April 28, 2008

On March 22, Local 406 held a stewards training, despite a snowstorm that dropped nearly a foot of snow in Grand Rapids the day before the event. More than 60 stewards braved the weather and attended the training.

“The great attendance just shows the dedication and commitment on the part of our stewards,” said Ronald Holzgen, Local 406 Secretary-Treasurer. “That our stewards would travel on treacherous roads to gain knowledge and information about how to better represent our members just fills me with a tremendous amount of pride.”

Among the topics covered by Shawn D. Ellis, Central Region Training Coordinator from the Teamsters Training and Development Department, were bargaining factors during contract negotiations, grievance handling, organizing of worksite members and the overall responsibilities of a Teamster steward.

Ed Reynoso, a Teamsters Field Action Department Representative, and William Black, Michigan DRIVE (Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education) Legislative Director, addressed the group on current issues facing labor and the importance of being a member of the DRIVE program.

“The class gave me a better understanding on how things work overall at the local and my role as a steward,” said Greg Wilbur.

“I learned where Barack Obama stands on labor issues,” said Dave Dumond, who drove through rough weather after an overnight work shift to attend the program. “And I learned skills that will sharpen my conduct as a steward.”