The Collective Bargaining Agreement we negotiate is a legally binding contract. When FAU violates the terms of this agreement, we can use what’s known as the Grievance process to set things right. The details of the Grievance process are laid out in Article 20 of the CBA.

There are some important things to know:

• All faculty covered by the CBA can file a grievance.
• You have 30 calendar days from a triggering event to file a grievance, so let us know ASAP if you think you might have one, as it takes many days to prepare for filing (CBA 20.8(a)(1)).
• Only dues-paying members of UFF-FAU receive free assistance with this process, including legal representation. To qualify for UFF’s help, you must be a member before your rights are violated. Think of it like insurance: you can’t buy it after your car gets totaled or your house burns down.
• Non-members are not automatically able to proceed all the way to arbitration. UFF retains the exclusive right to invoke arbitration. This is to safeguard the process from frivolous or hopeless cases.
• The cost of arbitration for non-members is typically $2k-$4k, plus the cost of an attorney (which can exceed $20k).
• Not all grievances are individual: sometimes FAU violates the CBA so egregiously that UFF files a grievance on behalf of the entire chapter. We take contract enforcement very seriously. The system is set up to protect us, and we vigorously defend faculty rights.

Remember your Weingarten Rights: the right to have a union representative at any meeting that might result in discipline. So if it rises to that level, even during the meeting, you have the right to immediately ask for union representation. If that’s not practical, you should ask for a postponement until your union rep can be present. Let us know if that situation arises and we can be there. Click here to learn more.