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Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Ordinances and Regulations

Amended: June 6, 2001



Chapter R600 - Employment


Little River Casino Resort ("Resort") Employee Grievance Procedures


I. Policy.

Differences of opinion occasionally arise between individuals in employment situations. It is in the best interests of the Tribe, the Resort and its employees to resolve such conflicts. Therefore, it is the policy of the Tribe to provide a procedure and forum in which regular employees of the Resort may voice their grievances. The Tribe intends to evaluate fully all complaints with consideration given to the cause of the complaint and to the circumstances and personnel involved. While the Tribe is committed to providing a procedure for resolving employee complaints, nothing contained in these grievance procedures affects the at-will nature of employment with the Tribe.


II. Coverage.

These grievance and appeal procedures apply to all regular employees of the Resort who have completed their ninety (90) day probationary period. Probationary employees, temporary employees and applicants do not have access to these grievance procedures.

These grievance and appeal procedures apply to employment issues relating to termination, discipline, promotion, demotion, and compensation decisions. These procedures do not apply to grievance or appeals from decisions of the Tribal Gaming Commission.


III. Procedures.

Before the following formal procedures may be utilized, employees should discuss their grievance with their immediate supervisor.

A. Step 1.

The employee must, within seven (7) calendar days of the incident or action, or the time the incident or action first became known to the employee, present a written grievance to his or her Department Head. The Department Head must schedule a conference with the employee within seven (7) calendar days after receipt of the grievance and must deliver a written decision to the employee and the Resort's Director of Human Resources within ten (10) calendar days after the conclusion of the conference. If the grievance remains unresolved or the decision is considered unacceptable to the employee, the employee may proceed to Step 2.

If the employee's grievance involves the suspension or termination of the employee, the employee may skip Step 1 and may proceed directly to Step 2.

B. Step 2.

Within seven (7) calendar days after receipt of the decision in Step 1 or, if the employee was authorized to skip Step 1, within seven (7) calendar days of the incident or action, or the time the incident or action first became known, the employee may present the written grievance and decision from Step 1, if applicable, to the Resort's Director of Human Resource for presentation to the Board of Review.

Board of Review: The Board of Review is an impartial committee established to reach a final, binding settlement of employee grievances and complaints.

Membership: The Board of Review consists of the following representatives:

  1. Director of Human Resources or her/his representative.
  2. A management representative having no jurisdiction over the department involved in the grievance or complaint.
  3. An elected Employee representative from the requesting employee's department. At least one (1) member of the Board of Review shall be a Tribal member.

Election of Department Representatives: Election of department representatives is held annually in each department during the month of December The first department election under this policy shall be held within 45 days after the date these procedures are approved by the Tribal Council. One representative and two alternates are selected from each department. Efforts shall be made to recruit Tribal member employees during the election process to promote the election of Tribal member employees from a number of departments.

An alternate will serve on the Board of Review for any of the following reasons: family relationship with employees involved, personal involvement in the circumstance giving rise to the grievance or complaint, close personal association with employees involved in the grievance, or personal prejudice.

The three Board of Review members share an equal voice in the proceedings and an equal vote in the decisions of the Board. A majority vote will determine the Board decision, which will be final and binding.

Responsibility: The Review Board's responsibility is to render a fair and impartial decision, which is consistent with the spirit and purpose of the Resort's employment policies, after evaluating all testimony and evidence presented at the Board of Review's hearing on the grievance or complaint.

The decisions of the Board of Review will be final and may not be appealed. The decisions of the Board of Review and recommendations, if any, will be reported in writing to the General Manager of the Resort.

Authority: The Board of Review is authorized to:

  1. Order the reinstatement of employees who have been terminated or suspended and recommend reimbursement of wages for employees reinstated.
  2. Uphold the action of the department or decision of the department from Step 1.
  3. Authorize modified or reduced disciplinary action or wage adjustments within the limitations of salary guidelines in place at the time.

Limitation on Authority: The Board of Review is not authorized to order reinstatement of employees who have been terminated or suspended as a result of either revocation or suspension of such employee's gaming license by the Tribal Gaming Commission. Employees must appeal any licensing decision of the Gaming Commission in accordance with the procedures prescribed in the Tribal Gaming Ordinance and any applicable regulations of the Gaming Commission.

No Retaliation Against Employees or Witnesses: Retaliation against employees requesting a Board of Review or employees testing before the Board of Review will not be tolerated. If an employee is terminated within ninety (90) days following his/her Board of Review hearing, the terminating supervisor must submit a detailed report of such action, through the chain of command, to the General Manager and Human Resource Director. This same procedure will also apply to the termination of employee witnesses at the Board of Review and employees serving on the Board of Review.

Procedural Rules:

  1. All requests for a Board of Review must be made to the Human Resource Director within seven (7) calendar days where the employee's discharge or suspension is being protested.
  2. If the requesting employee has had a termination "exit" interview prior to requesting a Board of Review hearing, his/her statement will NOT be shown to any person before the hearing except members of the Board and the General Manager.
  3. Supervisors, managers and directors may request a Board of Review hearing under the same conditions required of other employees. In such cases, the Board of Review will be comprised of the Human Resource Director and two other respective supervisors, managers or directors selected by the Human Resource Director.
  4. The Human Resource Director will notify the employee in writing of the date, time, place and purpose of a hearing at least seven (7) calendar days prior to the scheduled hearing.
  5. Board of Review hearings shall be closed to the public.
  6. All information disclosed to Board members in course of all hearings shall be treated as confidential and shall not be disclosed to any other person.
  7. The Board shall review all the facts and make a recommendation by majority vote.
  8. The decisions of the Board shall be in writing and shall be final.


Little River Casino Resort ("Resort") Employee Grievance Procedures
Approved - Tribal Council January 8, 2000
Amended - Tribal Council - March 11,2000
Updated: June 6, 2001 (10:14am)

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