
Chief steward manual msea professional#
Business agents, professional employees of MAPE responsible for multiple roles similar to stewards, are valuable partners and can be sources of information, guidance, and consultation. While this may seem a bit overwhelming, remember that a steward does not operate alone. Stewarding as Shared Endeavor and a Learning Process The frustrations of the work place can be many: the steward can play an important and useful part in helping employees vent their frustrations and explore solutions for problems without taking official action. Stewards help to resolve conflicts through reasoned and sustained dialog while at other times serving as a dissenting voice when management oversteps its bounds or pursues foolish courses of action.Īs an information source for employees, the steward may disseminate official communication from MAPE, educate employees on the language and meaning of the contract, and facilitate useful communication between management and MAPE represented employees.Īs an enforcer of the contract, the steward monitors the work place to make sure that the mutually agreed to contract between MAPE and the State of Minnesota is followed and also ensures that individual employees’ and the union’s rights under the contract are not violated.įinally, there are times when the steward simply listens to the concerns of the beleaguered employees without necessarily taking action on their behalf. To be a union representative in the workplace involves playing multiple roles: advocate for employees, communicator with management, information source for employees, enforcer of the contract, and the willing listener for beleaguered employees.Īs an advocate for employees, a steward may be called on to represent and support employees when they are investigated under threat of being disciplined, represent employees in grievances, help employees appeal inaccurate position descriptions and performance reviews, and ensure that working conditions are safe, fair, and equitable.Īs a communicator with management, the steward may sometimes serve as the “official” voice of the union.


A steward is essentially a union representative in the work place. Before considering the specifics associated with being a MAPE steward, it is useful to think of stewarding in the broadest and simplest term.
