President's Perspective
A Card Carrying Union Member

(Dec. 14, 2009) When I was first elected as secretary of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild in 1995, I got the chance to affix my official signature onto Newspaper Guild membership cards. Fortunately, I did not have to sign two thousands cards all by myself. The local got a signature stamp made from my best John Hancock. Since my signature was going to appear on that many cards, I wanted to make sure it was legible.

I was reminded of that stamp over the summer, when I got my new Communications Workers of America membership card, good for three years. I’m no longer local secretary, but president. But I got a kick out of seeing the signature of the new WBNG secretary, Mark Gruenberg, on my new card. Mark and I had been co-chair of the local’s Front Page Awards Committee for probably a dozen years or more until I bowed out this year (you had better believe the union presidency has its own demands). Mark is also the driving force behind Press Associates Union News Service, the only-of-its-kind union-friendly news service, and it stays nonpartisan when unions start tussling with each other.

When it came time to find space in my wallet for the new card, I discovered I still was carrying cards from 2006 and 2003, both of which bear my signature. But, given the circumstances, my wallet was thicker than my ego, so I took the older cards out of my wallet and placed the new card directly opposite my driver’s license. So if anybody asks (or even sneers) whether I’m a card-carrying union member, I can proudly say yes.

WBNG produced a card of its own a couple years ago. It’s the "Weingarten Rights Card." On one side is the Guild’s logo and WBNG contact information. On the other side is the text of a union member’s rights under the ruling in a case that has been an important part of labor law since 1975.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled nearly a quarter-century ago that an employee has the right to make a clear request for union representation before or during an interview and cannot be punished for making this request. After the employee makes such a request, the employer must choose from among three options: 1) Grant the request and delay questioning until the union representative arrives and has a chance to consult privately with the employee; 2) Deny the request and end the interview immediately; or 3) Give the employee a choice of having the interview without representation or ending the interview. If the employer denies the request for union representation, and continues to ask questions, it commits an unfair labor practice and the employee has a right to refuse to answer. The employer may not discipline the employee for such a refusal.

We distributed Weingarten Rights cards – which are as slender (if not more so) than the typical business card – to participants in our Unit Officer Training session in November. If you’d like one, contact our office by phone at 202-785-3650, Ext.10, or via local32035@wbng.org. Or, you can just block-and-copy the following text, and make your own card to keep handy:

 "If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I request that my union representative, officer, or steward be present at the meeting. Without representation, I choose not to answer any questions."