Because shop stewards are the union’s first line of defense against management efforts to ignore contractual obligations, Local 237 offered classes at union headquarters to acquaint new stewards with some the responsibilities of their elected positions.

The training classes ran from 6 - 9 p.m. on three succeeding Wednesdays in March. Donald Arnold, assistant director of the Citywide Division, and Business Agent Noreen Hollingsworth conducted the first two sessions for Citywide members.

The first two sessions for Housing Division members were conducted by Business Agent Bernard McSorley, who is also director of health and safety for the Local.

The final sessions, at which the new stewards received certificates of course completion, were conducted by Mal Patterson, deputy director of the Citywide Division, and Edmund Kane, director of the Housing Division.

Shop stewards are democratically elected by their fellow union members. The newly-elected shop stewards participated in a series of classes consisting of lectures, role playing, and information sourcing. The overall approach places a heavy emphasis on the fundamentals of good communication in the workplace.