Benefits, rights, and resources for Teamsters Local 848 members.

Under California Labor Code Section 4600, you have the right to predesignate your personal physician as the doctor who will treat you if you're injured on the job. If you don't predesignate, your employer's workers' compensation carrier gets to pick the doctor for the first 30 days.

This is one of the most important rights you have at work. The form takes five minutes to fill out, your doctor signs it, and you give a copy to your employer. Then if anything happens, your doctor sees you.

Eligibility requirements

• Your employer offers group health insurance
• The physician is your regular doctor and has agreed in advance to treat you for work injuries
• You give written notice to your employer before any injury

A closer look: how predesignation actually works

If you have predesignated your personal physician before an industrial injury, you can go directly to that doctor and continue treating with them instead of being sent to the employer’s industrial clinic. Without a predesignation form on file, your employer will refer you to their clinic.

Most employers have a Medical Provider Network (MPN), a list of approved doctors much like private insurance. These doctors are not “company doctors”, and they cover all specialties and geographic locations. If you have not predesignated a doctor, you may still choose a doctor from the MPN list at any time instead of continuing to treat with the industrial clinic. You do not have to wait 30 days.

Special cases

• Kaiser members: List one of the Kaiser doctors who has seen you before, or just list Kaiser and have your doctor or the administrator of the medical facility you regularly go to sign the form.
• If you only see a chiropractor: Fill out the predesignation form listing your chiropractor anyway. It may be accepted and you have nothing to lose.
• If your employer has no MPN: Your right to predesignate does not apply. Your employer can send you to their clinic and control your care for the first 30 days. After that, you can go to any doctor. If you refuse to go to the employer’s clinic during that 30-day window, you may not be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits during that period (though you can apply for State Disability benefits).

Detailed guidance adapted from a piece by Mark Leeds, Attorney at Law, originally published by Local 848.

If your supervisor calls you into a meeting that could result in discipline, you have the right to a union representative present. This is your Weingarten right, established by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1975.

When Weingarten Rights apply

• You reasonably believe the meeting could lead to discipline
• You request representation (the employer does not have to offer it)
• The meeting is investigatory (the employer is asking you questions to gather information)

Important: If you've asked for representation and your employer continues questioning you anyway, write down what was said, when, and who was present, then call your steward or business agent right away.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters maintains a Disaster Relief Fund to help members and their families recover from natural disasters - wildfires, earthquakes, floods, and other emergencies declared by state or federal authorities.

Who qualifies

• Active Teamsters members in good standing
• Retired Teamsters and surviving spouses
• Those whose primary residence is in a federally or state-declared disaster area

If you've been affected by a declared disaster, contact the Local 848 office and we'll help you apply.

Eligible Teamster retirees and their surviving spouses can access a reverse mortgage program through the Union Plus / HUD-approved partner network. A reverse mortgage allows homeowners 62 and older to convert part of their home equity into income without monthly mortgage payments.

Important: Reverse mortgages are not right for everyone. The program requires HUD-mandated counseling before you can apply, and the loan must be repaid when the home is sold or the borrower moves out.