Stewards Guide

THE STEWARDS BIG JOB

Congratulations, Steward! You are the chief architect of the union in your plant, the protector of the union contract, the director of communications between each individual worker in your department and the management of your facility, and between the workers you represent and your union.

That's a big job! But don't let it scare you! If you are a new steward, you can't possibly know all the angles by magic. You can't possibly know all the angles by magic. You can't possibly know all the things this manual says you must know. Not right away, and not all at once. If you are a new steward, you will learn them, gradually, through experience. So don't get frightened, but take the job in your stride! But even if you're pretty confident and an old hand at the game, it won't hurt to refresh yourself a bit. Perhaps you'll get a new idea while reading this manual which will come in handy in a pinch. Reading a pamphlet or going to a stewards' class won't do the job for you, but it may help you to do it better.

NEED FOR STEWARDS

The steward system developed to meet the needs of unions as they grew in size and scope. Workers needed someone on the spot to whom they could take their grievances as they came up. A person was needed to make sure management was living up to its agreement day by day, for collective bargaining demands eternal vigilance.

The steward is to the union what the supervisor is to a company. Just as the supervisor is the company to the average worker, so the steward is the union to the average member. But whereas the supervisor represents the company and acts as its spokesman as part of his or her regular full-time job, the steward must take time off during working hours to handle grievances. Naturally, the agreement should provide that the steward be paid for the time lost in handling grievances during working hours. The clause might read as follows:

"The company will pay Stewards, members of the Shop Committee and aggrieved employees at their regular hourly rate, or average hourly earnings, whichever is greater, for time spent in processing grievances in accordance with the provisions of this agreement."

Again in contrast to the supervisor, the steward is not at all sure of keeping his or her job when layoffs begin. He or she must also wait in turn to be rehired. This is in accordance with the usual seniority provisions. Many agreements try to overcome this disadvantage by providing the steward with top seniority in the workplace. This protects the steward to the extent that he or she is the last worker to be laid off and first to be recalled. But don't get it into your head that you can leave your place of work when you please because you are a steward. Under most contracts, stewards may leave their posts only to handle grievances and only after notice to the supervisor. If the supervisor refuses to grant such a request, it is subject to the normal grievance processes as explained in this manual. But the grievance should be filed at the first opportunity.

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