A healthy union needs at least one steward for every 20 employees to prevent burnout. The strongest unions often have one for every 10 employees.

Your unit:

Employees – 162

Stewards – 11

Needed for a 1:20 ratio – 9 Stewards

Needed for a 1:10 ratio – 17 Stewards

When we don’t have enough stewards, the few we do have carry too much. They field questions, prepare grievances, attend meetings, and communicate updates.

Staff are here to train, assist with grievances, handle retaliation issues, and support steward turnover, but the day-to-day protection of rights comes from stewards.

Without enough stewards, violations often go unchallenged and the contract loses its strength.

Our steward teams need you. Every person brings a skill that helps the union stay strong.

No steward can handle every task. Many stewards help with just a single task.

If you can help with even one of the tasks below, you can make a difference and we’d like you to join our next steward training.

Steward Tasks

• Checking in with co-workers

• Communicating information by casual 1-on-1 talks
• Communicating information through emails, flyers, or mass texts
• Coordinating projects
• Facilitating a meeting
• Food preparation or cooking for an event
• Graphic design for flyers and signs
• Greeting people in a meeting
• Hosting an employee orientation
• Navigating rules inside of our CBA
• Navigating rules in employer policies

• Navigating rules in the RCW and WAC
• Notetaking during a meeting
• Participating in an employer-organized committee
• Planning events or meetings
• Public speeches
• Representing a co-worker when they’re discussing a workplace change
• Representing a co-worker when they’re facing discipline
• Set-up and break-down for an event
• Tech support
• Writing articles for mass communication

If even one of these sounds like something you could do, we want to hear from you.

Attend the next steward training listed below and learn how you can support your co-workers, protect your rights, and help build a stronger union.