Opinion ID: 2570481
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: The Grievance Procedure

Text: The next issue for resolution is whether NEA-T is time-barred from seeking an interpretation of the PA. Parties who agree to submit to contractual grievance procedures must invoke those procedures or be barred from claiming the benefits of their agreement in court. See Atteberry v. Ritchie, 243 Kan. 277, 285, 756 P.2d 424 (1988). According to the express terms of each PA at issue here, any employee claiming a violation of the PA must present a grievance in writing. A grievance is defined as a complaint by a professional employee ... involving the interpretation or application of any provision contained within this Agreement. A grievance must be signed by the aggrieved employee and filed at Step 1 of the grievance procedure. (Article 9, section A of the PA.) The grievance must be filed within 15 school days following the act or occurrence which is the basis of the complaint. If the grievance is not resolved at Step 1 of the procedure, the employee may continue on to Step 2 which is an appeal to the Superintendent of Schools. A grievance not settled by the Superintendent may be submitted for arbitration under PA Article 10. Binding arbitration of disputes may be included in agreements between school districts and teachers where the dispute involves an interpretation, application, or violation of the agreement. K.S.A. 72-5424(a). Where parties have unambiguously agreed to submit all questions involving the interpretations of their contracts to an arbitrator, the function of the courts is limited. Paperworkers v. Misco, Inc., 484 U.S. 29, 36-37, 98 L.Ed.2d 286, 108 S. Ct. 364 (1987). Contrary to NEA-T's argument, the trial court did not rule that this dispute must be arbitrated. The trial court held NEA-T failed to timely act under Article 9; thus, arbitration was no longer an option. The trial court dismissed the case because the NEA-T failed to file a timely grievance and never requested arbitration. NEA-T also contends that under the PA, issues of timeliness must be submitted to the arbitrator. This is correct. However, NEA-T cannot at this point even ask to submit the dispute to an arbitrator, because it failed to initiate the mandatory two-step process in Article 9. NEA-T has not alleged that it filed a timely grievance so that it could now ask an arbitrator to decide the question of timeliness. There is no reasonable argument that NEA-T could submit the question of timeliness to an arbitrator. Where a party makes no attempt to invoke mandatory contractual grievance procedures, it is barred from then suing to enforce the contract. Atteberry, 243 Kan. at 285. NEA-T claims that the trial court erred in determining arbitration is no longer available. This argument is without merit. NET does not contend that it complied with the grievance procedure. As a result, NEA-T has not appealed the trial court's ruling that it failed to comply with the Article 9 grievance procedure. Compliance with Article 9 is a mandatory prerequisite to arbitration.