Review
"This book really helps me in my steward work at the Post Office. It's fun and easy to read and full of 'real-world' advice. It gives me tips and strategies I can put right to work. And the photos are a riot!" Eddie Beaver, Steward and Chief Trustee, APWU Local 130
"I strongly recommend The Union Steward's Complete Guide to any union in this country which takes steward education seriously. The Guide contains a wealth of user- friendly information which is especially useful to new stewards and other union representatives. It is effectively written, attractively laid out, and covers the entire terrain." Robert M. Schwartz, author, The Legal Rights of Union Stewards
"I love it! This book is a must for every steward. It's like having your own private mentor. Every problem is discussed in a way that's easy to understand." Kem Hart, area steward, IFPTE Local 1
"The Union Steward's Complete Guide is exactly that -- COMPLETE. It covers everything a shop steward might need information about. It is very well done." Mike Drake, Vice-President (GT Unit), CWA Local 9510 -- Some early reviews from readers of The Union Steward's Complete Guide
From the Author
To most workers, their steward is the union. The steward is the only union presence the workers see day to day, the only personal contact they have with the union unless -- don't hold your breath -- they come out to union meetings. In a very literal way, unions simply could not function without stewards.
This book will help those new to the stewards' ranks understand the vital importance of their mission and the basics of their role, and provide them with advice and counsel to make more manageable the demands on their skills, time and energy.
And it offers more experienced stewards the opportunity to learn new ways of handling old problems: different approaches, tactics and strategies that can help on everything from winning grievances to avoiding burnout.
The Union Steward's Complete Guide is based largely on material previously published in Steward Update newsletter, the bi-monthly education and training guide offered since 1989 by Union Communication Services of Washington, D.C. More than 1,000 local unions subscribe in bulk to the newsletter today and give copies to their stewards across the United States and Canada. Some 40,000 stewards see each issue.
The goal of this book is to provide aid, comfort and tactical ammunition to the labor movement's front-line troops, its union stewards. I hope it will help strengthen the labor movement while it pursues its vital mission. Employers of all stripes are making things harder than ever these days for workers who are organizing and fighting to improve their lives. From the huge international conglomerate to the small independent operator looking to make his first million bucks, to the public employer who has decided contracting out is the road to taxpayer approval and thus re-election, the need for a strong, militant and united labor movement has never been more felt. The only thing standing between unfair employers and their workers are unions, and without dedicated and trained stewards, unions cannot succeed.
