Page 32 - UFCW Union Steward Handbook

STEWARD’S LEGAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

and our union’s reputation by doing your job well. But being a steward
does not allow management to expect more from you or to discipline you.
Union stewards (and all workers!) have the legal and
contractual right to:
l Talk to co-workers about our union in the workplace. However,
management may be able to limit conversations that occur in the
presence of customers, patients, etc.

l Sign up new members. Distribute and/or read union literature at
work.
l Initiate or participate in “concerted activities”—which can include
a very wide range of actions (some may not be appropriate at your
worksite). Examples could include everything from wearing a union
button, t-shirt or sticker, to circulating a union petition, talking to
the employer about fixing a safety hazard, attending a rally, handing
out union newsletters in the break room, etc. Almost any non-violent
collective action of this sort is legally protected under labor law.
Consult with your union representative for further clarification.
Stewards, specifically, have the legal right to:
l Enforce the contract.

l Represent workers in the grievance process, especially during
disciplinary meetings with co-workers.

l Initiate, solicit, file and process grievances.
l Speak out freely in enforcing the contract

l Investigate grievances or potential grievances (interviewing
witnesses, requesting information, etc.)

l Conduct other union business (helping members with referrals to
government agencies, community services, etc.)

Legal rights to information
By law, our union has a broad right to receive relevant information
from management at any stage of the grievance process, including
investigations to determine whether a grievance exists. Management
must provide you with this information upon request—this is
considered part of management’s “duty to bargain.”

30 UFCW UNION STEWARD HANDBOOK