Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Step 1 of Being a Great Union Steward: Education!

CLAC provides a well-organized, three-part, in-class steward training program called Steward Toolbox Training to ensure your steward is trained to help you and your fellow members.

Newsletters Ontario Healthcare

By Ryan Griffioen, Representative

CLAC prides itself on great member service. It’s expected not just of our support staff, representatives, and administrators, but of our union stewards as well.

For members in some workplaces, the union steward may be their most frequent point of contact with the union. This means that their experience with the steward may be the basis of their assessment of CLAC as a union. CLAC must ensure that stewards are well trained to address front-line member concerns. This, in turn, will reflect a positive image of the union.

For many years, CLAC has offered a well-organized, three-part, in-class steward training, commonly referred to as Steward Toolbox Training. Toolbox 1 covers the basic duties of a steward and provides an introduction to the CLAC labour relations model, the discipline process, and the grievance and arbitration procedures.

Toolboxes 2 and 3 go further in-depth into the history of the labour movement, the CLAC model, labour law, employment standards, and human rights and safety legislation. Such training opportunities are now taking place virtually in addition to in-person. Steward training also takes place at biannual steward conferences in the form of workshops or speakers series.

Steward training scheduling takes into account the stark differences in the steward experience from sector to sector. Our training team recognizes that a steward in the healthcare sector more frequently is involved in grievance issues regarding pay errors, scheduling, or even violence in the workplace in comparison to a sector like construction, which doesn’t deal with nearly as many grievances.

To get the most out of the training sessions, Toolbox training dates are targeted to specific sectors. This allows the instructor to focus on issues or concerns related to that specific sector. Having Toolbox sessions with primarily healthcare stewards in attendance makes stewards feel more comfortable, and they’re more apt to engage in the training.

CLAC has a vested interest in your success as a union steward. We want you to feel empowered to advocate for your union brothers and sisters. It’s important that you have the knowledge necessary to feel comfortable to speak up when the opportunity arises. Keep an eye out for invitations to attend steward training, whether it be at a local member center, online, or at an upcoming stewards conference.

Step 1 of Being a Great Union Steward: Education!

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