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March 2010

-3/1 - 3/5:  NEMSA Waterbury Contract Negotiations

-3/4:  NEMSA Pro Transport-1 Contract Negotiations

-3/23:  NEMSA Pro Transport-1 Contract Negotiations

-3/30 - 3/31:  NEMSA Pro Transport-1 Contract Negotiations

April 2010

-4/1:  NEMSA Northern California Chief Shop Stewards Council

ARCHIVED CALENDAR EVENTS

February 2010

-2/1 - 2/4:  NEMSA Riverside CCT Contract Negotiations

-2/9:  NEMSA Stanislaus County/AMR Restructuring Meeting

-2/11:  NEMSA BOD Meeting, Modesto 1000 hrs

-2/15 - 2/19:  NEMSA Waterbury Contract Negotiations

-2/22 - 2/26:  NEMSA Riverside Contract Negotiations

January 2010

-1/4 - 1/8:  NEMSA San Mateo ALS Contract Negotiations

-1/6 - 1:7:  NEMSA Springfield Communications Contract Negotiations

-1/11 -1/15:  NEMSA Riverside Contract Negotiations

-1/19:  NEMSA Northern California Chief Stewards Council - Modesto CA

-1/21:  NEMSA BOD Meeting - Modesto, CA - Postponed to 2/11/10

-11/30 - 12/4: NEMSA Riverside Contract Negotiations

-12/2:  NEMSA Northeast Refresher Shop Steward Training - NE

-12/5:  NEMSA Northeast Refresher Shop Steward Training - NE

-12/8:  Northern California Core LMC

-12/14 - 12/18:  NEMSA Waterbury Contract Negotiations

-12/28 - 12/30:  NEMSA Riverside CCT Contract Negotiations

November 2009

-11/2 - 11/3:  NEMSA Springfield CA Communications Contract Negotiations

-11/12:  NEMSA Northern California Shop Steward Training 0900-1300, NEMSA Corporate Office - Modesto

-11/16 - 11/20:  NEMSA Riverside CCT Contract Negotiations

-11/18:  NEMSA Waterbury Shop Steward Training - 1700-2300hrs, Holiday Inn Express Southington

-11/21:  NEMSA Waterbury Shop Steward Training - TBA

-11/30 - 12/4: NEMSA Riverside Contract Negotiations

October 2009

-10/5 10/9:  NEMSA Ft Wayne Healthcare Negotiations w/ Paramedics Plus

-10/12 - 10/16:  NEMSA Riverside Contract Negotiations

-10/20:  NEMSA Northern California Chief Shop Stewards Council - Livermore 1000-1500

-10/22:  NEMSA BOD Meeting - Corporate Office, Modesto CA

-10/27:   NEMSA Northern California Shop Steward Refresher Course - Santa Clara

-10/28:  NEMSA Northern California Shop Steward Refresher Course - SF / Bay Area

-10/29:  NEMSA Northern California Shop Steward Refresher Course - Oakland

-10/30:  NEMSA Northern California Shop Steward Refresher Course - Sacramento

September 2009

-08/31 - 9/4:  NEMSA San Mateo ALS Contract Negotiations

-9/8 - 9/11:   NEMSA Springfield MA Comm Contract Negotiations

-09/8:  NEMSA Northern California "Core" LMC

-09/8:  NEMSA Northern California Chief Shop Stewards Council 1300-1700

-09/15 - 9/18:  NEMSA Riverside CCT Contract Negotiations

-09/21 - 9/25:  NEMSA Riverside Contract Negotiations

-9/28 - 9/30:  NEMSA Springfield MA Communications Contract Negotiations

-9/29:  NEMSA Northern California Shop Steward Refresher Course - Stockton

August 2009

-8/5:   NEMSA Board of Directors Meeting

-08/10:  NEMSA San Diego LMC

-08/13:  NEMSA Northern California:  Shop Steward Training - Alameda County 0900-1700

-08/28:  NEMSA Riverside Contract Negotiation Prep Day

July 2009

-7/1:   NEMSA Western MA / CT Shop Steward Training - 0800-1600 - Bloomfield Volunteer Ambulance, Bloomfield CT

