Grievances

CSU-AAUP helps members file grievances and represents members in grievance procedures.

Not every workplace problem or injustice is a grievance. A grievance is a formal allegation that there has been a violation of the Contract by management. According to our Contract, a grievance is an "allegation or complaint that there has been a violation of the collective bargaining agreement and/or procedures or prescribed criteria rules established expressly pursuant to this agreement." [Art. 15.1.1] Because a grievance about management’s violation of the contract, members can only file grievances against management; they cannot grieve other CSU-AAUP members.

CSU-AAUP files two types of grievances

• Chapter grievances for violations of the contract that only impact one campus.  The Chapter president with a chapter grievance committee handles these complaints.
• CSU grievances, for contract violations that may have an impact on all four campuses.  The CSU-AAUP President and CSU-wide grievance committee files these.

If you believe you have a potential grievance contact your Chapter president or our staff Contract and Compliance coordinator, Gary Winfield at gwinfield@csuaaup.org.

• Make sure to fill out our grievance form before any meeting with them.
• Your chapter officials will help analyze the situation to determine if a violation of the contract occurred. If it did, you can file a formal grievance and start the process
• The formal grievance must be filed with Human Resources within 30 calendars of the alleged violation

See Article 15 of our Contract for detailed information on our grievance procedure.  But briefly, our grievance process has four steps.

Step One: The dean or vice president of the campus will investigate the grievance and meet with the grievant and union representative. The dean or vice president will issue a decision. If the grievant does not agree with the decision, he or she can appeal it and go to the next step.

Step Two: If the initial decision is appealed, the campus president and local AAUP chapter president (or designees) will meet to hear the grievance and review the information. If the two presidents reach an agreement, it will be binding. If not, the grievance will move on.

Step Three: A State University Grievance Arbitration Committee will review the grievance. This committee includes the CSU-AAUP president and BOR president (or designees). This committee's decisions will be binding. If the committee fails to reach an agreement, the grievance will move on.

Step Four: The final step is arbitration by a third-party, with the costs to be split between management and CSU-AAUP. The arbitrator's decision will be final and binding. It is rare for grievances to reach this step as it is costly for all parties.