From the Education Committee via Vice President Drga:

Brothers and Sisters,

Local 205 will be presenting another round of Steward training classes. We have expanded the Steward training into three separate classes:

Steward Training I – open to all members and required for apprentices. The objective of this class is to introduce the Steward’s job and responsibilities, how workers relate to the Steward and Union, Unionism and Solidarity, reading and understanding a contract, and safety on the job.

Steward Training II – open to all members. This class will prepare members to act as Stewards on the job. Topics will include advanced contract interpretation, representation on the job, Investigation of incidents and complaints and proper completion of Steward paperwork. There will be a test at the end of this class and graduates that pass the test are eligible to become certified Stewards.  If you are already a certified Steward, then you must take this class and pass the test to re-certify.

Steward Training III – by invitation – This class will focus on advanced aspects of the grievance process, including filing, investigation, and taking grievances to arbitration. Graduates of this class will be involved in formation of a Local 205 Grievance Committee.

Note that each of these classes will be 2 days long and you must attend both days. The dates for the upcoming classes are:

Steward I :  Jan 12-13, 2016

Steward II : Feb 5-6, 2016

Steward II :  Sometime in May/June 2016

Steward III :  Sometime in May/June 2016

These classes are offered to Local 205 members at no cost. Please keep in mind that there is a significant cost in materials and time to present each class, so if you sign up for a class we expect you to attend.

To register, email the education address with your intent to attend.