Stewards Corner

  • Just Say ‘No’ to Drug Tests — Then Bargain
    David Cohen
    Mar 10 2010 - 5:51am

    Under the guise of concern for employees’ safety and health, employers demand the right to conduct drug and alcohol testing. Most use it as just another hammer to hold over workers’ heads. Employers often try to divide the membership on this issue, but we can turn this around and fight. What are the union’s rights? What are the best policies to fight for?

  • Turning an Issue into a Campaign
    Ellen David Friedman
    Feb 12 2010 - 8:08am

    Grievances, while necessary tools, can make workplace problems seem like individual problems rather than collective ones that can be solved through collective action. As the campaign organizer, your goal is not just to help members solve their workplace problems but to help them build collective self-confidence and power. Learn how.

  • Steward's Corner: Txt & Tweet 2 Org & Inform
    Paul Abowd
    Dec 30 2009 - 10:18am

    Online social media tools like Twitter are often dismissed as time-wasters for the procrastinator in all of us. But they’re also being harnessed for greater causes. You can use Twitter and text messaging to keep members educated and mobilize them for action.

  • Steward's Corner: Remember the Past, and Use It
    Craig Merrilees, Gillian Furst
    Nov 20 2009 - 6:01pm

    In San Francisco in 1934, heavily armed police and company thugs attacked striking maritime workers on the waterfront. The massive funeral procession that followed won public support and inspired workers—including Teamsters members who overruled their president to support a general strike that lasted several days, and spread fear among civic leaders, business owners, and politicians.

  • Putting Labor Films to Work
    Chris Garlock and Jon Garlock
    Sep 29 2009 - 9:04pm

    Hey, organizers, let’s put on a show!

    Workers are using video to document and share their struggles, and filmmakers from every corner of the globe are addressing labor themes.

  • Mid-Term Concessions: Saving Your Shirt
    Richard DeVries
    Jul 17 2009 - 1:50pm

    Every day it’s front page news. Another company closes, big unions take concessions, municipal workers go on furlough. The boss puts your members through a one-hour PowerPoint on competition in China and India.

  • Bargaining in a Recession
    Derek Blackadder
    Jun 23 2009 - 11:52am

    There’s no rocket science to a contract campaign during a recession. But it is different. You can even come out the other side with a stronger union. Here are a few ideas on how.