Grievances

The BTU’s union contract protects members’ rights at work — and the grievance process is an important part of enforcing the contract.

If you believe your rights have been violated, or the contract has been misinterpreted or misapplied, the BTU is here to help you understand your rights, determine next steps, and advocate for a resolution.

The importance of filing a grievance when applicable is obvious. A grievance must be filed every time an individual teacher’s rights are violated in order to protect the rights of the entire membership. A grievance should be filed within 30 days of the member learning about the violation.

Not sure if your situation constitutes a grievance? Contact your field representative. You don’t need to figure it out on your own.

How to file a grievance

Contact your building rep or field rep as soon as you think there may be a problem. Grievances generally must be filed within 30 school days of becoming aware of the issue.

Write down the facts, including relevant dates, people involved, and what occurred. Save emails, notices, letters, pay stubs, or other documents that may be relevant.

Your Building Rep will review the situation and relevant sections of the contract to help you determine the appropriate next steps. You can learn more about what the rest of the process looks like here.

Certain types of grievances follow a special process. You can find more information about filing a wage complaint here, and more information about filing a class size grievance here.

How the grievance (dispute resolution) process works

After you’ve met with your representative to discuss next steps, a grievance must be filed within 30 school days of becoming aware of the problem. A response should be received within 5 days. If a grievance is denied at Step 1 or doesn’t receive a response, it can be moved to mediation. 

Mediation does not include lawyers or reps. It is an opportunity for the member and a school administrator to meet with trained mediators to try to reach a compromise.

If the grievance is not resolved at Step 1 or through mediation, it can be advanced to a Step 2 hearing with a representative of the school district.

If the grievance is not resolved at Step 2, it can be escalated to a hearing with the Superintendent or a designated representative.

If a Step 3 hearing is denied, the union has 30 days to file for arbitration — a judicial process. If it is unanswered, the union has 60 days. To take a case to arbitration, approval is needed from the Grievance Committee, a subset of the BTU’s Executive Board.

More information about arbitration can be found below.

Arbitration FAQs

An arbitration is a dispute resolution process where a neutral third party, the arbitrator, hears evidence and arguments from each side in a disagreement and makes a binding or non-binding decision, known as an award.

It depends on many factors but can take months or years.

You have the option to present your case to the general membership at a Membership meeting.

What to do if you receive an Investigation Meeting notice

  1. Try to stay calm and contact a BTU Representative. Do not discuss this notice with anyone besides your Reps, and never attend an investigation meeting alone.
  2. Document exactly what happened in the alleged incident to the best of your knowledge as soon as possible. Be sure to consider all details, witnesses, and what you could have done differently.
  3. Ask yourself: is this a serious allegation? Could this result in termination? If so, contact your Field Rep. If not, have your Building Rep attend the meeting and take detailed notes.
  4. Attend the meeting with your representative, prepared with your statement and reflections.
  5. Wait for the outcome of the investigation meeting from administration and report the results to your Rep to discuss next steps. The union may be able to grieve the outcome of an IM.

Potential outcomes of an investigation meeting

  • Written directive
  • Unsubstantiated

  • Can be grieved
  • Signing it means you received it not agree to it
  • Tell your rep the outcome
  • Stays at the school site

  • Can be grieved
  • Signing it means you received it not agree to it
  • Tell your rep the outcome
  • Goes in your personnel file downtown

  • Suspension and/or termination
  • A lawyer will be assigned and a hearing will be arranged

What to do if you’re placed on administrative leave

  1. Try to stay calm and contact a BTU Representative. Do not discuss this notice with anyone besides your Reps.
  2. Document exactly what happened in the alleged incident to the best of your knowledge as soon as possible. Be sure to consider all details, witnesses, and what you could have done differently.
  3. Know you will lose access to your BPS email/ESS. If you get a call from DCF — ask them to schedule a meeting after you talk to your representative.
  4. Attend the investigation meeting with your Union Representative, prepared with your statement/reflections.
  5. Wait for the outcome of the meeting from administration and report the results to your Field Rep to discuss next steps. If a lawyer is needed, one will be provided to you.

