Alameda County Municipal Code Ch. 3.48 Employment Discrimination Complaint Procedures

The purpose of this procedure is to provide a uniform and effective system for resolving certain allegations and complaints of employment discrimination.

(Prior admin. code § 2-18.01)

This procedure pertains to allegations made by aggrieved persons of discrimination in regard to recruitment, appointment, training, promotion, retention, discipline or other aspects of employment because of race, religion, color, sex, handicap, sexual orientation, age, national origin, political affiliation or any other factor which applicable state or federal law or regulation prohibits as the basis for discrimination in employment. Complaints which do not allege discrimination based upon one or more of the foregoing factors will not be handled under this procedure.

Where applicable, this procedure supersedes the grievance procedure set forth in Chapter 3.44 of this code. This procedure does not confer upon nontenured employees the right to a good cause hearing upon the imposition of disciplinary action.

(Prior admin. code § 2-18.02)

This procedure shall not apply to complaints relating to matters within the jurisdiction of the civil service commission under the Charter until and unless the commission elects to make this procedure applicable to such complaints. In such event, the findings and decision of the hearing officer or arbitrator shall be made to the commission for final determination. This procedure shall apply to complaints of discrimination pursuant to grievance procedures set forth in memorandums of understanding only in the event that such memorandums specifically provide for its application to such complaints. In the event that the use of this procedure is not adopted by the commission or specified by the applicable memorandum of understanding, an aggrieved person who elects to pursue an appeal through procedures provided by the commission or the memorandum of understanding may not pursue the same allegations of discrimination under this procedure.

(Prior admin. code § 2-18.03)

The objectives of this procedure are: to provide an efficient means of resolving individual or group problems of a sensitive nature quickly and with a minimum of formal procedural requirements; to decrease significantly formal complaints which are expensive, time consuming and detrimental to good employee relations; and to sensitize managers and supervisors to the needs of individual employees or groups and to improve their capability of handling problems before they become complaints.

(Prior admin. code § 2-18.04)

"Affirmative action coordinator" means the agency/department affirmative action coordinator or other person in close reporting relationship to top management who is assigned the responsibility of managing the procedure for handling discrimination complaints.

"Complainant" means an aggrieved person who has filed a formal complaint.

"Discrimination in regard to age" means disparate treatment of persons who are at least forty (40) years of age but less than seventy (70) years of age, as prohibited by the U.S. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, or of persons who are at least forty (40) years of age, as prohibited by the California Fair Employment Practice Act.

"Discrimination in regard to handicap" means disparate treatment of persons having a physical or mental handicap not related to employment needs or the person's ability to perform the duties of the job.

"Equal employment opportunity counselor" means an employee trained in equal employment opportunity procedures and counseling techniques to provide informal counseling on matters pertaining to discrimination.

Factors Which Applicable State or Federal Law or Regulation Prohibits as the Basis for Discrimination in Employment. These factors are those personal or social characteristics which are unrelated to either the needs of the position or to employment in general. Such factors as poor personal hygiene, unwillingness or inability to take direction, to work in harmony with supervision, peers, or the public, or to work without excessive absenteeism are examples of factors which normally are related to the needs of the position and to employment.

"Formal complaint" means written complaint which states clearly the basis for an allegation of discrimination and the relief requested.

(Prior admin. code § 2-18.05)

This procedure is not intended to and does not interfere with the rights of an aggrieved person to file a complaint with the Fair Employment Practice Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the courts, or, except as specifically provided herein, any other available source or redress.

(Prior admin. code § 2-18.07)

A. An aggrieved person may contact the designated equal employment opportunity counselor no later than thirty (30) days from the alleged discrimination, except that when the action complained of is a specific personnel action, of which the employee has notice, such as a promotion, demotion, rejection for appointment, or disciplinary action, the contact with the designated equal employment opportunity counselor may be made no later than ten days from the alleged discrimination. The equal employment opportunity counselor shall consult with the aggrieved person and, after making necessary inquiries, shall counsel him on the issues of the case, and seek informal resolution of the problem. The equal employment opportunity counselor shall keep a record of counseling activities and shall advise the aggrieved person of the formal complaint process and of his or her right to file complaints thereunder, under civil service rules, under an applicable memorandum of understanding, or pursuant to state and federal statutes. The equal employment opportunity counselor shall complete the informal precomplaint counseling within fifteen (15) working days of being contacted by the aggrieved person.

