Stewards Guide

FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY, AND 
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES

In the United States, with the issuance of the 1962 Presidential Executive Order 10988 which gave Federal employees the right to organize and secure written contracts, many IAM members worked under a written agreement for the first time. Executive order 11491 as amended made several changes in the rules and procedures governing labor relations in Federal service. As a Steward operating under negotiated agreements, you will have the responsibility for seeing that agreement is enforced. In addition, you must make sure that there is strict adherence to Federal laws on civil service, retirement, etc., that pertain to your particular situation.

Likewise, those of you who are stewards for other government employees, whether Federal, State, County, or Municipal, and whether you do or do not work under a signed agreement, need to know in detail the regulations under which you and your associates work. Know the wage schedule. Know the provisions for hiring and firing, seniority, pension, and retirement systems, and merit systems, if one exists.

NEGOTIATING WITH PUBLIC OFFICIALS

Establish good relationships with department heads and with the director of personnel. Do no antagonize public officials if you can help if there is good will, many difficulties can be ironed out amicably. Do not assume without conclusive proof lack of good will or the existence of an unfriendly attitude.

GIVE THEM A CHANCE

Conflicts between employees and public officials are likely to attract a lot of public attention. Opponents of public officials may be ready to seize an opportunity to get at their political enemies. It is , therefore, not always easy for public officials to give in, once they have taken a stand. So give them a chance. Be more concerned about the substance of an agreement than its form.

The welfare of public employees depends on a sympathetic attitude on the part of the public. Maintain friendly relations within your community. Do not concern yourself exclusively with working conditions of public employees. The improvement of the public service must also be your concern.

MACHINISTS NON-PARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGUE

The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League is the Political arm of the union in the United States. The MNPL needs your support as a steward.

You may wonder why the union is in politics. Laws passed by the state and federal governments can weaken the union and take away the gains we have won in our contracts. For example, the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, the Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959, and the state "right to work" laws have made it more difficult to organize and bargain effectively.

There are many other laws which also affect our members-the Social Security Act, tax laws, unemployment compensation laws, and similar legislation. We can't get good laws passed unless friendly candidates are elected to Congress and state offices.

The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League was founded in 1947 to aid the election of these friendly candidates. Local MNPL committees register voters, provide information on candidates' voting records, collect money for campaigns, and help get out the vote on Election Day.

MNPL is non-partisan. It supports friends in both Republican and Democratic parties when their voting records show that they have voted for laws in the public interest.

MNPL needs your help to reach the members. The first thing you must do is become fully informed about MNPL. Read The Machinist newspaper and ask your MNPL committee for literature.

When you have read up on MNPL, you will be ready to begin talking it up in the shop. Tell your members what their representatives in Congress and state legislators are doing about important legislation. Cooperate with lodge MNPL Committee to get members registered to vote. Help collect funds.

Each year MNPL conducts a fund-raising drive among IAM members. Usually it is the steward who is called upon to ask members to make voluntary contributions to help elect candidates who are friendly to labor.

As a leader, you may have to explain to members how political action benefits them. This means, also, that you must, yourself, be registered to vote and your name should be at the top of the MNPL contribution list. Where payroll "check-off" for political contributions is available, the steward should encourage members to "sign up".

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