Weingarten rights: What are they and who can help?
Right off the bat, the most important new ability we’ve gained from being a certified union is what’s commonly called “Weingarten rights.” Simply put, it’s your right to request that a representative be present together with you in any meeting with a supervisor that you believe could lead to discipline.
WHAT DO WEINGARTEN RIGHTS DO?
Once you invoke your Weingarten rights, the supervisor cannot continue the meeting until or unless you have a representative from our union in the room with you, to take notes, ask questions, and advocate for you. Your rights also protect you from retaliation for invoking these rights.
HOW DO I INVOKE MY RIGHTS?
If you have reason to believe that you are headed into a disciplinary meeting, tell your supervisor that you are requesting a union representative to join you in the meeting.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Before we formed our union, we were on our own in disciplinary meetings. A representative can be a powerful ally in disciplinary meetings—they can request copies of your supervisor’s documentation, calmly advocate for your rights and your best interests in an emotional situation, and simply, but most powerfully, be there alongside you.
WHO DO I CONTACT?
Contact one of these union members and they will either join you at the meeting or work with your supervisor to reschedule it to a time that they can attend:
Staff at the Museum:
Anna Feuer, 773-458-6395, annavfeuer@gmail.com
kelly keegan, 646-785-6969, kkeegan.conservation@gmail.com
Michael Korzeniowski, 847-651-0743, korzo1212@gmail.com
Katrina Rush, krush2783@gmail.com
Jann Trujillo, 312-287-8058, jntrujillo2946@gmail.com
Staff at the School:
Amy Beste, 773-497-0437, msbeste@gmail.com
Myia Brown, 708-623-4191, mnbartist@gmail.com
Kae Flester, 301-821-6231, kaeflester@gmail.com
Josh Hoglund, 917-495-4800, josh.hoglund@gmail.com
Lisa Majer, 773-502-5472, lisam.majer@gmail.com
Alessandra Norman, 915-203-3240, alessandranorman@gmail.com
Rachel Perlman, 847-370-9326, rachelperlman1@gmail.com
Tat Scott, 575-495-5438, tatnscott@gmail.com
Briana Shucart, 224-223-4830, briana.shucart@gmail.com
Want more in-depth information? Visit the NLRB for the full description of Weingarten rights.
Want to become a steward? Contact our staff rep, Cameron Day (CDay@afscme31.org), your MAT leader, or our AICWU organizing committee at info@aicwu.org.