On the job

One of the most important responsibilities of a union is to help educate its members about their rights on the job.   Please read the following topics to learn more about your rights in the workplace and how to enforce those rights:

This statement could save your job:

Right to union representation:

An employee may be represented by the union at an investigatory interview with his or her supervisor when the employee reasonably believes that the interview may lead to a disciplinary action.   The rights of employees to the presence of union representatives during investigatory interviews was announced by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1975 in NLRB v. J. Weingarten, Inc.  Since that case involved a clerk being investigated by the Weingarten Company, these rights have become known as Weingarten Rights.

The contract affords you many rights and protections.  However, as with any contract, the other party may sometimes violate the provisions of the contract.  When this occurs, the following options are available:

Resolve your issue informally:

Many grievances are the result of simple misunderstandings.  Sometimes, a meeting with a supervisor can resolve issues.  In some cases, a meeting with upper management bringS about the desired results.   If this approach does not work, you may file a formal grievance.

File a grievance:

Our contract defines a grievance as a dispute involving the interpretation, application or enforcement of the express terms of the contract.  'Express terms' means items that are specifically spelled out in the contract.  Learn more about the grievance process.