Editing § 15.2 NA2022

=== § 15.2 Grievance Procedure-Steps ===
Step 1: 
<ol style="list-style-type:lower-alpha">
  <li>Any employee who feels aggrieved must discuss the grievance with the employee's immediate supervisor within fourteen (14)
days of the date on which the employee or the Union first learned or may reasonably have been expected to have learned of its cause unless
the parties agree in writing to extend the fourteen (14) day period. The employee, if he or she so desires, may be accompanied and represented
by the employee's steward or a Union representative. The Union also may initiate a grievance at Step 1 within 14 days of the date the Union
first became aware of (or reasonably should have become aware of) the facts giving rise to the grievance. In such case the participation
of an individual grievant is not required.</br></br>
A Step 1 Union grievance may involve a complaint affecting more than one employee in the office. Whenever the facts giving rise to a grievance
relate to an incident/issue occurring or arising on a specific date and involve more than one employee in the office, a Step 1 or Step 2 grievance may only be initiated by the Union as a Union grievance on behalf of all involved employees within a specific work location in an installation as provided in Article 17.2A or as defined by local practice. Should any grievances concerning the same incident/issue be filed at Step 1 by individual employees, the Union will consolidate all such grievances and select a representative grievance which may be appealed to Step 2. Should multiple grievances concerning the same incident/issue be improperly filed/initiated at Step 1 by the Union, management shall notify the Union, and if so notified, the Union shall consolidate all such grievances and select a representative grievance which may be heard at Step 1.</li>
  <li>In any discussion at Step 1 the supervisor shall have authority to settle the grievance. The steward or other Union representative likewise shall have authority to settle or withdraw the grievance in whole or in part. No resolution reached as a result of such discussion shall be a precedent for any purpose.</li>
  <li>If no resolution is reached as a result of such discussion, the supervisor shall render a decision orally stating the reasons for the decision. The supervisor's decision should be stated during the discussion, if possible, but in no event shall it be given to the Union representative (or the grievant, if no Union representative was requested) later than five (5) days thereafter unless the parties agree to extend the five (5) day period. Within five (5) days after the supervisor's decision, the supervisor shall, at the request of the Union representative, initial the standard grievance form that is used at Step 2 confirming the date upon which the decision was rendered.</li>
  <li>The Union shall be entitled to appeal an adverse decision to Step 2 of the grievance procedure within ten (10) days after receipt of the supervisor's decision. Such appeal shall be made by completing a standard grievance form developed by agreement of the parties, which shall include appropriate space for at least the following:
     <ol style="list-style-type:decimal">
       <li>Detailed statement of facts;</li>
       <li>Contentions of the grievant;</li>
       <li>Particular contractual provisions involved; and</li>
       <li>Remedy sought.</li>
     </ol>
The parties at the national level shall agree upon a computer-generated version of the standard grievance form that may be used to appeal an adverse decision to Step 2.</li>
</ol></br>
Step 2: 
<ol style="list-style-type:lower-alpha">
  <li>The standard grievance form appealing to Step 2 shall be filed with the installation head or designee. In any associate post office of twenty (20) or less employees, the Employer shall designate an official outside of the installation as the Step 2 official, and shall so notify the Union Step 1 representative.</li>
  <li>Any grievance initiated at Step 2, pursuant to Article 2 of this Agreement, must be filed within fourteen (14) days of the date on which the Union or the employee first learned or may reasonably have been expected to have learned of its cause.</li>
  <li>The installation head or designee will meet with the steward or a Union representative as expeditiously as possible, but no later than seven (7) days following receipt of the Step 2 appeal unless the parties agree upon a later date. In all grievances appealed from Step 1 or filed at Step 2, the grievant shall be represented in Step 2 for all purposes by a steward or a Union representative who shall have authority to settle or withdraw the grievance as a result of discussions or compromise in this Step. The installation head or designee in Step 2 also shall have authority to grant or settle the grievance in whole or in part.</li>
