Anti-Harassment Policy & Your Rights

On January 6, 2016, you received an email from the administrator outlining the Agency’s response to allegations of bullying or harassment reported at EPA.  The policy can be found on the Intranet at this link (not available outside of EPA's Intranet).

A part of the process is “Fact Finding” where employees are interviewed to furnish evidence to support or negate the allegations of bullying or harassment. If you are contacted for such an interview, please don’t participate without Union representation. These interviews can have serious repercussions to your career!

When contacted, immediately follow these steps:

  1. Ask for a union representative be present.
  2. Ask for the meeting to be rescheduled pending the availability of a Union Representative (contact: the chief Steward Sean Carter 202-566-2784, for a confidential consultation about the matter before being interviewed by a management representative (i.e., a Labor Employee Relations Specialist)). If Sean is not available, reach out to one of the other union officers.
  3. Prepare for the meeting with your Union representative who will also attend. 
  4. If there is resistance from your management or their representatives to accommodate your request to reschedule or have a union representative present, simply state orally and with a follow-up email to them:  “I assert my Weingarten rights, and request Union representation,” as you are entitled to do so.

These investigations are serious matters. Frequently the person contacting you will try to downplay the importance to subtly discourage you from asserting your rights. Please do not be fooled. Please avoid participating in these type of inquiries alone. What you say can be used against you, so let us be there to assist you.
 
Here are your Weingarten Rights:  If a discussion could in any way lead to your being disciplined or terminated, or affect your personal working conditions, you may request that your union representative be present at this meeting. This right applies to an investigatory interview conducted by management. Management is broadly defined and can include various Agency personnel including your management, staff from labor and employee relations, or investigators from the OIG.

Here is a list of our officers should you need to reach one of us.