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Shop
Stewards
Our Local will be having monthly Steward Training
sessions for anyone interested in learning about grievance handling and other
responsibilities of being a shop steward. Please contact us, 212-432-2120, if
you want to learn more.
Having a union and a contract should not be
confused with having an outside organization solve our problems for us.
We are the union, and a system of Shop Stewards is an important part of
that self-empowerment.
Ideally we want Stewards from every department.
If your department does not have a Steward, you can help by becoming one
yourself or by helping to find someone to nominate as your department's Steward.
Our Local has had good experiences in the resolution of grievances handled by
Shop Stewards. This reinforces the importance of making sure we all work to have
adjunct and part-time faculty involvement within every University department.
Stewards have the same responsibilities as Joint Council Delegates, but do not
attend Joint Council meetings. A member can be both a Steward and a Joint
Council Delegate. The Local can have any number of Stewards. The term of this
office is three years.
Committeepersons
If you are not
interested in grievance handling, but do want to get involved in the Local,
consider becoming a Committeeperson.
The UAW Constitution establishes
Local Union standing committees, including Constitution and Bylaws, Civil
Rights, and Education. We are free to create other committees and welcome
participation in this area. Committees meet to address specific issues, put
together events, and help us to communicate with the wider membership of our
Local. Our bylaws establish our committee structure, and you should contact the
Local, 212-432-2120, if you are interested in getting involved.
Joint
Council Delegates
Joint Council Delegates have a vote on the Joint
Council, along with the local's Executive Officers and Unit Chairpersons. In an
amalgamated Local like ours (a Local with more than one contract, and therefore
one Unit per contract), the Joint Council is considered the membership body of
the Local; it approves the Local's Financial Report, has a say in political
action, and is a forum for the Units to report and discuss concerns of the
membership, contract negotiations, and important issues. Joint Council meetings
are held monthly. The term of this office is three years.
Other major
responsibilities: Representing members in grievances. To do this
effectively, a delegate must be knowledgeable about our contract and legal union
rights; we train all new delegates. Introducing new employees to the
Union. We ask all delegates to take responsibility for contacting new
employees to make sure they sign up for the union, receive their union
information packet, and get a good first impression of our union. Each Delegate
will be assigned a School or Department. Assist in organizing Membership
Meetings, rallies and other union events. We depend upon Delegates to get
the word out and encourage the membership to participate in union activities.
This could involve distributing flyers in your assigned area, sending out an
encouraging email to the members, or phone banking members to come to a rally.
Qualifications Needed: You must be a committed person who cares about
fellow faculty, is willing to stand up against injustice in the workplace, and
is dedicated to keeping our union strong and united. Delegates need to be
leaders, whether they're standing up for our contract in one teacher's
grievance, or standing up for our union as a whole.
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