Grievances (Contract Enforcement)
Our collective bargaining agreement is a legally-binding contract. Whether intentionally or not, administrators sometimes violate this agreement. When they do, we can use the grievance process to set things right.
Enforcing your rights under the contract can be an intimidating process. But, when you’re a union member, you don’t have to do it alone. Instead, you’ll have the support of the UFF-UF Grievance Committee.
Grievance Committee members are trained faculty volunteers who can help dues-paying union members through every step of the grievance process and support union members facing discipline.
Key Information
Union Membership
Grievance officers can only represent faculty who were already dues-paying union members when the contract violation occurred.
Non-members can file grievances, but they must represent themselves or hire a lawyer, with the latter option often costing tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.
So don’t wait until something unexpected happens at work – protect yourself by joining our union today.
Deadlines
Grievances concerning disciplinary action must be filed within 15 days of disciplinary notification. Grievances about other contract violations must be filed within 45 days.
Please contact the Grievance Committee as soon as you realize you need help so that we can meet these firm deadlines.
Representation Rights
Dues-paying union members have the right to bring a union representative to meetings that could lead to discipline. If you’ve been asked to attend a meeting with a supervisor that you suspect may have disciplinary implications, ask your supervisor “is this meeting related to discipline?” If you receive an affirmative response, state that you want union representation and reach out to the Grievance Committee immediately.
How to Get Help
Contact the Grievance Committee at uff-uf-grievances@googlegroups.com. For your privacy, make sure to use a non-UF email account.
Grievances FAQ
The Grievance Committee gives confidential help to dues-paying union members facing workplace challenges, including issues with supervisors, investigations, discipline, and disputes about working conditions. They can also offer advice to union members on work-related topics like shared governance, tenure and promotion, leaves, retirement, and more.
Additionally, members of the Grievance Committee accompany union members to meetings that could lead to discipline to make sure the contract is being followed. They communicate with UF officials to resolve issues informally, and if that doesn’t work, they assist union members through filing formal grievances. If necessary, they petition for legal assistance to bring the case before a neutral (non-UF) legal official in a process called arbitration.
A grievance is a formal complaint that UF violated the collective bargaining agreement. Grievances enforce our contract and defend our rights, both for individual faculty members and for the entire bargaining unit.
Some examples of grievable actions include incorrect annual evaluations, significant changes in workload assignments, failure to follow tenure and promotion procedures, improper layoff, or infringement of academic freedom.
Most issues are resolved amicably before a formal grievance is necessary.
With your approval, the Grievance Committee will first communicate with UF officials and try to find a resolution informally. If the issue is not settled, a formal grievance will be filed.
There are three possible escalations to find a satisfactory grievance resolution: Step 1 is a Grievance Hearing with the Dean; Step 2 is a Grievance Review with a representative of the Provost; and Step 3 is Arbitration before a neutral (non-UF) legal authority, who makes a final and binding decision. This grievance procedure is defined in Article 28 of our contract.
We are committed to protecting your privacy. If you’re a union member seeking help, you can rest assured that your discussions with grievance officers will always be confidential.
The contract and labor law protect grievants from retaliation.
No. Under state law, the Grievance Committee is unable to represent faculty who were not already dues-paying union members at the time of the grievable incident or dispute – that is, before they received a notice of investigation, notice of discipline, or before an event or omission occurred that violates the CBA or university rules/policies.
So join UFF-UF today and give yourself the peace of mind that, if you ever need help, the UFF-UF Grievance Team will be there to provide it.