calendar days from the date of the Notice of Grievance to initiate a meeting to discuss the grievance with the person named (the respondent) in Step 1 of the Notice of Grievance.

  • The respondent shall inform the grievant and Human Resources in a signed, written document of the respondent’s decision within seven (7) calendar days after the informal discussion.
  •  If the respondent’s decision does not resolve the matter or if the grievant does not receive a written decision within seven (7) calendar days or by the date mutually agreed upon by the parties, the grievant may proceed to Step 2.

Step 2 - Formal Process: A formal process initiated by the grievant.

Grievances must be initiated within 10 calendar days of the action being grieved.

  • To initiate the grievance process, the grievant must contact Human Resources, Employee Relations to schedule a meeting to discuss the grievance.
  • Prior to or during this meeting, the grievant must complete the Grievance Form to indicate who and what the grievant wants to grieve and the remedy requested.
  • The grievant will also need to provide any documents or paperwork that s/he wants to be considered during the grievance process.

After this meeting, Human Resources will issue a Notice of Grievance to the grievant, which describes the steps and persons involved in the grievance process.

  • Any documents submitted by the grievant will be attached.
  • All grievance documents will be sent to the Step 1 respondent and the Step 2 decision maker.
  • All grievance documents, including the Grievance Form, Notice of Grievance, Step 1 and Step 2 decisions and all supporting documentation submitted by the grievant, Step 1 respondent and Step 2 decision maker will be maintained in the grievant’s official personnel file.

An employee may be represented by any person of the employee's choice at Step Two or beyond of the grievance process. That person may participate and speak for the employee. However, the employee is expected to participate in the discussion during the grievance process. If the grievant is represented by an attorney, a university attorney will also be present. At the discretion of the respondent at Step 1 and the decision maker at Step 2, the parties may tape record the proceedings.

The Step 2 decision maker must issue a final, written decision within 30 calendar days of the initiation of the Step 2 process.

The Step 2 decision is binding unless the grievant files a petition for hearing with the State Personnel Board. The Board's decision to hear the petition for hearing is discretionary.

The petition must be filed within 10 calendar days after receipt of the Step 2 written decision, or after the expiration of the 30 days or any extension period. The grievant must provide the Step 2 decision maker and Employee Relations with a copy of the petition.

The petition must be addressed to: State Personnel Board, ATTN: Appeals Processing,1525 Sherman Street4th floor, Denver, Colorado 80203 or fax to: 303-866-5038. If the grievance involves an allegation of discrimination, written notice must be sent to the State Personnel Board within 10 calendar days of the alleged discriminatory practice.

Time frames designated in the grievance process may be waived or modified if agreed to by both parties. Only issues set forth in the written grievance may be considered after the grievance is filed.

Appeals

Any action that adversely affects current base pay, status or tenure of a classified staff (except annual total compensation survey, discretionary pay differentials, leave sharing, personal services contracts, and job evaluation actions) may be appealed and will be set for hearing by the State Personnel Board.

  • Other actions may be heard by the Board at the Board’s discretion.
  • All appeals must be filed within 10 calendar days of the incident(s) being appealed.
  • It is necessary to follow the instructions and use the appeal form provided by the State Department of Personnel.

For assistance and information about the appeal process, contact Human Resources at 303-492-6893.