Your Rights

Your worker and union rights should not be taken lightly. They have been purchased dearly with blood, sweat, tears and millions of dollars of legal fees for battles fought all the way through the US Supreme Court. Use and defend them zealously.

Your rights in an investigatory interview.

  1. You must make clear a request for union representation before or during the interview. You cannot be punished for this request.
  2. After you make the request the employer must either:
    • Grant the request and delay questioning until the union representative arrives and has a chance to consult privately with you, or
    • Deny the request and end the interview immediately, or
    • Give you a choice of (1) having the interview without representation or (2) ending the interview. (We recommend that you end the interview.)
  3. If the employer denies the request for representation and continues to ask questions it commits an unfair labor practice and you have the right to refuse to answer.

In any investigatory or disciplinary meeting you may use following request:

  • If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated or affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that my union representative, officer or steward be present at this meeting. Until my representative arrives, I choose not to participate in this discussion. (Click Weingarten Card for printable version of this statement.)


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