What it means when the union calls you to testify in an arbitration

When the BTU asks you to testify in an arbitration, it is because your experience, observations, or knowledge are important to defending the contract, protecting due process, and standing up for the greater membership, a fellow member, or yourself.

You are being asked to serve as a union witness because you have firsthand knowledge of events related to a grievance. Your testimony is an act of solidarity and collective responsibility, and helps the BTU:

  • Enforce the collective bargaining agreement
  • Protect member rights and working conditions
  • Hold management accountable

The BTU will contact you directly and explain:

  • The nature of the case
  • Your role as a witness
  • What arbitration looks like and how it works

You will not be asked to go through this process alone — a BTU representative and/or BTU attorney will have a prep session to prepare you, and be present throughout the arbitration.

You have the right to:

  • Union representation and support at all stages
  • Be free from retaliation for testifying on behalf of the union
  • Ask for clarification if a question is unclear
  • Take time to think before answering

The union attorney will meet with you ahead of time to: 

  • Review the facts you personally know
  • Go over likely questions
  • Explain the arbitration setting and process.

You will focus only on what you personally saw, heard, or experienced. It is always acceptable to say: “I don’t know” or “I don’t recall.” Do not review or bring documents unless the union instructs you to do so.

You will be released from work without using your sick time. To initiate the release you should email [email protected] and [email protected]. You do not need to put the absence into ESS.

Most Arbitrations take place at 10:00am at the American Arbitration Association:
200 State Street 7th floor, Boston, MA 02109.

In rare cases that a room is unavailable some arbitrations take place at a mutually agreed upon location.

You will be asked to arrive earlier than 10:00am. Please note that some arbitrations take several days. If you pay for parking, you can email your receipt for a reimbursement to [email protected] within 30 days.

  • Answer honestly, clearly, and concisely
  • Listen carefully to each question before responding
  • Stick to facts — avoid speculation or assumptions, and do not guess, exaggerate, or try to “help” by filling in gaps 
  • Do not volunteer extra information beyond what is being asked
  • Do not discuss your testimony with coworkers or management unless advised by the union
  • Do not meet privately with management or their attorneys about the case
  • If you need a break, you may ask for one
  • Remember your Union and their attorney is there to support YOU

  • Check in with the union representative and attorney
  • Let the union know if anything unusual occurs after your testimony
  • Understand that arbitration decisions take time (months) — this is normal
  • The BTU will contact you about the outcome of the case

When union members step forward to testify, they strengthen the contract, protect due process, and uphold collective power. Your willingness to participate ensures that no member ever stands alone.

If you have questions at any point, contact Lea Serena at [email protected].

Wage complaints

How to file a wage complaint

  1. Let your field rep know
  2. Gather all relevant information: pay stubs, emails, etc.
  3. File a wage complaint with the Attorney General’s Office at the link here.
  4. Keep track of your email and follow up on the complaint 

Questions you should ask yourself when reviewing your paystub

  • Am I Schedule A? Do I qualify for Pilot School Pay?
  • Do I receive 26 or 22 checks?
  • How many years have I been teaching?
  • What degree(s) do I hold? Have I submitted other credits?
  • Should I be receiving career awards?

How to read your paystub

(A)26*(B)$4705.85= (C)122,352.10

Class size grievances

We have tenaciously fought for class size reductions over the last two decades, and your students deserve a class within the limits.

Please file a class size grievance once the number of children reporting to your class is in excess of the contractual maximum — it can’t just be the number on your class list. The students must have physically attended school at least once and then not have been officially discharged. For specialists and secondary teachers, please complete this online form for each class that exceeds the limit.

Please see this schedule for information on class size limits. If any of your classes is in violation, speak to your BTU Building Rep and your Building Administrator and immediately fill out this online form. In addition to filing your Class Size Grievance, it is important to keep all of your records until your grievance is resolved. To help with this, please print out the appropriate Class Size Grievance Tracking Form (Elementary, Secondary) and use this to keep track of your enrollment daily until your class size is brought in compliance with the contract.

Finally, and this is very important: Please insist that your class size limit be enforced. Don’t sign any settlement form your principal gives you without speaking with someone in the BTU office.

If you have any questions, email BTU Executive Vice President Lea Serena, [email protected].

