A collective agreement is a contract negotiated between the employer and union that establishes wages and working conditions for all employees covered by the agreement. Your agreement includes a grievance procedure in the event the employer doesn’t follow the terms of the agreement.

FPSE staff and local elected representatives successfully defend the integrity of collective agreements on a daily basis. Local stewards handle most grievances in the initial stages. Where grievances cannot be resolved at the initial stages, FPSE Staff Representatives work with locals through to arbitration, when necessary. FPSE regularly offers labour relations training to member locals and the Contract Administration Review Committee (CARC) brings Chief Stewards together on a regular basis to coordinate and learn how best to protect collective agreement rights.

For more detail about how locals can access FPSE services, see the Policy and Procedures Manual. It outlines FPSE's procedures for accessing contract administration services, and the policy for the provision of legal services to locals.