Filed a Grievance against my Manager....now I'm worried

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Today I formally filed a grievance with my union against the Manager of Med/ Surg. I orientated on the Medical floor. I have been working in the Extended Care Unit up until now. I am a new LPN, After I finished my orientation I expected the phone to be ringing off the hook with shifts (I am Casual). They are very short staffed right now.

Well... the weekend goes by and NO CALLS!!! I actually turned down some 6 hr shifts a while back for the ECU, because I knew I would be getting calls for the 12 hr shifts on Med Floor. So I called staffing on Monday morning (June 30th) to see if I was on the call list for the Med floor, and they said the MGR had never called down with my name for the list. It is quite apparent she forgot about me, because this was our long weekend in Canada, and they were so short staffed a whole 12 hour LPN shift never even got filled. Every staff member I have spoken to has never heard anything like this. Usually you start working almost immediately post orientation. I need some encouraging words. I wanted to puke when I had to deliver the grievance form to my Manager today! :barf01:

I would be trying to "make things right" with the Manager. It sounds like the Manager simply made an honest mistake -- not that she was out to get you or hurt in some way. You should "kiss and make up."

Perhaps write a letter to the union saying that you have since spoken with the Manager and resolved the issue -- and admitting that you should have spoken to her in the first place, before filing the grievance. In effect, apologize for being so hasty to file a formal grievance when speaking with the Manager directly may well have resolved the situation peaceably. Copy the letter to the Manager. That's probably what I would be doing.

That's really good advice. It shows you in a good light as well as making things right with the manager. She will appreciate it.

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I think llg's advice to write a letter to the union and copy the manager is excellent. You can nip the grievance -- and the expenses that accompany it -- in the bud, and do so in a gracious manner.

I disagree, though, with other posters' comments that you were "dumping" on management by pointing out that you were not being granted the compensation that you were guaranteed by contract when you accepted the job and joined the union. If your contract spells out how overtime will be granted (and I'd be very surprised if it didn't), this isn't a matter of "corporate policy." It's a matter of your manager -- and hence, your employer -- being in breach. Your manager is effectively denying you compensation.

That said, I wouldn't have filed a grievance, either -- whether a newbie or an old hand. Next time, ask your manager first; if you're not satisifed with her answer, go to your union rep and let them make an inquiry -- not a grievance -- on your behalf. If it can't be resolved in conversation, a grievance might be the next step.

But even then, many unions vote on whether to pursue grievances because they can become very expensive procedures. You might want to confirm whether your union has even taken action yet.

Standing up for what is owed you isn't "dumping" on anyone. But proceeding cautiously can save you a lot of headaches. Make a grievance your last resort.

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Not trying to be mean, but this is something else you need to work on.

Being a member of a union doesn't give you the right to dump on management or just file formal papers every time something doesn't go your way.

I am 100% pro-union...however, employees with this outlook is the very reason why so many people hate unionized workers, because they have the reputation if you don't cater to their every whim, they'll just file a grievance against you.

40 hours plus is a long time to report to someone that may have changed feelings about you.

Just be very, very careful...unionized or not, if enough members of management wage a war to get rid of you, they can.

My thoughts exactly. A hospital should be about the patient. Often hospitals get caught up in profit and budget they forget about the patient and employees. The union should be there to ensure patients get the best possible care and the employees are given an enviroment to provide that care. However, on occassion I have seen an enviroment created where patient's needs are neglected and nurses who really don't care hide behide the union. Those who do care about the patients wind up having to pull the slack.

Sorry to the poster. My comment has nothing to do with you or your post.

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My thoughts exactly. A hospital should be about the patient. Often hospitals get caught up in profit and budget they forget about the patient and employees. The union should be there to ensure patients get the best possible care and the employees are given an enviroment to provide that care. However, on occassion I have seen an enviroment created where patient's needs are neglected and nurses who really don't care hide behide the union. Those who do care about the patients wind up having to pull the slack.

Sorry to the poster. My comment has nothing to do with you or your post.

So if a hospital breaches its contractual obligations to employees, and those employees stand up for themselves, they don't care about the patients? Interesting perspective.

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Specializes in Transplant/Surgical ICU.

Exactly what does filing a grieviance entail? Is it like writing someone up? Does someone care to explain?

Thank you

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

You filed a grievance just because you may have missed a couple of days of extra time over one weekend??? Were you planning to resign after you got one pay check? Most people are hoping to have a good long term working relationship with thier boss- you may have just lost your chance for that for quite a while. Anyone who reads my posts knows I am a big supporter of unions in nursing but it's hyper-reactive punitive games like this that give unions a bad name. The boss forgot to add your name to the call list- big deal! As long as she adds it as soon as it is brought to her attention the problem would have been solved with everyone on good terms. Better yet she would have "owed you one" and would likely think of you first whenever time was available. Now you have proved yourself to be a "not a team player" and adversarial in your relationship with management. Good luck getting over that reputation.

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So if a hospital breaches its contractual obligations to employees, and those employees stand up for themselves, they don't care about the patients? Interesting perspective.

Who said that?

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So if a hospital breaches its contractual obligations to employees, and those employees stand up for themselves, they don't care about the patients? Interesting perspective.

That isn't what the poster was saying at all...and I think you know that.

The purpose of having a union (in the perfect world) was so the nurses could do their job ethically, professionally, and be a TRUE patient advocate and not have to worry if their non-union manager didn't care about them having more patients than they could handle, working in an unsafe environment, or being afraid to write an incident report on a physician for fear of retaliation.

It wasn't designed to create an expedited process anytime you didn't get every day off you requested, got called in 3 times to Suzy Q's 4, you get the picture.

Since my husband is an Occupational Psychologist, he also consults with companies that does productivity studies on employees, and again, even though I am pro-union, all unions are not created equal.....he consulted on this one job for a unionized call center, and noticed that they were wasted a TON of time on the calls, which led to them not taking enough calls, which caused the company to hire more employees, which cost them more money.

I will NEVER forget when he came home for the weekend and told me then he was interviewing an employee and told him that he consistently took 17 calls an hour, but wanted to know if he could do 21 or better (didn't tell him he HAD to...just asked if he COULD).

The employee looked him right in the face and said, I don't have to do 21 because 17 is the UNION MINIMUM.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

Well... the weekend goes by and NO CALLS!!! I actually turned down some 6 hr shifts a while back for the ECU, because I knew I would be getting calls for the 12 hr shifts on Med Floor.

This part of your post jumped out at me when I reread the thread. I believe that turning down hours on another unit leaves you in a poor position to argue that you were unfairly denied work. I don't know how you "knew" that you would be getting calls for the Med floor, other than naive thinking. It is unwise to turn down a sure thing in favor of a future phone call, especially if you really need the money.

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That isn't what the poster was saying at all...and I think you know that.

The purpose of having a union (in the perfect world) was so the nurses could do their job ethically, professionally, and be a TRUE patient advocate and not have to worry if their non-union manager didn't care about them having more patients than they could handle, working in an unsafe environment, or being afraid to write an incident report on a physician for fear of retaliation.

It wasn't designed to create an expedited process anytime you didn't get every day off you requested, got called in 3 times to Suzy Q's 4, you get the picture.

Since my husband is an Occupational Psychologist, he also consults with companies that does productivity studies on employees, and again, even though I am pro-union, all unions are not created equal.....he consulted on this one job for a unionized call center, and noticed that they were wasted a TON of time on the calls, which led to them not taking enough calls, which caused the company to hire more employees, which cost them more money.

I will NEVER forget when he came home for the weekend and told me then he was interviewing an employee and told him that he consistently took 17 calls an hour, but wanted to know if he could do 21 or better (didn't tell him he HAD to...just asked if he COULD).

The employee looked him right in the face and said, I don't have to do 21 because 17 is the UNION MINIMUM.

Thank you. Sad how grown adults can act like children if they think they can get away with it. I do my best to make myself proud of me. I try to set high standards for myself. This is difficult when there are coworkers who aim to meet minimum standards.

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I would be trying to "make things right" with the Manager. It sounds like the Manager simply made an honest mistake -- not that she was out to get you or hurt in some way. You should "kiss and make up."

Perhaps write a letter to the union saying that you have since spoken with the Manager and resolved the issue -- and admitting that you should have spoken to her in the first place, before filing the grievance. In effect, apologize for being so hasty to file a formal grievance when speaking with the Manager directly may well have resolved the situation peaceably. Copy the letter to the Manager. That's probably what I would be doing.

I agree. I once made a boo boo and received a call from somebody who suggested that I kiss and make up to the other person. I never would have figured out to do this on my own, but was glad that this person influenced me to take this step. It may or may not have helped matters any, but at least I felt a little bit better about the situation. It never pays to go off on your boss no matter what! :imbar

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Specializes in Pediatric Psychiatry, Home Health VNA.

I see absolutely no reason why you should have filed a grievance against your manager. You should have sat down with her and been the professional that you are. You basically ran to mommy and daddy union and tattled. If I was your manager I would really think "is this a joke? my staff member isn't capable of discussing a situation with me?" I also wouldn't want you on any more than I legally had to put you on. I think you burned a bridge and it's going to get really uncomfortable for you. In the future, start with small steps, like communicating with the persona you have an issue with. Your union should be the last step, not the first.

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