DUTIES, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF OUR OFFICERS AND STEWARDS
The Duty of Fair Representation
The Kentucky Long Rifle Chapter is the exclusive representative of all bargaining unit employees. Those employees who choose to submit SF-1187 for dues deductions become dues-paying members of the Union. It is important to keep in mind the distinction between the terms – all Union members are bargaining unit employees, but not all bargaining unit employees are Union members.
One important concept that you must understand as a Union representative is the Duty of Fair Representation. The concept is that because our Chapter has been certified by the Federal Labor Relations Authority, by a vote of bargaining unit employees, as the exclusive representative of the employees, then our Chapter has an obligation to represent all of the employees in matters pertaining to the contract. In other words, the Union cannot discriminate and only file grievances for dues-paying Union members and exclude or refuse to represent those who choose not to join the Union.
Learning about being a Union rep
As a Union representative, you will receive information periodically on how to do your job. However, one of the most important things to understand is that you must take responsibility yourself for learning about being a Union rep, and growing in the job. Check out the website. Read the contract. Read the Federal Service Labor Management Relations Statute (5 U.S.C. 71). Don’t wait for the training and knowledge to come to you, go out and get it!
Seeking guidance
No one expects you, as a Union Steward, to know everything there is to know about filing grievances, bargaining, contract interpretation, or other Union issues. Seek guidance from your fellow stewards, Regional Vice, Executive VP or the President; FIND someone who will provide insight. You are not expected to know all of the answers, but you are expected to go find them.
Don’t miss deadlines
One of the most important concepts that you must understand as a Union rep is that virtually everything you deal with has deadlines. There are deadlines on internal Union business matters, such as elections. There are deadlines on filing grievances, on requesting to bargain, on filing Unfair Labor Practice charges, etc. In many cases, if we miss a deadline we LOSE whatever it is we are seeking to accomplish – regardless of the merits of our case.
Recruiting new members
Note: duties involving recruiting new members are internal Union business and cannot be conducted on official (work) time. They should be performed on breaks or lunch, or before/after work.
A Union Steward is responsible for recruiting new Union members to grow the size of the Union . The more members we have, the stronger we are.
Organization Structure
The organizational structure of the Union is determined by the Bylaws. All officers serve a 4 year term. The Chapter is organized as follows:
President, election years 2010, 2014, etc
Executive VP, election years 2012, 2016, etc
Secretary/Treasurer, election years 2012, 2016, etc
East Regional VP, election years 2010, 2014, etc
Western Regional VP, election years 2010, 2014, etc
Central Regional VP, election years 2012, 2016, etc
Roles of the Chapter Officers
The roles and duties of the various Union Representatives are described as follows:
President:
1. Provides representational assistance/guidance to Senior Stewards and Stewards;
2. The chief spokesperson of the Chapter;
3. Develops proposals regarding budget and expenses;
4. Serves as liaison with ACT National and the Agency;
5. Typically serves as the Union representative during arbitration hearings;
6. Editor-in-chief of Newsletter;
7. Chief Negotiator for the Union;
8. Communicates to all bargaining unit employees;
9. Co-signs, along with the Secretary-Treasurer, the LM-4 financial report to the
Department of Labor;
10. Gathers input from Union Reps, Union members, and bargaining unit employees; and
Provides representational service directly to bargaining unit employees on occasion.
Reads/responds to email queries and surveys from national leadership;
Executive Vice President:
1. Provides representational assistance/guidance to Senior Stewards and Stewards;
2. Fills in as Union President during absences;
3. Spokesperson for the Chapter;
4. Serves as liaison with ACT National and the Agency;
5. Training Coordinator;
6. May serve as the Union representative during arbitration hearings;
7. Communicates to all bargaining unit employees;
8. Benefits Coordinator; and
9. Provides representational service directly to bargaining unit employees on occasion;
10. Reads/responds to email queries and surveys from Union President and nationwide
leadership;
Secretary-Treasurer:
1. Provides representational assistance/guidance to Senior Stewards and Stewards;
2. Occasional spokesperson for the Chapter;
3. Manages the budget and finances & finances of the Chapter;
4. Receives and verifies all new membership forms and submits appropriately;
5. Ensures that dues deductions are accomplished in a timely manner (responsible for
resolving problems with Personnel/Payroll/Agency on this issue – including filing a
grievance or ULP, if necessary);
6. Prepares financial report;
7. Completes and submits LM-4 report to the Department of Labor, Office of Labor-
Management Standards (OLMS);
8. Records minutes at all Board meetings. Posts minutes on website within 2 working
days;
9. Provides representational service directly to bargaining unit employees on occasion;
10. Reads/responds to email queries and surveys from Union President and nationwide
leadership;
Chief Steward:
