FAQ
Union scheduling software, answered.
Straight answers to the questions supervisors and plant managers actually ask about scheduling around a collective bargaining agreement.
What is union scheduling software?
Union scheduling software builds employee work schedules while enforcing the rules in a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) — seniority order, lines of progression, rest periods, maximum hours, and overtime equalization. GrievanceFree is purpose-built for union manufacturing facilities, so those rules are applied by the engine on every run instead of being tracked by hand on a spreadsheet.
How does GrievanceFree schedule around seniority?
You enter your seniority list once, and the engine applies it identically on every schedule it generates — the same way at 5 a.m. as at noon. When a position needs to be filled or an opening cascades down a line of progression, the most senior qualified employee is chosen, and the reasoning is saved to the assignment so you can see exactly who ranked where.
What are lines of progression, and how does the software handle them?
A line of progression is the ordered ladder of positions a crew moves through (for example Operator → Assistant Operator → Utility). When someone at the top is out, GrievanceFree steps the next-qualified person up and cascades the backfill down the line, checking each move against seniority and your hard CBA constraints. Rest periods and maximum hours are never violated — the engine will leave a post open before it breaks one.
How much does scheduling software cost per employee?
GrievanceFree is $4 per active employee per month for scheduling, with an optional call-in management add-on at $2 per employee per month, and a $50/month minimum. Billing tracks your active employee count automatically. There is a 14-day free trial and no credit card is required to start.
Can scheduling software actually prevent grievances?
No tool can guarantee zero grievances, but most scheduling grievances come from seniority being applied inconsistently or overtime going to the wrong person. Applying those rules the same way every time — and keeping a reasoning trace behind each assignment — removes the ambiguity those disputes feed on. If you want a sense of how common these disputes are, search a forum like r/manufacturing for scheduling, seniority, and overtime threads; the patterns are familiar to any shift supervisor.
How does overtime equalization work?
Overtime is balanced across the roster so it does not pile up on the same people, and open overtime goes out for volunteer signup before anyone is force-assigned. The running equalization tally is applied consistently, so the order in which OT is offered follows your rules rather than memory.
Can employees swap shifts and bid on vacation?
Yes. Employees can post and pick up shifts in a swap marketplace, and approved swaps survive the next schedule regeneration instead of being wiped when the schedule is rebuilt. Vacation bids run through seniority windows with the limits and waitlists you configure, so the calendar fills without an argument at the board.
Do employees need the app on their personal phones?
No. A no-login shop-floor kiosk puts the schedule, overtime signups, time-off requests, and swaps where the crew actually works, so nobody needs a personal phone to see their week. Employees who want online access can still use it.
How is our scheduling data kept separate from other companies?
Every plant is a separate tenant behind row-level security in encrypted, hosted PostgreSQL — every query is scoped to your organization by the database itself, not just by application code. Your rosters, seniority lists, and schedules are never visible to another tenant, and your data is exportable anytime. That is a control you can point to in an audit, not a checkbox on a slide.
How is this different from a generic shift-scheduling app?
General shift-scheduling tools are built for coverage and availability, not for collective bargaining agreements. They usually have no concept of a line of progression, seniority-driven step-ups, or overtime equalization, and they cannot show why a given person was assigned. GrievanceFree treats those CBA rules as first-class and records the reasoning behind every cell.