  <li>At the meeting the Union representative shall make a full and detailed statement of facts relied upon, contractual provisions involved, and remedy sought. The Union representative may also furnish written statements from witnesses or other individuals. The Employer representative shall also make a full and detailed statement of facts and contractual provisions relied upon. The parties' representatives shall cooperate fully in the effort to develop all necessary facts, including the exchange of copies of all relevant papers or documents in accordance with Article 31. The parties' representatives may mutually agree to jointly interview witnesses where desirable to assure full development of all facts and contentions. In addition, in cases involving discharge either party shall have the right to present no more than two witnesses. Such right shall not preclude the parties from jointly agreeing to interview additional witnesses as provided above.</li>
  <li>Where grievances appealed to Step 2 involve the same, or substantially similar issues or facts, one such grievance to be selected by the Union representative shall be designated the "representative" grievance. If not
resolved at Step 2, the "representative" grievance may be appealed to Step 3 of the grievance procedure. All other grievances which have been mutually agreed to as involving the same, or substantially similar issues or
facts as those involved in the "representative" grievance shall be held at Step 2 pending resolution of the "representative" grievance, provided they were timely filed at Step 1 and properly appealed to Step 2 in accordance with the grievance procedure.</li>
  <li>Following resolution of the "representative" grievance, the parties involved in that grievance shall meet at Step 2 within seven (7) days of their receipt of that resolution, unless the parties agree upon a later date, to identify the other pending grievances involving the same, or substantially similar issues or facts, and to apply the resolution to those grievances. Disputes over the applicability of the resolution of the "representative" grievance shall be resolved through the grievance-arbitration procedures contained in this Article; in the event it is decided that the resolution of the "representative" grievance is not applicable to a particular grievance, the merits of that grievance shall also be considered.</li>
  <li>Any settlement or withdrawal of a grievance in Step 2 shall be in writing or shall be noted on the standard grievance form and shall be furnished to the Union representative within ten (10) days after the Step 2 meeting unless the parties agree to extend the ten (10) day period. Any such settlement or withdrawal shall not be a precedent for any purpose, unless the parties specifically so agree or develop an agreement to dispose of future similar or related problems.</li>
  <li>Where agreement is not reached, the Employer's decision shall be furnished to the Union representative in writing within ten (10) days after the Step 2 meeting unless the parties agree to extend the ten (10) day period. The decision shall include a full statement of the Employer's understanding of (1) all relevant facts, (2) the contractual provisions involved, and (3) the detailed reasons for denial of the grievance.</li>
  <li>If the Union representative believes that the facts or contentions set forth in the decision are incomplete or inaccurate, such representative should, within ten (10) days of receipt of the Step 2 decision, transmit to the Employer's representative a written statement setting forth corrections or additions deemed necessary by the Union. Any such statement must be included in the file as part of the grievance record in the case. The filing of such corrections or additions shall not affect the time limits for appeal to Step 3.</li>
  <li>The Union may appeal an adverse Step 2 decision to Step 3. Any such appeal must be made within fifteen (15) days after receipt of the Employer's decision unless the parties' representatives agree to extend the time for appeal. Any appeal must include copies of (1) the standard grievance form, (2) the Employer's written Step 2 decision, and, if filed (3) the Union corrections or additions to the Step 2 decision.</li>
</ol></br>
Step 3: 
<ol style="list-style-type:lower-alpha">
  <li>Any appeal from an adverse decision in Step 2 shall be in writing to the appropriate management official at the LR Service Center with a copy to the Employer's Step 2 representative, and shall specify the reasons
for the appeal.</li>
