MISCELLANEOUS GRIEVANCE PROVISIONS.

(a) A fire fighter or police officer may represent himself or obtain a representative at any time during the grievance procedure. The municipality is not obligated to provide or pay the costs of providing representation. The representative:

(1) is not required to be an attorney;

(2) is entitled to be present to advise the fire fighter or police officer;

(3) is entitled to present any evidence or information for the fire fighter or police officer; and

(4) may not be prevented from fully participating in any of the grievance proceedings.

(b) A fire fighter or police officer may take reasonable time off from a job assignment to file a grievance and attend a meeting or hearing. Time taken to pursue a grievance may not be charged against that person. The fire fighter or police officer shall be compensated on an overtime basis for the time that person spends at a grievance meeting or hearing if:

(1) the meeting or hearing is scheduled at a time other than that person's normally assigned working hours; and

(2) that person prevails in the grievance.

(c) If notice that a grievance meeting or hearing is to be recorded is provided to all persons present at the meeting or hearing, the fire fighter or police officer, the department head, or the department head's designee may record the meeting or hearing.

(d) The director shall provide a suitable notice explaining the grievance procedure prescribed by this subchapter and furnish copies to each department. Each department head shall cause the notices to be posted in a prominent place or places within the department work areas to give reasonable notice of the grievance procedure to each member of the department.

(e) At the request of the department head of a fire fighter or police officer who has filed a grievance under this subchapter, the municipality's legal department or the director shall assist in resolving the grievance.

(f) The director is the official final custodian of all records involving grievances. A depository for closed files regarding grievances shall be maintained in the civil service department.

(g) A fire fighter or police officer who files a grievance pursuant to Sections 143.127 through and including Section 143.134 is entitled to 48 hours notice of any meeting or hearing scheduled under Section 143.128(b), 143.129(b), 143.130(b), or 143.131(b). In the event that the fire fighter or police officer is not given 48 hours advance notice, the fire fighter's or police officer's grievance shall be automatically sustained and no further action may be had on the grievance.

(h) If the decision of the commission under Section 143.131 or the decision of a hearing examiner under Section 143.129 that has become final is favorable to a fire fighter, the department head shall implement the relief granted to the fire fighter not later than the 10th day after the date on which the decision was issued. If the department head intentionally fails to implement the relief within the 10-day period, the municipality shall pay the fire fighter $1,000 for each day after the 10-day period that the decision is not yet implemented.