How to file a grievance
You can file a grievance by contacting
a shop steward or union representative in your work area,
or by contacting
the Guild office. You can download a grievance form here.
The first, important task is to write down the details of the
grievance, giving as many specific details as possible. Do this
first! If you wait until later, you may forget something.
Nearly
all contracts have a "statute of limitations" on grievances,
which means there's a certain window of opportunity for filing
a grievance. The window varies from contract to contract, so it's
important to check the agreement that
applies to your workplace.
Once
a grievance is filed, you will be expected to meet with the employer,
along with a union representative, to discuss the grievance and
air the dispute. Sometimes contracts spell out specific time periods
for such meetings. You can help move your grievance along by providing
the union with complete information and by keeping your representatives
informed of any changes in your status or new information that
would help your case. You can play an important role by contacting
witnesses or gathering information to use to present the grievance
to the employer.
How
are grievances resolved?
Grievances
may be resolved in a variety of ways. They may be:
Remedied,
if the employer agrees to the union's proposed remedy for the
grievance;
Settled,
if the employer and the union agree to a different negotiated
solution;
Withdrawn,
if the union determines the grievance has no merit or is not a
violation of the contract or other applicable rules or laws;
if
there is no satisfactory way to resolve the issue, or, in some
cases, if the grievant terminates his or her employment with the
employer, or
Arbitrated,
if the employer, the union or both parties decide to send the
grievance to a third-party arbitrator, whose decision is binding.
The decision to arbitrate a grievance rests with the union's officers
and Executive Board.
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