Case Study: Communication skills course for union stewards

The Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU), Local 459 (Manitoba), carried out an extensive needs assessment of the communication skills necessary for participation in union activities. The union also wanted to identify barriers that prevented members from participating fully in union activities. One program suggested by the needs assessment was a communication course for union stewards.

The union was in a state of transition when the education initiative began. Long-standing practice had the stewards referring all major complaints from the shop floor to the central office staff. During contract negotiations a lack of day-to-day experience solving shop floor problems often left the stewards unprepared and unwilling to participate in shaping union demands and strategies. New union management supported a less centralized system that would use more of the experience, skills, and dedication of the stewards In problem solving and contract negotiations.

The first step for the project steering committee was to research, define, and draft new job duties for stewards and Joint Council (executive) representatives. A literacy task analysis of the new duties, with further input from a Joint Council retreat, defined the needs.

Union members identified speaking, listening, and writing as key communication skills in which they could use improvement. Stewards would have to provide accurate information on health and safety, be effective on the shop floor and in Joint Council meetings, deal with supervisors, and participate actively in union meetings.

In a focus group, stewards who signed up for the program were asked to identify their personal learning priorities for communication skills, as well as job situations requiring these skills. Their input was used with the results of the other investigations to draft the course outline.

The strategy was to improve union participation through developing communication skills as well as thinking and problem-solving skills related to union activities. Following are listed some of the specific objectives for participants in the education program.