Banner

Grievance Prodedures

So really what is a grievance.  A grievance in the traditional sense of the word is typically defined as a complaint against an employer by an employee for a contractual violation.  Simply put, this means that an employee has a problem with his/her employer and feels the problem is legitimate based on the contract he/she has with the employer.  However, not all grievances have to be contractual grievances.  Typically, labor unions or associations have a grievance procedure by which they follow and the process of tracking that grievance can take many forms.
  1. The employee usually files the grievance with a shop steward, grievance rep, or union/management official.
  2. The grievance rep typically fills out a pre-defined grievance form and submits it to the union for processing.
  3. The union typically files the grievance and all relevant hard copy documents into a filing cabinet or electronic database, like the IGS.
  4. The grievance rep and the labor union officials are responsible for keeping track of the grievance meeting steps or levels.
  5. The meeting steps are usually defined in the contract between union and management and typically have timelines that must me met between each step.

Both union and management are responsible for keeping track of the grievance and also abiding by the contractual language that accompanies that grievance.  Grievances can be filed on behalf of the entire union or on behalf of individual members/employees. 

As with any grievance or misunderstandings sometimes you can meet with your supervisor to see if you can resolve any issues first.  Feel free to have a representative with you.  In a lot of cases the problem or problems are solved and life goes on.  That's the best case scenario.

However , if now or in the future you feel your contract rights have been violated, and you have tried to work the issue out with your supervisor, please contact your building representative, stewards or one of the associations officers.  The key thing to remember you only have 15-days to file a grievance once the violation has been committed.

Share This