|
|
 |
Education & Research: Steward's Corner
by Robert
Wechsler, Education Director
Why Bother With New Members?
This is an important question which deserves a very positive answer from all union members and officers. New employees will soon be new union members and we want them to be good union members. Stewards play the most important role in meeting and greeting these new employees and making them feel a part of the union family.
Most new employees who join TWU have not gone through the process of organizing their workplace and many don't necessarily come from union families. Their source of information on unions will be from a previous job or from the news.
That means the information a new employee has may be negative -- not necessarily about TWU but more generally about unions. That is why we must speak with them as soon as possible. And it is often the steward who sees this new employee first.
The company's orientation
Some TWU locals have negotiated or agreed upon procedures to speak with new hires. This may come during a company orientation. While this is convenient for a union local, the rules may be governed by company policy. The local may be limited in time or indirectly in their presentation because someone from management may be sitting in the room.
If this approach is the chief means of meeting the new employee, the local should use this opportunity to present the union with a very human face. Tell the new employee why there is a union on the property; that the union is there to protect them, and that it is a democratic institution which is chiefly responsible for winning all the benefits that management has probably outlined in their presentation. Tell them if they have any problems, they should come to their steward. Part of any packet should be a who's who of the local with all the committees listed, names and phone numbers of stewards, and an invitation to the next union meeting when they will be formally welcomed into the family.
Then I would open the floor to questions and answers.
I would keep the handouts to a minimum because you can always follow up one-on-one or at the union meeting. This way, your presentation is very different from the company line and you are not handing them reams of paper which will get mixed in with the employer's packet.
Remember, most companies will bombard this new employee with rules and forms. It should not be your goal to add to this burden. If you do so, the union will look just like another competing interest. In fact, the union will be conveying absolutely the wrong impression to the new employee. The local becomes just another institution vying for the allegiance of the employee.
Going one-on-one with the new member
If I could negotiate contract language with the company regarding new members, I would try to get a half hour with the new member paid for by the employer.
I would use the opportunity to introduce myself, tell them who I am, what I do, and try to find some area of common interest between us. It may have nothing to do with the union. Maybe we both like to go fly-fishing, operate a radio rig, or volunteer time with the scouts.
What I try to do is get the new hire to feel comfortable with me. It's easier to ask them to trust their job security to me if they know me. That is the first step to putting the human face on the union institution, but it is a big first step. If I can get to that point, we can build other bridges so that the new hire becomes a new member and comes to me with the work problem instead of going to the supervisor.
Most shop stewards can do this without any formal procedure. You can introduce yourself on a break or go out to lunch with the new hire. If you have a few new employees, you might try to get a room in your work facility for lunch and order pizza for everyone.
A union orientation
If a group is large enough, the union can hold an orientation in the hall. What you have to think about is who these new members are and get the right group of members to speak with them. You want the speakers to mirror the composition of the new members. In that way, there will be more common ground from the start.
Don't spend the entire time outlining each and every benefit and contract section. Pick what is most important and relevant to the new member. These new members are often most interested in pay and time off.
Talk about the grievance procedure and members' rights, especially those of probationary employees if this applies. It is usually the issue of justice and the right to grieve injustice that separates the union from the non-union environment. So spend some time talking about what constitutes a grievance and how it should be handled. It is an investment in making your job lot easier.
Lastly, studies have shown that a new member's loyalty to the union is often based on a positive experience when they join. By putting a human face on the union and welcoming them into the union family you are creating a better TWU member.[back]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
