The grievance process is described in the Collective Agreement in the clauses under section L4.0 Briefly, the grievance process is divided into 3 stages or steps. Steps 1 and 2 are stages where members of the Executive try to resolve a dispute in face to face meetings with the Board. If we are unsuccessful, the case is reviewed by the Executive Grievance Committee and a determination is made whether or not the case should be referred to the Provincial Office to be heard before an arbitrator.

If a matter is sent to the Provincial Office, it is reviewed again by the Member Protection department and if it is determined that a matter has merit, a member of the secretariat or legal counsel is assigned and the matter is sent to be heard before an arbitrator. The hearings are a quasi-judicial process including the examination and cross-examination of witnesses, and the arbitrator’s ruling is final and binding on all parties.

At all stages, there is the opportunity for informal resolution of the dispute before an arbitrator rules.

Grievance appeals: There is a grievance appeal process at both the local and provincial level for members who are unhappy with the decision not to take a grievance forward. At the local level, a member may submit to the Grievance Appeal Committee. This process is identified in the TTBU Constitution under articles 3.1.1.3 . At the provincial level a member may submit an appeal in writing to the Director of Protective Services.