Know Your Rights: Grievances

Supervisors and managers are responsible for following all applicable laws and agency regulations, as well as your office’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), in how they treat you, as the employee. If they don’t, both you and the IFPTE local that represents you have a right to seek remedy by filing a grievance.
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Most grievances begin with a complaint from an employee. An example of a possible grievance could be a supervisor denying telework to an employee where telework in their office is guaranteed through a negotiated agreement. Certain complaints may be excluded from the grievance procedures, either by law or by specific language within your CBA. If you think you might have a valid complaint, the union can assist in identifying if a violation of law, regulation, or the CBA has occurred, as well as help in identifying possible remedies. Discussing a possible grievance is not a commitment to file a grievance, so if you believe a violation has occurred, don’t hesitate to reach out to your union representative.

Also, as a reminder, your CBA identifies specific rights for both you (as the employee) and your employer, and it should also include a well-defined process for handling grievances. If you want to better understand your rights in the workplace, ask your local union rep to provide you with a copy of your office’s CBA for your reference.