NTEU CHAPTER 228
Federal Employees Rights
Workplace Rights
Workplace Rights
You’ve got rights in the workplace. As a federal employee and NTEU member you have rights provided by law and negotiated in your contract. All of these rights are enforced for you daily by NTEU.
You have a Right to:
- Participate in meaningful ways in decisions affecting your work life.
- NTEU representation during investigatory interviews that may lead to discipline.
- Be treated with courtesy and tact.
- Training to effectively do your job.
- Have your job expectations explained to you
- NTEU assistance and representation in a dispute with your agency.
- Freedom from coercion in exercising your rights.
- Take part fully in the political process away from the job.
- Work in a safe and healthy environment.
- Join NTEU and take full advantage of your union membership.
The right to representation in an investigatory interview that may lead to discipline.
Any questioning of an employee in the bargaining unit by a representative of the agency in connection with an investigation, including an agent of your agency's Inspector General office, entitles you to have an NTEU representative present if you reasonably believe that the questioning or interview may result in disciplinary action against you and you request representation.
The right to due process when faced with an adverse action.
In general, this means advance notice of the specific allegations against you, the right to review the evidence supporting the allegations, and opportunity to respond to the allegations, a final written decision following your response, and the right to challenge an adverse final decision. The Merit Systems Protection Board stated, “Due process is there for the whistleblower, the employee who belongs to the ‘wrong’ political party, the reservist whose periods of military service are inconvenient to the boss, the scapegoat, and the person who has been misjudged base on faulty information. Due process is a constitutional requirement and a small price to pay to ensure the American people receive a merit-based civil service rather than a corrupt spoils system.”
The right to a workplace free of bullying, discrimination or sexual harassment.
NTEU works to prevent such problems in the workplace through prevention and vigilance but if such situations do occur, your NTEU chapter knows what to do when these matters are brought to their attention. The NTEU-negotiated grievance procedure in your contract can not only help to stop the conduct but also ensure that the employee who is the target of such actions is protected from employment actions, such as poor appraisals or the denial of a deserved promotion. Our job is to help you be successful in your workplace and are treated with dignity and respect. We work to ensure that workplace rules that make sense for employees and taxpayers and your basic rights are protected and enforced to the fullest.
More than two decades ago, NTEU fought to secure passage of a law recognizing that working people should not have to choose between their jobs and caring for themselves or a family member. Here are the documents to help you apply: Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee’s Serious Health Condition, Certification of Health Care Provider for Family Member’s Serious Health Condition and FMLA Medical Certification Tips for M.D.s or Other Health Care Providers
Contact NTEU Chapter 228
19901 Germantown Road
Germantown Maryland