Grievance

It's important to understand what a grievance is and is not. A grievance is not the same as a gripe. A grievance specifically refers to a violation of a contractual provision, or as defined in our contract: "A Grievance is a claim by a faculty member, group of faculty members, the Association or by the Chief Executive Officer that there has been a violation, misinterpretation or misapplication of any provision of this Agreement."

So when members come to the FA with complaints or concerns and want us to file a grievance on their behalf, our first point of conversation is "What provision in the contract has been violated?" 

The grievance procedure is spelled out in Article VI of our contract (starting on page 39 of the pdf). As you'll see, it includes a precise timeline and outlines five stages.

A core element of our grievance procedure is that, in case of a contractual violation, we seek an equitable solution that will work to make the grievant whole. The focus is the same principle as with restorative justice, not retributive justice, and the remedy also needs to be in keeping with contractual integrity, e.g., so as not to cause other issues for other members. 

The good news is that the FA has been quite successful over the years in resolving many grievances at the informal stage. That's always a good first goal. However, legitimate grievances that cannot be resolved informally can be pursued all the way through to the point of arbitration. If you believe a contractual provision has been violated—or if something has taken place that feels very wrong to you but you're not sure if a specific contractual provision has been violated—contact our grievance officer to help you.