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Advising Workers in Trouble with the Boss
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Much of a steward’s representational work takes place in an informal setting -- not in full-blown grievance investigations or meetings but in situations that may, or may not, develop into something more serious. Frequently this involves working with members who may be facing the prospect of discipline, and who come to you asking what they should do. While you can give guidance and offer options, you want to be careful about telling a member exactly what to do in every situation. Here’s an example.
Joe says his supervisor wants to talk to him: he smashed his forklift into a stack of parts, sending them flying into a traffic lane and forcing a halt to work on a production line. You hear Joe’s been acting strange all day -- angry and distant. He was a half-hour late and got written up for it and got belligerent while being written up. The supervisor is going to want him to take a drug and alcohol test. Joe asks you what he should do.
Your response? You’ve got to keep in mind the four keys to giving good advice: stay calm, refer to the contract, record what happens, and provide information. But you don’t want to try to tell the member what to do: that’s up to him.
