Weingarten Rights

Members covered by a collective bargaining agreement (contract) are entitled to
certain inalienable rights as outlined in the Weingarten case, and referred to in
Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.

If an employee is called into a meeting with a supervisor that may result in discipline,
the member worker has the right to ask for the following conditions:

A Union Steward or Representative shall be present at the meeting;

The worker and the steward shall receive a statement of the subject matter of the interview
that the employer intends to conduct;

The employee is allowed to privately confer with the Union Steward or Representative
prior to any discussion with the employer representative;

If the Union Steward or Representative are unavailable, the employee can request
a delay. If the employer denies the request, it has committed an Unfair Labor
Practice and THEN the employee may refuse to answer.

It is not the employer's responsibility to notify the employee of his/her rights - the employee must ask for union representation at such meetings. Some examples of employer questions that relate to this topic are Absenteeism, Accidents, Compliance with work rules, Damage to company property, Drinking, Drugs, Falsification of records, Lateness or poor attitude, Poor work performance, Sabotage, Slowdowns, Theft, Violations of safety rules.