Shop stewards are an essential part of a union’s structure. They are members of a union who have been trained to represent and protect the rights of other members in the workplace.
They also act as a liaison between the union and its members, ensuring that the members’ rights are protected, and their interests are represented in the workplace.
As a shop steward, you may be responsible for a variety of tasks, including:
- Investigating, writing, and filing grievances on behalf of members.
- Helping to solve problems outside the grievance procedure.
- Ensuring good communication between the members and the executive.
- Educating members about the collective agreement, about the union’s role in the workplace, and about important social issues.
- Standing up as a strong ally with members from equity-seeking groups.
- Mobilizing members to support the union’s role in bargaining, to attend public rallies, etc.
- Acting as a mediator when members conflict with each other.
- Helping a member get accommodation or return to work after an injury or illness.
Our stewards can also be a part of our Grievance Committee. This committee is responsible for overseeing the handling of the local’s grievances. The committee consists of the elected chairperson and four stewards, with its secretary being appointed from among its members. The National Representative assigned to the Local Union is a non-voting member of the committee and is consulted at all stages.
If you are interested in this role, please let us know as soon as possible and we can try to schedule a training session.
https://cupe.ca/sites/default/files/book_steward_handbook_2019_en.pdf
We look forward to hearing from you.