April 16, 2008

On March 28, 65 stewards from Local 997 in Fort Worth, Texas attended a stewards seminar sponsored by the local. The program focused on the roles and responsibilities of the steward, grievance handling and Teamster history. Iliana Flores, Southern Region Coordinator of the Teamsters Department of Training and Development, conducted the seminar.

Art Burns, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 997, thanked the stewards and expressed his gratitude for the hard work the stewards do on a daily basis.

“Your attendance today proves your dedication to our union,” Burns said. “Your job is not easy, but it is so important because you are the backbone of the union.”

The stewards felt they had gained much worthwhile information from the seminar and were glad for the chance to exchange ideas. Many found the grievance-handling section to be particularly helpful.

“I learned vital information needed for filing proper grievances,” said Joe Aguilera. 

“The program gave me the opportunity to learn better ways to handle grievances and to serve my members more effectively,” said Gary Lee Gilley. 

I learned some useful tips for writing a better grievance,” said Nodra Darden. “Simple changes can make a big difference.”

“For me, new skills to work with members and management were the best parts of the class,” said Juan Maldonado. “I was glad to learn skills that will be useful in many situations.”

“I found the entire seminar to be complete and very informative,” said John Cashion.