Public Employee Press

Local 1549 shop stewards say: “Yes we will!”

By JANE La TOUR

Detroit Motown diva Lynn Marie Smith started Local 1549’s recent Shop Steward Training Conference with a soulful performance that put participants in the mood for a lively program, and Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez opened the October 9-12 gathering with a powerful call to “educate and mobilize our members into action.”

The first session raised the enthusiasm level with a well-organized workshop on public speaking that involved bold and shy alike. The results were evident throughout the four-day conference, as experienced stewards and youthful “next wave” leaders took the floor to deliver their remarks with newfound skills they traced to the workshop.

Techniques old and new — from use of easels and tear sheets to write down participants’ contributions to an “electronic town meeting” made the training sessions outstanding. Officers, stewards and staff agreed that the 2009 conference was the best ever.

A series of speakers on Friday evening Oct. 9 discussed the importance of the labor movement to working people and explained the front-line role of shop stewards in the battle to win hearts and minds in the workplace for the union cause.

Stewards are essential

Executive Vice President Lenora Gates introduced DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts as a unionist “whose career spans five decades. She is the labor movement in New York City,” said Gates.

“Your role in the union is essential,” Roberts told the stewards, “as we march together to achieve our goals.”

New York State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Terrence L. Melvin put his training as a Baptist minister to good use in delivering his remarks. “I’m in the right place at the right time for the right reason,” Melvin said.

His analysis of the role and responsibilities of stewards laid out the weekend’s mission of giving stewards the insights and skills to lead.

The local’s first electronic town meeting made it easy and interesting for chapter chairs and shop stewards to share information and receive almost instant feedback. The session focused on answering the question of what the conference could do to make the union stronger. Ideas and suggestions flowed freely, and broad involvement in the conversation resulted in an “action plan” that was the product of all participants.

Local 1549’s “Next Wave” organizing team added songs and skits to the program with creative youthful initiative and enthusiasm. Clerical Associate Anton Hills — a three-year employee at the Sanitation Dept. — got involved in the program to learn more about the union and has participated for the last year.

“I want to be a part of what’s happening and to see what changes need to be made. This training and attending the AFSCME convention have involved us in strengthening the union and learning how to care for members where we work,” Hills said. “This conference has given me a positive outlook on how I can be effective in helping current and future members.”