Local 90 Hosts Hands-On Steward Training

On October 3, more than 20 stewards from Local 90 in Des Moines, Iowa participated in a one-day seminar featuring contract enforcement skills.  Claudia Pettit, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 90, hosted the program and welcomed the participants.

“I want to thank each one of you for the job you do to help your fellow workers,” Pettit said. “Giving up a Saturday to learn skills for enforcing the contract takes true dedication to the job of a steward.”

The program, conducted by Sally Payne, the Associate Director of the Teamsters Training and Development Department, was interactive and gave the stewards an opportunity to discuss various ways of handling workplace issues. They were given mock grievances and asked to discuss how they would handle each problem and challenged to back their grievances up with contract language. The discussion, which was very lively, given the nature of the issues, helped stewards interpret and analyze contract language. Although there were stewards present from both private and public companies, the basic skills in contract enforcement were shared. 

The program was well received by the stewards. The information and skills showcased in the training will assist them in better serving their members and the union as a whole.