❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers to the questions nurses ask most — about their rights and about this site.
Your rights at work
How long do I have to file a grievance?
It depends on your contract, and the windows are short. Under the Kaiser NorCal CNA agreement, most grievances must be initiated within 30 calendar days of when you knew about the event — but discharge or suspension gives you only 7 calendar days (¶4102–4103). Weekends count. Use the Grievance Toolkit to compute your exact dates, and when in doubt: file first, refine later.
Do I have to sign a written warning? Does signing mean I agree?
You can be asked to sign, but in nurse contracts a signature is proof of receipt only — not agreement (Kaiser NorCal ¶4126). Sign it, write "receipt only" next to your name if you wish, and then use your right to attach a written rebuttal to your file.
Can I bring someone to a meeting with my manager?
If you reasonably believe the meeting could lead to discipline, you have the right to a union representative — and under some contracts (like Kaiser NorCal ¶4122), management must tell you in advance if a meeting may result in discipline. Never attend a fact-finding alone.
Can an old warning be used against me?
Under the Kaiser NorCal CNA contract, discipline more than 12 months old must be segregated from your file and generally cannot be relied on for new discipline (¶4127) — with exceptions for repeated or related conduct, willful negligence, and drug/alcohol issues. Other contracts have different rules — ask the AI with your contract selected.
I think my paycheck is wrong. What can I do?
Payroll errors are fixable and often grievable well after the fact — under Kaiser NorCal, clerical/pay errors can be raised up to one year back (¶4102). The usual leaks: missing shift differentials, callbacks paid straight instead of time-and-a-half, wrong tenure step, missed overtime. Run your paystub through the audit to check line-by-line.
Am I allowed to see my own personnel file?
Yes. You (and your union rep, with your written authorization) may examine warnings and evaluations in your file, and you may add written comments — under Kaiser NorCal, within 2 weeks of inspecting the document (¶4124). California law also gives employees personnel-file inspection rights.
What is the difference between a rebuttal and a grievance?
A rebuttal is your written side of the story, placed in your personnel file next to the discipline — no deadline pressure beyond the inspection window, and it protects your record. A grievance is the contract's formal challenge, run through your union, with strict deadlines and escalating steps that can end in arbitration. Strong cases often use both: rebuttal for the record, grievance for the remedy.
About NurseContract
Is this legal advice?
No. NurseContract is an educational reference built from publicly available union contracts. It helps you find and understand contract language, but it is not legal advice and it is not a substitute for your union representative — who should be involved in any real grievance, rebuttal, or disciplinary matter.
Is this affiliated with my union or my employer?
No. NurseContract is independent — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to CNA/NNU, ONA, SEIU, CRONA, UNAC/UHCP, Kaiser Permanente, Stanford, or the University of California. The contract text comes from agreements the unions and employers have published publicly.
What happens to what I type or upload?
Your questions, letters, and uploaded documents (warnings, paystubs) are processed once by an AI model to produce your answer or draft, and are not stored on our servers. You're welcome to redact names and IDs before uploading — the tools don't need them.
Which contracts are covered?
Six agreements today: Kaiser Permanente Northern California (CNA), Kaiser Northwest (ONA/OFNHP), Kaiser Washington (SEIU 1199NW), Stanford Health Care (CRONA), Lucile Packard Children's (CRONA), and the University of California systemwide RN contract (CNA). Kaiser Southern California (UNAC/UHCP) is coming — its current "Blue Book" hasn't been publicly published yet.
Is it free?
Yes — everything is free during the beta, including the AI letter generator and paystub audit (with fair-use hourly limits). A Pro tier with unlimited drafts, saved cases, and deadline reminder emails is planned; join the waitlist on the Letter Generator page to be first in line.
The AI's answer doesn't match what my manager or rep told me. Who's right?
Check the citations — every AI answer cites the paragraph and page it relied on, so you can read the actual language in Contract Search. Local past practice, side letters, and settlements can also shape how language is applied at your facility, which is exactly the kind of thing your union rep knows. Treat the app as your starting evidence, not the final word.