RESOURCES
Funding
Union Rights
Benefits
Reporting a claim
EMERGENCY FUND ASSISTANCE
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WE ARE
HERE FOR YOU.
STRIKE FUND ASSISTANCE
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LEARN YOUR UNION RIGHTS
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WEINGARTEN RIGHTS
What are Weingarten rights?
Employees have the right to union representation in meetings with employers that might result in discipline. An employee's right to representation in investigatory or pre-disciplinary meetings was established in a 1975 United States Supreme Court decision, NLRB v. Weingarten, Inc.
How do I use my Weingarten rights?
Simply stating, "I would like my union representative to be present at this meeting" is sufficient to invoke the right. Even questions such as, "Shouldn’t I have a representative here?" have been considered sufficient to assert Weingarten rights. An employee's request does not have to come in any particular form; no magic words are required, nor does the request have to be in writing. It is incumbent upon the employer to provide Weingarten rights, and employees should ask for representation even if they are not sure they're entitled to it.
What happens after you request representation?
Once a request is made, the employer has three lawful options:
The employer can grant the request and delay the meeting until the union representative arrives and has a chance to consult privately with the employee,
The employer can discontinue the meeting or allow the employee to choose if they want to continue unrepresented, or the employer can forgo the meeting entirely.
It is illegal for any employer to punish workers for participating in workplace organizing, and no single organizer will take on union actions on their own. Our union is built on broad, public, majority support. This gives us both significant collective power and protection in numbers. We will not stand for any grad worker facing retaliation for building a union with their co-workers.
HOW THE
UNION
BENEFITS US
A union gives us the power and structure to push for changes that are important to graduate workers at UChicago.
It enables us to bargain with the university and protect the rights of graduate students in a way that would be impossible if we weren’t working collectively.
It provides graduate workers with a democratic say in their working and learning conditions and holds the university accountable.
Building a union enshrines our compensation and work expectations in a legally enforceable contract and gives workers recourse through both legal enforcement and collective action when those agreements are not adhered to.
It allows graduate workers to use our collective strength to negotiate directly with the university on issues of compensation, housing affordability, insurance and benefits, workplace training and safety, and protections against exploitation and harassment.
REPORT AN ISSUE
Currently, GSU’s power lies in the collective knowledge and experience our members have amassed in their time as student workers, and in our unwavering commitment to standing in solidarity with all workers facing unjust or otherwise difficult working conditions.
Upon negotiating a contract, GSU will have even more power to redress grievances. Union contracts typically include a grievance procedure, which provides due process to a member (or to the union as an organization) if the contract is violated. Most contracts allow for unresolved grievances to be taken to an outside neutral arbitrator, whose decision is legally binding.
GSU is not yet formally recognized by the University as a labor union, and so we are unable to institute a formal grievance process. However, we can help you with a workplace issue or grievance by:
Sharing the union’s knowledge of precedents and University policies with you;
Advocating for you in whatever capacity best fits your situation (e.g., attending a meeting with you, helping you draft an email to an administrator, connecting you with other graduate workers in similar situations, providing you with training and resources to organize your department, etc.);
Organizing direct action to address the issue;
Providing you with mutual aid via our Hardship Fund.