Summary
After reading about Five Common Grievance Issues, the points with which I agree are that the contract language prevails, unilateral changes on the job, who has the burden of proof, and telling the company the remedies one seeks. However, I do not entirely agree with the “work now, grieve later” rule because it has some grey areas (Five Common Grievance Issues, 2010).
Related Personal Experience
Contract Language
The contract language once worked for a friend whose work laptop and phone were stolen while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. A dispute arose about whether the employee took necessary security precautions to secure the house and the entity responsible for replacing the lost items. Nevertheless, the company had to replace the work items as the contract covered such risks to employees while working, even though the friend had to prove that theft had occurred.
Unilateral Changes on the Job
Although the company initiated new work procedures for working from home, there were no changes to wages, hours, or working conditions. The friend liked the idea but soon started complaining about the workload, often forcing him to work beyond regular hours. Upon reviewing “the unilateral changes on the job” CBA after complaints by other employees, the employer installed a time tracker to log time worked and compensate as appropriate.
Burden of Proof
While reporting the stolen items, the friend had the burden of proof since the gadgets were in his custody. The burden of proof was essential in the scenario to ensure transparency and avoid unwarranted disciplinary actions or making the employee pay for the lost items.
Work Now, Grieve Later
Writing up grievances is another important aspect of work because it highlights what needs to be corrected to improve employee welfare. If the claims are genuine, the person making a claim deserves the full benefits of the violations and losses (Five Common Grievance Issues, 2010). For instance, the friend and his colleagues demanding compensation for the workload that made them work extra hours are justified even if they work from home.
Nevertheless, the golden rule “work now, grieve later” is subject to management misuse. In the Rainey v. MSPB case, a worker was demoted and given a poor performance rating as punishment by a supervisor for disobeying an illegal order (Roth, 2020). Therefore, when an illegal instruction is disregarded, it might be challenging to prevent insubordination, reduce honest mistakes, and stop bad supervisors from setting up employees for discipline.
References
Five common grievance issues. (2010). International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. Web.
Roth, D. (2020). Do you have to obey now, and grieve later? Federal Times. Web.