A question about seniority and being a college student

[Sancho]

5. The issue is that management made a schedule which may violate the contract ...

if the union doesn't want to file a grievance they don't have to...so you need to talk to the union leaders and the folks who have seniority.

If the management make an exception for you, it may cause all sorts of problems down the line when management wants to make exceptions for their friends, favorites, relatives, etc. The management might offer exceptions to some employees to undermine the union, or establish a history of exceptions that weakens the contract.

You may have a good reason for an exception, but maybe you can't trust the management once there is a foot in the door.

If you talk to the union leaders, they can explain how they see the exceptions. Some contracts are hard-fought and are necessary to protect the group, so exceptions cannot be taken lightly.