Union Resources

 

Winning Past Practice Grievances

One of the powerful tools that each steward has in their Stewards Toolkit is the use and understanding of past practices. Stewards need to know what constitutes a valid past practice and what are the past practices in their workplace.

 

Issues: Weingarten Rights

If a supervisor or the boss asks questions that could lead to disciplinary action, NYSNA members have the right to ask for a NYSNA steward or other union officer. This is something all NYSNA members should know— it’s our job, as NYSNA Stewards, to make sure they do!

 

Issues: Steward's Rights

As a steward, you have a lot of rights on the job in representing NYSNA members; rights that most bosses would prefer you didn’t know about. We’ve listed the most important ones, with links to related articles.

 

 

Just Cause: Using The Seven Tests

Here are the “Seven Tests” as to whether the boss has used “just cause” in discipline and discharge cases 

 

 

Investigating Grievances 

A member — or members — come to you. They’re mad. Really mad. “It’s unfair...it’s a violation of the con-tract...it’s illegal...and it’s not right!” You think to yourself, “yeah, this is terrible. I’d better do something.” But what do you do next?

 

 

Issues: Information Requests

To defend the members and the union contract, the union has a legal right to seek information from an employer - and the employer has a legal obligation to provide it as long as the union’s request is relevant and not unreasonable.

 

 

Issues: Union Responsibility as "Exclusive Representative"

The duty of fair representation is the legal duty of a union to equally, and in good faith, represent every employee in a bargaining unit, regardless of whether the employee is a union member or not.

 

 

On the Job: Avoiding Pitfalls

Stewards represent the “NYSNA in Action” as the first line of defense against employer abuses-acting as organizer, counselor, peacemaker, and troublemaker. And that’s a tough job. There are a lot of potential pitfalls facing NYSNA Stewards, too.

 

 

Your Rights under the Law

Whether you work for a public sector or private sector facility, you have rights under the law.

 

 

 

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