-07/7 - 7/10:  NEMSA Springfield Communications Contract Negotiations

-07/22:  NEMSA Northern California Core LMC 1200hrs

-07/28:  NEMSA Northern California Chief Stewards Council

June 2009

-6/9:   NEMSA Northern California "Core" LMC - Cancelled

-6/8 - 6/12:  NEMSA Riverside CCT Contract Negotiations

-06/15:  NEMSA Great Falls Contract Negotiations

-06/24:  NEMSA Riverside Shop Steward Training

May 2009

- 5/3:  NEMSA Greater Hartford Stewards Council - 1600hrs, Bloomfield Vol. Ambulance

- 5/4 - 5/8:  NEMSA  Riverside CCT Contract Negotiations

- 5/15:  NEMSA  San Diego LMC

- 5/19 - 5/21:  NEMSA  Northeast Contract Negotiations

April 2009

- 4/7 - 4/9:  NEMSA NE Contract Negotiations

- 4/13:  NEMSA Northern California "Valley" Shop Steward Training - 0930-1700 - Stockton

- 4/16:  NEMSA Northern California Stanislaus County Shop Steward Meeting - NEMSA National Office 1000 hrs.

- 4/17:  NEMSA Northern California LMC

- 4/21 - 4/23:  NEMSA Springfield Comm Contract Negotiations

- 4/28:  NEMSA  Northern California "Core" Stewards Council

March 2009

- 3/2 - 3/6:  NEMSA NE Contract Negotiations

- 3/10:  NEMSA Northern California Labor Management

- 3/9 - 3/10:  NEMSA Greater Hartford Contract Negotiations

- 3/18:  NEMSA Great Falls MT Contract Negotiations

- 3/27:  Northern California Shop Steward Training

February 2009

- 2/2:  NE Contract Bargaining Team Prep Meeting

- 2/2:  NEMSA Riverside Shop Steward Election Results Meeting - Public Counting Session.  Holiday Inn Express Colton 1600-2100

- 2/3 - 2/5:  NE Contract Negotiations

- 2/5:  NEMSA Hartford Contract Negotiations

- 2/7:  NEMSA Shop Steward Training Course, Northern California - Location Sonoma County TBA

- 2/10:  NEMSA Shop Steward Training Course, Northern California - Location Sonoma County TBA

- 2/17 - 2/19:  Southern California Shop Steward Training For San Diego, N. Hollywood, and Riverside - Holiday Inn Express Colton CA Conference Room 0900-1700

- 2/18:  Fort Wayne IN Shop Steward Training

- 2/23:  Northern California Article 24 Meeting - AMR Livermore:  Sonoma AM, Stanislaus PM

- 2/24:  Northern California Article 24 Meeting - AMR Livermore:  LifeCom AM, Santa Clara PM

-  2/24: NEMSA Pierce County WA LMC

- 2/25:  NEMSA Pierce County WA Shop Steward Training

- 2/24 - 2/26:  NEMSA Springfield Communications Negotiations

- 2/28:  Northern California Article 24 Meeting - AMR Livermore:  Alameda (all day)

January 2009

- 1/06: Northern California "Core" LMC - cancelled by AMR, Reschedule of LMC Pending...

- 1/14: Hartford CT Shop Steward Training, Bloomfield Ambulance 0900-1700

- 1/19 - 1/23: NEMSA Hartford CT Contract Negotiations

- 1/19 - 1/23: NEMSA Springfield MA Communications Contract Negotiations

- 1/27: Core Stewards Council, 10am Livermore CA

-1/27: Greater Hartford Emergency Shop Steward Meeting - 1830 Hours - Bloomfield Volunteer Ambulance

- 1/29: NEMSA Board Of Directors Meeting 1000hrs

- 12/4:  Northern California - Contra Costa County Shop Steward Training

- 12/8:  NLRB Representational Hearing REMS Flint Michigan

- 12/11 - 12/12:  NEMSA Great Falls MT Contract Negotiations

- 12/15 - 12/18:  NEMSA Hartford CT Contract Negotiations

- 12/17:  Pierce County LMC - cancelled due to weather

- 12/17:  NEMSA Pierce County Shop Steward Training - rescheduled for January 2009 due to weather - new dates will be announced soon!

