Your right to union representation
If management calls you into a meeting that you reasonably believe could lead to discipline against you, you have the right to a union representative present. This is sometimes called Weingarten rights (after a 1975 U.S. Supreme Court case). To use it, you have to ask. A simple script:
"If this meeting could lead to discipline against me, I'd like a union representative present. If not, I'm happy to proceed."
For formal investigatory interviews under the contract, the Library is required to give you at least 24 hours' written notice that includes the allegations and the possible policy or rule violations at issue. The investigator audio-records the meeting, and you get a copy with any follow-up materials.
Before any suspension without pay, demotion, or discharge, you also have the right to a pre-disciplinary / name-clearing meeting where you and your union representative can present mitigating information.
When something goes wrong: the grievance process
The contract distinguishes two kinds of grievances:
Contractual grievance — you (or the union on your behalf) believe the Library violated a specific provision of the agreement.
Discipline grievance — you're contesting a formal disciplinary action against you.
Both have 15-day filing deadlines from the incident, knowledge of it, or the discipline date. Don't sleep on these — late filings get dismissed. Talk to a steward as soon as you suspect you might need to grieve.
The steps:
- Informal resolution with your supervisor/manager (contractual grievances only). Response within 15 days.
- Formal written grievance filed with the EEO Officer. Library responds within 15 days of meeting.
- Appeal to the CEO, who has 45 days to issue a final decision.
You will not be retaliated against for filing or participating in a grievance. If you believe you have been, that itself is a separate issue to raise with a steward immediately.
Leave — what you can use and when
Sick leave
You can use accrued sick leave for:
- Your own physical or mental health, injury, pregnancy, childbirth, or adoption
- FMLA qualifying events
- Emergency care of immediate family (broadly defined — including step-relations, in-laws, and domestic partners)
You're required to use sick leave before other paid leave for sickness, and to exhaust all paid leave before unpaid leave. A medical-provider note may be required for extended, frequent, unusual, or patterned use.
Bereavement
5 paid workdays for immediate family or household member. 1 paid workday for extended family. Use within 60 days of the passing unless approved otherwise.
Vacation
File requests with as much notice as possible. Requests with 28+ days' notice get a written response within 10 days. First come, first served, subject to operational need.
Parental leave
30 workdays (5/8 schedule) or 24 workdays (4/10) at full pay for birth, adoption, or placement.
Jury duty
You get paid your normal wages while serving, and you can keep any court/witness fees. Notify the Library upon receipt of the summons.
Leave without pay
Up to 180 days for full-time employees, at the CEO's discretion, usually after accrued paid leave is exhausted.
Pay and classification
- Hourly rates are in Appendix A of the contract. Steps are 2.5% apart.
- Step increases occur August 1 each year, subject to satisfactory performance.
- If you're assigned in writing to do the work of a higher classification for 5+ consecutive days, you get an additional 5% (manager/supervisor work) or 3% (other higher classification in the bargaining unit) on your base rate for those hours.
- Bilingual premium is $0.50/hr ($1.00 for Spanish) after passing a proficiency test in any of 11 supported languages, including ASL.
Discipline standards
Formal discipline is limited to: written reprimand, suspension without pay, demotion, or discharge. Coaching, counseling, and verbal warnings are not formal discipline and are not in your personnel file.
The Library is supposed to follow progressive discipline — escalating sanctions tied to the severity of conduct — but can skip steps for egregious matters (criminal conduct, theft, gross negligence, etc.).
Written reprimands can be removed from your file after 12 months at your request, provided no related conduct or counseling happened during that period.
Some things the union can't do
We're an honest site. There are real limits:
- Utah is a right-to-work state. The union can't require membership or fees as a condition of employment. Coverage is universal; financial support is voluntary.
- No strikes. The contract explicitly prohibits strike activity, sick-outs, and concerted work stoppages. Violations are grounds for discipline up to and including termination.
- The Library retains broad management rights over hiring, staffing levels, organization, methods, and emergency response. The contract limits how discipline and certain decisions happen, not whether the Library makes them.
- Probationary employees can't grieve termination. The 180-day new- hire probation is at-will; promotional probations are similar but have a return-to-previous-classification option.
- Some matters defer to the Employee Handbook. Anything not specifically addressed in the contract is governed by handbook policy at Library discretion.
Knowing what the union can and can't do helps you bring the right issues to a steward and route others (e.g., HR/People & Culture) appropriately.
Questions?
Contact a steward or use the general contact form.