Shop Steward Education
Your “Bill of Rights” as a District 141 Shop Steward
Although it’s not a “legal” bill of rights, you definitely want to know this one.
Your bill of rights helps you sort out conflict, an inherent part of being a Shop Steward. Introduce yourself as Shop Steward. People will conjure all kinds of beliefs about you, along with mixed expectations. Some co-workers will expect you to save them in all situations. Management may expect you to be at best a pain. Members will rightly expect you to be their first line of defense. In the midst of this, what are your rights, as a Shop Steward? What follows will help you gain a footing, especially early on as a Shop Steward.
You Have A Right To
- Be treated as an equal by management when doing Union work
- Exercise your best judgment in a situation
- Make a mistake or not have an immediate solution to a problem
- Function in an abuse-free environment
- Ask others for help with Union business
- Give and receive constructive criticism
- Get training in your roles and responsibilities
- Receive “thanks” for a job well done
- Fight for these rights!
There’s also a bill of ‘wrongs”
We all make mistakes. Fortunately some of the most serious mistakes you could make are also the most avoidable mistakes. It's easy to steer around the blunders, and it’s empowering when you do. Awareness of potential mistakes is step one. Be patient enough to learn what mistakes to avoid, and strong enough to deliver on your good character. So remember your rights, while avoiding the “wrongs” that follow.
- Never Get Back To The Member
This is a Union, not the Great Houdini Show.Not getting back to the member usually happens when the member has no valid grievance. Rather than bearing bad news, the steward vanishes in a puff of smoke.
If a grievance cannot be filed under the contract, you don’t need a disappearing act. You do need to see if the grievance can be resolved in another manner. If not, tell the member that the issue cannot be written as a grievance. Tell the member the reasons why.
- Bad Mouth The Union
It's okay to have questions about how and why things are done, and to have issues with Union leadership. The key is to address our differences rationally, and in the appropriate setting. You already know that a grand stand isn’t an appropriate setting. There's plenty of room for discussion and disagreement within the Union. Problems occur when internal disagreement spills onto the shop floor, or at a meeting with management. Airing our dirty laundry in those venues can permanently weaken the Union.
- Drop The Ball
As Shop Steward, you have responsibilities. The IAM constitution and by-laws outline those steward responsibilities. The general idea is, "don't make basic mistakes." For example, do write grievances correctly. Share information, subject to confidentiality. Know your rights. Ask questions when you don't have the answer.
- Just Sit There With Management
You are the Union advocate – an active one. You become an equal of management. As such you have both need and right to obtain information from management. You may ask questions, ask for and get records to process grievances. You can even raise your voice at meetings when necessary, but never ...
- Explode
Losing control is a major mistake, and some management teams love it. The oldest company trick in the book is to bait a member (or you) during an investigation and hearing. The company may hope that you get angry and lose control. Nice try on their part. It’s great to be passionate; it’s okay to raise your voice on occasion, but someone who argues out of pure anger runs higher risk of losing grievances. Don’t lose control and blow up. Instead rely on facts.
- Write Long Grievances
Grievances should be short and sweet. Identify the member who is filing the grievance. Outline the problem in a sentence or two. State what article of the contract is being violated. State what remedy you want to make the member whole. That’s it. Save the arguments for the meeting.
- Talk Publicly About A Grievance
Nothing sours membership faster than a Steward or other Union official who can’t keep grievance information confidential. What you find out in investigations an hearings must never, ever, be made public. Keep it confidential.
contact district 141 education and training
Kris Hannah
District 141 Education Director
Cell 651.387.6753
Fax 952.854.9586
khannah@iam141.org