The Eyes and Ears of the Union
Stewards are the eyes and ears of the Union. They should always be alert for potential violations of the Contract, and be quick to bring these matters to the attention of other Union officials. Get into the habit of reading the York Bulletin regularly, noting what jobs are posted, whether they are posted Temporary or Full-Time, in or out of the bargaining unit, and with what posted qualifications.
Be alert to the hiring of casual employees. When a non-bargaining unit employee has been working for more than twenty-four hours per week, and for longer than three months, their case should be brought to the attention of the Chair of Grievance or President. A YUSA representative will make inquiries about the status of this employee and may be able to win them status as an internal applicant and have the position posted in accordance with Article 12.
Article 7.08 allows the Union and Employer to meet in Labour-Management meetings to discuss any matter of interest to the parties. If there is a problem in your work area, we may be able to discuss the matter with the Employer and reach a mutually-agreeable solution. Stewards should always be aware of this possibility.
Mailings and Membership Meetings
YUSA is committed to open communication with our members. In practical terms, this means we send out large quantities of mail, a Newsletter which includes Executive minutes, and hold at least five general membership meetings per year.
Mailings are usually done during lunch periods and, to be truthful, they are rather dull work. What they do offer is an opportunity to meet with other YUSA members and talk about whatever interests you, something we never seem to have enough time to do! The office or one of the committees may, from time to time, call on you for help.
At general membership meetings, we check YUSA cards to ensure that the assigned numbers are still valid. Sometimes we distribute literature and, if we are voting, we punch holes in the cards and distribute ballots. Once again, we may ask you to help sometimes.
Every few months YUSA extends an invitation to its new members on the main campus to attend a lunch-hour get-together. As a Steward, you will be informed of the date, time and place. If you're free, you may want to come. We hold similar meetings at Glendon occasionally.
Steward Co-ordinator
Perhaps, after serving as a Steward for a time, you may be willing to consider volunteering for the position of Steward Co-ordinator. The duties include attendance at Grievance Committee meetings and responsibility for the monthly Stewards' meetings.
Grievance Committee
If you're ready for more of a challenge, you could join the Grievance Committee. Read the Constitution (Article V, Section 1). If you were to be elected the Chair of this Committee, you would, as well, sit on YUSA's Executive Board. One member of the Grievance Committee also serves on our Union's Bargaining Committee.
Bargaining Proposals
As a Steward you see and hear a great deal about the working conditions of YUSA members. Each bargaining year the Bargaining Committee looks to Stewards for help in assessing changes needed to the Collective Agreement. One of the monthly Stewards' meetings is devoted to discussion of bargaining proposals before they are submitted to the Employer, and Stewards are kept informed of progress (or lack thereof) in negotiations.
Strikes
YUSA has been on strike three times: in 1978, 1984 and 1987. A strike demands an intensification of Steward work: picket lines, leaflets, talking with members and the public. All the skills that you have developed during the life of the Contract are needed in a strike, plus a few you didn't know you had!
YUSA's Executive will call upon Stewards to help in preparations, if it feels there is the possibility of a strike. You will be given a set of cards with members' names and campus addresses and be asked to canvass areas for home addresses and phone numbers. You may help make posters, or serve as one of the picket captains or as part of a telephone tree communications system. As always, you will be an important link in the chain that makes YUSA strong.
In Conclusion
The word "communications" brings us full-circle to what was stressed at the beginning of this handbook. As a Steward, you should encourage members to attend all meetings and to communicate with the Union, not only through you, but also by contacting other Union representatives and committees with ideas and suggestions. The better informed our members are, the fewer problems there will be for you to handle. The better you are informed, the easier will be your work.