Lesson 2: Your Rights Under Federal Law

Estimated time: 10–12 minutes

🎯 What You’ll Get From This Lesson

By the end, you’ll be able to:

• Name the core rights every union member holds under federal law — the LMRDA “Bill of Rights of Members.”
• Explain what each right protects, in plain terms.
• Recognize when a situation touches one of these rights and what to do about it.

📚 What’s Inside

Federal law guarantees you a floor of five basic rights. This lesson takes them one at a time:

1. Equal Rights: Your Vote and Your Voice
2. Speak Freely
3. A Say Before Dues Change
4. The Right to Take It Outside
5. Fair Process Before You’re Disciplined

Remember the frame from Lesson 1: these are your rights inside the union — your relationship with your union, not with your employer. That’s what federal law protects here.