stewardhelp2.htm

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Help for Stewards is copied from "Pocket Guide for Stewards" published by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers. If you, as a steward, don't have a copy contact one of your lodge officers about getting one.

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Every union contract and every industry is different. You may be the only steward in the plant or you may be only one of a great many stewards in a large factory. In large facilities with more than one department, a number of stewards and a system for coordinating the department stewards is necessary. Many large workplaces are set up by the company on the basis of sections, departments, floors, divisions, and outside operations. In these cases, the steward system should correspond as closely as possible to the way the company has set up the workplace. After the election of department stewards, they should meet promptly and select their chief steward and recording secretary. Many successful stewards have found it profitable to eat lunch together every day and exchange experiences.

TWO MAIN TASKS

In general, you have two main jobs -- first, building a strong union in your workplace; and, second, grievance handling.

BUILDING A STRONG UNION

You must have a strong union behind you if you're going to be able to carry on your job of handling grievances effectively. Your attitude and the effort you put into your job is what counts. Make it a privilege for your fellow workers to be active union members who attend meetings regularly and willingly pay their dues.
This isn't done by being a know-it-all or overbearing steward. A lot of it will come about by the example you set. Enthusiasm and sincerity are contagious. You can always sell better what you believe in yourself.

PUT LIFE INTO THE CONTRACT

Your second main job is handling grievances. Without you and your fellow stewards, the best contract can be a dud. You give it life. You make it work. The smartest union officer cannot build the union alone. The most efficient union representative cannot make it run smoothly without your help.

Later we'll discuss the whole procedure of grievance handling and establishing good relations with your supervisors. but there's an important job related to this which is sometimes overlooked. Be on the lookout for bad conditions or situations that need remedying and do something about them before they become serious grievances. That is, nip grievances in the bud! Tense or unfair situations which affect work production may arise from some personal difficulty between the workers. (These are bound to arise as long as we're human beings without a private island for each of us.) Together you and the supervisor may be able to ease the situation and make for better understanding and cooperation among the workers involved.

By getting at these things before they become serious grievances you're apt to get better results. Psychologically it's easier to go to your supervisor and point out something that you can remedy together. It's not a question then of who wins the grievance case -- management or labor. Rather, the issue is cooperative effort resulting in better working conditions, greater job security, fairer wages for the workers, and thus better production. Of course, this same cooperative approach works in handling grievances, too!

If you can handle a situation outside the grievance procedure, do it. But do not horse trade or violate the contract.

STEWARD HELP, PAGE 4