We’ve seen a sharp uptick in last minute delegate requests for meetings lately, so we wanted to remind you of the procedures – and of your rights! – when it comes to disciplinary or investigatory meetings.

As a union member, your Weingarten Rights guarantee that you have a right to delegate representation in any disciplinary or investigatory meeting. It is your responsibility to make sure that this right is exercised. If your manager calls you into a meeting, ask what the meeting is about. If it is disciplinary or may become disciplinary, you have the right to have a delegate. If you start a meeting without a delegate and it becomes investigatory or disciplinary in nature, you can invoke your Weingarten Rights at any time by requesting to stop the meeting until a delegate can be there. You can reach out to a delegate directly, or if you do not know a delegate, contact the NYPNU office ([email protected]) and staff can help coordinate representation.

As soon as you’ve been notified of a meeting, please contact the NYPNU office right away. Your manager should not arrange delegate representation for you. NYPNU staff need at least 2 business days to coordinate delegate representation for most issues. This time frame gives us enough time to find a delegate who can attend a meeting and prepare for it with you. If your manager gives you less than 2 business days' notice, you should ask to reschedule. The hospital has to give you enough time to secure a delegate, but there are limited exceptions to this time frame: HIPAA violations, suspected drug diversion, and allegations of severe misconduct. Again, you should ask your manager the subject of the meeting so you know if it’s actually urgent. If you contact the office less than 2 business days before a non-urgent meeting to request a delegate, we will ask you to reschedule the meeting.

We understand that getting called into any sort of investigatory or disciplinary meeting can feel stressful and scary, but with enough knowledge and adequate time to prepare, we can make the process a little less intimidating. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.