• Unions file grievances when they feel they have been wronged by their employers.
• If an agreement can’t be met regarding the grievance, it is taken to arbitration.

Grievances are filed by union members when they feel they have been wronged by their employer. They must be able to cite a specific provision of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) as the basis for their grievance. Typically, there is a prescribed set of procedures outlined in the CBA for employees to file a grievance.

It generally begins at the lowest level of management (a verbal discussion with their immediate supervisor) and progresses upward through management ranks (and through union ranks as well) in the form of a written document. If the union and the employer can’t come to an agreement regarding the grievance, it will go to arbitration.

In arbitration, a neutral third party hears both sides and decides the outcome of the grievance.