Society Grievance Manual

Purpose of the Grievance Guide

The restructuring of The Society means that Locals will have much greater responsibility and authority for handling their own Collective Agreement matters, including the administration of grievances.

Although Locals will have Society Staff Reps to assist them, it is expected that with training and experience, Locals will achieve a fair degree of independence in dealing with routine complaints and grievances up to and including Step 2 of the Grievance Procedure.

This Guide forms part of The Society Training Committee's grievance training program but has been designed as a stand-alone document for Local use.

Please note that the Guide contains generic information in order to be relevant to all Society Locals and all Collective Ageements. Always consult your Collective Agreement for specifics on contractual rights and details of your grievance procedure.

Please note that grievance time limits vary from Collective Agreement to Collective Agreement. Some Collective Agreements also specify different time limits according to the type of complaint.

Local Bylaws may also have specific requirements for grievance handling, such as OPGI's "rule of two" which requires two Society reps to be present at meetings with management.

Consult your Local Vice President if you are a Unit Director and require clarification of information in your Collective Agreement or in the Grievance Guide. Delegates should consult their Unit Director.

We welcome your suggestions for improving the usefulness of the Guide.

Rod Sheppard
Executive Vice President of Member Services

Dennis Minello
Training Committee Chair