Dispute Resolution

The University of Arizona is committed to diversity and inclusion and providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment in which all students, staff and faculty may contribute and thrive. 

We expect all members of our community to model behavior necessary to create an inclusive and respectful climate for all. To support these efforts, the following resources are available to University employees.

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To report non-urgent workplace violence, safety concerns, or policy violations fill out a Public Care Report to Threat Assessment and Management Team (TAMT). Report to TAMT.

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Office of Institutional Equity

Resources to create and maintain a work and learning environment that is inclusive, and free of discriminatory conduct.

Ethics & Compliance Hotline

An anonymous, 24/7 resource for reporting concerns about legal or policy violations or unethical conduct.
 

University Police Department

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Dispute Resolution and Appeal Policies

Summary of University Policy, formal University processes, and resources to help employees come to a sustainable consensus.

Appointed Professionals

Appointed Personnel include faculty members, administrators, athletic coaches, and academic and service professionals. These positions have defined-term contracts.

Faculty

Faculty are responsible for the teaching, research, and public service goals and objectives of the University. All types of faculty appointments are subject to Arizona Board of Regents Conditions of Faculty Service and University Handbook for Appointed Personnel chapter 3.

Administrators

Administrators include the president of the University and employees reporting to the president. These positions are at Management and Leader Levels 6 and 7 in the University career architecture.

Classified Staff

Classified Staff is a legacy employment category. Employees within this category operate under the conditions outlined in the Classified Staff Human Resources Policy Manual.

Guidelines for University Employees Called to Testify in a Staff Dispute

The University of Arizona provides a process for Classified Staff employees to appeal or dispute many employment-related actions. This process, called the Staff Dispute Resolution Procedure, involves a series of steps that allow disputes to be reviewed at various departmental/college levels.

At the fourth and final step, the Classified Staff member and the department representative present their cases either to a neutral third-party review officer or to a panel of employees from the Staff Dispute Resolution Committee. During these proceedings, the parties may decide to call University employees to testify regarding issues related to the dispute. The University expects all employees called to testify to appear and provide truthful testimony in these proceedings. In fact, this is a condition of employment, as stated in the Staff Dispute Resolution Procedure, Classified Staff Policy 406,

As such, employees are expected to:

  1. Be available on the date(s) of the proceedings
  2. When called, appear promptly
  3. Provide truthful testimony
  4. Notify their supervisor in advance, whenever possible, that they may be called to testify.

The policy also prohibits employees from being harassed, intimidated, or threatened with any adverse action for doing their duty to appear at dispute proceedings when requested:

"No person shall use or threaten to use their official authority to influence in any manner or to discourage the use of this procedure, nor shall any reprisal or retaliation result from an employee's use of the Staff Dispute Resolution Procedure."

University employees named as witnesses in a staff dispute can expect to be:

  • Contacted in advance by the party requesting their appearance, if possible.
  • Asked to provide a telephone number where they may be reached at any time during the scheduled date(s) of the proceedings.
  • Notified, generally by telephone, when they are called to provide testimony.
  • Released from work, with pay, to attend the proceedings.