Your Shop Steward - The First Line of Defense

The Shop Steward is your on location link to Local 27. The Shop Steward is a Union member who is knowledgeable of your contract language and your  rights. He/she should be the first person with whom you should address a concern or problem if you don't feel comfortable approaching a  supervisor.

Your Shop Steward should play a key role in your workplace  life. This representative of your Union can help you solve job related  problems. Do you feel you have been treated or disciplined unjustly?  Your Shop Steward can help you file a formal grievance, see to it that  it is called to the attention of management, and can aggressively seek  an immediate settlement.

Your Shop Steward is there to help you and to answer  questions about your contract. If your Shop Steward is not available,  you can still call and speak to the Service Representative on duty in  the Baltimore office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. We do ask that if  you have been suspended or terminated you notify your Service  Representative or the Representative on duty as soon as possible because contracts usually limit the number of days within which you can start  the grievance procedure. Other job related issues and problems should be addressed first with your Shop Steward if possible.

If you don't know who your Shop Steward is, ask your  fellow workers. In very exceptional circumstances, you may be in a work  place where a Shop Steward has left and a new one has not been named. If that is the case, call the Local 27 office. In new stores/plants, a  Shop Steward is usually in place within 90 days.