a) If agreed to by both parties, the following shall be the procedure for an expedited hearing:
- 1) The Director shall appoint an employee of the Department of Central Management Services, Division of Legal/Labor Relations, to serve as the hearing officer of the expedited Step 4 grievance hearing.
- 2) The hearing officer shall have the authority to mediate the grievance with the parties prior to the scheduling of the hearing.
- 3) If the parties are unable to reach a resolution, the hearing officer shall schedule the hearing with the grievant or grievant's representative and the representative of the employee's agency to hear the grievance.
- 4) Prior to the hearing, the parties shall submit documentation in support of their respective case. The hearing officer shall have the authority to accept or deny all submissions of evidence.
- 5) At the grievance hearing, both parties shall present a summary of their cases. Witnesses are not allowed, but witness statements may be entered. The opposing party will have the opportunity to respond to the documentation and/or witness statements at the hearing. At the conclusion, the hearing officer shall adjourn the grievance hearing. The hearing officer shall make a written recommendation to the Director within five working days after the hearing date.
- 6) Upon receipt of the recommendation of the hearing officer, the Director shall approve, disapprove, or modify the recommendation, and shall render a decision on the recommendation in writing, and cause a copy of that decision to be served upon the parties. The Director's decision shall be final.
(Source: Added at 42 Ill. Reg. 7677, effective April 11, 2018)