What is a grievance?

Q. What’s a grievance?
A. That’s easy. It’s where a worker believes his or her rights on the job have been violated.

Q. Where do employees get these “rights”? Do they just exist? Are they the same for everybody?
A. You have to look in your contract. That’s where SLOCEA and management formally agree in writing on wages, hours, and conditions of employment. The contract is where employees get their rights.

Q. All right, that makes sense. But let’s get back to what is a “grievance.”
A. To do that, let’s get back to the contract. Every contract contains a definition of a grievance for the workers covered by that agreement. It usually says something like “a grievance is any dispute concerning the application, meaning, or interpretation of the provisions of this
Agreement.”

Q. Clearly the contract is very important. It’s probably the most important document for the association steward. Is that all there is?
A. Well, as a matter of fact, there is more. In addition to basing a grievance on a VIOLATION OF A PROVISION OF THE CONTRACT, including such areas as seniority, overtime, vacation and holiday pay, unjust disciplinary action, staffing, job posting, etc., stewards can also base a grievance on:
· A VIOLATION OF WORK RULES, REGULATIONS, AND/OR POLICIES – after all, management can’t just go around breaking its own rules.
· A VIOLATION OF PAST PRACTICE – for details, see box below.
· A VIOLATION OF LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL LAW UNSAFE OR UNHEALTHY WORKING CONDITIONS – management is responsible for providing a safe place to work.
· UNFAIR TREATMENT – e.g. discrimination based on race, sex, SLOCEA activity and the like.