What’s a contract violation?
Our union has a legally binding contract, or collective bargaining agreement, with the University of Minnesota that establishes the minimum working conditions for graduate workers. You can think of our contract as the “bare minimum” for how the U treats grad workers.
What’s a grievance?
A grievance is a worker complaint of a contract violation or violation of the employer’s own policies and procedures. The purpose of this is to find a remedy for the situation.
Some Examples:
Contract Violation: A teaching assistant (TA) is regularly required to work 40 hr/week for a 10 hr/week (or 25% FTE) position.
Potential Remedy: A remedy for this could be either to increase the pay or to decrease the GA’s workload to match.
Contract Violation: A research assistant is being pressured to work on an experiment that is high risk without proper safety precautions.
Potential Remedy: A remedy for this could be to implement appropriate safety infrastructure.
Contract Violation: A graduate assistant (GA) is fired from their position mid-semester with no prior warning and had not been disciplined previously.
Potential Remedy: A remedy for this could be for the GA to “be made whole in every way” (i.e. resume their old position and pay) or for them to be allowed to finish their work under a new supervisor.
These are just a few examples, but there are a lot of new protections in our contract. If you think you may have experienced a contract violation, contact a steward! No issue is too big or too small.
Grievance process
If you think you have experienced a contract violation, you should immediately contact a steward. The steward will gather information on the potential grievance, and determine if it is a legitimate grievance. Even if it is not something we can grieve, a lot of times a steward may be able to direct you to resources that may help.
Any grievances must be filed within 30 days of the incident, so contact a steward as soon as possible.
Most grievances are handled within the first two steps of the grievance process. These steps include first contacting the worker’s direct supervisor to attempt to solve the grievance informally. Then, if necessary, the steward will file a grievance with the department head and HR. Most grievances end here, but if the supervisor or department head does not give a satisfactory resolution, the grievance can be taken to the Dean, then the Vice President of Human Resources, and at the highest level, a state arbitrator can be appointed to help the parties reach an agreement.
Grievance Process Summary
International Workers’ Union Protections
International workers’ right to organize with their union is protected by federal and state law. Therefore, participating in union activity should not affect your visa, and it is illegal for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to ask about union membership. Participating in your union is not considered “political activity” by federal agencies. International graduate workers have participated in this and other unions for years, and there is not a single reported case of retaliation. If the U were to target an individual international graduate worker, they are threatening all of us, and all of us need to stand up against it. This would be grounds for a grievance, and international workers should contact a steward if they feel their right to participate in our union is being threatened for any reason.
UMN Graduate Labor Union 