HOW TO BE A
CARPENTER SHOP STEWARD
what they DON'T teach you in shop steward training
By Gregory A. Butler, local 608 carpenter
One of the most important responsibilities of a rank and file union carpenter is being a job steward. However, carpenters recive very inadequate training for this important and potentially very influential jobsite post. Basically, the DC tells you to fill out your shop steward time sheet, do what the contractor tells you to do, and, if there is a problem, call the Buisness Agent.
The reason for this is that the BAs know what a force for change a good, millitant shop steward can be on a site. Also, the BAs sometimes use steward positions on big, long term jobs as a bribe for cronies, so they really don't want millitants as shoppies. And, unfortunately, some members look upon the steward position as an opportunity to get paid and not have to work too hard, and be able to get drunk at lunchtime and leave early on Fridays without being punished.
But, a good steward should never have that mentality. I have worked much of the last year as a steward on Furniture and Archetectural Metal jobs around Manhattan, I've learned from the positive examples of other stewards, and the negative, and I've come up with some ideas of my own. So, here is some thoughts on what a carpenter shop steward needs to do on a site.
1) CARDING: It is very important to verify that every carpenter on the site, ESPECIALLY THE CARPENTERS WORKING FOR THE CONTRACTOR YOU ARE THE STEWARD OF, are actually members of the union. This is especially true of newly organized contractors, or companies that are double breasted. For the last 3 months, the DC and the locals have been instructing stewards to make sure that every carpenter with their contractor on the site is paid up, and they have sent out the word to remove anybody who doesn't have this quarter's card by the 15th of the month begining the quarter.
Personally, I don't like to break balls on this, as long as they have a valid union card from the previous quarter, I advise them to make sure they get this quarers dues paid ASAP. There has been some unsubstantiated talk about the DC coming out with photo ID cards, but I havn't heard anything official. But, it would make it a lot easier to verify somebody's membership.
It is also important that, if you see another contractor come on the site to do carpenter work, verify if they are union. A lot of times they will bitch, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S COMPANY MEN ON A 2 MAN JOB, but, it is still important to do this. They can ask to see your card, so be prepaired to be carded yourself.
Also, it is very important to verify that the company men on the job are getting the proper carpenter rate and the benifit stamps. So, ask to see the paycheck, and check the stamps also. Some contractors, especially in the furniture buisness, may try to evade this by mailing the company men's checks to their home, so you don't see it.
And, make sure to get everybody's name spelled right, and correct social security number, on the shop steward sheet, and keep a seperate list of all the info, in a notebook that you should keep at home, not on the job. This bookeeping stuff is the least important part of being a steward, but, to the DC,it's the most important. So, take care of it, so they don't have a reason to bitch.
2. CARDING OTHER TRADES : The DC doesn't consider this to be part of the job, but I think it is just as important to protect the other trades as it is to watch out for our work. Especially as the other trades, except for the brickies and the laborers, don't have a shop steward system like we do.
Generally, I don't card non carpenters unless, 1)they are doing work that is ours, or close to our jurisdiction [like telephone installers cutting through ceiling tile, or Ironworkers installing archetectural metalwork, that is, window frames], or 2) the drivers of trucks making deliveries of carpenter material, especially in the case of furniture, where, in New York, the teamsters handle the delivery.
Now, generally, with people from other trades, one thing you can do is, if they are non union, report it to that craft's union. [It's a good idea to get a list of the phone numbers of all the craft unions, so you can call in scab work no matter what craft it is]
As for deliveries, as a rule, almost all tractor trailer drivers these days are NON UNION, unless they are driving for a local lumber yard. The only exception to this is L. J. Kennedy, the private carrier for sheetrock manufacturer USG. Their drivers are in fact teamsters.
Now, at one time, the teamster construction driver local, 282, had a steward system [except for some odd reason their job stewards are called "working teamster foremen", I know not why]. But, since 1997, only jobs that are $5 million plus have a teamster foreman. So, if you don't check the drivers, nobody will.
