Stewarding 12 Grievance Meeting Empowering

Stewarding Section 3: Management Engagement

Part 1: Grievance Meeting Setup – Empowerment Approach

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This will be a second approach to the scenario above. The setup is the same:

You and Amara prepared and submitted an official grievance [add link] to human resources. The union contract states that next step in the grievance process will be a meeting with HR, the supervisor, the union steward, and the worker involved.

Human resources calls you as the steward supporting Amara and says:

Hello, this is Trisha from Human Resources. We received the grievance on behalf of Amara. I have done some research into the issue. Amara has been late a couple times recently and her boss gave her some leeway but wants to send a message that this can’t continue. I do understand the boss started in the department recently and he wants to establish good relations with everyone. He seems willing to be flexible.

Do you think Amara would accept if we agreed to drop the warning letter if she doesn’t come late to work in the next 3 months?

How could you respond to Trisha in a way that involves Amara in the process?

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Here is a suggestion:

“Thanks for reaching out Trisha. We would like to setup a meeting to discuss this grievance with Amara and myself, I am available next week Wednesday anytime. Does that work for you?

Also, if you have any information about Amara’s history of tardiness, can you please share that with us.

Thanks.”

How does this vary from the approaches in the previous example?

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Only engaging HR when the affected worker is present ensures that the worker can assess all interaction that impacts them and make a decision on how to move forward.

Not entering into a negotiation directly with HR does not enable management to position you the steward and the union as a whole as as third party.

The bottom line of this difference assumes that the worker shall be present at all discussions of their work lives and issues. How else can they retain agency

Any additional insights to this subtle but essential shift in approach?

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