No. A grievance is an alleged violation of the contract. In most cases, it affects an individual, but can also affect workgroups, divisions, or possibly the whole hourly workforce. As such, it is a tool of contract enforcement and belongs to the union (more specifically to the Grievance Committee). This committee is composed of elected officers and is empowered to settle any and all grievances on behalf of the local union.
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Weingarten Rights offer you the opportunity to have union representation present during an investigation that might lead to discipline. Should you find yourself in this situation, simply ask the interviewer if the results of this investigation could result in discharge, discipline, or otherwise affect your working conditions. If the answer is "yes", respectfully ask for Union representation before the investigation continues. Remember, the company does not have to offer you representation, you have to ask for it. Failure by the company to honor your Weingarten Rights is a serious violation of your workplace rights.
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A board charge is an alleged violation of the National Labor Relations Act. The National Labor Relations Board(NLRB)is responsible for administering the provisions in the Act, and investigating violations of the Act. In most cases, the NLRB will simply defer the complaint to a Grievance and Arbitration clause if your contract has one. Since all of our contracts on-site have such a clause, our board charges are almost always deferred to our grievance process.
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