This page will serve as a repository for Stewards trainings, resources, and documents and will continue to grow over time.
MTA Association Representation Handbook
The #1 resource for union stewards is the MTA Association Representation Handbook (“The Red Book”). Ask the chief steward for a physical or digital copy.
Western Mass Area Labor Federation (WMALF) Steward training
Roles of a Union Steward
- REPRESENTATIVE: The primary representation task of the steward is the handling of problems and grievances.
- LEADER: The steward must take the leadership role in their department, setting an example for other workers to follow. The steward must make decisions which uphold the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and the union constitution and bylaws.
- EDUCATOR: The steward has the responsibility of educating the members, both the old and the new, about the collective bargaining agreement, union policy, political or legislative issues and general union concerns.
- COMMUNICATOR: The role of communicator runs throughout every other role of the steward. The steward must communicate the union’s concerns to the member and the member’s concerns to the union leadership. As a democratic institution, a breakdown in this two-way flow of information can seriously damage a union.
- ORGANIZER: Stewards are responsible for organizing the whole workplace to deal with problems as a united group. A major task of the steward is to organizer members into the union and mobilize them to get involved in union activity.
- POLITICAL ACTIVIST: The steward has the responsibility to make the members aware of political affairs that affect their livelihood and social well-being. The steward keeps members informed as to legislation that affects the collective bargaining process and climate, and mobilizes them in support of key legislation. The steward should also help mobilize in support of labor-endorsed candidates.
Three Ways the Law Protects Union Stewards
1. THE EQUALITY RULE
This rule applies when stewards are doing union business, not when they’re working at their job.
- Stewards have special status
- The steward’s role in grievance meetings and other areas of union representation is that of and equal to management’s role
- In these representation situations, the steward is not bound by the rules of boss-worker conduct, where the worker ranks beneath the boss, obeys the boss, doesn’t question the boss’s knowledge or authority, etc.
For example, when engaged in union business, stewards may:
- Raise their voice when talking with management
- Use forceful language and gestures
- Threaten legal action
- Disagree or show lack of respect for management’s opinions and decisions
- Refuse to do what a supervisor tells them to do AS A STEWARD
Example: “Diane, do NOT file any more grievances about rates on those machines!”
There are limits. Even when doing union business, stewards may not:
- Physically assault management or threaten violence or physical harm
- Engage in personal attacks or name calling
- Use extreme, unprovoked profanity
- Encourage slowdowns or wildcat (unauthorized) strikes prohibited by the contract
2. THE NO REPRISALS RULE
For doing their work as union representatives, stewards can’t be:
- Denied promotions or transfer opportunities
- Denied overtime
- Assigned less desirable work
- Supervised more closely
- Harassed, intimidated, disciplined or threatened with discipline
3. THE EQUAL STANDARDS RULE
- Stewards can’t be held to a higher standard (or allowed to lower standard) of work performance.
Right to Information
Your right to information when investigating a potential grievance comes from the part of the law that says the employer has a duty to bargaining in good faith. While you may not have thought of grievance handling as bargaining, under the law it is looked at that way. So, you have a right to information from the employer. You cannot prove your case without the facts, and if management has those facts, you should have access to them.
In order to get information, make a specific, written request of the employer and be prepared to explain why you need it. Keep a copy of your letter!
The employer has an obligation to get information to you in a prompt manner, but they often delay. Keep copies of their responses, and keep requesting the information. The employer has an obligation to get you the information in a form that you can use – but that does not mean it has to be exactly the way you would like it. The employer can require that you keep the information confidential.
