On Saturday, May 9, a packed room of Teamsters 856 stewards from the public and private sector assembled for a training at the Local’s Field Meeting Space in Concord.
The seminar focused on steward basics, including the role of a steward, Weingarten Rights, and grievance handling.
Through hands-on exercises using Teamsters 856 collective bargaining agreements, stewards were able to sharpen their contract research and grievance handling skills.
“It was great to meet stewards from other shops and compare what happens at my workplace with theirs,” said Harmony Santoro, UFCW Trust Funds Steward.
Santoro said that researching other contracts was very insightful, especially as her group prepares to head into negotiations soon.
The seminar was Lita Merritt’s first. She has been a steward at UPS for about six months. “I’m looking forward to taking this information back to work and doing good stuff for my Local,” she said.
Assemblymember Susan Bonilla also stopped by the seminar to talk with the stewards about her bid to become District 7’s next State Senator. Bonilla is facing off against millionaire Steve Glazer, who has indicated that would like to introduce legislation that would severely restrict rights of working people.
In stark contrast, Assemblymember Bonilla has a solid record of standing with working families at the State Capitol – in the last legislative session she voted in favor of Labor 100% of the time.
“Economist after economist tells us, if you want a middle class, you’ve got to have strong Labor,” said Assemblymember Bonilla.
Assemblymember Bonilla also gave special recognition to Mount Diablo School District Steward Bill Donovan, who has spent many hours volunteering for her campaign.
The election will take place on May 19, but ballots have already been sent out to absentee voters in the district.
The Teamsters 856 Field Meeting Space in Concord was established in 2014 and serves as a venue for members in Contra Costa County to hold meetings and meet with their representatives locally.