LLLI Grievance Commission -- Creating New Acceptable Agreements
Ilene Traiger
Ridgefield CT USA
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 41 No. 4, August-September 2005, pp. 84-85.
LLL Leaders are usually a congenial group of people. Because we share a common philosophy of mothering, common
goals in pursuit of our mission, and a common commitment to a purpose, we are able to work together amazingly well.
When disagreements do arise, they can usually be resolved among the people involved or with help from supportive
administrators. On rare occasions, a Leader may have a complaint that she feels has not been resolved through the
usual and appropriate LLL channels. Like many other organizations, LLLI provides a Grievance Procedure, which
exists to serve Leaders by providing a safe and simple way for both parties to explain their positions and then
work together toward a solution.
Since such disagreements are so infrequent, it may be hard to imagine what kinds of disputes become grievances.
The problem may be between a Leader and an LLL entity, such as an Area, Division, or Affiliate, or between
entities. Grievances address problems of implementation of policy, not disagreements with LLL policy itself, which
should be addressed to the Board of Directors.
One fascinating thing about the way LLL grievances are conducted is that they take place in cyberspace on Yahoo
email groups. Each grievance has its own Yahoo group where the participants post and can upload any documents
relating to the grievance. Picture a big table in a meeting room. The Yahoo group is like that big table. To avoid
confusion, only three people actually post messages. These three are the grievant, the person representing the LLL
entity, and the Grievance Commissioner who is the primary facilitator. Other people sit at the table and listen,
although they do not post. These others may be anyone else the grievant wants to support her, other administrators
from the LLL entity, and the other members of the Grievance Commission. Everyone can see who else is at the table
because all the members of the group are listed at the Yahoo group site.
After everyone has introduced themselves, the grievant explains her complaint. She may upload documents and take
as long as she reasonably needs. The other party does not respond or post on the site until the grievant has
completed her presentation. Then it's the other's turn to respond to the complaint. At any time during the
procedure, both parties may correspond confidentially with the Grievance Commission through the primary facilitator
or one of the two agreed-on secondary facilitators who serve on each team. The parties can ask for help or advice,
or share concerns. The facilitator's job is to remain impartial. Her goal is to help the two parties resolve the
dispute.
A frequent misunderstanding about the Grievance Commission is that it judges who "wins" a dispute. In
fact, the Grievance Procedure could be compared more to mediation than to a judicial proceeding. The goal is not to
declare a winner and loser, but to help both parties work together to create a new agreement that is acceptable to
both and that outlines how they will move forward.
Once both parties have given their presentations, the Commission helps them identify where there are areas of
agreement, what the areas of disagreement are, and helps prioritize them. Sometimes less important areas of
disagreement can be quickly resolved. Then the two parties need to talk about what can be done about the remaining
issues. As with any disagreement, both parties will probably have to compromise to some extent in order to reach an
agreement that is acceptable to all. No matter what the outcome, the grievant has the satisfaction of knowing that
she has been given every opportunity to present her concerns, have them listened to, and given due consideration.
After the resolution of a grievance, the Grievance Commission reports to the Board of Directors, and may make
recommendations to the Board based on their findings.
The Grievance Procedure gives every Leader the opportunity to be heard and has been designed to make the
experience as positive and stress-free as possible. Each grievance is assigned to a primary facilitator who gives
her work on the grievance high priority. Two additional facilitators are assigned to each case. They keep up with
all developments so either one could take over if the primary facilitator needed to take time off or leaves the
case for any reason, ensuring continuity. The parties and facilitator work together to determine time frames and to
assess progress.
If you want to know more, you can read all the details of the Grievance Procedure in the LLLI Policies and
Standing Rules, Appendix 40, in the LEADER'S HANDBOOK or the LLLI Web site at
www.lalecheleague.org/leaderpages/PSRappend40.html [Note: address has been edited for new website]. Questions may be
directed to Eileen Harrison, Grievance Commission Coordinator, at
eileenharrison at compuserve dot com.
Editor's Note: The Grievance Commission is open to all Divisions and Affiliates and makes its recommendations
directly to the LLLI Board of Directors.
Ilene Traiger has been a Leader for 25 years and lives in Connecticut, USA with her husband. Their children
are Annie (26), Sally (22), Clara (22), and Nathan (16). In addition to being a member of the Grievance Commission,
Ilene serves as an Associate Coordinator of Leader Accreditation-at-Large. Nan Vollette is the Contributing Editor
for "Helping Mothers." Submissions may be sent to Nan at
vollette at cox dot net or 132 Powhatan Pkwy, Hampton VA 23661 USA.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:28 UTC 2007.
