An employee who wishes to begin mediation under this policy must submit a completed Mediation Form to the Employee & Management Relations Department indicating the nature of the issue, the parties involved, and mediator preference. A copy of this form is attached to this policy. The Complaint Procedure Administrator will then select a mediator or mediators to conduct the mediation.
The mediator is responsible for scheduling meeting times with the parties. The initial approved period for mediation is 30 calendar days from the initial application, but this period may be extended normally in increments of 15 calendar days, if progress is being made, upon the agreement of the parties and the mediator. The mediator is authorized to halt the mediation process at any time he/she feels the parties have reached an impasse. Once the parties either reach a written agreement or the parties reach an impasse, the mediator returns the form and all related documents to the Employee & Management Relations Department. In the case of a written resolution, the mediator must attach a copy of the agreement to the form. All agreements must be reviewed and approved in advance by the Employee & Management Relations Department and other parties as determined by the Employee & Management Relations Department and must be in compliance with State policy.
In the case of an impasse, upon receipt of the form the Employee & Management Relations Department will initiate a letter to an SPA employee indicating that if the employee wishes to file a grievance (other than a grievance alleging unlawful harassment), then he or she must do so within the normal time limits. The employee's receipt of the letter will start the time for filing a grievance. The employee must affirmatively file a grievance under the University's Dispute Resolution and Staff Grievance Policy; merely receiving the form or acknowledging impasse will not automatically start the grievance process.
