GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

(a) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, a fire fighter or police officer may file a grievance as provided by this subchapter that relates to any aspect of the fire fighter's or police officer's employment covered by this chapter. The fire fighter or police officer may not file a grievance relating to: (1) a disciplinary suspension, indefinite suspension, promotional pass over, or demotion or other action or decision for which a hearing, review, or appeal is otherwise provided by this chapter; or (2) an allegation of discrimination based, in whole or in part, on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. (b) The director shall monitor and assist the operation of the grievance procedure. The director's duties include: (1) aiding the departments and departmental grievance counselors; (2) notifying the parties of meetings; (3) docketing cases before the grievance examiner; and (4) ensuring that the grievance procedure operates timely and effectively. (c) The department head shall appoint from among the members of the department a grievance counselor whose duties include: (1) providing appropriate grievance forms to a fire fighter or police officer; (2) accepting, on behalf of the department head, a step I or II grievance; (3) assisting the fire fighter or police officer in handling the grievance; (4) forwarding a copy of a step I or II grievance form to the director and notifying the department head; (5) arranging a meeting between the fire fighter or police officer and that person's immediate supervisor as prescribed by Section 143.128(b); (6) arranging the meeting of the fire fighter or police officer and that person's department head or the department head's designated representative as prescribed by Section 143.129(b); and (7) performing duties that the department head may assign. (d) The grievance procedure consists of four steps. In any step of the grievance process in which the aggrieved fire fighter's or police officer's immediate supervisor is included, the department head or the departmental grievance counselor may add an appropriate supervisor who is not the fire fighter's or police officer's immediate supervisor or may designate that supervisor to replace the person's immediate supervisor, if the department head or grievance counselor determines that the other supervisor has the authority to resolve the person's grievance.