Also, checking the drivers will clue you in if there is anybody doing carpenter work in the building with non union labor, or with non carpenter union labor.
If they are non union, investigate if the installers of that material are union, and call the driver in to the teamsters. Local 282 covers concrete drivers, local 814 covers movers, local 813 covers private sanitation, and any other material delivery is covered by local 554.
3. WALKAROUNDS : It is a good idea to walk around the entire site [or at least the area of the site that your contractor has work in] at least twice a day. If you are in a situation where your contractor has given you little or no work to do, take advantage of this and do very thorough walkarounds.
If, on the other hand, your boss is tying you down with a lot of work, or isolating you in an area of the site away from where everybody else is, make sure that you walkaround at least twice a day no matter what. If you have to, say you are going to the bathroom, or to get material. If you are getting coffee for the crew, take advantage of that time to walk around.
Keep your eyes open for who is doing carpenter work, what has changed from yesterday, any new arrivals on the site, and what is coming in the loading dock today. Also, watch out for any hazardous conditions that may exist, and make sure that the laborer finds out and corrects them asap.
In occupied buildings, try to develop a good relationship with the building maintenance workers. In New York, many of them are members of local 32b-32j, SEIU, or they used tobe, and they can be your eyes and ears. This is especially useful for finding about deliveries that happened when you wern't there, deliveries that are scheduled to come in, and who is working on other floors in the building.
Also, get familliar with your site. Find out when the job started, when it's going to end, who the tenant is, what other contractors are there, where the first aid kit is, if there is drinking water on the site, and if so where it is, if there are regular bathrooms on the site, and if so where they are, and so forth.
4. OTHER CARPENTER STEWARDS : On a lot of New York sites, you may find yourself one of a number of carpenter stewards. Take advantage of this, compare notes with them, if there is a problem, make sure they know about it, it can be very helpful to put your heads together to solve problems that come up. Often more helpful than calling the buisness agent, who, more often than not, will tell you that "nothing can be done".
The laborers and bricklayers unions have job steward systems, like we do, so get to know their stewards also. Even if there isn't a laborer steward, get to know the laborers, especially their foreman. This is very important on concrete jobs, where we are working side by side with the laborers. Again, they can be your eyes and ears and can really help you.
Also, try to stay on friendly terms with the other trades, also, especially the electricans and the painters. Remember, no matter what it says on our union card, we're all brothers and sisters. Also, if other trades approach you with a problem, help them to the extent that you can, don't have a "that's not my job" attitude to other trades labor disputes. Remember, the other trades aren't the enemy, the contractors are.
5. TO WORK, OR NOT TO WORK : We are supposed to be working shop stewards, and, after we complete what the contract calls "the work of the district council", then we are supposed to do whatever work the contractor asks us to. And, I belive that carpenter stewards should do our work, provided that the foreman has given us sufficient time to do the steward function. And, of course, if you have a big crew, or the site is very large, as a practical matter you aren't going to have much time to do production, but it's important to do what you can.
Remember, the steward isn't there to hang out, or to leave early, or to take hour and a half lunches in the bar, or to be hanging out by the table saw when everybody else is sweating and grunting up on the deck.
If you are in a situation where the contractor has given you little or nothing to do, take advantage of that and do very thorough walkarounds and go around to all the carpenters who are working and see what is happening.
Because, most of the time, when they don't give you anything to do, they are trying to buy your silence.
Also, try to avoid situations where you get perks for being steward, like not having to go on the deck on a concrete job, or doing the cornerbead on a sheetrock job when everybody else is humping 80 boards a day, or leaving early, or taking long lunches, or drinking/drug use on the site, or, and this is the worse, having the contractor hire your sons, daughters or other relatives.
All these situations are likely to manipulate you to overlook contractor abuses, so don't ask for favors [ESPECIALLY DON'T TRY TO GET YOUR KIDS or other relatives ON THE CONTRACTORS PAYROLL], because it'll make you weaker as a steward. You owe them now, and they own you. You don't want to be there. That's not what being a steward is all about.
