Know Your Rights

It is your right:

To join a union
To be represented by your union.
To actively participate in your union.
To file grievances without fear of reprisals from management.
To have a Union Representative present at any investigatory session which you reasonably believe may result in discipline such as a warning, demotion, suspension or dismissal.⁽¹⁾
To refuse to answer any accusational questions which may lead to discipline without a Union Representative being present.
To examine your personnel records maintained by the employer.
To refuse to sign any statement whatsoever; you can sign explicitly to simply to acknowledge receipt.

⁽¹⁾ You must request union representation at investigatory meetings. One way to do so is to invoke the Weingarten rule which is named after a Supreme Court ruling on labor law.

The Weingarten Rule: An Employee's Right to Representation

(If called to a meeting with management, read the following or present this in written form to management when the meeting begins.)

If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, I respectfully request my right to have my union representative, officer, or steward be present at this meeting. Until my representative arrives, I choose not to participate in this discussion.

To learn more about your rights, visit the statewide CUE website's Know Your Rights page.