Please read these FAQs before you complete a class size grievance.

2026-2027 Class Size Grievance Form

Building Reps’ role in the grievance process

One of the most important duties of the Building Representative is the handling of grievances at Step 1. Therefore, it is imperative that all Building Representatives become thoroughly familiar with the “Dispute Resolution” sections of the contract, and especially with the paragraphs that deal with the filing of a grievance at the school level. This is found in Article X of the teacher contract and Article V of the paraprofessional, substitute, and ABA contracts.

The following is a list of guidelines that the Building Rep should follow in filing a grievance.

  1. Get all the facts from the teacher(s) involved in the grievance.
  2. Get copies of all pertinent documents related to the grievance, e.g. bulletins, notices, letters, e-mails, memos, etc. (Building representatives have the right to obtain copies of all official school documents).
  3. Examine the contract and locate any articles of the contract that have been violated.

  1. You may request a meeting with the Administrator and the teacher(s) involved.
  2. Present the case orally. Show documents and cite the contract violation(s). Explain the Union’s position and request that the violation be resolved.
  3. It is of the utmost importance that in these meetings the Building Representatives be prepared, be professional and remain courteous (but firm). Do not insult the Administrator or attempt to intimidate him or her in any way. On the other hand, do not approach the Administrator as a subordinate. In this situation, as a representative of the Union the Building Representative is on equal ground with the Administrator.
  4. Make every effort to reach a resolution consistent with the contract at this meeting. This will save time, work, and money for the Union and possibly considerable inconvenience for the grievant.

  1. If the Administrator is unwilling to resolve the grievance at this meeting, file a written grievance with the Administrator. (Be sure to make several copies of the grievance — one for yourself, one for the grievant and one for the Union office.)
  2. The grievance letter should be succinct but civil. It should include the following information; Name and position of the grievant, Statement of the grievance, Action requested, and Name of Union Representative. Send a copy of the grievance to the appropriate Field Representative.

  1. If the Administrator denies the grievance or fails to respond to the grievance within five school days, your appropriate Field Representative should be contacted. You can call 617-288-2000 or email the appropriate Field Rep.
  2. Send copies of the grievance letter and all pertinent documents to the Union office via email to your Field Representative, via mail to 180 Mt. Vernon Street, Dorchester, MA 02125 or fax to 617-288-0024. If this step does not occur, the grievance goes no further so it is very important to follow through with it.
  3. While the grievance is in process, the BTU member must comply with the administrative directive in dispute. The Field Rep will refer the grievance to mediation, and if the grievance is deemed valid by the union, two trained mediators will meet with the grievant and the administrator. If this fails, Step Two of the grievance procedure will be handled by the union’s Executive Vice President.

  1. The Building Representative should request the Administrator to put in writing any disputed orders or assignments.
  2. The Building Representative should not advise a teacher to disobey or ignore an Administrator’s order while a grievance is in progress. This may hurt the chances for a successful resolution of the grievance and possibly leave the teacher open to charges of insubordination.

The Grievance Committee

The grievance committee consists of any member of the Executive Board who volunteers to serve on the committee, but it will have at least 1/3 of the members of the Executive Board on it (6 out of 18). Please remember the Executive Board is elected by the membership every two years, so the grievance committee consists of your elected peers.

What is the committee’s role?

  • To decide whether or not to take a case to arbitration
  • To consider many factors including the cost, legal viability of the grievance, and impact on the greater membership
  • To keep information confidential — what happens in the meeting stays in the meeting
  • To make non-biased decisions for the greater good of our union

Meet the grievance committee

  • Amrita Dani (English High)
  • Kafunda Banks (Curley K-8)
  • Erik Berg (BTU President)
  • Caren Carew (BTU Secondary Field Rep.)
  • Cecil Carey (Charlestown High)
  • Michelle Carroll (Charlestown High)
  • Brenda Chaney (Retired)
  • Karen Cross (BTU Secretary Treasurer)
  • Caitlin Gaffny (BTU Elementary Field Rep.)
  • Colleen Hart (BTU Sub/ABA/Para Field Rep.)
  • Nora Paul Schultz (O’Bryant)