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It is essential for your protection to understand your rights and to request Union Representation when being investigated by the Company. An investigatory interview occurs when a supervisor questions an employee to obtain information, which could be used as a basis for discipline or asks an employee to defend his or her conduct.
Supervisors, Managers, Human Resources, Corporate Security, EEOC or other salaried non-bargaining unit employee could conduct these investigations. Pursuant to Article 5 of the 2005 CWA/AT&T and 2006 CWA/Avaya Agreement and Article 5.2 of the 2004 CWA/Lucent Agreement you have the right to request Union Representation and you are also entitled to request this representation pursuant to your Weingarten rights. You can even exercise these rights if the investigative interview is being conducted by phone. Weingarten Rights
EMPLOYEE'S RIGHT TO UNION REPRESENTATION The rights of unionized employees to have present a union representative during investigatory interviews were announced by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 1975 case (NLRB vs. Weingarten, Inc. 420 U.S. 251, 88 LRRM 2689). These rights have become known as the Weingarten rights.
Employees have Weingarten rights only during investigatory interviews. An investigatory interview occurs when a supervisor questions an employee to obtain information, which could be used as a basis for discipline or asks an employee to defend his or her conduct. If an employee has a reasonable belief that discipline or other adverse consequences may result from what he or she says, the employee has the right to request union representation. Management is not required to inform the employee of his/her Weingarten rights; it is the employees responsibility to know and request.
When the employee makes the request for a union representative to be present management has three options: (I) it can stop questioning until the representative arrives.
(2) it can call off the interview or, (3) it can tell the employee that it will call off the interview unless the employee voluntarily gives up his/her rights to a union representative (an option the employee should always refuse.)
Employers will often assert that the only role of a union representative in an investigatory interview is to observe the discussion. The Supreme Court, however, clearly acknowledges a Union representative's right to assist and counsel workers during the interview. The Supreme Court has also ruled that during an investigatory interview management must inform the union representative of the subject of the interrogation. The representative must also be allowed to speak privately with the employee before the interview. During the questioning, the representative can interrupt to clarify a question or to object to confusing or intimidating tactics.
While the interview is in progress the representative cannot tell the employee what to say but he may advise them on how to answer a question. At the end of the interview the union representative can add information to support the employee's case. Remember to Request Union Representation during an investigatory interview, It Is Your Right.
In Unity, Roy Hegenbart President/Local 3250 |
