STEWARDS

Union stewards are elected representatives who connect members to union resources. They investigate grievances and contract violations, and they advocate for workers in their lab or department. Good stewards make a strong union. We need union stewards in every department in every division, so sign up to be a steward today!

What should you do if you have a workplace issue?

Our union contract is a legally enforceable document. If the University or a supervisor violates the contract in any way, or if something else unfair happens at work, here’s what you should do.

Level 0

Contact your local steward. If you already know a steward, reach out to them. If not, look up your area stewards here. If you don’t see someone you can work with, email graduatestudentsunited@gmail.com. 

A grievance must be filed within 30 days of the contract violation. Please do not delay contacting your steward if something is wrong.

Your steward will evaluate the situation and try to informally solve the problem. Usually, we will contact the relevant supervisor, explain that they are violating the contract, and give them a chance to fix the issue.

Level 1

If an informal resolution fails, we send the relevant supervisor a written grievance. This is step 1 of the formal grievance procedure. The supervisor is required to meet with the union within two weeks of submitting the grievance. The supervisor must provide a written response to the grievance after meeting with the union.

Level 2

If we are not satisfied with the resolution after meeting with the supervisor, we can appeal the grievance to a higher level. In the second step, we appeal to the area dean. In the third step, we appeal to the University Provost.

Level 3

If we are still not satisfied, we may appeal the grievance to a third-party arbitrator. The arbitrator will review the circumstances of the grievance and make a final, binding decision. Because arbitration has a significant financial cost, whether to arbitrate a grievance must be brought to a General Membership Meeting and put to a vote before proceeding. 

The grievance procedure is not the sole purpose of our union. Sometimes unions will organize or communicate in other ways. However, our grievance procedure is a powerful tool to put pressure on the university when we need to enforce our rights.

Union Steward FAQ

  • Stewards help enforce the union contract in a local area. A good steward is many things: an organizer, a negotiator, a counselor, a peacemaker and a troublemaker. 

    Stewards are elected representatives of the union.

  • The primary responsibility of the steward is to organize all workers and represent them fairly and equally in all grievance issues. We don’t want workers to work under contract violations just because they are unable to reach out to a steward. Stewards must proactively talk to workers, ensuring everyone is getting the full benefit of a contract.

    One of the primary responsibilities of a steward is to advocate for colleagues in their area in disputes with the bosses. A steward’s area may be their lab, department, or cohort. Advocating can mean anything from attending meetings with your coworker to remind the boss of their rights, to investigating and formally filing grievances. 

    Connecting workers in your local area to union happenings.

    Organizing workers in your area if we need to mobilize around an issue.

  • Being a steward gives you several legal and contractual rights. You are considered equal to management when you are representing a worker, which means vigorous advocacy, which can otherwise lead to discipline, must be tolerated by management. Additionally, you cannot be retaliated against or be held to a higher standard for being a steward and representing a worker.

    You are also allowed to have time to investigate grievances, represent workers in meetings, request information related to a grievance, and organize and mobilize your coworkers to win a grievance.

  • Any card signing member in good standing can become a steward! Just attend the trainings.

  • We will be holding stewards trainings regularly. You can sign up for training at bit.ly/1103steward. These trainings will be conducted by your coworkers who have had experience as a steward themselves. 

  • You are not alone as a steward. Every local steward will work with department and division level stewards if they have questions or a particularly thorny issue. Campus chief steward and UE national will also assist you in cases when grievances are tough or start escalating.