By Patricia Clark,
Former LAPL Librarian,
Chief Rank and File Steward, 1995-1999

From article published in the
Communicator, May-June 1998

1. You have the right to designate your private
physician as your worker's compensation physician,
but it must be done before a problem occurs. You
can obtain the card through the Human Resources
Office. Do this right away.

2. You have the right to an equitable evaluation.
This means that the evaluation must reflect the job
you are doing in a fair manner. It does not replace
any step in the disciplinary procedure and can only
be used as an adjunct to it. Any negative comments
that appear on the evaluation must have been handled
by said disciplinary procedure BEFORE the evaluation
and must be fully documented. If you don't like what
is said or how it is said, grieve it.


3. You have the right to a steward during any
disciplinary meeting, AND you have the right to stop
any disciplinary meeting in order to get a steward
there. This includes the first step of counseling,
a fact that many of us do not realize. If you feel
comfortable without company, fine, but please take
notes and then get in touch with your steward later.
Protect yourself in all ways.

4. You have the right to ask for specific times
off. Your supervisor must work with you to ensure
equity when days off are discussed and must give
you valid reasons for denying time off when you want
it. At the same time, you must work with your
supervisor and understand the needs of the
branch/department. The need for common sense,
communication, and fairness exists for both sides.


5. You have the right to know why you are not
given the jobs for which you interview. If you are
a non-select, call Human Resources and ask why.
Interview results are supposed to be clearly stated
in writing and placed on file in the Human Resources
Office. The director of Human Resources will
summarize them for you. Too often reasons are
vague or irrelevant. If you don't like what you
hear, call your steward and grieve it.

6. You have the right to say NO if you are
asked to:


a. Work overtime, work unplanned 9 hour days,
or work split shifts--unless you want to and are
given compensatory time or overtime pay within
that same pay period.

b. Make a schedule change after schedules are
posted. We have the right to continuity of schedules.
If your supervisor discusses the change with you and
you are agreeable, it is acceptable. But capricious
changes without notification are not.


c. Change your day off to the day you are to
take a promotional exam. Your supervisor cannot
require or even recommend that you change your day
off to the day of the promotional exam. If you want
to change, that's your business, but the right to
take promotional exams on a workday has NOT changed.

7. You have the right to be an active member
of the Union. This means reading and digesting every
piece of information sent to you, attending meetings,
and asking questions. It also means joining committees
and running for office. Get involved.

These are only a few answers to questions that have
come up recently. Remember, you fundamental right
as an AFSCME member is the right to representation.
Call your steward if you feel uncomfortable with or
unhappy about or need clarification about any aspect
of your job. That's what we are here for.