It may be true that, in some cases, talking with management will resolve an issue. In our case, sadly, that is NOT true. We have been told, by THEM, that we have to file on everything! They will not resolve anything, no matter how clear cut it may seem. I don't understand this reasoning because I know they have to jump through quite a few hoops when a grievance is filed, heard locally, passed on to state or even the national level. Personally, if I was management, I wouldn't want to go through this so I would try to fix the problem before it got to that point.
In many cases, I have had to file my own grievances without the aid of a steward. In rare cases, all stewards have been out, either on vacation or on disability. I have a stack of blank forms (which I recommend all hourlies obtain) and just fill them out as needed and fax or drop them off at the hall. No big deal.
Personally, I wouldn't care if the steward agrees with my complaint or not because I don't file frivolous grievances. I file only on issues I KNOW I can win. Here, though, our current steward is a bulldog and will go after any injustice and not try to get something that isn't deserved.