December 2009
How to join NEMSA
The Rights of A Shop Steward

The NEMSA Shop Steward is the eyes, ears, and hands of NEMSA.  The NEMSA Shop Steward is the local face and voice of NEMSA in the workplace.  And as a Shop Steward You Have Rights!

The origins of these rights are found in law (especially the National Labor Relations Act) and in decisions of the Supreme Court and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

These legal rights include, but are not limited to, a general principle of equal status with management when functioning as Steward; a right to solicit grievances; and a right to active participation in a Weingarten setting.

The General Principle of Equal Status With Management

By its very nature, a Steward’s job requires vigorous advocacy, even confrontation. Confrontation, however, conflicts with the usual rules of employee conduct, which stress obedience to supervisors. (Virtually all arbitrators subscribe to the "obey now - grieve later" rule as it applies to employees.) If Stewards had to live by these rules, they would be in a hopeless situation. They would be faced with a choice of not being an effective advocate, or risk being disciplined.

The NLRB and the courts have recognized this problem and have created a special legal status for Stewards when they engage in union business - they are considered to be equals with management.   The NLRB has stated: The relationship at a grievance meeting is not a "master-servant" relationship but a relationship between company advocates on the one side and union advocates on the other side, engaged as equal opposing parties in litigation.

In a similar vein, the US Supreme Court has said the National Labor Relations Act contemplates robust debate and gives a union license to use intemperate, abusive, or insulting language without fear of restraint or penalty if it believes such rhetoric to be an effective means to make its point.

There are two important limits to the equality principle. First, conduct by a Steward which the NLRB considers outrageous or indefensible is not protected. Second, the equality principle only applies when the Steward is acting in an official capacity.

Outrageous or indefensible conduct includes extreme unprovoked profanity, racial slurs, physical threats, or striking a supervisor.

The equality principle only applies when the Steward is acting in a role as Steward, i.e., presenting a grievance or requesting information. The principle does not apply when the Steward is not acting in the capacity of Steward.

 

As a NEMSA Shop Steward You Have:

The right to solicit grievances. There is a common belief among managers that union Stewards may not solicit grievances, that they may file grievances only if employees complain and ask them to file. This notion is false. The NLRB has specifically ruled, The solicitation of grievances is a protected activity for stewards as well as other employees.

The right to active participation in a Weingarten setting. The Supreme Court held, in a case known as Weingarten, that an employee who is being questioned by management, and who has a reasonable belief that discipline may ensue, has a right to representation prior to answering questions. The right must be invoked by the employee. A Steward has no right to invoke it for the employee. In other words, the employee must request a Steward.

However, once an employee invokes Weingarten, and a Steward is brought in, the Steward has a right to assist and counsel the employee.

Management sometimes asserts that the Steward may only be a silent witness. This is simply wrong. The Steward has the following rights:

  • When the Steward arrives, the supervisor must inform the Steward of the subject matter of the interview.
  • The Steward must be allowed to take the employee aside for a private pre-interview conference.
  • The Steward must be allowed to speak during the interview.
  • The Steward has the right to request that the supervisor clarify a question so that the employee understands what is being asked.
  • After a question is asked, the Steward can give advice on how to answer.
  • When the questioning ends, the Steward can provide additional information to the supervisor.
  • It should be noted that, if the Weingarten rules are complied with, Stewards do not have the right to tell workers not to answer questions.
 
NEMSA Labor Relations Representative Jeff Misner training Shop Stewards in the NEMSA Northeast shop. Shop Stewards go through extensive training and frequent refresher and update courses to best represent NEMSA members.
 
Steward Rights and Weingarten Rights.pdf
20 Mistakes Shop Stewards Make But Shouldnt.pdf
10 mistakes a shop steward should never make.pdf
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