Deeper Investigations Win Grievances
Steward training covers the 5 W’s and 1 R when it comes to writing and investigating grievances - who, what, where, when, why and how. After you collect this information there’s another part of your investigation that will make a huge difference when it comes to solving a grievance for our members - you have to know what the information you’ve collected means.
The bottom line is: do not take management’s answer as fact or truth until you have done your own investigation, which includes speaking to and collecting statements from everyone involved.
Let’s look at an example.
A co-worker comes to you and tells you they have been suspended for repeated tardiness. Management tells you that this member has a “history”. They have been counseled several times and they have warnings in their file. If you were to end your investigation here, it would appear that management has a case.
Instead, you request to see the member’s file and find out the “history” happened between 1999 and 2003. After discussing this with the member you also find out, the recent incident was because schools were delayed due to bad weather and our member needed to find someone to watch their child until the bus arrived.
Sometimes digging deeper reveals a different version of the truth. Here are a few questions to follow up on when investigating: Are there special circumstances that can be worked out with management? When was the last warning put in the member’s file (often there is a time limit for how long a warning can be held against somebody)? Is this policy being enforced equally among all the members at the work site?
Another important factor when it comes to digging deeper is to make sure you talk to everybody involved. Management will also be doing their investigation and it may seem repetitive to talk to the same person, but often times stories will change. Members may feel pressure to write a statement based on what management wants instead of what really happened. Also, make it a point to collect a statement from the supervisor who actually did the write up. They may reveal more detail about the situation that could be helpful in resolving the grievance.
In many cases, going the extra mile, whether it’s asking for one more piece of information or one more statement, could be the difference between a win and a loss.