  <li>The grievant shall be represented at Step 3 level by the Union's Regional representative, or designee. The Step 3 meeting of the parties' representatives to discuss the grievance shall be held at the respective Postal Service office (former regional headquarters) within fifteen (15) days after it has been appealed to Step 3. Step 3 discussions by telephone or video conferencing are permitted with the agreement of both parties’ representatives. These discussions and reviews will have the same contractual force and effect as if the parties had met in person. Each party's representative shall be responsible for making certain that all relevant facts and contentions have been developed and considered. The Union representative shall have authority to settle or withdraw the grievance in whole or in part. The Employer's representative likewise shall have authority to grant the grievance in whole or in part. In any case where the parties' representatives mutually conclude that relevant facts or contentions were not developed adequately in Step 2, they shall have authority to jointly return the grievance to the Step 2 level for full development of all facts and further consideration at that level. In such event, the parties' representatives at Step 2 shall meet within seven (7) days after the grievance is returned to Step 2 Thereafter, the time limits and procedures applicable to Step 2 grievances shall apply.</li>
  <li>The Employer's written Step 3 decision on the grievance shall be provided to the Union's Step 3 representative within fifteen (15) days after the parties have met in Step 3, unless the parties agree to extend the fifteen (15) day period. Such decision shall state the reasons for the decision in detail and shall include a statement of any additional facts and contentions not previously set forth in the record of the grievance as appealed from Step 2. Such decision also shall state whether the Employer's Step 3 representative believes that no interpretive issue under this Agreement or some supplement thereto which may be of general application is involved in the case.</li>
  <li>The Union, at the Regional level, may appeal an adverse decision directly to arbitration at the Regional level within twenty-one (21) days after the receipt of the Employer's Step 3 decision in accordance with the procedure hereinafter set forth; provided the Employer's Step 3 decision states that no interpretive issue under this Agreement or some supplement thereto which may be of general application is involved in the case.</li>
  <li>If either party's representative maintains that the grievance involves an interpretive issue under this Agreement, or some supplement thereto which may be of general application, the Union representative shall be entitled to appeal an adverse decision to Step 4 (National level) of the grievance procedure. Any such appeal must be made within twenty-one (21) days after receipt of the Employer's decision and include copies of the standard grievance form, the Step 2 and Step 3 decisions and, if filed, any Union corrections and additions filed at Steps 2 or 3. The Union shall furnish a copy of the Union appeal to the appropriate management official at the Grievance/Arbitration Processing Center. The party whose representative maintains that the grievance involves an interpretive issue shall provide the other party a written notice specifying in detail the precise interpretive issues(s) to be decided. The Employer's notice shall be included in the Step 3 decision. The Union's written notice shall be automatically included as part of the grievance record in the case but the filing of such notice shall not affect the time limits for appeal.</li>
<center>[See Memos, pages 195-198]</center></br>
</ol>
{{:Formatting § 15.2.i NA2022}}
</br>
Step 4: 
<ol style="list-style-type:lower-alpha">
  <li>In any case properly appealed or referred to this Step the parties shall meet at the National level promptly, but in no event later than thirty (30) days after filing such appeal or referral in an attempt to resolve the grievance. The Union representative shall have authority to settle or withdraw the grievance in whole or in part. The Employer's representative shall have authority to grant or settle the grievance in whole or in part. The parties' Step 4 representatives may, by mutual agreement, return any grievance to Step 3 where (a) the parties agree that no national interpretive issue is fairly presented or (b) it appears that all relevant facts have not been developed adequately. In such event, the parties shall meet at Step 3 within fifteen (15) days after the grievance is returned to Step 3. Thereafter the procedures and time limits applicable to Step 3 grievances shall apply. Following their meeting in any case not returned to Step 3, a written decision by the Employer will be rendered within fifteen (15) days after the Step 4 meeting unless the parties agree to extend the fifteen (15) day period. The decision shall include an adequate explanation of the
reasons, therefore. In any instance where the parties have been unable to dispose of a grievance by settlement or withdrawal, the Union shall be entitled to appeal it to arbitration at the National level within thirty (30)days after receipt of the Employer's Step 4 decision. Any local grievances filed on the specific interpretive issue shall be held in abeyance at Step 3 pending resolution of the national interpretive dispute.</li>
<center>[See Memo, page 197]</center></br>
</ol>
{{:Formatting § 15.2.ii NA2022}}