1. Provides representational assistance/guidance to Senior Stewards and Stewards;
2. Often provides representational service directly to bargaining unit employees.
3. Reads/responds to email queries and surveys from Union President and nationwide
leadership;
Steward:
1. Provides representational service to bargaining unit employees;
2. Works with Chief Steward to address representational issues (e.g., changes in working
conditions, grievances, work schedules, etc.);
3. Seeks guidance from leadership when needed;
4. Stays on top of deadlines (bargaining, grievances, ULP's, etc.);
5. Reads/responds to email queries and surveys from Union President and nationwide
leadership;
6. Communicates with employees - informing employees of issues and gathering
input/feedback, forwards appropriate emails from Union leadership, and distributes
newsletter;
7. Communicates with and informs local leadership on bargaining unit issues/employee
concerns;
8. Reads/responds to email queries and surveys from Union President and nationwide
leadership;
Webmaster:
both the representational content and the portions of the website that deal with
internal union business.
Editor:
1. Assists with creating, writing, editing, and layout of website, newsletter, and
handouts. Solicits articles and input, gathers information, and sees that printing and
distribution are effectively and efficiently done.
Maintaining the Membership List:
Note: duties involving the Union membership list are internal Union business and cannot be conducted on official (work) time. They should be performed on breaks or lunch, or before/after work.
The Secretary is responsible for maintaining an updated list of dues-paying Union members.
Members are responsible for alerting the Secretary of address, email or phone number changes.
The list is vitally important as it used for the election of officers. It is also utilized to update the Chapter membership email distribution list. which send newsletters and benefits information to the dues-paying Union members.
Maintaining membership email distribution list:
The email distribution list is currently maintained by the President at his residence, pending contract negotiations in which the Chapter will request that key leadership within the labor organization be granted access and rights to Windows Live programming, email, etc at the worksite.
The Chapter President and Secretary are listed as the “owners” of the list, meaning they can update the lists by adding or subtracting names.
These lists are vital tools for communication to the membership. They must only be used for Union purposes.
Representational messages can be sent on work time, during approved official time, while messages relating to internal Union business must be sent during personal time, such as breaks or lunch.
Union Officials Listing:
The Employer will recognize elected union officers and appointed representatives throughout the bargaining unit. The Union will supply the Employer in writing, and will maintain on a current basis, a list of the Union officials. At a minimum, the list shall be forwarded to the Employer on a semi-annual basis. The list will identify the group of bargaining unit employees each official is designated to represent.
The Officer List is a useful tool for Stewards. Questions and concerns can be shared with fellow Union representatives in other locations, and oftentimes you will find that others have faced the same problems or dealt with the similar issues that you have. Other officers may contact you for your help and guidance, and to share your experiences. No one is expected to have all of the answers, and just as the Union derives its strength from the solidarity of its members, the officer corps should draw its strength from each other.
Bulletin Board:
All facilities with membership should have a Union bulletin board;
a. Bulletin board space of approximately 24" by 36" for posting notices and literature, limited to Chapter use only, will be made available at each location.
b. The Union is responsible for posting and maintaining material on its bulletin boards in an orderly manner.
c. The Union agrees that all material posted on union bulletin boards will be appropriate for a professional work place, be factually correct, and will comply with all applicable laws.
d. All postings will be marked prominently as "Union Notices", and only the designated bulletin boards will be used for such postings.
e. Management has the right to remove any union material not posted in accordance with the provisions of this Section, but only after consultation with the POC for the material.
Some items that should be posted on the bulletin board include:
The name of our Union : “Kentucky Long Rifle Chapter (ACT)”
Our website: www.klrc83.com
The names, phone numbers, and email addresses of labor organization officials
The Union officer list (see above)
The latest newsletter
Other items you may want to consider posting include:
Benefits information
Announcements from ACT National and the Chapter
The Chapter calendar
Union-Management Council meeting minutes
Grievances – but only if all private or confidential information is protected
Relevant news information (e.g., pay increase, salary tables, etc.)
Publishing the Union newsletter:
The Union President and the Editor are responsible for publishing the Union ’s newsletter – KLRC83 News. However, they cannot update it unless the Union Stewards communicate what is happening in their areas. If there are stories or photos regarding any representational or internal Union business function in your area, then forward them to the Union President and the Editor for possible inclusion in the next newsletter. It is important to email not just successes but failures as well, and not just issues with outcomes but also issues that are of concern.
Updating the Union website:
The Union Webmaster, currently the Chapter President, is responsible for maintaining and updating the Union website – www.klrc83.com. But, as with the newsletter, if he does not hear from you then that prevents helpful information from being shared. If there are stories or issues from your office that may be useful to post on the website, email the Webmaster with information on them. Also, if you have photos (e.g., from a membership drive), then forward them to the Webmaster as well.
As with the newsletter and other matters, the success of any Union endeavor is due to the work of many people.