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It is understood by the parties that the benefits granted by this Article shall not be interpreted or applied as requiring the employer to count as time worked, any hours or fractions of hours spent outside the employee’s work shift in pursuit of benefits provided by this Article. The employer shall count as time worked any hours or fractions of hours spent within the employee’s regular work shift in pursuit of benefits provided by this Article.
A. All unit members have the right to have the Union serve as their meet and confer representative without discrimination based on membership or non-membership in the Union or any other organization.
B. Union members shall have freedom of choice regarding representation or non-representation in dealings with the City concerning grievances and matters pertaining to their individual employment rights and obligations. Unit members in all City departments, have the right to representation, during the conduct of a management initiated investigatory interview when it becomes apparent that facts or evidence sought by management will result in disciplinary action against the employee being interviewed. Prior to the employee being interviewed, a supervisor will advise the employee of the right to a representative. The employee will be allowed to seek advice and counsel from their representative during caucus and after conclusion of the interview. Prior to the conclusion of the meeting, the member, or representative on behalf of the employee, will have the opportunity to make a closing statement. In addition, Police Department employees are also covered by provisions in Section 1-4 (F) of this article.
A unit member identified only as a witness will be given the opportunity to consult with a Union representative to discuss their rights and obligations prior to the City interview. If a Union Steward is requested by management to hold over or is called in from home by a supervisor to represent an employee at a meeting required by management, the Union Steward will receive overtime compensation for actual time held over or a minimum of one (1) hour if called in from home.
Intent: City management can continue with the current practice that allows management the right to contact a Union steward who is on duty to represent the employee.
A Unit member under investigation for a disciplinary matter that may lead to a written reprimand, suspension, demotion or discharge and who is interviewed, will be given a brief written statement informing him/her of the nature of the investigation and the allegations involved in the interview of the Unit member.
An immediate supervisor is strongly encouraged to discuss and attempt to resolve concerns with an employee without issuing a Notice of Inquiry (NOI). Should information be made known during this discussion that could result in discipline for that employee, the meeting should be stopped and the NOI process utilized.
An employee under investigation will be notified in writing every ninety (90) calendar days as to the current status of the investigation. Every thirty (30) days, an employee under investigation may request a status update. At management’s discretion, the status will be provided either verbally or in writing. This will include a brief description of the number of known witnesses still to be interviewed and other investigative processes remaining to be completed, as well as an estimated date of completion.
C. Any unit member covered hereunder shall, on his request and by appointment, be permitted to examine his personnel file, in the presence of an appropriate supervisory official of the Department. The employee is entitled to designate one (1) person of his choosing (lawyer, union representative, close friend, etc.) to accompany him in reviewing his file. The employee, however, must be present at the review. In addition, the unit member may, at his discretion, attach rebuttal statements to any material contained in his personnel file, which may be of a derogatory nature. No unit member shall have any adverse statements entered into his personnel file without the member being informed by a supervisor. The employee shall be requested to date and sign such adverse material, not as an indication of agreement, but solely as evidence of being advised of its existence. If the unit member requests, he shall receive a copy of the material in question.
1) Within the second year of the MOU, the City will establish a logging system within the department and central personnel file. The log will identify the date, name of the person (other than Personnel staff) that examined the file, and purpose.
2) If an employee is not given his/her PMG by the annual review date the employee’s merit increase will be processed within twenty-one (21) calendar days following the above due date and be retroactive to the PMG annual review date. (If PMG is an over all “met”).
All unit employees may request that all their personnel files be purged of any adverse materials which are three (3) years or older providing the employee has received no disciplinary action for the same thing during the one-year immediately preceding the request. The request must be in writing and forwarded through official channels. Any adverse materials which are three (3) years or older, shall be purged in accordance with the records retention protocol. Separation notices are exempted from these provisions except as described below.
Purging requests apply to all files, in all formats, in all locations.
Upon request, performance evaluations over 10 years old will be purged from a unit member’s personnel file after 10 (ten) years as an active employee.
