Anatomy of a Grievance

A grievance is a formal written complaint that management has violated the collective bargaining agreement. Writing one well is the single most important skill a steward can develop.

The 5 Essential Elements of Every Grievance:

1. WHO — Identify the grievant(s)

• Full name, job title, department, shift, seniority date

• Individual grievance (one worker) vs. group grievance (multiple workers) vs. policy grievance (affects all members)

2. WHAT — Describe the violation

• What specific action did management take (or fail to take)?

• Be factual and specific — dates, times, locations, names

• Do NOT include opinions, emotions, or accusations

3. WHEN — Establish the timeline

• When did the violation occur?

• When did the grievant (or union) become aware of it?

• This matters for filing deadlines — miss the deadline and you lose the grievance

4. WHICH ARTICLE — Cite the contract language

• Identify the SPECIFIC article(s), section(s), and paragraph(s) violated

• Always include 'and any other applicable articles' as a catch-all

• Quote the actual contract language when possible

5. WHAT DO YOU WANT — State the remedy

• Be specific: back pay, reinstatement, cease and desist, make whole

• Don't be afraid to ask for more than you expect to get — you can negotiate down but you can't negotiate up

Common Mistakes:

• Writing too much opinion and not enough facts

• Failing to cite specific contract articles

• Missing filing deadlines

• Asking for a vague remedy ('fix it') instead of a specific one

• Not including 'and any other applicable articles' as a safety net