Stewards
Stewards play a critical part in making our union stronger. They have two fundamental roles: they make sure working conditions reflect the collective agreement, and they connect the membership to each other and to the union. When members are connected, they participate. More participation builds stronger unions and better working conditions for all.
Some of a stewards duties include: day to day contact with members, handling and investigating members’ complaints, filing grievances for contract violations, supporting members at grievance hearings, meeting with other stewards, documenting problems in the workplace and informing the executive.Are you interested in becoming a Steward?
To be eligible to be a steward in Local 500, a person must:
(a) be a member in good standing;
(b) be elected by the members they represent and submit their nomination form to their Unit President (or Lead Shop Steward in the case of an affiliate) who provide a recommendation to the Local Executive.
(You can download the Local 500 Steward Nomination Form here).
Local 500 Shop Steward Guide/Toolkit
All new Local 500 stewards will be provided with a shop steward guide/toolkit
that details important information about the Local's structure and the role of a shop steward.
Steward Education
Introduction to Stewarding
To assist our shop stewards in performing their function more effectively, Local 500 sponsors all new shop stewards to the Introduction to Stewarding Course paid for by the Local. This course is a pre-requisite for other shop steward workshops that are offered through CUPE’s Union Development Department. A list of CUPE courses is available on the Local 500 and CUPE website.
To be eligible to attend the Introduction to Stewarding, a person must:
- be approved to become a steward through the Local Executive
- complete and return the Local 500 Steward Contact Information Sheet contained in the steward guide/toolkit.
You will be contacted by the Local 500 office with the necessary information regarding the Introduction to Stewarding Course.
All stewards who want to attend additional union workshops must go through their respective units for approval. (Note: Affiliate members who wish to attend workshops, schools or conferences must submit their request in writing to the office of the President for approval by the Executive).
If you have any questions, or would like further information, please feel free to contact a member of your unit executive or the Local 500 office at 204-942-1001 or email us at union@cupe500.mb.ca.
Steward Resources:
Local 500 Grievance Form
Always include your Unit President, National Staff Representative and Local 500 emails when filing a grievance on behalf of a member.
Contact your Unit President for the newest grievance form. The Local 500 office also maintains a stock of the in triplicate grievance forms for our shop stewards. Please contact us at 204-942-1001 if you require assistance or have any questions.
Grievance Fact Sheet
The Grievance Fact Sheet is designed to assist stewards to keep a written record of what the grievance is about and what happens to it as it is processed through the various steps of the grievance procedure.
It is an important document and should be completed with care and accuracy. This document will provide the union representative with a complete history of the case. It will provide details of the grievance which may otherwise be overlooked or forgotten about.
When the grievance is finalized, the completed form should be placed in the local union’s file for future reference. Copies should also be given to the CUPE Representative.
The purpose of this handbook is to give newly appointed stewards an outline of their duties, where they can turn for advice and the names of CUPE Education Department courses that will help them to be more effective. This handbook is an introduction to stewarding. It is not an exhaustive guide.
For a listing of CUPE's Educational Courses, visit http://cupe.ca/union-education.
