Letter Carrier Resources

Weingarten Rights

Prior to employees being disciplined by management, generally they will be given a pre-disciplinary interview (PDI) or an investigatory interview (II) by management. If you are given one of these interviews, there is no doubt your supervisor or manager is looking for information to use against you so they can issue you discipline. All letter carriers, including CCAs (regardless of how long they have been employed) have Weingarten Rights, which means you have the right to have a union steward present during a meeting in which management asks you questions that could lead to discipline. Stewards can assist you in any investigation by management and help ensure you get your “day in court.” If called to a meeting with management, U.S. postal inspectors, or an Office of Inspector General (OIG) agent, read the following statement to the person you are meeting with before the meeting starts:

“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. Without my Union representation present, I respectfully choose not to answer any questions or participate in this discussion.”

It is important to remember that management has no obligation to provide you with union representation, and it is your responsibility to ask. If you ask for union representation, and you are not provided it, you can inform management that you will not be answering any questions until representation is present.

NALC Handbooks