While Dania was considering returning to school, she requested to reduce her hours from .6 FTE to .4 FTE. She knew it was a reasonable request, but management arbitrarily denied it over and over again—even when Dania’s coworkers said they would cover the gap in hours. Fortunately, she knew to contact her union steward. Together, they read the contract language, which was airtight about the matter: “Any employee is allowed to reduce FTE and within 90 days, it will be granted.” They filed and easily won the grievance against management.

Dania couldn’t have done it alone, which she told us in a heartfelt letter she wrote expressing gratitude for her coworkers’ support:

Dear Megan,

I wanted to take a moment to share how much the support from my coworkers meant to me throughout this grievance process.

When I first raised my concerns, it was a stressful and uncertain situation. Knowing that my coworkers listened, encouraged me, and stood behind me made a significant difference. Their support gave me the confidence to advocate for myself and to continue pursuing what I believed was fair under our contract.

What meant even more was knowing that this wasn’t just about my individual situation. Many of my coworkers understood the broader impact that enforcing our contractual rights can have on all nurses. Their encouragement reminded me of the importance of standing up for one another and supporting a workplace culture where nurses feel respected and heard.

I am grateful for the solidarity, kindness, and reassurance I received along the way. Having colleagues who genuinely care about each other made a challenging process much easier to navigate.

Thank you again for the opportunity to share my experience.

Kind regards,

Dania