1472                                       LAWS OF MARYLAND                                   Ch. 382

(g) A formal grievance may be filed by the aggrieved
employee [or by his representative, but]; the request to
[initiate or] appeal a grievance must bear the signature of the
employee OR THE EMPLOYEE'S REPRESENTATIVE at each step of the
procedure.

(h) A record of each grievance and its disposition shall be
furnished to the employee involved. A file copy of each
grievance shall be maintained at the last step at which the
grievance was processed, and an additional copy shall be filed
with the campus personnel department which shall be available to
the employee or [his] THE EMPLOYEE'S representative. [An
abstract of each final disposition at steps three and above shall
be prepared by the appropriate campus director of personnel who
will forward the abstract to the Office of the Vice President for
General Administration. This office is responsible for periodic
distribution of all abstracts to campus personnel departments so
they may be available to interested parties.]

(i) At any point in the grievance procedure, the employee
may elect to obtain, change, or dismiss [his] THE representative
by providing a written notice to the person hearing the
grievance. However, the action does not allow the grievant to
return to a previous step in the procedure.

[(j) A University employee designated as a witness by
either party to a grievance may not suffer any loss of pay for
time spent testifying in any step of the grievance procedure.
Release time from normal work schedules is to be granted all
witnesses to attend grievance hearings.]

[(k)] (J) A hearing officer may exclude incompetent,
irrelevant, immaterial, and unduly repetitious evidence or
witnesses.

[(1)] (K) Each step of the grievance procedure shall be
processed as quickly as practicable within the specified time

limits. Failure to appeal at any step constitutes acceptance.
Failure to answer is a denial to which an appeal may be made. By
mutual agreement, the time limits AND/OR STEPS may be waived.

[(m)] (L) It is the responsibility of each party to the
grievance procedure at each step of the procedure to duplicate
the grievance form prior to filing it with the employer or
returning it to the employee and to retain one copy of the form.

[(n) Failure on the part of a designated supervisor to meet
his responsibility within the specified time limits is sufficient
cause for disciplinary action.]

[(o)] (M) A grievance may start with a complaint or request
by a permanent or temporary employee.