Approved by Board of Trustees November 2014

Important Terms 

Personnel Committee-PC

Board of Trustees-BoT

Grievance Coordinating Team-CT (Comprised of Board Chair, Program Committee Chair, and Minister)

For the purpose of the Policy, a grievance is defined as any conflict between congregants or between a congregant and a FUUSE employee for which the parties have not been able to resolve and that required facilitation or intervention from congregational leadership. A grievance may or may not be related to staff performance of duties on behalf of the congregation. Any person may file a grievance.

Consistent with Unitarian Universalists’ commitment to justice, equity and compassion in human relations, congregants and employees in conflict are encouraged to attempt to resolve disagreements directly. The Minister is available for confidential counseling for any congregant or staff member; alternatively a member of the congregation’s Caring Committee may be able to provide confidential listening or recommend a referral to other resources. If these methods are unsuccessful in reconciling conflicts between congregants or between a congregant and a FUUSE employee, as a last resort for resolution, a formal grievance may be filed with any member of the Grievance Coordinating Team (CT) including the Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairperson, Program Committee Chair, or Minister. At any stage of the grievance process, parties may choose a member or a friend of the church to provide moral support and to serve as an informal advisor.

It shall be the responsibility of each member of the Personnel Committee (PC), the CT, and BoT who participates in determining a grievance to recuse her or himself if the member has a conflict of interest with the parties involved that prevents making an impartial decision, or if the member is, or should be a witness, including but not limited to kinship or close personal friendship.

No employee, committee member, congregant or friend of FUUSE should ridicule or otherwise denigrate a person because she or he has filed a grievance. Retaliation against anyone for filing a grievance is a violation of this Policy and should be brought to the attention of the PC (regarding staff) or BoT (regarding members) for appropriate action.

Procedure for filing a formal grievance (once all aforementioned methods have failed)
1. The grievant shall submit in writing to PC a brief description of the grievance. All correspondence will be held in confidence.
2. The PC will first review the Congregation’s “Safe Congregation Policy” to determine whether the grievance filed falls under it, and should be dealt with through that Policy. If it does not, the PC will continue with the following steps.
3. The PC will be responsible for gathering information based on the written complaint, including potentially interviews with parties to the grievance, and making a recommendation to the CT regarding an appropriate response or action.
a. All actions and deliberations by this CT shall be closed and confidential. A majority vote of the CT shall determine the matter. Such determined recommendations by the CT shall be made within two weeks of the date of the letter to the PC. Individuals involved in the dispute will be given full opportunity to explain their side of the dispute.

4. If the PC accepts the CT’s recommendations, the CT will provide that recommendation in a written report to the person initiating the grievance.
a. If the PC wishes to pursue other options for resolution, it may decide to seek further guidance beyond the assigned CT.
5. The CT will provide a final written report to the person filing the grievance within a month of when the grievance was filed. Copies of the report will also go to the Chair of the BoT and to any appropriate individual related to the individual’s grievance.
6. The FUUSE office will maintain records of all grievances. The records will be kept confidential unless all parties and the CT agree otherwise.
Appeals Process
1. If the above procedure does not resolve the situation to the satisfaction of the grievant, then an appeal can be made to the BoT.
2. To appeal, a written explanation should be submitted to a BoT member, including specifically how the grievant believes the matter should have been resolved.
3. The BoT will investigate the matter to determine if the above procedure was correctly applied.
4. If the findings from the BoT is “yes”, it will inform the member of the outcome and explain the applicable policies. If the finding is “no”, then the BoT will take the matter up with the CT to resolve the issue.
Grievances against a Member of the CT
1. When a grievance arises against a member of the CT, the grievant may feel uncomfortable at the prospect of further interaction with them. While it is recommended that the above procedures be used first, the grievant may go directly to the BoT.
2. In such cases, the grievant may submit a written explanation of the matter to a board member.
3. If the Minister is the object of the grievance, the BoT will involve the Chair of the Ministerial Committee.
4. The BoT will investigate the matter and determine what remedial actions to take, if any.
5. The BoT will inform the grievant in writing of the outcome of the BoT investigation.
6. The FUUSE office will maintain records of all grievances. The records will be kept confidential unless all parties and the CT agree otherwise.