When you have a complaint start by speaking to your Manager. If you are unsure whether there is a violation of the collective agreement, speak to your shop steward or one of the Union executive. Many issues can be resolved at this stage. Complaints cannot become grievances unless there is a violation of the collective agreement.
If you are called into a meeting by your manager and it is of a disciplinary nature you have a right to have representation of a shop steward of your choice. The job of the shop steward is to listen to the facts of the situation and to take notes at the meeting. This ensures that what was said in the meeting is recorded accurately.
When there is a violation of the collective agreement, a grievance form is filled out. This is usually done by the Chief Steward or a member of the Executive. The member will be asked to sign the grievance and the Union representative will explain to the member what sections of the collective agreement have been violated and what the member is requesting in the way of resolving the situation.
The Hospital has 9 days to reply to the Grievance. If the reply is not satisfactory to the Union then it is moved on to the Step 2 of the grievance process. The Hospital has another 9 days to reply to the Grievance at this point. If there is still no resolution the union can request the grievance to be sent to mediation or even to arbitration at which time a neutral third party that is agreed to by both sides either mediates to come to a settlement or in the case of arbitration makes a ruling that both parties must adhere to.