August 1, 2008

On July 12, Locals 542, 481, 36 and 683 joined together at Local 542’s union hall to host a one-day training program conducted by the Teamsters Training and Development Department. More than 100 stewards participated in the program, which focused on a variety of topics including Teamster history, grievance procedures and steward responsibilities.

Jaime Vasquez, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 542; Art Cantu, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 36; and Victor Torres, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 481, all welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of the steward position. Shannon Silva, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 683, was on the picket line with members who were on strike at Coke but sent his encouragement to the stewards.

Sally Payne, Associate Director of the Teamsters Training and Development Department, facilitated the workshop and led the participants through a number of discussions and hands on exercises on the roles of stewards and determining and handling grievances.

“Learning about the Teamster influence on history in America, clarification of my responsibilities, investigation tactics, and negotiation tactics will be very useful to me,” said Joey Destino, a steward with Local 542. “This training gives me more confidence.” 

“The sessions on how to present the grievance as well as the stewards’ role in the grievance procedure were essential,” said Barbara Perry. “It also made me realize how important the steward’s relationship with both the employee and management can be in grievance situations.”

Chrissie Melton, a business agent and the LEARN coordinator for Local 542, did a humorous presentation on giving directions. This fun session drove home the necessity for good communication and also led into a discussion on creative ways to get members to participate in the union.

Mark Shumar from the Teamsters Field Action Department gave a presentation on how politics affects everything in working families’ lives. The charts and graphs showing how corporate policies have changed the landscape for labor were startling and emphasized the importance of membership participation in the election process.

At the end of the day, all the stewards agreed that the program was extremely beneficial and the information shared would be valuable to them in their day-to-day dealings at the workplace.

“Everything was useful,” said Tim Cave, Sr. from Local 36. “I found the explanation of past practice especially helpful.”  

“All of the books, different tactics and other new information that we received will help me better represent our members,” said Ernest Ruiz from Local 683. “I am really glad I attended this program.”