Section 630.140  Grievance Committee

a)         The Director of Personnel shall appoint ten (10) employees of the State of Illinois to comprise a grievance committee panel to hear grievances.  In addition to State employees, the Director shall appoint persons to the panel who are not employees of the State of Illinois but who have knowledge and experience in personnel administration or employee relations.  Committees of three (3) persons may be selected by the Director of Personnel from the grievance committee panel to hear employee grievances.  Not more than one panel member shall be selected from any one department, and no panel member shall be appointed to a committee which is convened to hear a grievance arising from the department in which the panelist is an employee.

b)         In addition to the three (3) committee members appointed to hear a grievance, there shall be an employee of the Department present at all grievance hearings and deliberations to assist the panel in its determination.  The Department employee shall act as secretary-chairperson of the committee and shall be entitled to vote on its recommendations. Unless an expedited Step 4 procedure is agreed to by the parties pursuant to procedures and policies issued by the Director, the members of the grievance committee shall reduce to writing their recommendations on the disposition of the grievance and shall submit them to the Director of Personnel.  A dissenting member of the committee may make separate recommendations.  All recommendations will bear the signature of the concurring committee members.

c)         Upon the receipt of recommendations from a grievance committee, the Director shall approve, disapprove, or modify the panel recommendations, shall render a decision in writing, and shall cause a copy of such decision to be served upon the parties.  The Director's decision shall be final.

d)         The written statement of the employee's grievance, the recommendations of the grievance committee, and the decision of the Director of Personnel shall be made a part of the permanent record of the grieving employee in the files of the Department.