UNAC Grievances and Investigations

Protecting you and your colleagues from arbitrary punishment and unjust treatment is a core activity for United Academics. When UNAC leadership and office staff learn that a supervisor has ignored and violated our CBA, your Contract Manager files a grievance to enforce our CBA.

When you or your colleagues are being investigated for any work-related reason, you are entitled to union representation during meetings and throughout the process IF YOU ASK FOR IT. Your Org VP and Contract Manager will ensure that you or your colleague are treated fairly throughout the process.

Timing is everything. Don’t wait to call your Org VP or the union office if you think your supervisor is violating the CBA or if you are being investigated.

Grievances

Grievances are the process through which your union and UA management resolves contract disputes. UNAC’s office, in coordination with our President and Organizational VPs, files grievances on behalf of our bargaining unit members when a supervisor violates our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Strict timelines exist in our CBA (article 7) for filing grievances. It is therefore imperative that you contact your UNAC Org VP and Contract Manager right away if you think you’re experiencing a contract violation. Whether or not you’re sure your situation will warrant filing a grievance, talking about your situation with your union representatives is never a bad idea.

UNAC has filed grievances in the past in response to:

Non-retention of tenured faculty members
Disagreements over intellectual property
Inaccurate letters of expectations
Missed evaluation deadlines
Incorrect information in annual evaluations
Violations of the workload process
And many more

If you’re not sure whether your issue is worthy of a grievance, don’t wait! Contact us to talk about your situation at contract@unac4996ak.com

Investigations

If you are ever notified that you’ve been placed under investigation for any reason, contact your Org. VP and UNAC’s Contract Manager right away. You have the right to union representation upon request at all investigatory meetings. Whether you’re facing allegations from students or co-workers, you deserve a fair and transparent process. Your union reps will ensure that you’re treated fairly throughout the investigative process and will attend all investigatory meetings with you, at your request. We will also help you prepare for those meetings.

Weingarten Rights

All union members have Weingarten Rights, or the right to union representation at any meeting with your supervisor where you think you could be disciplined. If you are attending a meeting or being questioned by a supervisor and realize you may be disciplined, you have the right to stop the meeting or conversation and ask for union representation to be present before resuming. Use your Weingarten Rights–it could save your job!