Writing an effective grievance is the first step to enforcing your contract.

Avoid common mistakes by following these Teamster grievance writing tips.

Include the Basics

Every grievance should cover:

• Who violated the contract
• What article, policy, or law was violated
• Where did the violation happen
• When did the violation happen
• How can the grievant be made whole

Just the Facts

A rule of thumb is to keep your grievance short, sweet, and to-the-point. Explain the basic problem, indicate which contract or other violations have occurred, and lay out how management needs to fix the problem.

Adding your arguments, evidence and justifications reveals your hand to management and allows them to be better prepared to defeat your position.

Save your arguments for when you present your grievance to management.

Take ‘Em One at a Time

There may be a lot of problems going on at once. Each grievance should focus on a specific contract violation and what you want done about it. If management is violating the contract in multiple ways, file multiple grievances. But take each issue one at a time.

Use Catch-Phrases to Cover Yourself

Use protective language to avoid getting your grievance tossed out on a technicality. When you write your grievance use the expression, “Management violated contract articles including but not limited to Article 4, Section 2.” By adding “including but not limited to,” you keep the door open if, later on, you need to add additional articles that were violated. When referring to the date of the violation, write “On or about July 3” in case you’re a little off.

Tell 'Em What You’re After

The grievance should tell us what happened, but also needs to be clear about what management needs to do about it. This is called the “remedy”. Don’t forget to ask for backpay and benefit contributions where appropriate. Include the phrase “Make the grievant whole in every way” in your remedy to cover anything you might have left out.

Pay Attention to Deadlines

Stay on top of the time limits. The easiest and most frustrating way to lose a grievance is for failing to make the deadline for filing or appealing. The grievance section in your contract spells out the steps in your grievance procedure and the deadline for each one.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

After your grievance has been submitted, it cannot be changed. Before filing the grievance, check with a steward and/or trusted member to make sure you’ve done it correctly.

Strength in Numbers

Are you grieving an issue that affects a lot of members? A good tactic for building unity and putting pressure on management to resolve the issue is to file a group grievance. 

Write up the grievance, and then circulate it among members like a petition. A list of signatures sends management the message that your grievance is not an isolated complaint.

Use this as an opportunity to educate people on the issue. You can even pass out leaflets before and/or after shifts.

A good strategy for a successful group grievance is to collect signatures from the members who feel strongly about the issue first. That way when you approach less outspoken members they are more likely to sign.

You should still include the language “all affected employees” in your grievance to make sure that no one gets left out of the remedy.

Information Requests

The union has the right to file an information request for company records related to grievances and contract enforcement. Information requests can be an effective tool for documenting your case and for putting management to work.

If necessary, the union can follow up with an Unfair Labor Practice charge for failing to comply with the information request. Your goal is to make ignoring your grievance more painful for management than resolving it.

Working With a Business Agent

The best way to get your business agent to take action on your grievance is to investigate it and document your case. It can help to show your BA that other members care. One way to do that is to approach your BA with other members when you hand in the grievance. Another way is to file a group grievance.

If necessary, organize a group of people to attend the next local union meeting to make sure the issue gets heard. Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

TDU Builds Contract Enforcement

“Participating in TDU workshops and sharing strategies with other TDU members has made me a more effective shop steward and a better Teamster.” - Kelly Evans, First Student, Local 142, Hammond, Ind.