While every grievance begins as a complaint, all complaints do not become grievances. In order to know what complaints can be processed as grievances, you will need to refer to the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Bergen Community College and the Bergen Community College Chapter of the United Adjunct Faculty of New Jersey. (You can access the Agreement on this site under “Resources”.)
As you will see in Article VII of the contract, a grievance can arise from a violation, misinterpretation, or improper application of the Agreement or a violation of any rule or policy of the Administration affecting the terms and conditions of employment.
The purpose of the grievance procedure is to provide for the speedy, orderly and equitable resolution of disputes. Inherent in the grievance process is the remedy sought which must be identified in order to make the grievant whole. In selecting an appropriate remedy, it is important to keep in mind that the purpose of the remedy is restoration not retribution. The remedy should be consistent with the collective bargaining agreement in order to protect the integrity of the contract.
If you feel that the conditions for a grievance have been met, please do the following:
1. Carefully document all facts including dates and times pertaining to the grievance.
2. Contact one of your local stewards – their contact info can be found under “About Us”.
Remember that there is a big difference between a gripe and a grievance. A grievance is a formal challenge to the employer that the contract or College policy has not been followed.
Fortunately, most problems can be settled informally without filing paperwork. But it is imperative that you contact your local leadership as soon as possible when you have reason to believe you have a grievance. There are strict timelines for the filing process (which you will also find under the grievance article in the contract), and they start the minute the violation takes place.