Your rights
On this page:
- Formal meetings
- Investigatory interviews, aka Weingarten rights
- Union member rights and officer responsibilities
Rights to representation
Want representation? Contact your steward
Formal meetings are those between management and one or more employees dealing with a personnel policy, grievance or other general condition of employment. NTEU is entitled to advance notice of all formal meetings, as well as the opportunity to attend on behalf of employees.
Investigatory interviews are meetings between agency management and an employee(s) where the employee(s) expects disciplinary action. Interviews can be conducted by managers, supervisors or other employees, as well as someone from the agency’s Office of the Inspector General. The right to union representation at an investigatory interview is known as your “Weingarten” right.
In addition to Weingarten, you are protected under Title 5 Section 7114 (a)(2) of the United States Code. It provides similar rights as Weingarten but is a little broader. It says:
“An exclusive representative of an appropriate unit in an agency shall be given the opportunity to be represented at (A) any formal discussion between one or more employees in the unit or their representatives concerning any grievance or any personnel policy or practices or other general condition of employment.”
This means that if a manager comes to you to request a meeting that would discuss a policy change, a change in practices, or conditions of your employment, a union representative can also attend. This includes routine staff meetings or one-on-ones.
Again, the union representative’s role is to be there to discuss options, stand up for your best interests and ensure the conditions of the collective bargaining agreement are followed.
If you have questions or concerns about your rights or want to request representation, contact your steward.