FOR THE
STEAWARD
Union meetings are a sign of a vibrant, democratic
and organized union. The union meeting has many
purposes. It provides members the opportunity to
regularly: meet as a group, learn about the union,
exchange ideas, meet the leaders and fellow
members, debate and make decisions, air gripes and
argue, make proposals and have input, get updated
on events, socialize, etc.
UNION MEETINGS
Western  Territories

Welcome to the Western Territory!  
The 13 states of the Western Region
comprise the largest geographical
territory in the IAM, excluding
Canada, spanning over 1.8 million
square miles, and containing 9 of the
10 largest geographic states in the
U.S.  The terrain varies as much as
the diverse population we represent.  
From Mt. McKinley to the Great
Divide, the tropics of Hawaii to the
Grand Canyon, from the Puget Sound
to the Columbia River Gorge to the
glitz of Las Vegas and the 10th
largest economy in the world in
California, the Western Territory has
something for everyone.

Led by General Vice President Lee
Pearson, we believe that we are the
most culturally diverse territory in the
Machinists Union. Our members
include large numbers of Pacific
Islanders, Native Americans,
Eskimos, Hispanics, Asians,
Middle-Easterners, as well as
African-American and Caucasian
populations and more. This diversity
affords our territory a tremendous
wealth of experience and
backgrounds.

The industries we represent vary
from aerospace to automotive repair,
city employees to police, fabrication
workers and assemblers of
semi-trucks to the people that haul
them and the food production
workers that help sustain us all.

Members in the Western Territory,
like many in the IAM, proudly serve
both our great Union and our
communities, taking on projects such
as highway clean-ups, building
wheelchair ramps, serving food to the
elderly and supporting the cause of
Guide Dogs of America.

Again, welcome.  We're glad you're
here.
Critical to defining
workers’ rights as human
rights is Article 23:

1. Everyone has the right
to work, to free choice of
employment, to just and
favourable conditions of
work and to protection
against unemployment.

2. Everyone, without any
discrimination, has the
right to equal pay for
equal work.

3. Everyone who works
has the right to just and
favourable remuneration
ensuring for himself an
his family an existence
worthy of human dignity,
and supplemented, if
necessary, by other
means of social
protection.

4. Everyone has the right
to form and to join trade
unions for the protection
of his interests
Why? Because of a 1975 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all workers
have the right to union representation when a supervisor or boss asks for information that could be
used as the basis for discipline. This decision gave workers and unions specific rights called Weingarten
Rights (from the name of the case). All  IAM members in your workplace should know about them.

(Public employees are not covered by Weingarten Rights under the National Labor Relations Act but are
covered by similar state and/or federal regulations. Public employees should investigate how protections
are provided in your state — they may well be identical to Weingarten.)

A vital part of your job is to keep management from intimidating workers — especially
when a boss is trying to get a member to admit to wrongdoing. Weingarten Rights won’t help if workers
don’t know about them, because the boss doesn’t have to tell them. If they answer the
questions, they’ve given up their right to representation.

FROM CONVERSATIONS TO CLOSED-DOORS
Stewards should make sure members understand that if any discussion with
management — from a closed-door meeting to a conversation with a supervisor on the
job — could lead to the possibility of discipline, they should ask immediately for a
IAM steward or local officer. The request can be made at any point.

Ideally, a member should say something like: "If this discussion could in any way lead to my being
disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I request that my steward (or a union
officer) be present. Without representation, I choose not to answer any questions. This is my legal right."

Anything close to this statement will do. Any further attempt by a boss to ask
questions is illegal until a steward arrives. If management denies a request
for union representation, this is an unfair labor practice — and the member
may refuse to answer any questions.
Know Your Members' Rights
Make sure members know their
Weingarten Rights