The cost of arbitration shall be borne equally between the parties. The arbitrator shall not have the power to add to, subtract from, or modify this Agreement. Only grievances as defined in Section 6.2a of this Article shall be subject to arbitration. In all arbitration cases, the award of the arbitrator shall be final and binding upon the parties. Any claims for failure by the State to maintain the status quo or failure to fund newly negotiated agreements will not be covered by this provision.
Class is defined as all employees similarly situated as to the claims being made.
If the department head or designee is the second level of appeal the grievant may bypass Step 3.