ATU 583 – Steward Training – Blog

(From back left to right: Gurdev S, Crystal W, Michaela H, Harvey W, Patrick D, Amarjit P, Aman D, Brian D, Paramjit M, Sandy M. Renee D, Sven G, Satvinder T, Minesh P, Robin A, Dawn H, Dan R. Ian C, Dave F, Doug W, Sharon W, Iftikhar A, Robbie F. Larry T, Sharan K, Taranjit M, Peter (Pankaj) K. Johnathan W, Bill J, Mike M, Avtar S, Neil M, Harry L, Raj J.)

This past weekend we had a very successful Steward Training session at Grey Eagle Casino. Grey Eagle’s event space allowed for Stewards, Officers and Presenters to be safely social distanced during the training.

The weekend seminar started off with a guest speaker, Cynthia Watson, a respected labour lawyer from Toronto who spoke on the role of a Union Steward. This included duty of fair representation as well as information on grievances.

Next up was President of the Calgary District Labour Council, Alex Shevalier to speak about Calgarians for a Progressive Future. The CDLC will be very active leading up to the next municipal election. It is important as we have the opportunity to elect our bosses.

The final speaker for day 1 was President of the AFL, Gil McGowan to give an update on what the AFL is currently doing with respect to Bill 32 and how it will severely impact unions and working Albertans. ATU 583 is an affiliate of the Alberta Federation of Labour.

Day 2 started with speaker Madelin Burt-D’Agnillo, an organizer for ATU Canada. She of course spoke to the Stewards about organizing, her topic of expertise, and focused on skills development (for example, active listening vs casual listening and member engagement).

The rest of day 2 focused on Local call in procedures, grievances and prepping for negotiations.

Overall, it was a busy two days, with a lot of information for our Stewards to digest and begin to implement.

As we tell our Stewards, they are the backbone of the Union by bringing issues to the forefront for members and being a conduit through which conversations can and do occur. Because they are out in the garages and the workplaces they see and hear many important things.

If you haven’t talked to a Steward, have a look at the Roster posted on the Union posting boards and strike up a conversation with any one of them!

If you are interested in becoming a Local 583 Steward please email your name, employee number and intention to president@atu583.com

(Raj J)