B. Resolving Formal Complaints.

1. Departmental Review. If informal resolution of the problem through conciliation and negotiation cannot be effected, an aggrieved person may file a formal complaint with the departmental affirmative action coordinator or other designated official. Such a complaint must be filed on a form provided for this purpose and within five working days after the attempted resolution of the problem by the equal employment opportunity counselor or within twenty-five (25) working days after the date of the alleged discriminatory action, whichever shall first occur. The affirmative action coordinator will decide whether the complaint falls within the jurisdiction of the procedure and accept or reject it. Upon acceptance of the complaint, the affirmative action coordinator shall obtain the notes on the case from the equal employment opportunity counselor; may conduct a prompt, impartial investigation if he deems if necessary; shall explore the possibility of resolving the problem through negotiation or conciliation; shall present findings and recommendations on resolving the complaint to the agency/department head; and within forty-five (45) working days from the date the formal complaint was filed, shall present his written decision, as approved by the agency/department head, to the complainant, with a copy of the complaint and decision to be forwarded to the director of personnel.

2. Appeal from Decision of Department Head. The decision of the department head shall be final unless appealed by the complainant to the director of personnel within ten working days of the date of mailing or personal delivery of the decision to the aggrieved person.

3. Review County Affirmative Action Officer. The director of personnel shall forward a copy of the decision and appeal to the county affirmative action officer who shall have ten working days from the date of filing of the appeal in which to determine whether to conduct his or her own investigation of the problem. In the latter event, the county affirmative action officer shall have twenty (20) additional working days in which to complete his or her investigation, counseling or settlement efforts.

4. Setting of Hearing. If the county affirmative action officer decides not to conduct his own investigation or if his or her efforts to settle the problem are unsuccessful, the director of personnel shall set the appeal for hearing before a State Hearing Officer or, by mutual agreement of the complainant and the agency/department head, before an agreed-upon arbitrator.

5. Exclusion of Frivolous or Vague Appeals and Appeal Therefrom. In the event that the director of personnel shall determine that the complaint is frivolous, vague, or that the facts alleged in the complaint, even if true, would not substantiate a claim of discrimination, or that the appeal claims discrimination based upon a factor for which state or federal law or regulation does not prohibit discrimination, he or she shall not schedule the appeal for hearing. The aggrieved person may, within ten working days of the mailing to him or her of notice that the complaint has been rejected by the director of personnel, request that the director's action be reviewed by an impartial practicing attorney selected by the civil service commission. If the aggrieved person makes such an appeal, the director of personnel shall forward to the impartial attorney a copy of the complaint, the written decision of the agency/department head, and of his or her determination which is the subject of the request for review. The impartial attorney, after reviewing the foregoing documents and without a hearing, shall determine whether the action of the director of personnel in refusing to schedule the appeal for hearing was correct. The determination of the impartial attorney in this regard shall be final, but a determination by the impartial attorney that the appeal should be scheduled for hearing shall not preclude the hearing officer or arbitrator from determination, upon the evidence adduced at the hearing, that the factor upon which the disparate treatment was based was related to the needs of the position or to employment in general.

6. Hearing of Appeal. The hearing officer or arbitrator shall fully hear the complaint and make written findings of fact as part of its decision. The decision of the hearing officer or arbitrator, on matters of employment discrimination within the scope of this procedure, shall be binding on the department/agency head. The director of personnel shall notify the Merit Systems Services of the California State Personnel Board regarding the disposition of all formal complaints received and of all heard by a hearing officer or arbitrator.

(Prior admin. code § 2-18.07)

The cost of the hearing officer or the arbitrator, as well as of any reporter required by the hearing officer or arbitrator, shall be paid by the county. In the event, however, that the aggrieved person is represented in his or her appeal by a recognized employee organization or is furnished counsel by said organization, the costs of the hearing officer or the arbitrator as well as of the reporter shall be shared equally by the county and the organization.

(Prior admin. code § 2-18.08)

The aggrieved person/complainant has a right to be accompanied, represented and advised by a person of his or her own choosing at all stages of the process, but no recognized employee organization shall be obligated to furnish such representation or advice except upon such basis as the aggrieved person/complainant and the recognized employee organization shall mutually agree.

(Prior admin. code § 2-18.09)

An aggrieved person/complainant, his or her representative, and witness shall be free from restraint, interference, coercion, discrimination or reprisal at all stages in presenting and processing a complaint, including the informal counseling state.

(Prior admin. code § 2-18.10)