THE RIGHTS OF WORKERS TO
UNION REPRESENTATION:
The Supreme court has ruled that the National Labor Relations
Act gives employees the right to request union representation during
investigatory interviews by management. These are called "WEINGARTEN
RIGHTS." An investigatory interview occurs when a supervisor questions an
employee to obtain information, which could be used as a basis for disciplining
the employee. Once you ask for union representation, management must 1) Grant
the request and stop questioning you until your representative arrives: or 2)
Deny the request and end the interview. If management ignores a WEINGARTEN
RIGHTS request and continues asking questions, they are guilty of an unfair
labor practice and charges may be filed against the company.
Here is a sample statement for making a request for your
WEINGARTEN RIGHTS. "If this discussion could in any way lead to my being
disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working condition, I
respectfully request that my union representative, officer or steward be present
at this meeting. Without representation present, I choose not to participate in
this discussion." The Local does not recommend that you go in alone.
Request representation if you feel in the slightest that it may be needed.