Union Stewards Guide to
Effective Leadership
"One who manages the domestic concerns of a family or
institution…One who superintends another's affairs…One who helps in
arrangements…Marshaling…An overseer… A foreman." Webster
Our focus is to give assistance to our hundreds of shop stewards who are helping
hundreds and thousands of union members throughout Local 77. We tip our union
hats to you who serve your co-workers and this office. You accepted the burdens
of workplace leadership. A position that is fraught with anxiety and frustration
but without glory, but is also a position that can be truly gratifying as you
help and assist your coworkers. That alone is our reward for serving the
membership.
Your position is a day-to-day activity of membership contact within your shop.
Uniquely, by this position you have the opportunity to be on top of most
situations that occur whether it is the company violating the contract or
whether the Union business agent is unavailable to be there quickly.
Most members look first to their steward. You are most often available on a
daily basis, you have frequent and direct contact with your union office and
usually you have been in bargaining and understand intimately the essence of the
contract language. Whether you are a new steward or one with years of true
experience you have a lot of people relying on you to protect their interests
and to enforce their labor agreement.
As a steward you have distinct ROLES to fulfill:
* Problem Solver
* Leader
* Communicator
* Educator
* Organizer
Problem Solver - Each of these roles dictates a
level of commitment that you have taken on to be an effective steward. The
problems that you encounter are not always related to your current work
situation or your labor agreement. Often, a member may have an interpersonal
problem that requires assistance by outside experts. You need to know where and
to whom to refer your co-worker for the type of help that they may need. Our
resource network is useful here so become familiar with its listings.
Leader - As a leader it is understood that to lead
by example is the most valid way to receive the respect of you co-worker.
Whether it is in the quality of work that you personally perform or the
willingness to take on a problem for the member and working it through the
grievance procedure with your employer. The giving of your time and lending a
caring ear will earn you miles of dividends from the member.
Communicator - Communicating is critical. As your
business agent strives to make regular plant visitations for the purpose of
knowing the membership, so too is it important that you keep in touch with the
different members working in your building. During negotiations and while
processing a grievance, it is a particularly critical time for communications.
Updating the members as to the bargaining process and status of his/her
grievance is vital and expected. Introducing yourself to new members is the
first chance to provide that individual with a proper introduction to the union.
You are the welcoming liaison for new employees to their union.
Educator - As an educator, you will find it
powerfully persuasive to greet your new members as well as current members with
the information that they can relate to. Most often our stewards have been with
the company for many years. During this time they have seen and been involved
with a great many matters. Such matters can be spoken to with great validity
since you lived through changes, grievances and of course bargaining. Be
generous with your knowledge, but do so unobtrusively and with humility.
Organizer - As an organizer, you will find need to
do internal as well as external organizing. Internally, it is necessary for the
members to reflect a solidarity in the eyes of the employer, an image that shows
that the union is alive and well in their employees. A united front is always
the only true way to impose your desires on the employer. You know the different
types of power. (Perceived Power, Believed Power and True Power) The behavior in
the workplace strongly suggests to the company that we take care and look out
for each other so beware! "Social Signal", that component of behavior
or dress that shouts solidarity without speaking a single word. This might be
the wearing of our Teamsters buttons, hats or jackets. Externally, each and
everyone of us needs to be on the alert for good sound leads that we can use to
introduce our union to the non-union elements around us. Often, our members know
a friend or relative who works non-union. As the non-union company competes with
our union facilities, they can't help but to undermine our wage and benefits
levels. Our union rates are much higher than non-union firms as a rule and
consequently, non-union firms undercut our companies with lower bids on goods
and services that they supply in direct competition with you.
Stewards Role in Filing Grievances
You most likely will be called upon to file periodic grievances. This right is
to be protected but not abused and good judgment should be exercised in applying
our responsibilities of providing due process. To help assess the validity of a
potential grievance consider the following "Just Cause" standards.
Seven Key Tests to Just Cause:
The basic elements of just cause which different arbitrators have emphasized
have been reduced by Arbitrator Carroll R. Daugherty to seven tests. These
tests, in the form of questions, represent the most specifically articulated
analysis of the just cause standard as well as an extremely practical approach.
A "no" answer to one or more of the questions means that just cause
either was not satisfied or at least was seriously weakened in that some
arbitrary, capricious, or discriminatory element was present.
1. NOTICE: "Did the Employer give to the
employee forewarning or foreknowledge of the possible consequences of the
employee's disciplinary conduct?"
2. REASONABLE RULE OR ORDER: "Was the
Employer's rules or managerial order reasonably related to (a) the orderly,
efficient, and safe operation of the Employer's business, and (b) the
performance that the Employer might properly expect of the Employee?"
3. INVESTIGATION: "Did the Employer, before
administering the discipline to an employee, make an effort to discover whether
the employee did in fact violate or disobey a rule or order of management?"
4. FAIR INVESTIGATION: "Was the Employer's
investigation conducted fairly and objectively?"
5. PROOF: "At the investigation, did the
'judge' obtain substantial evidence or proof that the employee was guilty as
charged?"
6. EQUAL TREATMENT: "Has the Employer applied
its rules, orders and penalties even-handedly and without discrimination to all
employees?"
7. PENALTY: "Was the degree of discipline
administered by the Employer in a particular case reasonably related to (a) the
seriousness of the employee's proven offense, and (b) the record of the employee
in his service with the Employer?"
The Stewards Role
Take note of the basics when investigating a grievance. Ask the 6 W's:
* WHO
* WHAT
* WHERE
* WHEN
* WHY
* WITNESSES
Timing is everything. The sooner you look into a matter the fresher it will be
in everyone's mind. Being on top of things and moving quickly to gather
information is a virtue, but not however at the expense of thoroughness. Be
detailed as you look into the concerns of the member. Who are the individuals
involved in the case. Write them down and gather statements from them as
appropriate. First hand information is strong, second hand information is weak
by comparison. What exactly occurred? Remember, often times emotion will cloud
the issue so take time and get the details and repeat them back for clarity. See
what other members know about the case. Where the violation or infraction
occurred is sometimes persuasive so be detailed. When will be important for a
couple of reasons. First of all the sooner we gather information the more
accurate it typically will be. But more importantly, we need to watch the time
elements contained within our labor agreements. These time elements require
certain processing steps in order to properly move the grievance along and if we
fail to watch those time elements we could lose the right to grieve all
together.
* NEVER REFUSE TO FILE A GRIEVANCE
* WHEN IN DOUBT FILE
* IF SHORT TIME PERIODS REMAIN - HAND-CARRY THE GRIEVANCE TO MANAGEMENT
Determine why the grievance or event occurred and if appropriate what provisions
of the labor agreement are violated. If no contract provision is obvious you can
file anyway by explaining the concern itself. Interview all known witnesses as
soon as possible and record their statements. Listen more than you talk and
repeat back to the witness and grievant what you understand them saying.
Not all grievance matters are contract violations. Sometimes there might be a
violation of a company policy, state, federal or municipal law, past practice,
or a consequence of disparate treatment.
In most grievance matters our stewards and the grievant are encouraged to have a
preliminary discussion with the first level of management to determine if they
understand the concerns or alleged violation of either party. If this is
unsuccessful then a more formal step is to follow.