Know the contract and work rules as they apply to all of the groups represented on the property . In most cases, a steward may be called upon to represent another craft in an emergency situation such as I described above. These disciplinary situations are governed by rules that usually apply across job titles so that you can easily represent a member from a different craft than your own. Make sure the members know who is covering each shift so that do not go unrepresented . Members must also know their rights to representation so that management cannot use the old trick that there was no appropriately titled steward on duty to call in.
Stewards are like deputies in the old movie westerns.
They all have the badge and the authority to speak for the union in these matters. Stewards should talk to each other . If someone comes to a steward who is covering another group, that steward should inform the other steward so that they work out a proper strategy for representing the member. Sharing information is critical to proper representation of the membership. Stewards should have regular group meetings with the chief steward and other union officers to iron out troublesome issues and keep the union informed about problem areas.