role of an iam shop steward

Bob Kravesformer IAM educator

[email protected]

Role of an IAM Shop Steward


Shop Stewards are IAM members appointed or elected by fellow employees in each work area and shift. A Shop Steward’s main function is to monitor the administration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. A Steward explains the Agreement provisions to their fellow employees and assists in bringing complaints to the attention of management. The Steward also provides assistance to co-workers during the course of a company investigation into alleged misconduct.


It has been written many times over that the Shop Steward is at the center of the relationship between the IAM, company and the workers. The skills of Stewards can greatly strengthen the IAM as well as help set the general tone of labor relations with management.

The Steward is the central point of the relationship between the IAM, company and workers as demonstrated by the following:


Steward

IAM Officials

WorkerCompany

• Enforcement of the contract depends on the Steward.

• Members often judge the IAM by their Steward.

• The Steward is the link between the workers, IAM officials, and management.

• The Steward keeps members informed about the IAM, and keeps the IAM officials informed about the workplace.

Tips To Becoming An Effective Steward

• Keep yourself informed about the IAM.

• Serve as an example to your co-workers.

• Keep the members informed about IAM policies and activities.

• Attend Union meetings and IAM programs.


• Meet any new members early, inform them, educate them, help them become members; make them more than dues payers.

• Get your area to act as a Union – have them stick together.

• Act as a leader; do not let personal likes or dislikes distort your actions as a grievance representative.


• Fight discrimination and prejudice.

• Keep accurate and up-to-date records; write it down.

• Do not promise if you cannot deliver.

• Encourage and support the IAM's activities on behalf of organizing the unorganized.


• Inform the membership of IAM services. Encourage them to take advantage of the services the IAM provides.

• Fight, whenever you meet it, the anti-union element. You can do this by being informed and being dedicated to the union movement.

• Do not hesitate or stall. If you do not know, admit that you do not know, then try and get the answers.


• When dealing with management, remember that you are the elected or appointed representative of your fellow members. Never consider yourself to be other than equal to management representatives.

• Be proud of your position. Remember you are an IAM representative with the support of tens of thousands of IAM members.

• Know your contract.


• Investigate every grievance as if it were your own. Make sure you keep deadlines. There is no excuse for missing a time limit. Research every grievance as if it were going to arbitration but try to resolve it at the lowest possible level.

• Attend and encourage attendance at any labor education programs that might be available to you and the members.


• Document, document, document.

• Keep the member informed on the progress of their grievance.

• Remember your goal is to be the best Shop Steward you can possibly be. Always strive for this goal. Excellence has no substitute.


role of an iam shop steward

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