Apathy is the greatest enemy of both the Steward and the Union.
A Steward is somewhat like being a Highway Patrol Officer, in that you will see people speeding but can't pull everyone over. I usually give a Supervisor 2 or 3 chances before filing for minor work such as emptying a return slide, but a lot depends on their attitude and level of respect. While the money is nice, using the possibility of a grievance to build a rapport with the Manager of the sort is worth more. In some buildings I can get the supervisors 'talked to' with a simple text to the manager. Since we operate on the bounty system, if it becomes a problem I file at my Feeder driver pay and then give the money to the loader or preloader. When they see one grievance is more than they make in a day they are happy to supply me with information on anyone working. The goal is to solve the problem so it rarely gets to this point.
The Stewards main job is to reduce the number of grievances. This is where rapport and respect come in. For example, when I was in package I was forced to work one day-after-Thanksgiving and when I came in I realized that people below me weren't there and fewer than were scheduled were worked. The Company had not met with the Union to discuss their Holiday plans as required by Article 40. Investigating I discovered that Drivers were called or had called & were given the day off without regard to Seniority. Investigating further I discovered that the average paid day in my center was roughly 2 and a quarter hours. Filing an et.al. grievance I investigated the other three centers and found even more egregious violations.
I found that not only were all the part-time air drivers not forced to work prior to forcing full-time drivers; but also that 3 Day Select and Ground packages were being delivered. One Center Manager refused to give me WOR's and delivery records for that day. This particular center manager was known for his temper and feared by nearly everyone in the center. After getting the Labor involved and 'educating' him about the right of the Steward to request information, I had the exquisite pleasure of watching him totally red-faced & absolutely livid with anger print me out a 1 foot tall stack of records in front of the entire center. I've since never had a problem requesting records.
This particular center worked more than 80% of their drivers that Holiday at an average paid day of 2.25 with more Ground and 3 Day Select delivered than any other Center. I won my grievance at the National Air Committee and all Drivers were paid for 8 hours on that day. This led to the language we enjoy today, where Full Time Drivers are paid at time & one half and can request an 8 hour day. In addition, if the Centers schedule excessive employees they can receive double time. So little things can lead to big things.
Other than grievances, the Steward should set a good example; talk Union; organize organize organize; enforce and be knowledgeable about the Contract,Federal & State Regulations such as OSHA; and (probably most importantly) be the Voice of Reason. Generally you aren't given a lot of direction as a Steward and can set the tone for your shop. We tell you more about what we don't want you to do like horse trade grievances.
It can take up a lot of time, and sometimes all is Quiet on the Western Front and you won't have much to do. In Feeders it's mostly boring as hell except for the occasional accident or termination. Working with the preload I had to do a lot with attendance and usually some open & shut cases of theft related terminations. I had a really competent and fair preload manager that set up a good system to get the attendance problem under control without terminating anyone. Stewards have lives, second jobs (and the first job), families & school too so understanding that Members will never feel you do enough as a Steward will be your ongoing challenge.
.
