General News
Grievance filing goes high tech
Oct 18, 2007 2:30 PM
A new, streamlined process allowing chapter leaders to file Step 1 grievances electronically was instituted this fall, offering the union a bird’s-eye view of every grievance filed by every member. Before the change, members filed paper grievances with their chapter leaders. Now chapter leaders must go to the UFT Web site to e-file all Step 1 grievances on behalf of members in their chapter.
The new online grievance-filing procedure allows the union to track all grievances filed at the school level more effectively and assist more members more quickly.
“Now the union knows instantly not only of the number of grievances filed but the kinds of problems members face at each moment,” UFT Grievance Department director Howard Solomon said.
“With online grievance filing, we’re enabled to see systemwide what teachers object to in every school. We can better gauge trends and respond to DOE contract abuses with timely interventions to remedy situations in the schools.”
UFT grievances are charges that the New York City Department of Education violated the terms of its contract, or legal agreement, with the United Federation of Teachers regarding a member’s rights on the job. These include infringements on salaries, work hours, rules governing health insurance, sick days, and fair and accurate evaluations. Grievances can also be filed regarding conflicts over professional issues, denial of a duty-free lunch period, oversized classes, inadequate and in appropriate textbooks and instructional supplies, an unsafe school environment, and much more. The current contract runs until Oct. 31, 2009.
To use this e-file service, which is now the sole way chapter leaders can initiate Step 1 grievances, chapter leaders must first be registered for an account at www.uft.org. Once registered, chapter leaders log on to the UFT Web site and go to the private chapter leader section, where the grievance form is housed under the heading “Grievance Briefcase.”
