Stewards: Employees or Union Appointees?

Question: The Chicago Carpenters Union has demanded that a job steward be hired by a contractor who is signatory to the Carpenters agreement. The contractor’s position is that, if a steward is necessary, it wants it to be an existing employee. The union disagrees and demands they hire a new employee. Does the union have the contractual right to make the demand? 

Answer: The union has the right to place, or replace, any steward, at any time. The MARBA Carpenters contract requires that a job steward shall be a working carpenter (i.e., the steward is competent to perform the work to be done) and that in selecting a steward, preference will be given to bargaining unit members already employed at the site. If the business representative states that no currently employed bargaining unit member is competent to act as steward, then he must provide the contractor a reason why that carpenter is not competent. In such case, the steward may be selected by the business representative of the union from outside the bargaining unit (except on a pile driving crew). The issue of whether the employer can be required to layoff an existing carpenter and hire an employee designated by the union as a steward remains as an area of dispute between the Builders Association and the union.