Upon request, a unit member may have documents related to disciplinary actions, which are over ten (10) years old, removed from his personnel file when there have been no incidents or problems of a similar nature within the ten year period immediately preceding the request. The term “disciplinary actions” is defined as follows:
Any discipline given a unit member that resulted in a suspension of eighty (80) hours or less and, for an infraction which did not result in a criminal charge or actions which did not include violent or assaultive behavior directed at another person or, any infraction that is no longer considered to be a disciplinary matter under current contemporary department standards in effect at the time of the unit member’s file purge request.
In the event documentation that is eligible for purging is not purged, it will not be considered in future disciplinary matters. Discipline over five years old will not be considered in any process.
D. The City will comply with provisions of A.R.S. Sec. 12-2506, paragraph D, subparagraph 1, and assume responsibility for the actions of any Unit III employee in a legal proceeding for personal injury, property damage, or wrongful death, when it is demonstrated that the employee was performing his regularly assigned duties without malice or any degree of negligence.
E. A coaching is a verbal discussion with an employee. A coaching is not to be considered a first offense for purposes of progressive discipline. A written record of a coaching may be placed in the supervisor’s file for both positive and negative incidents. A coaching is to be one-on-one. When two (2) or more supervisors are present at the coaching, the employee shall be advised of their right to representation. {An employee may receive more than one (1) coaching for a similar matter.}
A supervisory counseling is a verbal warning that the supervisor shall document in memo form. A supervisory counseling is not discipline. They are to be used to determine only notice to the employee and credibility. The supervisory counseling shall be initialed or signed by the unit member within two (2) weeks of being advised that the counseling has been issued.
If a supervisory counseling is to be used in any disciplinary or personnel action or any performance rating, the employee will be given the supervisory counseling in memo form, that identifies the behavior requiring improvement, the reason for the improvement, and the consequences of continuing the unacceptable behavior. The memo will contain a line for the employee’s signature and above the line the statement: “The employee shall date and sign the supervisory counseling, not as an indication of agreement, but solely as evidence of being advised of its existence.” The employee will receive a copy of the memo.
A supervisory counseling will only be retained in the supervisor’s file. It will not be placed in the employee’s personnel file. The supervisory counseling will be purged from the supervisor’s file after one (1) year provided no further incidents of a similar nature occur during this one (1) year period.
A unit member who receives a written reprimand will be provided a copy of the investigative summary (if any exists) supporting the written reprimand at the time the unit member receives the reprimand.
An employee who receives a written reprimand or suspension may request a copy of the information upon which the written reprimand or suspension was based.
Unit members are entitled to representation if a “Not Met” PMG is appealed and is at the Executive Level (Assistant Director or Director) or when management has more than one representative at the meeting to discuss the appeal of the PMG.
A unit member shall receive a copy of any statement that they are asked to sign.
All unit members have the right to be treated in a manner which is fair and impartial.
F. Rights and Disciplinary Matters (Police Department)
1) Unit members of the Police Department have the right to appear before the Departmental Disciplinary Review Board when disciplinary matters are brought before the Board involving the unit member which may lead to demotion, suspension or discharge.
a) The purpose of such appearance is to give the unit member an opportunity to respond to the assertions made against him.
b) The Department shall notify the unit member ten (10) calendar days prior to such opportunity to respond to the Board. The notification shall contain the date, time, violation(s) and basis of each violation that has been partially or wholly sustained. In addition, the unit member, if he chooses, may meet with his immediate supervisor along with his second level supervisor, or the unit member’s bureau/precinct commander for the purpose of discussing the basis of each violation to be reviewed by the DRB. If the immediate supervisor conducted the investigation, the unit member, if he chooses, may meet with the next supervisor in his chain of command.
Such request shall be made in writing to the unit member’s immediate supervisor. Also, the unit member, if he chooses, may be accompanied by a unit representative at either meeting.
At the pre-DRB meeting, the unit member shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to review the written investigation.
Realizing that in some cases there may be information that would be detrimental to the department’s ability to conduct misconduct investigations, that information may be deleted. However, all other information will be available for review.
The unit members under investigation may request an edited copy of the DRB packet at no cost to the unit member. The City has seven (7) calendar days from the date of request to provide above-mentioned packet. If this information is provided to the unit member, there shall be no pre-DRB meeting.
The unit member may, at his discretion, appear before the Board with a unit representative of his choosing, and may state his reasons why the proposed action is unjustified.
