Partnership Agreement Disputes

Partnership Agreement Disputes (PADs) are how we address potential violations of our union contract. The PAD process must be initiated within 20 business days of an incident occurring. For more information about the timeline for filing a PAD, click here.

Any employee covered by the Partnership Agreement is eligible to file a PAD if they believe the Partnership Agreement has been violated. To access the Level I and Level II PAD forms, click here.

Grievances

Grievances are how we address potential violations of the State Personal Board Rules. Grievances must be initiated within 10 calendar days of an incident occurring. For more information about the timeline for filing a Grievance, click here.

Any State Classified Employee is eligible to file a Grievance, regardless of their coverage status under the Partnership Agreement. For more information about filing a Grievance, visit the State Personnel Board's website.

Representation Policies

Colorado WINS provides representation to individual employees according to the union’s Representation & Arbitration Policy. COWINS representatives for meetings with supervisors, human resources, appointing authorities, investigators can be expected to follow these general provisions.

What your representative can do:

• Provide fair and knowledgeable advocacy for employees in pre-disciplinary meetings (called R6-10s), Step 2 Grievance meetings, or Partnership Agreement Disputes (PADs) in Levels I and II.
• Attend as a witness to allowable investigatory meetings.
• Counsel employees on provisions of the Partnership Agreement and State Personnel Board (SPB) Rules.
• Suggest the proper venues available in the state to solve issues, such as C-SEAP, EEO offices, resources for ADA claims, or EEOC.

What your representative cannot do:

• Be involved in worker's comp insurance claims.
• Be involved in performance evaluations or general supervisory meetings about performance.
• Represent in State Personnel Board Hearings (those require attorneys as representatives).
• Solve personality conflicts.
• Attend separation meetings for probationary employees: employees who have been employed for less than one year.
• Be involved in any venue that is not subject to the State Personnel Board Rules or Partnership Agreement.

Terms of Representation Services

1. Represented client must respond to the representative’s communications in a timely manner. Five days without phone response or three messages without response is cause for termination of representation.
2. COWINS staff and volunteer stewards make a good faith effort to fully and respectfully represent clients under the terms of this agreement and the Representation & Arbitration Policy. COWINS staff and volunteer stewards are not expected to subject themselves to verbal abuse, harassment, or threats from clients. Violations of this expectation or of the COWINS Code of Conduct is cause for termination of representation.
3. A terminated client may appeal their termination for cause under item 1 or 2 of these terms to the COWINS President.

Representation Fees in SPB Cases

1. There is a flat monthly fee for representation in Grievances pertaining to the State Personnel Board Rules. All fees for representation are waived for members in good standing at the time of the incident. The fee is $400 per month.
2. Non-members will be invoiced each month for any fees incurred. Non-payment may be cause for termination of representation.
3. The first month’s fee for non-members is due at the start of the representation.
4. Fees for new members will be waived starting the month subsequent to their first dues deduction.

NOTE: The $400 fee does not cover additional costs related to representation at State Personnel Board Hearings, which are distinct from other grievance meetings related to the State Personnel Board rules.