Public Employee Press

Local 1549 Shop Steward Training
Moving forward

By JANE LaTOUR

Over 250 Local 1549 shop stewards spent Columbus Day weekend honing their workplace skills.

The Oct. 5-8 conference, coordinated by 2nd Vice President Ralph Palladino, featured a combination of workshops, guest speakers, educational videos and entertainment.

This was the first training conference for Marcia Edward, a new steward at the New York Police Dept.'s 83rd Precinct in Bushwick. "I'm hoping to learn better ways of dealing with situations at my Command," she said.

Xavier Fernandez, a steward at the Human Resources Administration, and Maria Diaz, a steward at Elmhurst Hospital, were also attending their first training conference."I'm learning so much and getting a lot of new information that I can share with other workers," Diaz said.

New stewards got the benefit of networking with experienced hands such as Gene Johnson, a shop steward for over 20 years and a 32-year employee of the NYPD. "I still get a lot of knowledge and I pass it along to my members," he said. "You're never too old to learn."

Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez began the conference by exhorting the stewards to work together.

"You are the front line and it's up to all of us, together, to move our union forward," he said. "You were elected because the members trust you. Now you have to take the tools you get and take them back to the workplace." He pointed out that DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts started out her union career as a shop steward in Chicago.

"You have one of the hardest jobs," Executive Vice President Alma Roper said. "You are the liaison between management, the union and the members. You connect all three-you're the eyes and ears of the union."

Clerical Division Director Renee Gainer shared a message of engagement-that stewards not only have to be involved in dealing with workplace problems and finding solutions, but also need to be informed beyond the workplace. "You have to be engaged in politics and share your knowledge with your members," she said.

Roberts addressed the gathering on Friday evening, noting that, "We are in the biggest struggle of our lifetime, fighting to keep from going backward. We're at a turning point, and we are fighting for future generations."

Cheryl Gordon, executive director of AFSCME's New Jersey Council 1, spoke on Saturday morning about leadership as a bridge that needs to be built between the young and the old.

One of the highlights was a lively game of Family Feud, with Grievance Rep Avery Seawright and Jim Cullen, area field services director for New York State AFSCME, in the role of game show hosts. Eight teams in all stood up to take on the challenge of answering questions about the economy. Seawright, wearing a bright pink tie in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, proved to be an able moderator of the game show, in the first of what will most likely become a Local 1549 tradition.

Throughout the weekend, other speakers shared their expertise and passion with the stewards, including former AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee.

"I can't think of a group I'd rather be with than the strong and determined shop stewards of Local 1549," he said.

On the last morning, the Rev. Al Sharpton electrified the group with his passionate description of the choices facing the nation on Nov. 6. Calling the election "one of the most decisive moments in the history of this country," Sharpton described today's blatant assaults on workers' rights and the current threats to the gains of the civil rights movement.

At the conclusion, stewards took their new educational booklets and materials, their new knowledge of labor law, collective bargaining, worksite mapping and networking skills, along with their action plans and looked forward to heading back to their workplaces.

"We're going to go back home energized and take action," said Recording Secretary Carmen Flores.

"I definitely learned how to be a better steward," said Xavier Fernandez.