Know your union rights!
The best way to ensure the protection of your rights as a tenure track faculty member is to contribute to negotiating a strong contract, whether through joining the the Bargaining Committee or Bargaining Team, or participating in events and actions during the negotiation process. To get involved reach out to your Union Steward or members of the Executive Committee.
Once we have our first contract, Grievance Officers and Union Stewards support and advise colleagues who are facing potential contract violations, or who have questions about whether their working conditions are contract-compliant.
Contract-enforceable issues can include salary disputes, treatment by administration, the failure of a unit to follow governance procedures outlined in the contract, disputes over tenure and promotion cases, or any number of other issues. All tenure track faculty members have the right to union representation at meetings with administration that concern contract issues and/or disciplinary action.
If you suspect that you are facing a potential contract violation, OR if you would like to find out if a workplace issue is something your union colleagues can help with, start by contacting your department’s Union Steward or a member of the Executive Committee.
Just Cause
Just Cause shifts the burden of proof for discipline to the employer. Just cause is the standard that management must adhere to when disciplining or discharging an employee. It means that in union settings, the employer must have a reason to act in disciplining an employee, and the reason must be just and fair. In non-union workplaces, the employee is an at-will worker and can be disciplined or fired for any reason, or for no reason at all. Specific tests have been generally recognized as defining just cause.
Weingarten Rights
You have the right to union representation whenever you have a reasonable belief that discipline could result from something you say in a meeting with management. This handout from AFT-Michigan summarizes your Weingarten rights and what to do.
Duty of Fair Representation
Members have the right to union representation that is fair, non-arbitrary, and carried out in good faith. However, unions have considerable discretion in all grievance situations.
Right to Information
Members have the right to all information needed to negotiate and enforce the contract: that is, to file a grievance, take a grievance to arbitration, or negotiate a contract.
You Have the Right to:
- Attend meetings to discuss joining a union.
- Read, distribute, and discuss union literature, as long as this does not interfere with the carrying out of the educational mission of the university.
- Wear union buttons, T-shirts, stickers, hats, or other items on the job.
- Sign a card asking your employer to recognize and bargain with the union.
- Sign petitions or file grievances related to wages, hours, working conditions, and other job issues.
- Ask other employees to support the union, to sign union cards or petitions, or to file grievances.
Management Does NOT have the Right to:
Your employer cannot legally punish or discriminate against any worker because of union activity. For example, your employer cannot legally do the following:
- Threaten to fire, lay off, discipline, harass, transfer, or reassign employees because they support the union.
- Favor employees who don’t support the union over those who do in promotions, job assignments, wages, hours, enforcement of rules, or any other working condition.
- Shut down the work site or take away any benefits or privileges employees already enjoy in order to discourage union activity.
- Promise employees a pay increase, promotion, benefit, or special favor if they oppose the union.
If your employer violates the law, the union can help you file “Unfair Labor Practice” charges with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission.