It was a strike of 60,000 clothing workers that gave rise to the New York Joint Board (NYJB) in 1913. This marked a major event in the history of our Union. 60,000 men and women went on strike— clothing workers of many ethnic backgrounds and cultures; more than half of them Jewish, one-third Italian the rest, East European, all newcomers to America. Between them all, a total of eight languages were spoken.
Since its dramatic beginnings, the New York Joint Board—now called the New York New Jersey Regional Joint Board—has been a leader in the Union and the labor movement as a whole. During World War 1, members of the labor movement fought and endured casualties exceeding those of any other segment of the population, but still managed to grow in membership and power. There were 5 million unionists in 1919. The Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA) was a major national union (today we’re called UNITE HERE); The New York Joint Board was its largest unit.
The New York Joint Board and the ACWA was the first union to have its industry’s management “sign, seal, and deliver” the 44 hour work week. That agreement included about 99% of workers in men's clothing sector. This was a major victory for workers in this country.
The New York Joint Board’s year of years was a six month period between 1920 and 1921. In that short period, there were enough explosive events to last a lifetime. Those events were set in motion by a number of employers who attempted to crush ACWA by using lock outs and strikes. Through the brilliant leadership of ACWA President Sidney Hillman, the employers’ attempts were thwarted.
Today, the New York New Jersey Regional Joint Board is as dynamic as ever. Even under constant attack by corporate greed and globalization— the Joint Baord continues to grow and mobilize. In the last 4 years the New York New Jersey Regional Joint Board affiliated and merged with a number of area Joint Boards and Local Unions, such as the Central and South Jersey Joint Board, The New York New Jersey Joint Board, Local 340— and most recently, Local 69 (now known as Local 96) the Hotel and Restaurant Local of New Jersey!
The New York New Jersey Regional Joint Board has been in existence for 93 years, and has grown and evolved with the times. Today we represent thousands of workers in nearly every sector of society; everything from textiles, plastics, retail, hotels, health care and more. This includes companies like Hilton Hotel, Duane Reade, Johnson and Johnson, Barney’s, Brooks Brothers, Xerox and hundreds more!
The goal of our Union is to grow. Only through that growth can we remain strong; after all, that has been the basic philosophy of our Union for over 93 years. Only through that growth, can we maintain our rights and voices in the work place.
It is the shop steward's job to represent the members in the shop. Stewards are the leaders of action on the shop floor, and they are also the conduit of information to and from the union. Stewards are the eyes and ears of the union in the shop.
Sometimes being a steward can seem like a thankless job—the boss is on your case, and you can never satisfy every single member, and meanwhile, you still have your job to do. It's a tough job, but there is no more important job in the entire union.
-Know your co-workers
-Know the contract and the grievance procedure
-Get the facts
-Inform and educate
-Involve as many people as possible
-Ask for help
Know your co-workers. Maintain frequent personal contact with everyone you represent in the shop. Hold shop meetings regularly.
Know the contract and the grievance procedure. A big part of being a steward is helping people when they've been wronged. You don't have to memorize the contract cover to cover, but you should familiarize yourself with the parts that are used the most. Grievance procedures often have deadlines; for instance, in some Local 340 contracts a grievance has to be filed within a certain number of days after the event occurred. Make sure you know these details.
Get the facts. Who's involved? What exactly happened? When? Where? Why? Before you file a grievance or confront the boss, make sure you know exactly what's going on. Talk to everyone involved, find witnesses—be a detective.
Inform and educate. Hold regular shop meetings. Make sure to pass on information from the union office to all the members in your shop. Welcome new members. Ask people if they have questions.
Involve as many people as possible. Our power as a union comes from the involvement of the members. Leadership is not about doing everything for everyone; it's about getting everybody to stand up for themselves by standing together. For instance, if you are filing a shop grievance, you might also want to get everyone in the shop to sign a petition to the boss; that way everyone has played an active role, it's not just you filing that grievance for everyone else.
Ask for help. No one expects you to know the answer to everything. If you don't know, don't make it up and don't blow it off—call your Business Agent and ask for help.
If you are called to a disciplinary meeting, or a meeting you think might result in disciplinary action, you have the right to union representation. That means you have the right to have your shop steward with you. Read them your Weingarten Rights:
"If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that my union representative or steward be present at this meeting. If this discussion could lead to my being disciplined and you deny my request for representation, I choose not to answer any questions."
In 1975, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in the Weingarten Decision, that an employee is entitled to have a union representative present during any interview which may result in his or her discipline. It is up to you to insist on union representation. If you fail to do so, you may waive your rights.
The Legal Rights of Union Stewards by Robert Schwartz is a question/answer book that covers all aspects of a steward's job.
How To Win Past Practice Grievances, also by Robert Schwartz, deals with an area of labor practice often ignored or misunderstood. The book also contains a glossary of labor terminology.
Both these books can be ordered from Work Rights Press at 800-576-4552. Robert Schwartz is a union-side labor attorney.
Union Communications Services offers steward training materials as well as a catalogue of union books and publications. These include The Union Steward's Complete Guide and a monthly Steward Update. Click here to visit their website.
And don’t forget your most important resource is the union itself!
Your union contract provides a mechanism for you to make sure your employer abides by the contract. That mechanism is the grievance procedure. When an employer violates a provision of the contract, union members have a right to file a grievance. If you have a grievance, or an issue you think might be a grievance, the first thing you should do is talk to your shop steward.
UNITE HERE members work in many different shops, and each shop has its own contract with its own grievance procedure. You should consult your contract to get the specifics, but in general the grievance procedures are similar.
Before you file a grievance, you should talk to your shop steward. Stewards have copies of the grievance form, and also have experience in using the grievance procedure.
The first step in the grievance procedure is between the store or department manager and the individual employee, who may be accompanied by the steward. Most 340 contracts allow this step to be written or oral, but the union recommends that you do it in writing using the grievance form.
If the employee is not happy with the outcome of the first step, the grievance may be taken to the second step. Here it must be in writing. At this step, the grievance is between the union and the company; the union's business agent and the personnel or human resources manager get involved.
If the outcome is again unsatisfactory, the union may refer the matter to binding arbitration. Binding arbitration means that an impartial, outside party hears the case and makes a decision, which the employer, the worker and the union must obey. As part of the contract, the union and the employer have agreed in advance on individuals who will serve as arbiters.
In some contracts, there are deadlines that the employee must be aware of; for instance, a grievance must be filed within a certain number of days of the conduct being grieved. Make sure you consult your contract so that you don't miss these deadlines.
File a grievance whenever your employer violates a provision of the contract. If you are not sure about what the contract says on the matter, talk it over with your steward. Some examples of typical grievance issues are wages, overtime pay, seniority rules, and disciplinary procedures.
Not every gripe is a grievance—there are problems you may face that are not covered in the contract (for instance, your boss may be rude). Grievances are specifically about contract violations, so you cannot file a grievance about a matter that's not in the contract. That doesn't mean you can't take action, of course; you, your steward, other workers in your shop and the union together can organize and pressure the employer.
On the other hand, if the problem you are having is covered in the contract, then you should definitely file a grievance.
Sometimes union members know the employer is violating the contract but they are hesitant to file a grievance because they think it's no big deal or they don't want to get in trouble. But contract violations are a big deal! And it's your right to grieve them; your boss cannot retaliate against you for filing a grievance.
Whenever we let an employer violate the contract without challenging him, we are weakening the contract for all Local 340 members—it sends a message that we will not enforce the contract. When we file grievances, we let employers know that we take the contract seriously and we will make them take it seriously, too. Sometimes, just knowing union members will enforce their rights acts as a deterrent, and management will think twice before violating the contract.