Ready for Action
UFCW Stewards: Heartbeat of Working America
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| Local 9 Stewards Karla Garcia and Alma Estrada |
Alma, along with nearly a dozen other UFCW stewards from across the country, recently attended a training workshop at UFCW International headquarters in Washington. Conducted by the UFCW Occupational Safety and Health Office, the workshop focused on developing steward skills to recognize on-the-job safety and health risks, then take the appropriate action so that companies correct them.
“I’m a steward because I want to have a good place to work, where we all feel safe.” says Karla Garcia, also a Local 9 steward. “I enjoy talking with my workmates about how we can make our jobs better, how we have the ability to solve a lot of problems if we work together. Sometimes, just knowing how to talk with a supervisor can quickly resolve what some people might have thought was a big problem.”
Another aspect of the workshop concentrated on providing stewards with skills to go back to their workplaces and share information with coworkers on how to become more involved with solving on-the-job concerns, whether safety or other issues.
“You have to enjoy communicating with your coworkers,” says Karla. “And you need to learn to listen. I’m looking forward to sharing what I learned in this workshop with my coworkers.”
If you’re interested in becoming a steward, contact your local union or talk with your union rep. “All you really need to be a steward is the desire to help your workmates,” says Alma. “It doesn’t matter if you’re not the most knowledgeable person in the world. The union is there to train you, to help you develop the skills you need to be active in your workplace.”
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