Under the rules of the Commonwealth and AFSCME Accelerated Grievance Procedure (AGP), is a meeting at the first step mandatory?
Yes. Article 38, Section 3, Step 1 states that, “The parties agree the respective Employer designee and the Union counterpart must schedule and meet on a monthly Step 1 basis, if necessary, in order to attempt to resolve all outstanding grievance. The language is specifically written to mandate the first step meeting so that the parties can discuss grievances face to face, and exchange any and all information necessary to defend their respective positions. The emphasis is on face-to-face communication that can only occur if the parties meet.
Yes. Article 38, Section 3, Step 1 states that, “The parties agree the respective Employer designee and the Union counterpart must schedule and meet on a monthly Step 1 basis, if necessary, in order to attempt to resolve all outstanding grievances.” The language is specifically written to mandate the first step meeting so that the parties can openly and thoroughly discuss grievances, and to exchange any and all information necessary to defend their respective positions. While the language was constructed to encourage face-to-face communication, conducting the meeting through teleconferencing can occur in the event that the parties are in agreement and provide the necessary logistics can be arranged.