The unit member may submit relevant written matter in support of his position.
2) Any unit member under investigation by Professional Standards or a
Police Department Supervisor for a disciplinary matter, and who is interviewed or interrogated shall be given a written notice of investigation (Form 80-58DB) informing him of the nature of the investigation and his status in the investigation. In addition, the unit member and/or the Police Department supervisor/internal affairs representative may mechanically record such interview/interrogation. Should any mechanical recordings take place, the department reserves the right to transcribe any such interview/interrogation for the purpose of verifying the accuracy of the interview/interrogation and, if requested, the unit member shall sign the transcription if it is accurate.
The unit member may request a copy of the above tape. In order to receive this copy, the unit member must provide Professional Standards with a blank standard cassette tape. The unit member shall not receive additional pay for picking up or dropping off this tape.
The employee shall be given the above-mentioned written notice of investigation at the onset of the misconduct interview and prior to the employee being requested to prepare a written statement. If the employee is requested to prepare a written statement, the employee may request one (1) hour to contact his Union representative prior to making the written statement. When a unit member is given a written notice of investigation (Form 80-58DB), other than the investigating supervisor/s, the only persons the unit member may speak to concerning the investigation are their attorney, minister, unit representative, or spouse not involved in the investigation. When the investigation is completed, the accused employee will be notified in writing of the findings.
3) Unit members have the right to be represented by the
Union
, if personally requested by the unit member, in dealings with the City concerning grievances and investigatory interviews with a Police Department supervisor in a disciplinary matter which may lead to suspension, demotion or termination. The representative must be a bargaining unit member. The bargaining unit representative will be the most readily available unit representative and will attend the above meeting as a non-participating passive observer only. The employee will be allowed to seek advice and counsel from their representative during caucus and after conclusion of the interview. Prior to the conclusion of the meeting, the member, or representative on behalf of the employee, will have the opportunity to make a closing statement. If a unit member is called to an investigatory interview with a Police Department supervisor for a disciplinary matter which may lead to a Written Reprimand, the conversation shall be mechanically recorded by the supervisor and, if requested, the unit member shall receive a copy of the recording. Further, if personally requested by the unit member, representation will be allowed during a Professional Standards investigatory interview/interrogation concerning allegations focused on the unit member which may result in disciplinary action against him for violation(s) of the City or department work rules and regulations. The representative must be a bargaining unit member. The representative will be the most readily available unit representative and will attend the above meeting as a non-participating, passive observer only. The employee will be allowed to seek advice and counsel from their representative during caucus and after conclusion of the interview. Prior to the conclusion of the meeting, the member, or representative on behalf of the employee, will have the opportunity to make a closing statement.
If a supervisory counseling is to be used in any disciplinary or personnel action or any performance rating, the employee will be given the Supervisory Counseling in memo form, that identifies the behavior requiring improvement, the reason for the improvement, and the consequences of continuing the unacceptable behavior. The memo will contain a line for the employee’s signature and above the line the statement, the employee shall date and sign the supervisory counseling, not as an indication of agreement, but solely as evidence of being advised of its existence,” will be included. The employee shall date and sign the supervisory counseling, not as an indication of agreement, but solely as evidence of being advised of its existence. The employee will receive a copy of the memo.
Only paperwork pertaining to any completed N.O.I. Investigation resolved as sustained will be kept in an employee’s file.
Attendance at the Police Department Disciplinary Review Board (DRB) is optional. An employee may attend or not attend; it is his or her individual choice. If an employee declines to appear before the DRB, comments made during deliberations of the Board will not be presented to the Civil Service Board and the fact that the employee did not appear before the DRB will not be held against the employee. The employee may, at his or her discretion, appear before the Board with a representative of his or her choosing and may state his or her reasons why the proposed action is unjustified. The employee and his or her representative may passively observe all presentations made to the Board and all responses made to questions by Board members. The employee and non-board members will be excluded from the room during Board deliberations. In addition, a representative from Labor Relations will be present as a passive observer at the DRB at the union’s request.
If a Polygraph examination is required of a unit member, a unit representative may monitor the audio/video-taped examination from the monitoring room.