For example, you can request the personnel record of the affected individual along with records other individuals who have been disciplined for the same offense. And be prepared for the employer to withhold records of other employees by claiming those records contain confidential information. Oftentimes, the inclusion of sickness or injury reports in the personnel folder may be the reason for the employer to hide behind the excuse of confidentiality. To counter this, in your request for information, you can allow the company to block out medical references in the record. Public employers may be under similar requirements for information release and stewards enforcing public sector contracts may be entitled to view employee records for grievance purposes.
Some state laws guarantee the right of all workers to see their work records.
You need to know your contract, local law and any applicable state statutes. Consult your local union for further information. Some TWU collective bargaining agreements also have language covering access to records. Access to records may also be implied from contract clauses giving the union the right to access to the property to investigate grievances. Airline and railroad stewards For those locals under the Railway Labor Act, the force of law is not so strong.