UFCW 227 Stewards are the glue that hold our union together.

As a Steward, you make our contracts meaningful by helping fellow members enforce their contract and defend their rights every day.

UFCW 227’s ability to negotiate good contracts and solve grievances is directly tied to the strength of our membership. That’s why one of the most important jobs of a Steward is to encourage members to become active in our union. 

As the key link in our union, Stewards have many roles outside of enforcing the contract. Stewards are also Organizers, Communicators, Educators and Problem Solvers. Here are some of the many ways you can get involved in helping make our members strong:

Organizer: Winning respect, dignity, good pay, benefits and rights on the job requires power.

  • Welcome new employees and let them know how they can be involved (*We’ll be rolling out a new Orientation Training soon as part of our new Steward training series!)

  • Ask non-members to join the union (Read our article from last month about tips for asking non-members to join.)

  • Find ways to involve more members in union programs and activities such as a member services fundraiser for a co-worker in need or political action events (*As soon as it is safe, we’ll be back to planning events.)

Communicator & Educator: Staying connected to the union and what is going on will help you inform the members at work.

  • Text UFCW227 to 83071 to sign up for important text alerts from us and tell your co-workers to text us too

  • Help us update your co-workers’ contact information with our easy online form

  • Teach co-workers about our union - their contract, member services, discounts and other benefits of union membership (*Want to learn more about union discounts and benefits? Stay tuned for an upcoming training as part of our new ongoing Steward training series!)

  • Challenge members to help make improvements - attending proposal meetings or filing grievances

  • Educate by example by participating in union events and inviting others to join you

Problem Solver: Our job is to get solutions for our members and we have many different tools to get that done.

  • Attend some of our new Steward training sessions, upcoming topics include Orientation, Workers Compensation, Union Discounts and Benefits and Safety

  • Mobilize members to solve problems as a group. If an issue affects a large number of people talk to your union representative about doing a sticker day or petition

  • Hold informal discussions with management and affected workers – the grievance procedure takes time and sometimes the best solution is a quick one

  • Use the grievance procedure to address contract violations

Our union couldn’t do the important work we do for our members without you. Our union Stewards make it possible to give our members the best representation possible. Together, we make life better for the hard working men and women of our union family.