Stewards: Rank-and-File Leaders Needed

Active leadership right at the proverbial shopfloor of our workplace is a core aspect of having a strong union. Stewards organize workers, connect rank-and-file members with one another, advocate for and with workers at the department level, and serve as key leaders in the decision-making of our union. For our union to work as an organization of, by, and for graduate workers, we need a high quantity and quality of stewards. It has been said that the steward is the contract and the union made real for workers – and we need you to get involved in your union as a rank-and-file leader by being your department’s steward.

We are beginning a campaign to recruit, train, and develop new stewards – and we want you to consider becoming one. For stewards past, present, and future, we will be training and educating rank-and-file activists who want to make our union work, building your capacity to be an effective union leader in your department. We will be building a cadre of empowered, skilled worker-activists who know what stewards do and how to do it, connected with other rank-and-file leaders through our Stewards Council.

Will you step up to make your union work and consider becoming a steward? Let us know if you want in. We want to hear from you if this sounds like something in which you might be interested. We will be putting together a Stewards Interest Session very soon, to bring together past, present, and potential future stewards, informing folks about stewarding and finding ways for interested activist members to be involved in this way. From there, we will be holding education and training sessions, in addition to ongoing and regular collaboration with fellow stewards, other union leaders, and our excellent staff.

But we need to hear from you – if you are interested in finding out more about becoming a steward or to sign up right away, contact our Co-Presidents Katie Lindstrom and Peter Rickman and we will follow up with you.