Level II In the event the grievance is not resolved in Level I, the decision rendered may be appealed to the Superintendent of Schools, provided such an appeal is made in writing within ten (10) days after receipt of the decision in Level I. If a grievance is properly appealed to the Superintendent, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall meet regarding the grievance within fifteen (15) days after receipt of the appeal. Within ten (10) days after the meeting, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall issue a decision, in writing, to the parties involved.
Level IV a. If the grievant is not satisfied with the disposition of his/her grievance at Level III, he/she may file the grievance within five (5) days of the Level III response for transmittal to the Board. b. The Board will hear the grievance at its next regularly scheduled meeting or a special meeting which has been called for that purpose. The Board shall transmit its written decision to the grievant within five (5) days of the meeting. The decision of the Board shall be final. Nothing in this section shall be construed so as to deny a grievant any appeal rights available under the law.
Level Five i. If the grievant is not satisfied with the disposition of the grievance at Level Four, the Association may submit the grievance to advisory arbitration not later than fifteen (15) school days after receipt of the decision by the Board. ii. Within ten (10) school days after such submission for arbitration, the Board and the Association shall attempt to agree upon a mutually acceptable arbitrator. If the parties are unable to agree upon an arbitrator, either shall request the Public Employment Relations Commission to appoint an arbitrator. iii. The arbitrator shall confer with the representative of the Board and of the Association and shall proceed with a hearing and submit a written report in the shortest possible time setting forth his findings of fact, reasoning and conclusions on the issues submitted. The arbitrator shall be without power or authority to make any decision, which requires the commission of an act prohibited by law or which is violative of the terms of the Agreement. The decision of the arbitrator shall be advisory only to the Board and the Association. iv. The costs for the services of the arbitrator, including per diem expenses and actual necessary travel, subsistence expenses and the cost of the hearing room shall be borne equally by the Board and the Association. Any other expenses incurred shall be paid by the party incurring same. v. If time is lost by any teacher due to arbitration proceedings necessitating the retention of a substitute, the Board of Education will pay only the cost of the substitute; the time lost by the teacher must either be without pay or charged to personal time; however, if the arbitrator subpoenas a teacher to attend the arbitration proceedings as a witness, this teacher shall not suffer loss of pay. vi. Notwithstanding the above, the parties agree that in not more than one (1) arbitration per contract year (non-cumulative) may be submitted to an arbitrator, whose decision shall be final and binding upon both parties. The Association shall have the right to designate which arbitration shall be so binding, provided such designation is made and communicated in writing prior to the commencement of the arbitration in question. The Association's choice shall be limited to a grievance which must have reached Level Two of the grievance procedure in any contract year governed by the agreement. vii. Notwithstanding the above, the parties agree that any dispute which involves a disagreement as to whether the health insurance benefits provided employees herein are equal to or better than the health insurance benefits heretofore provided employees through the New Jersey Public and School Employees Health Benefits Plan may be submitted to an arbitrator whose decision shall be final and binding on both parties.
Contact Us If You Have a Question If you have questions about your benefits or anything in this agreement, we are happy to help. Simply call our Customer Service Department or visit one of our Your Blue Store locations. As a BCBSRI member, you may also log in to our secure member website to find out BCBSRI news, get plan information or use many of our self-service options.
Estimated Number of Participating Households Approximately 6,460. This figure is based on loans with unpaid principal balances ranging from $200,000 to $400,000 with an average funding of $5,000.00.
