Serving Others

Coming together to celebrate stewards at the 2022 National Stewards Conference was the perfect way to show appreciation for all these hardworking, on-the-ground leaders do

By André van Heerden, Communications Director

THEY SAY THAT IT’S BETTER to give than to receive. Last year’s National Stewards Conference was an excellent example of that—thrice over. 

By their very role, stewards are those who serve others. I remember being struck by this when I first took the steward Toolbox training course. Over the hours that I spent learning about the role of stewards and how they serve both CLAC and their fellow workers, I quickly came to the conclusion that a good steward would make CLAC look like a very good union. But unfortunately, the opposite could be true as well. 

At the conference, held from November 22 to 24, 2022, in Banff, Alberta, I got to meet many remarkable stewards. When checking out the swag tables, they weren’t only interested in stuff for themselves. They were interested in items that they could use to better perform their steward role. Time and again I thought, I wish I could bottle how this steward sees labour relations, sees CLAC, and sees their role. 

But not only was the conference made up of stewards who serve, it was also attended by representatives who clearly love serving and helping their most important members, and by staff (such as the National Stewards Conference Committee), who love serving everyone else. This is what made the event so special. 

The food was excellent, the location unbeatable, and the speakers were directly on point. (See “Educating Our Workplace Leaders” for more details.) But it was the spirit of everyone who loves to serve and help others that stood out the most.