Grievance Committee

Meet the USW Local 983 Grievance Committee

Strengthening Representation. Protecting the Contract. Supporting Our Members.

USW Local 983 has established a Grievance Committee to strengthen the way grievances are investigated, prepared, presented, tracked, and resolved.

The committee’s purpose is to support enforcement of our Collective Bargaining Agreement by reviewing and presenting grievances, assisting members, and helping the Union apply the agreement fairly and consistently. 

The Grievance Committee is not a replacement for the Union representatives already serving members throughout the mill. It is another part of the representation structure designed to help Local 983 handle grievances with greater consistency, preparation, and accountability.

What Is a Grievance Committee?

A grievance is more than a complaint.

When a member believes the Collective Bargaining Agreement has been violated, the Union must determine what happened, what contract language applies, what evidence exists, whether relevant past practice is involved, what remedy may be appropriate, and whether the grievance should continue through the contractual process.

That requires investigation and preparation.

The Grievance Committee helps Local 983 do that work.

Its responsibilities include:

  • Reviewing facts and interviewing witnesses
  • Gathering records and other relevant evidence
  • Identifying applicable contract language, policies, and past practices
  • Evaluating possible remedies
  • Tracking grievance filing dates, Company responses, appeal deadlines, meetings, and extensions
  • Participating in Step 2 and Step 3 grievance meetings
  • Presenting and supporting the Union’s position
  • Responding to management’s arguments
  • Coordinating with the assigned steward, Local Union officers, and the USW Staff Representative
  • Helping prepare cases for higher grievance steps or arbitration when authorized
  • Reviewing recurring grievances and employer practices to identify broader workplace problems or inconsistent enforcement 

How Stewards, Committee Persons and the Grievance Committee Work Together

Local 983 already has representatives serving members throughout the mill, including Stewards and departmental Committee Persons.

The creation of the Grievance Committee does not eliminate or diminish those roles.

Instead, the goal is to create a more coordinated grievance process in which the representatives closest to the workplace issue can work with the committee as a case develops.

Under Local 983’s committee guidelines, the Grievance Committee is specifically expected to work with—not replace—the steward responsible for the grievance. The steward remains central to the first three contractual grievance steps unless the parties mutually agree otherwise. 

Committee Persons also remain part of Local 983’s departmental representation structure. Two of the three members selected for the new Grievance Committee are current departmental Committee Persons: Brandon Newman for Paper Machine 1 and Clinton Gladney Jr. for the Pulp Mill.

The objective is not to create separate groups working independently.

It is to have Stewards, Committee Persons, Grievance Committee members, Local Union officers, and USW representatives working together from the same facts, the same contract, and a coordinated Union position.

What Happens as a Grievance Moves Forward?

The Collective Bargaining Agreement establishes a formal grievance process.

At Step 2, Company representatives meet with the grievant or grievants and the Union Grievance Committee. The CBA allows no more than three Grievance Committee members to participate at one time.

If the grievance is not resolved and advances to Step 3, the Company meets with the grievant and the same Union Grievance Committee that presented the grievance at Step 2. Contractual deadlines continue to apply, and an International Representative must be present for discharge and disciplinary cases heard at Step 3. 

That continuity matters. It means the representatives involved in preparing and presenting the Union’s case remain familiar with the facts, arguments, evidence, and Company responses as the grievance progresses.

Every Grievance Must Be Evaluated Fairly

The existence of a Grievance Committee does not mean every grievance will automatically advance through every step, and filing a grievance does not guarantee a particular outcome.

The committee is expected to evaluate cases based on their merits.

That includes considering:

  • The facts
  • The Collective Bargaining Agreement
  • Relevant past practice
  • Applicable precedent
  • Available evidence
  • The member’s position
  • The strengths and weaknesses of the case

The committee’s standards also require fair representation, confidentiality, conflict disclosure, appropriate member communication, and objective decision-making rather than decisions based on favoritism, personal relationships, retaliation, or internal Union politics. 

Members selected to serve are expected to be able to investigate fairly, interpret the contract, communicate effectively, exercise sound judgment, meet deadlines, maintain confidentiality, and work cooperatively with other Union representatives. 

Why Broad Representation Matters

The committee guidelines recognize that representation from different departments, work areas, shifts, and classifications can improve fact gathering and member confidence. 

Local 983’s three selected committee members represent three different areas of the mill:

Woodyard. Paper Machine 1. Pulp Mill.

That gives the committee experience and perspective from multiple operating areas rather than concentrating grievance review in a single department.

Meet the Members Selected to Serve

Frank Pollard

 

Brandon Newman

 

Clinton Gladney Jr.

Building a Stronger Grievance Process

Creating the Grievance Committee is not about adding another title or another layer of bureaucracy.

It is about improving how Local 983 represents its members.

A strong grievance process requires:

Good investigation.
Accurate documentation.
Knowledge of the contract.
Attention to deadlines.
Clear communication.
Objective case evaluation.
Preparation before meeting with management.
And coordination among Union representatives.

The Grievance Committee will work alongside Stewards, Committee Persons, Local Union officers, and USW representatives to help make that happen.

A grievance may begin with one member or one department, but the interpretation and enforcement of our Collective Bargaining Agreement can ultimately affect everyone in the bargaining unit.

That is why consistency matters.

That is why preparation matters.

And that is why protecting the grievance process matters.

Know the Contract. Protect the Contract. Stand Together.

United Steelworkers Local 983