As National Union Representatives (NURs), we enter the grievance process after it has been filed, and usually after the first hearing has occurred.

First level in the grievance process

Grievances begin at the work-unit level between the local manager, the grievor, and a volunteer steward. The steward is responsible for filing the grievance and working with the grievor to prepare the facts and arguments for the first-level hearing.

The wording of a grievance filing is very important, so take your time. View pages 39-44 of our Local Officer Handbook for information along with additional resources on our website. Contact your union local if you have any questions.

Only where the grievance cannot be resolved at the first level will it be transferred to the second level, into our care.

 
Vital details at second level of grievance

The NURs may be restricted in our arguments by what has been presented on the grievance form. For example, if a grievance form has quoted only Article 34 (vacation leave), but we have also identified a breach of Article 17 (discipline), we may not be able to raise this to management at second level because it was not included in the scope of the original filing. We would also be beyond the timeframe (25 working days) to file a second grievance to respond to the newly identified infraction.

Likewise, we are sometimes presented with a grievance form that has provided far too much detail on the form. Sharing too much information can also restrict how we argue the case, and a lengthy grievance form sometimes does not refer to the relevant articles.

The importance of an open-ended clause

These problems are resolved by keeping the grievance form short, specific, and using an open-ended clause that allows us to include additional articles later in the grievance levels.

For example, “I grieve Article X [state the article name], and any other collective agreement article, employer policy, or legislation that may apply.” There are variations on this wording, and any of them will work just fine. What is most important is to keep it brief and to the point!