Your job as a steward is to make sure our union stays strong! Union stewards, more than any other leader or activist within our union, are responsible for energizing and mobilizing the source of our union’s strength: the membership.

The steward is often the one union representative our members see when they are at work. In the eyes of most members, you are UMRFA. So, if they have faith in you, they will have faith in our union.

A steward is more than just a person that explains issues and informs the membership about activities, though. They serve as a two-way communication between our union leadership and our members, and also serve as vital liaisons between our members and management. This two-way communication allows our members to fully participate in our union, leading to more active participation by our membership.  

Union stewards take on a number of roles and functions:

1. You provide leadership in the workplace

2. You organize co-workers to take collective action

3. You communicate with workers, union leaders, and management

4. You educate your co-workers about solidarity, justice, and the importance of political and legislative action

In carrying out each of these tasks to the best of your abilities, you will earn the confidence and respect of your fellow housestaff. And once you have their confidence, you will be able to encourage members to take greater ownership for the future of our union.

Our union’s ability to successfully enforce our contract and continue to negotiate strong collective bargaining agreement in the future depends upon our union’s strength and power. Strength and power derive from a solid foundation of organizing union members and community stakeholders, which increases activism, engagement, and solidarity. 

By allowing engaged members to step into new roles and delegating responsibilities, our union can position itself to build capacity and develop enough power to protect our members and secure the wins we strive for. It also enables us to identify new activists and leaders to continue to build on our successes for the future along with a stronger and more sustainable democratic movement.  

Member activism creates union power in the workplace and in our communities. And a stronger union is better able to fight for improvements in wages, hours, working conditions, staffing levels and more. And none of it is possible without a dedicated, skilled team of stewards!

Any union member can be a union steward!

Union stewards should be members who are respected within their department/specialty and who looking to become more involved in our union and take an active role in representing and defending the interests of fellow housestaff.

The primary purpose of the union steward structure is to be able to easily reach all of our members with effective, one-on-one communication. In order to accomplish this, our Executive Board aims to have at least one Union Steward for every department/specialty, with an ultimate goal of one steward for every 20 housestaff.

The high ratio of Stewards to residents & fellows makes the tasks manageable and creates an opportunity for more people to get involved and become empowered to participate in their union. It also enables a rapid response so that information can be quickly distributed and collected.