Nepotism at work....

[jct404]

What is the name of your state? IL.

Hello,
My wife is on her 9th year of employment at a veterans nursing home operated by the state. She is a Union member and recently recieved word that a notice is being mailed to her from her Union informing her that she will be transfered to another unit on the grounds and her hours will be changed from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. with no opportunity to bid or bump for another position.

How did this come about?, apparently 10 months ago a current employee (a CNA) bid for a position on the same floor as my wife. On this floor, the mother (a charge nurse) of this employee worked as well. They denied the employee the position because of her mother being over her daughter in the chain of command and the mother would have to evaluate her own daughter along with the other CNA's, this would be unfair to the other CNA's.....So she file a grievance with the union.

My wife is a CNA, on this same floor my wife's mother works too, and has for 20 yrs. She is a LPN. My wife does not work directly under her mother as the above couple would have, more like along side from time to time.

The letter she will be recieving is stemming from the grievance filed 10 months ago by the employee in which she claimed "nepotism". The grievance has gone through arbitration so on and so forth without any notification given to my wife. The Union has instructed Veteran Affairs to change my wife schedule without any options or say. My wife has contacted Veteran Affiars, their response was that they disagreed with the decision and tried to fight it, and can do nothing about it. My wife has contacted the Union and they will do nothing for her, and she cannot file a grievance over it.

My questions:
How can the union place workers within a state facility, shouldn't that be up to the state/Veteran Affairs?

How can the employee claim nepotism is a situation like this and make it stick? My wife mother did not hire my wife nor does she evaluate her or direct her, they work together as a team.