Following are some helpful tips about what to expect when you become a steward:

• Chances are your contract has lots of tricky spots.  Don’t expect to master it all at once – ask for help from other stewards and local union leaders.
• As a steward, you’ll end up seeing people at their worst – when they’ve made bad mistakes and are in deep trouble.  Expect to have your compassion and patience tested day after day – and try to understand and empathize with other people as much as you can.
• Hard as it may be to believe, the union doesn’t have a lock on Truth and Justice.  People, being human, make mistakes.  You may have to admit to making a few mistakes yourself.  But don’t let a temporary setback discourage you from continuing the fight.