All negotiated union contracts (Collective Agreements) have what is called a "Grievance Procedure".  A grievance is a complaint, and a grievance procedure is a complaint process. When a non-union employee has a concern about working conditions, he/she may take a complaint to his/her employer. If the employer says "no" to the complaint there is no effective avenue for a non-union employee to pursue the matter further. Sometimes, the employer may say "yes" to the complaint, but it is looked at as a favour and the employee is expected to give something extra back in return.

A union contract spells out conditions of employment. If a complaint (grievance) is denied by the employer, the employee, with the assistance of a union representative, may pursue the matter further using the grievance procedure described in the Collective Agreement. Sometimes some complaints do not get resolved between the employer and the union through the grievance procedure. If there is no resolve, the grievance may be forwarded to an independent "judge", called an "arbitrator" and a quasi-judicial hearing is arranged for the arbitrator to hear both sides of the grievance. A union lawyer represents the affected member. The arbitrator has the authority to decide on how the complaint is to be resolved. Once the arbitrator has made his/her decision everybody must live by that decision and this concludes the grievance procedure for this complaint.

The grievance procedure is the part of the union contract that is used to address the employees' complaints and protect the employees' rights. Every union contract has a grievance procedure. If you don't have a union contract, what procedure is protecting your rights?

WARNING: There are time limits for filing grievances - call us immediately if you believe you have a grievance!