Tips for the interview

Meet privately with the employee prior to going into the meeting.

Caution the employee to watch what they say because it really may be ( and very often is ) used against them.

Remind the employee to keep the answers short and avoid volunteering any information. If they don’t know the answers, they should say so and should not speculate.

Remind the employee to stay calm and reasonable.

Be reassuring! The union is there to help. Stewards can serve as a witness to prevent supv/investigators from giving a false account of the conversation.

Introduce yourself and shake hands with everyone in the room. You need to know their names for your notes, and it establishes you as their equal.

Be polite-at least initially. If the situation warrants, you can express anger or disgust, but always remain professional.

TAKE GOOD NOTES OF WHAT IS SAID AND BY WHOM!

Don’t let the supv harass, abuse, or intimidate the person you’re representing. You can do this by saying, “ Don’t interrupt, he’s trying to answer your question.” Or “I’m afraid we can’t continue with the meeting if your going to shout.”

CONFIDENTIALITY!!! Being called upon as a SHOP STEWARD also means protecting our members privacy. Don’t air someone’s dirty laundry.