In June, IBEW 1245 hosted a series of unique trainings specifically designed for Clerical Shop Stewards at PG&E.
The sessions were led by a dynamic team of union staffers, including Senior Assistant Business Manager Jenny Marston, Business Reps Jennifer Gray, Rey Mendoza, Gracie Clark, Arlene Edwards and myself, Assistant Business Manager Ken Ball and Organizer Jammi Juarez. The team conducted three separate trainings which were designed to empower Clerical Stewards with tools and resources to be successful.
During each session, Business Manager Tom Dalzell emphasized on the significance of the Steward’s role, citing his experiences while working with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers as well as his early days at IBEW.
Assistant Business Manager Ken Ball, who has been leading Shop Steward trainings at Local 1245 for several years, explained the Steward’s role in the workplace and during the grievance procedure. He reminded the Stewards that they wear many hats, and on any given day, they may find themselves filling the role of counselor, therapist, administrator, negotiator, note-taker, etc.
While some may have entered the training believing that yelling obscenities, pushing over chairs and being overly aggressive are all par for the course during grievance proceedings, Ball put those misconceptions to rest, and underscored that active listening, critical thinking, drafting solutions and clear communication are the real keys to a successful outcome. Ball encouraged the Stewards to educate members about their rights before, during and after an investigation in order set the proper expectation and increase chances of a favorable result. He also emphasized the critical importance of filing grievances in a timely fashion, as well as documenting every fact of the case and taking accurate notes during every step of the grievance procedure (which can be crucial if the case goes to arbitration). Taking the time to learn and understand “the rest of the story” can make all the difference.
Ball also spoke about understanding the positive discipline process and how to work with management on developing solutions prior to filing a grievance. Stewards who do their due diligence by researching previous grievances or decisions which are similar in nature have the potential to better influence the outcome of the case at hand.
Several of the Stewards had many questions about researching past cases and finding the information they need. They were unsure how, where and what they would need to conduct such research, so Rey Mendoza and I provided the Stewards with an overview of IBEW 1245’s redesigned website and a navigation tutorial to ensure they understand how to find the information they need on their computers or mobile devices.
“I feel that it’s important we as Stewards have this information at our fingertips when approached by members,” said Sacramento Call Center Shop Steward Donchele Soper.
The challenge, felt by many, was learning to search the website for grievance decisions or relevant case documents. The website features a useful search function, which allows the user to type in keywords and sort the results by date or relevance. Although this feature is conveniently located on the upper right-hand corner of the IBEW 1245 home page, we encouraged the Stewards to use the Contract Section Index when researching cases, as this allows them to become more familiar with the contract itself.
Business Rep Rey Mendoza presented the group with various scenarios that gave the Stewards an opportunity to search the website and work together to find solutions. The scenarios ranged from identifying issues of suspected sick leave abuse to determining wage on promotion to calculating pension formulas.
The class was then split into two teams to conduct a “mock case” group exercise. One team represented the Company, the other represented the Union. Each team was tasked with making supportive arguments for the case they were given. Even though the mock case was just practice, some of the discussions got pretty exciting, and tempers flared as patience was tried. Fortunately, a few of our more experienced and seasoned Stewards showed the group how to get the job done.
“The training was very good,” said Fresno Shop Steward Joe Sanchez. “I especially liked the Company vs Union mock case!”
Jen Gray and Jammi Juarez wrapped up the training with a game of “Shop Steward Jeopardy” that recapped everything that was discussed throughout the course of the day.
“I thought the training was very informative and especially enjoyed the navigation component… in terms of finding Letter Agreements and contract information. That piece of the training seemed to be very beneficial, especially for the newer Stewards,” said Soper. “I also thought it was helpful reviewing what information we should be writing down when sitting in on an investigative interview; especially knowing how crucial this piece of documentation can be in arbitration.”
Overall, it was exciting to see our Stewards leave the training feeling confident and better prepared to represent our members.
Eddie Moreno is a temporary IBEW 1245 Business Rep and experienced Shop Steward.