 | Winning Past Practice GrievancesOne 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 RightsIf 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 RightsAs 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 TestsHere are the “Seven Tests” as to whether the boss has used “just cause” in discipline and discharge cases |
 | Investigating GrievancesA 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 RequestsTo 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 PitfallsStewards 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 LawWhether you work for a public sector or private sector facility, you have rights under the law. |
