Know Your Rights as a Union Member

Weingarten Rights give you the right to union representation whenever you are in a meeting or interrogation with management.

When a supervisor meets with you and is questioning your work, your conduct, your personal life, your union activity, you have rights!

The U.S. Supreme Court says that you are entitled to union representation when you are called into a meeting to discuss discipline or when you reasonably expect discipline to be a threat.

In such cases, you should ask for a union representative to attend the meeting with you. A representative might be a shop steward, a fellow union member, or a staff representative from your Local office. Do not go into the meeting alone unless you are absolutely sure that no discipline will result.

The Weingarten Declaration

For your protection, you should read or hand this statement to management before the start of any meeting that could lead to discipline:

If the discussion I am being asked to enter could in any way lead to my discipline or termination or impact my personal working conditions, I ask that a union steward, representative or officer be present. Unless I have this union representation, I respectfully choose not to participate in this discussion.

Remember: If somebody denies you your rights, you can grieve to recover them. If you give them away, you may not be able to get them back.