A union steward often gets locked into handling only day to day problems in a particular workplace – dealing with the contract, with a specific workforce, with a narrow set of problems.

A broader definition of a steward’s job description includes building the union: increasing membership involvement, creating group grievances, even signing up new members – but, still, focused only on the steward’s particular workplace.

As employers become more belligerent, however, it becomes clear that focusing on your own workplace can weaken the union, making a steward’s job even tougher. A steward needs to first look at building the union, convincing the members that they are participants in a movement, and not purchasers of a service.

Unionism, as many of our members have forgotten, is a movement founded upon solidarity; one workers joining with others to form a group, and groups helping each other. As the percentage of union dues payers dwindles, our need to stand together for mutual aid grows.

Looking at unionism as The Labor Movement opens up a much larger opportunity.

Build the Union