Elected or appointed co-workers who work with the Business Agent regarding Union matters in the workplace.

Shop Stewards are the most important contact between the employees and their Union. The role of Shop Stewards is integral to the Union Members and the Business Agents, by representing the Members at each workplace location. The duties of the Shop Steward include informing new Members about the Union and it's activities, along with an explanation of the Collective Agreement. It also means the Shop Steward has the right to attend any meetings between individual Members and management whenever asked, especially if the grievance is of a disciplinary matter, it also encompasses taking details of employee complaints, if they are safety or contractual in nature.

General Teamsters, Local Union No. 362 arrange Shop Steward Seminars every year in Calgary, Edmonton and Fort McMurray to assist in understanding the role of a Shop Steward. Along with the attendance of the Business Agents at the seminar, Teamster Canada's Educational Department send a lawyer to each of these two day seminars to explain the legalitites and process of a Collective Agreement. There is such great interest in these Seminars that we are looking to see if they can be held in other locations in Alberta.

Many of the stewards who attend these Seminars, return each year along with new Shop Stewards, learning something of value each time they attend. At the end of the Seminar the stewards are awarded a certification indicating that they have attended and passed the Teamsters Shop Steward Seminar along with a Shop Steward Handbook. In the case of a person being elected or appointed as Shop Steward prior to the Seminar, the Calgary, Edmonton and Fort McMurray offices have several Shop Steward Handbooks available for reference.