Red Flag Moments

There are moments in the life of an education employee that should cause concern and “raise red flags” for a school employee.  In those cases, the employee should consider finding a building rep before participating in a meeting with a building administrator or supervisor.  Many times school employees will acquiesce to questioning without representation.  That’s not a wise decision.  The following list of phrases and situations commonly occur.  When faced with the situations and phrases listed members should take it as a silent signal that it’s time to find the first available association representative.  Check out the phraseology!

• You may need a building rep when a building administrator says, “I just want to talk to you for a minute.”  When you walk into the office, the parent and principal are seated on the same side of the table.
• You may need a building rep when you walk into the office and you’re met by two administrators, one is your building principal, the other administrator is from the district and they didn’t bother to tell you what the meeting was about!
• You may need a building rep when the administrator starts getting “hot under the collar” with you and you’re alone.
• You may need a building rep when the building administrator says, “I’ve had some parent complaints about you.”
• You may need a building rep when the building administrator says, “I have some concerns we need to talk about.”
• You may need a building rep when the building administrator says, “There are rumors in the community about you that we need to discuss.
• You DEFINITELY need a building rep when the building administrator says, “Do you want an association representative?”  THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS, “YES!”  If a building administrator is offering an association representative before the meeting takes place, the member MUST take it as a clue that the meeting is not going to be a happy event.
• You DEFINITELY need a building rep when the building administrator uses the following words in the course of a meeting:  discipline, termination, employment status, or negative evaluation.
• KNOW YOUR WEINGARTEN RIGHTS – Employee’s Right to Union Representation

What to say if management asks questions that could lead to discipline:

"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 stewart be present at the meeting.  Without represenation, I choose not to answer any questions."