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A step-1 grievance letter is a short written statement to your employer that names the exact collective-bargaining article violated, states the facts (what happened, when, who was involved), names witnesses, and states the remedy you want without limiting it. Sign and date it, give it to your shop steward, and file it before your contract's deadline.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Most collective bargaining agreements set out a multi-step grievance procedure, and step 1 is usually a written complaint delivered to the employee's immediate supervisor or a designated manager, filed through the shop steward. The letter's job is narrow: it puts the employer on formal notice that a specific contract article has been breached, and it starts the contractual clock. It is not the place to argue the whole case. That happens later, in the grievance meeting and at higher steps if the grievance is not resolved.
Because the clock starts the moment management knew or should have known about the violation, getting the letter filed within the deadline matters more than polishing it. Many contracts give you five to ten working days, and missing that window can end the grievance before it starts.
| Element | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| The clause violated | The article and section number from your collective bargaining agreement, quoted or cited exactly | The employer needs to know which contractual obligation you say was breached; a vague "the contract" is not enough |
| The facts | What happened, on which date and shift, and which supervisor or manager took the action | Grievances are decided on facts, not feelings; dates and names make the record checkable |
| The witnesses | The names of co-workers who saw or heard what happened | Witnesses can be interviewed at the step-1 meeting; unnamed ones are easy for the other side to ignore |
| The remedy | What you want done, stated broadly: e.g. that you be "made whole, including but not limited to" back pay or reinstatement | Asking for only one specific thing can lock you out of relief you discover you needed later |
| Signature and date | Your signature, printed name, employee number if your contract uses them, and the date | An unsigned letter can be challenged as unofficial; the date proves timely filing |
Stick to the facts you can verify. Write what was said and done, not why you think it was said and done. A line like "On October 3, my supervisor told me I was suspended for three days for refusing overtime on October 2" is useful. A paragraph about the supervisor's motives is not; it cannot be proven and it gives the employer something to attack instead of answering the facts. If you are unsure of an exact detail, write what you know and say so, rather than guessing.
Keep the letter professional and spare. Do not admit to misconduct, do not apologize for the events you are grieving, and do not include every frustration you have ever had with management. Extra material does not strengthen a grievance; it gives the employer's side more to respond to. Also do not add legal conclusions like "this violates the Labour Relations Act" unless your steward or union rep tells you to. The grievance letter enforces the contract; statutory claims are a separate track your union will handle if one exists.
File it with your shop steward or union steward, who will review it, may suggest changes, and will deliver it to the step-1 management respondent within the deadline your contract sets. In Canada, most agreements require filing with the immediate supervisor or a named manager, often through the steward; in the US, it is typically the steward-to-supervisor route. Keep a copy for yourself, and ask the steward to confirm in writing when and to whom it was delivered. Expect a step-1 meeting within the time the contract allows, often a week or two, where management answers the grievance in writing. If the answer is unsatisfactory, your union decides whether to appeal to the next step, so the quality of the step-1 letter carries through the whole process.
Hand delivery through the steward is the norm because it is instant and the steward can confirm receipt. But there are real situations where mailing is the safer choice: you work at a remote site with no steward on shift, the deadline falls on a day you are off, or you want an independent paper trail of the filing date. Send it so it arrives before the contractual deadline, addressed to the management respondent your contract names for step 1, and keep the mailing receipt with your copy. Remember that grievance deadlines usually run in working days counted from the violation, so mail it early enough that arrival, not just sending, is timely. If your contract requires the filing to go through the steward, mail the steward a copy too.
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