Educator
The steward has the responsibility of educating the members in his/her department, both the old and the new, about the collective bargaining agreement, union policy, and why changes occurred. Listed below are some of the things that the steward should do and know to fulfill the role of educator and suggestions as to how to do them:
What you do:
___________________________________________________________
KEEP MEMBERS FULLY INFORMED ___________________________________________________________
DISCUSS AND EXPLAIN POLICIES
___________________________________________________________
TELL ABOUT AVAILIBLE UNION COUNSELING
___________________________________________________________
CLARIFY UNION OBJECTIVES ___________________________________________________________
EXPLAIN LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
__________________________________________________________
STRESS REGISTERING AND VOTING
__________________________________________________________
INTERPRET LABOR LEGISLATION
__________________________________________________________
TELL ECONOMIC "FACTS OF LIFE"
___________________________________________________________
What you need to know: ___________________________________________________________
INFORMED MEMBERS ARE LOYAL MEMBERS
___________________________________________________________
WHAT YOUR UNION IS DOING
___________________________________________________________
SOCIAL AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY ___________________________________________________________
UNION HISTORY
__________________________________________________________
HOW LAWS ARE MADE AND THEIR IMPACT ON UNIONS
__________________________________________________________
RESPONSIBILITIES OF CITIZENSHIP
__________________________________________________________
HOW LABOR LAWS OPERATE __________________________________________________________
HOW OUR SYSTEM FUNCTIONS
__________________________________________________________
How you go about it:
1. Make person to person contact daily - tell your story - ask for ideas.
2. Distribute union periodicals and literature.
3. Enlarge your own knowledge by attending classes whenever available and share this knowledge with your fellow members.
4. Keep your communication lines open - invite criticism, suggestion and full discussion.