These three duties are equally important, but grievance handling is the most visible work for stewards. And for good reason. It gives the worker the support of the whole union when he or she has a dispute with management. This last purpose is an important one.
Nonunion workers are on their own in disputes with management.
It should come as no surprise that many people consider the grievance procedure to be the most important part of the contract. However, not every complaint constitutes a proper grievance. The steward's first action when presented with a complaint is to determine whether it qualifies as a grievance. Determining whether a complaint in one of these areas is a proper grievance is not always simple. You'll need to get all the facts you can before you make your determination.