LOCAL 4266
In a labor union, a grievance is a complaint filed by an employee which may be resolved by procedures provided for in a
collective agreement or by mechanisms established by an employer. Such a grievance may arise from a violation of the
collective bargaining agreement or violations of the law, such as workplace safety regulations. All employees have the
contractual right to raise a grievance.

Ordinarily, unionized workers will meet with a shop steward in order to discuss the problem, which may or may not result in
a grievance. If the grievance cannot be resolved through negotiation between labor and management, mediation,
arbitration or legal remedies may be employed. Typically, everyone involved with a grievance has strict time lines which
must be met in the processing of this formal complaint, until it is resolved. Employers cannot legally treat an employee any
differently whether he or she has filed a grievance or not. The difference between a grievance and a complaint, in the
unionized workplace, is whether the subject matter relates to the collective bargaining agreement. A serious grievance may
lead to a strike action.

In a union environment, a typical grievance procedure begins with an employee presenting a problem to his or her immediate
supervisor within a certain time period after the offending event has occurred. The supervisor then has a set amount of time to
either respond or send the grievance on to be addressed by the head of the department. At this point, a union representative
enters the negotiations on behalf of the employee. If the situation is still not resolved, the grievance continues up the chain of
command to the plant manager and the president of the local union. If the labor union fails to follow the procedures at any
point, the contract usually specifies that it must drop the grievance. Conversely, the company is usually obligated to resolve the
grievance in the employee's favor if management fails to follow the procedures outlined in the collective bargaining agreement.

If the situation still cannot be resolved, the final step in the grievance process is for both parties to present their side to a
pre-designated arbitrator. The arbitrator's role is to determine the rights of both parties under the labor agreement, and his or
her decision is usually final. The labor contract generally specifies the type of arbitrator used, the method of selecting the
arbitrator, the scope of the arbitrator's authority, and the arrangements for the arbitrator's payment. A potential intermediate
step involves presenting the grievance to a mediator, whose job is to help the parties solve their own differences before they
reach the formal arbitration phase. Mediation is usually less time consuming and expensive than arbitration. In addition, the
mediator may be able to teach the two parties dispute resolution skills that may be helpful in solving future problems.
THE GRIEVANCE PROCESS
What is a Grievance