HR Manager Question:

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 legitmate based on the contract he/she has with the employer. However, not all grievances have to be contractual grievances. Typically, labor unions have a grievance procedure by which they follow and the process of tracking that grievance can take many forms.

☛ The employee usually files the grievance with a shop steward, grievance rep, or union/management official.
☛ The grievance rep typically fills out a pre-defined grievance form and submits it to the union for processing.
☛ The union typically files the grievance and all relevant hard copy documents into a filing cabinet or electronic database, like the IGS.
☛ The grievance rep and the labor union officials are responsible for keeping track of the grievance meeting steps 1-Arbitration.
☛ The meeting steps are usually defined in the contract between union and management and typically have timelines that must me met between each step.