Grievances
The University of Kansas has specific grievance policies and procedures for University Support Staff (USS), Unclassified Professional Staff (UPS), 1290 PE covered employees, and KUPOA MOA covered employees. The following information is provided to help you navigate the grievance process.
Grievance Procedure for Staff
University Support Staff (USS) and Unclassified Professional Staff (UPS)
Human Resources coordinates the grievance process. A grievance can be filed by any “regular” USS or UPS employee with regular status who is not serving on a probationary period.
Filing a Grievance
To file a grievance, please follow the process outlined in the Grievance Procedure for Staff outlined in the Policy Library.
1290 PE Covered Employees
Filing a Grievance
To initiate the grievance process, you must follow the steps in the Memorandum of Agreement - 1290PE, as outlined here:
Step 1: Prior to filing a formal grievance and within ten (10) business days of the date on which the grievant became aware or could reasonably have been aware of the circumstances giving rise to the grievance, the grieving party should meet informally with a supervisor of the department in which the circumstances arose to discuss and attempt to resolve the concern without a formal grievance.
Step 2: If the grievance is unresolved, the grievant will, within five (5) business days of that meeting, proceed to Step 2, by the completion of the University of Kansas - Local Union 1290 PE Grievance Form (Step 2), within five (5) business days of the Step 1 informal meeting, or the grievance is waived. The grievant may also proceed to Step 2 if an agreed upon resolution does not occur as specified.
The supervisor shall review the grievance and respond to the employee(s) in writing within five (5) business days of the grievance's presentation. The employee may have a Union Steward present at this step.
Step 3: If the grievance has not been settled in Step 2, the employee(s) may submit their grievance to the Unit leader within ten (10) business days after the answer to Step 2 is due, or presented, whichever occurs first, by the completion of the University of Kansas - Local Union 1290 PE Grievance Form (Step 3- submit to Unit Leader)
The Department/Unit head or designee shall provide his or her response to the employee in writing within ten (10) business days from the receipt of the grievance. The employee may also provide a copy of the response to the Union.
Step 4: If the grievance has not been settled in Step 3, the employee(s) may submit their grievance to the Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice Chancellor (or their designee) within five (5) working days after the response from Step 3 was due or presented, whichever is sooner, by the completion of the University of Kansas - Local Union 1290 PE Grievance Form (Step 4- submit to Chief HR Officer and Senior Vice Chancellor). The employee may also provide a copy of the form to the Union.
The Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice Chancellor or their designee will hold an informal meeting to obtain additional information regarding the grievance and will respond in writing. HR shall provide the final resolution in writing to the grievant(s) and any designated employee representative within ten (10) working days after meeting with the employee. The employee may have a Union Steward at the meeting upon the employee's request.
KUPOA MOA Covered Employees
Filing a Grievance
To initiate the grievance process, you must download and complete the Grievance form for USS Employees Covered by KUPOA (pdf). The original form should be submitted to your immediate supervisor and a copy should be sent to Human Resources by email to hrdept@ku.edu or by fax to 785-864-5790.
Additional Information
For more information about the grievances process, please contact Human Resources by email at hrdept@ku.edu or by phone at 785-864-4946.
*An accessible version of the PDFs on this site will be made available upon request. Please contact our office at hrdept@ku.edu to request the document be made available in an accessible format.