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Types of Grievances

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Individual Grievances

Are filed by or on behalf of a single flight attendant. Discipline grievances are always filed as individual grievances. However, sometimes two or more individual grievances are processed together when the cases arise out of the same incident. For example, when three flight attendants are disciplined for alleged misconduct at a layover  hotel, their three separate grievances would normally be processed together.

Group Grievances

Are filed where a contract violation adversely affects two or more flight attendants. For example, a group grievance would be appropriate if an entire crew failed to receive the rest required by the contract.

A Union Grievance

Sometimes referred to as an “MEC grievance” or “policy grievance” or ‘contract grievance’, is filed by an AFA official, usually the MEC President or grievance chairperson, on behalf of all flight attendants or a specified category of flight attendants. For example, a union grievance would be filed to protest a change in contractually-mandated medical insurance benefits or sick leave policies. A union grievance would be appropriate if the company violated provisions affecting all reserves, or all flight attendants at a certain base.

Unlike individual and group grievances, union grievances may be filed prior to any flight attendant being harmed. Thus, if the company announces that it is instituting a new short term disability program with lower benefits, a union grievance could be filed even though no flight attendant has applied for disability under the new plan.

Union grievances are also appropriate when the company violates rights and privileges guaranteed to the union as an organization, e.g., flight pay loss, union bulletin boards, dues check-off.

There is not always a clear distinction between a union grievance and an individual or group grievance. In some cases, either type may be appropriate. For example, if a base manager requires flight attendants in her base to bring in a doctor’s note for any absence during the Thanksgiving holiday, the union could file a group grievance on behalf of the employees who actually called in sick and were forced to comply with the improper directive. Or the union could file a union grievance on behalf of all flight attendants in the base. The requested remedy would be the same in both cases.