Need Representation? You got it!
Our representatives are highly trained and
dedicated to assisting the bargaining unit at VA Medical
Center Little Rock, Arkansas! We assist the entire
bargaining unit in the Negotiated Grievance Procedure. Our
skilled representatives demand the best working conditions
for our workforce and ensure that safety and health concerns
are properly addressed. Members receive additional
representation including but not limited to the following
(AFGE Local 916 meets representational obligations specific
to each contract.):
. EO Complaints
. Proposed Disciplinary Actions
. MSPB Appeals
. Workers Compensation Appeals
. Classification Appeals
. Unemployment Hearings
CALL FOR MORE DETAILS!
KNOW YOUR WEINGARTEN RIGHTS!
AFGE National VA
Council http://afgenvac.org/
If the union could teach just one thing to its
members, it would have to be about “Weingarten Rights”—the
right of unionized workers to have a steward or someone else
from the union present if the person is in a situation where
he or she may be disciplined.
The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 provides that an
employee, upon request, has the right to union
representation during an investigation conducted by
management, where the employee being questioned reasonably
believes that the investigation may result in discipline.
The Master Labor Agreement (MLA) between AFMC and the
American Federation of Government Employees also provides
for this right at Article 5, Section 5.03. This right is
commonly referred to as an employee's "Weingarten right",
after a 1975 Supreme Court decision involving a company of
that name which granted this same right to workers in
private industry. The provisions of both the Civil Service
Reform Act and the MLA granting employees similar rights are
based upon this decision; hence the nickname "Weingarten
Right".
Many workers crumble in the face of questioning by their
supervisor or a member of management. They get rattled and
start explaining and making excuses and apologizing and
often end up giving the employer ammunition to do whatever
he or she wants. They often become like the suspects you see
in cops shows on television: They ’fess up to things that
maybe never even happened or say things in such a way that
they worsen the problem rather than talk their way out of
it.
With few exceptions, workers across North America enjoy the
legal right to have a steward or other union representative
present if they find themselves in any situation with
management—a conversation, a discussion, an
interrogation—that could lead to disciplinary action. But
unlike Miranda rights, which police are supposed to tell
criminal suspects about (“You have the right to remain
silent. Anything you say may be used against you…”),
employers do not have to tell employees about their
Weingarten Rights. Workers have to ask for them. And
the only way they’re going to know they have that right,
odds are, is if their union tells them.
If called to a meeting with management, read the following
or present this information to management when the meeting
begins.
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 representation arrives, I choose not to
participate in this discussion.
