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Shop steward skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical shop steward skills. We ranked the top skills for shop stewards based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 45.7% of shop steward resumes contained safety standards as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a shop steward needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 shop steward skills for your resume and career

1. Safety Standards

Here's how shop stewards use safety standards:

Maintained, repaired and altered facilities to retain safety standards and maximize operations.
Exceeded specifications and maintained high safety standards.

2. Disciplinary Actions

Disciplinary actions refer to a corrective measure taken against an employee for unsatisfactory behavior. Many work environments have a tiered system for disciplinary action, where the first warning is verbal and the second is written. Disciplinary action may be given after a weak performance review, a violation of company rules and policies, or a poor customer review.

Here's how shop stewards use disciplinary actions:

Provided union representation in disciplinary actions taken against members within local division, including negotiating with management and filing grievances.
Advised members of their union rights when they faced discipline or the threat of disciplinary actions.

3. Grievance Process

Here's how shop stewards use grievance process:

Supervised the employee grievance process, and mediated employee / upper management disputes through the utilization of the conflict resolution process.
Adjusted grievances on the shop floor and at the initial stages of the grievance process.

4. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how shop stewards use payroll:

Managed all aspects of busy office including data entry, filing, payroll, taxes, answering phones and ordering supplies.
Worked as steward keeping a weekly payroll report for wages and fringe benefits.

5. Contract Negotiations

When a contract is negotiated, an agreement is reached on a series of legally binding terms before it is signed and made official. Two or more parties agree on the terms of their relationship. When negotiating a contract, the focus is usually on risk and return.

Here's how shop stewards use contract negotiations:

Involve in grievance, contract negotiations, and act as mediator to employees when reprimanded or fired.
Help in contract negotiation between the company and union workers.

6. Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is an often necessary skill in business, employed for processes such as contract negotiations, legal matters, and even personal, emotional situations and conflicts. It is the ability to find and create an appropriate and peaceful solution to some sort of dilemma or argument in which two or more parties are involved. The resolution itself must benefit and satisfy all parties and this is what makes it so difficult to reach a peaceful point sometimes.

Here's how shop stewards use conflict resolution:

Shop steward, chosen by the chief steward, to negotiate union-company contract, grievances, and employee/management conflict resolution.
Compile facts and claims from both sides to help with conflict resolution.

7. CDL

Here's how shop stewards use cdl:

Trained and supervised new employees, and maintained CDL and state inspection records.

8. Safety Issues

Safety issues entail any report, occurrence, violation, or action that could lead to a negative impact on the physical well-being of a person, product, or environment.

Here's how shop stewards use safety issues:

Handled jurisdictional disputes and safety issues.
Attended safety meetings and addressed safety issues and concerns.

9. Collective Bargaining Agreements

Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, is the collective agreement reached between an employer and the union --that is, employee-members of that union basically on terms and conditions of employment including wages and salaries, working hours, benefits, health and safety policies, and many more.

Here's how shop stewards use collective bargaining agreements:

Develop an understanding of the collective bargaining agreement, organizing meetings, explaining policy and providing updated information as needed.
Assisted union members in understanding the collective bargaining agreement and interpreted clauses that affected both labor and management actions.

10. Troubleshoot

Troubleshooting is the process of analyzing and fixing any kind of problem in a system or a machine. Troubleshooting is the detailed yet quick search in the system for the main source of an issue and solving it.

Here's how shop stewards use troubleshoot:

Maintain and troubleshoot tenant PTACs during the summer season, thereby reducing third party maintenance costs.

11. Arbitration

Here's how shop stewards use arbitration:

Experienced in arbitration and grievance procedures.
Negotiate with management by way of informal talks with supervisors to arbitration hearings, formal contract bargaining and labor/management committee assignments.

12. Executive Board

Here's how shop stewards use executive board:

Notified the Executive Board members of an unsatisfactory working condition and provided resolutions in accordance with OSHA's rules and regulations.
Served on the N.Y. Guild's executive board for almost 20 years and as its Local Chairperson from 2010-12.

13. EEO

Here's how shop stewards use eeo:

Analyze EEO laws, regulations and guidance to determine acceptability or to recommend dismissal of a formal Equal Employment Opportunity complaint.
Investigated EEO complaints and successfully assisted the Business Manager for the union in bringing two cases to federal trial.

14. Safety Regulations

Here's how shop stewards use safety regulations:

Conduct inspections of work environments and job practices to ensure compliance with trade agreements and safety regulations.
Disposed of hazardous/toxic waste appropriately following environmental safety regulations.

15. Local Laws

Here's how shop stewards use local laws:

Ensured that the firm was in compliance with all federal, state and local laws and regulations.
Monitored and enforced the provisions of the CBA, and ensured employer compliance with federal, state and local laws.

What skills help Shop Stewards find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

List of shop steward skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a shop steward resume and required skills for a shop steward to have include:

Safety Standards
Disciplinary Actions
Grievance Process
Payroll
Contract Negotiations
Conflict Resolution
CDL

Safety Issues
Collective Bargaining Agreements
Troubleshoot
Arbitration
Executive Board
EEO
Safety Regulations

Local Laws
NYC
Mediate
Safety Policies
Labor Contracts
Labor Agreements

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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