MPEC Steward Training May 2019

Members were fired up and ready to go at the MPEC Steward Training on Thursday May 30, 2019. The training, held in Baltimore, brought together stewards from across a variety of agencies for an intensive training of how to best serve members of the union on the job. Michael Spiller of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) was the lead facilitator during the training. He covered a number of different intra-office issues and topics. MPEC President Jerry Smith was in attendance and laid out some of the rules and bylaws of the MPEC constitution as well as the responsibilities of stewards.

The union was supported by AFT-Maryland as well. Organizer Aaron Ray and Field Coordinator Frank Pratka  assisted the MPEC staff in organizing and facilitating the steward training. MPEC trained nearly 30 stewards on everything from communication with other workers, developing a timeline for goals, and the role of a steward. The stewards were engaged and attentive as well as creative with the plans they developed and presented to the group that they would take back to their worksites.

AFT-Maryland’s political coordinator, Todd Reynolds joined the training to give stewards an overview of political organizing in the union. MPEC was an active union among the unions of the state federation last legislative session. This was in large part because they needed to protect the negotiated cost of living adjustment (COLA) increase, which the union did. Members will receive a COLA increase in July of 2019.

2019-06-03