Incedentally, a lot of times the BAs will get their friends and cronies into long term steward jobs, especially on hirise concrete and hirise core or tenant work drywall jobs. And the BAs friends will ASK FOR AND EXPECT THE PERKS I DESCRIBED ABOVE. As a rule, they don't do a damn thing for the brothers and sisters on the site. And that's not the kind of steward you want to be.
6. WHAT TO DO IF SOMEBODY GETS CUT : As we all know, in construction, anybody can get laid off at any time for any reason. This, incedentally, is totally alien to how unions function in other sectors of the economy. And, the union really doesn't care, as long as the person laid off is replaced by a union member "obtained from the same source" [that is, a company man replaced by a company man, and a local man replaced by a local man]. But, just because that's what the BAs think, doesn't mean that's what you should think.
As a rule, try to find out as soon as possible when somebody is going to get cut, and, as soon as you know, warn them. Most of the time, the contractor doesn't want them to know until the last minute, but, that's what THEY want, not what YOU want.
Find out why they want to cut that carpenter. If it is legit, like somebody who doesn't show up for work, or is high on the job, or assaulted a coworker, or sexually harassed a female carpenter or another female from another trade, or just generally didn't do any work, than you should make sure that they have that person's check, and the correct amount of stamps and that they get laid off an hour before the end of the workday.
If it is a bullshit layoff, though, try to stop it. If, for example, a carpenter does their work, and it's all securely fastened, plumb and level, and they keep moving all day, but the contractor is a whip cracking sheetrock or concrete outfit, and they think that carpenter works "too slow"; or, if everybody else drinks on the job, and the laborers even bring beer at coffee time, but one particular carpenter gets laid off for "drinking on the job", or if the contractor doesn't like having women, or Blacks, or Hispanics or older carpenters; then you should do everything in your power to keep them on the job. If they do get cut, call the BA right away, and advise them to do the same. Worse comes to worse, if it's a clearcut race or age discrimination thing, advise them to call EEOC right away and sue.
Which leads us right to the next segment:
7 ADVOCATING AND AGITATING : The most important thing you can do as a shop steward to improve conditions on a job is to mobilize the other local carpenters on that job. Together, you can make a lot of changes and improvements, weather they are in the contract, or not.
I've personally seen it happen, I worked for a recently turned furniture contractor J & E Enterprises, last August, and, because the 7 brothers and 1 sister from the hall stuck together, we got two coffee breaks per day, plus one extra break on OT, we got the super and the salesman to stop cracking the whip, we got the company men paid the proper scale and the stamps, instead of the $11 an hour they had been getting previously, and we put a buzz in the ear of the non union movers and helpers about how much more money they'd be making if they were in the union. All because everybody from the hall on that job stuck together.
This is the key to making any kind of changes on the site. I've heard about a case on a sheetrock job in Rhode Island where they were cutting carpenters who couldn't make the production quota [incedentally, the hall will never tell you this, but production quotas are forbidden by our international constitution, the DC and local bylaws, and the contract, but tell that to the sheetrock contractors]. So, all the local men got together, slowed the job down, and, since they couldn't LAY EVERYBODY OFF, the contractor had to back down. If more sheetrockers and concrete guys and gals did that, then maybe those segments of the industry would be less abusive than it is today.
Basically, it's something called "solidarity", something we don't hear a lot about in the trades, and it works. You can move mountains.
On a job where it's all company men, and you are the only person from the hall, as often happens in the furniture and archetectural metals industries, where I work, or in woodwork, there is a lot less you can do in this department. Often, all you can do is "carry the flag" and make sure nobody is working for cash.
But, on sheetrock, ceiling and concrete jobs, where there are still many local men and local women, [despite the weakening of the hall in recent years] or on the odd furniture, glass or woodwork jobs where there are a lot of local carpenters, you can really kick ass. And, of course, don't limit yourself to what's in the contract, ask for whatever you need, and are strong enough to take, from the contractor.
So, that's a little bit of what you need to know to be a carpenter shop steward in New York.
Thats it for now.
Be union, work safe.