Every union steward knows that stress is built
into the job. You work closely with
other people to try to resolve their problems,
and that means your are constantly dealing
with crises and frustration. At the same
time, you have to stay on top of time limits
and understand complex and confusing work
rules and contracts.
Unless you
are careful, these constant stresses and
tensions can quickly lead to burnout.
Psychologists have identified burnout as a
definite set of symptoms most often experienced
by workers whose job requires them to work
constantly with other people's problems.
"Dealing with people can be very demanding."
writes psychologist Christina Maslach in her
book Burnout: The Cost of Caring.
"It takes a lot of energy to be calm in the
midst of crises, to be patient in the face of
frustrations, to be understanding and
compassionate ... While most people can find the
energy to do it occasionally, it is very hard to
do all of the time. And yet, 'all of the
time' is the expectation we have of people
workers."
If you find yourself
feeling tires all the time, getting irritable at
everyone you know, and working longer but
getting less done, you may be experiencing
burnout. Other symptoms include feeling
isolated from friends and family, losing your
sense of humor, and feeling guilty about not
working hard enough.
Even if you
don't have theses specific symptoms, the stress
of the steward's job can wear you down.
Try these suggestions to reduce stress and
prevent burnout.
 |
Think
Positively about your steward's
job. Make a point of periodically
reviewing your accomplishments. And if
you have a particularly challenging problem to
solve, think about optimum solutions to
that problem rather than focusing on it's
difficulties. |
|
Give
Yourself A Break. Take this
suggestion literally - plan to have regular
breaks away from your steward's job. If
possible, set up certain times of the day or
week that are just for play with family and
friends as well as time just for yourself to
rest, relax and decompress. Include
exercise in you plan - it's a proven
stress-buster. |
|
Create A Support Network. You
need to have people in your life who can offer
useful advice and information. Don't
hesitate to ask for help from other stewards
or officers in your local. Most likely
someone else has confronted the same problem
you are facing, and can pass on suggestions
for resolving the situation. You also
need friends or family members who can simply
listen and offer sympathy without being
critical or pushing their own agendas. |
|
Maintain Emotional Distance.
People will come to you with problems that may
cause them intense pain. Although you
will want to express compassion and
understating, you also need to remain detached
so you can function effectively. If you
become emotionally involved, you may not be
able to clearly see the problem and potential
solutions.
Stay objective and rational as you listen. Focus
on seeing the problem in abstract and
intellectual terms. Your objectivity
will permit you to fully understand the
situation and focus on the best possible
resolution. |
|
Create Lists Of Priorities And Goals.
The steward's job requires mastery
of many details and the ability to juggle
multiple tasks. Keep track of all these
demands by taking a few minutes every day to
structure your priorities and write down the
tasks you want to accomplish.
Make sure the list is concrete and definite. For
example, don't write "Resolve problem about
overtime." Instead, break the job down
into manageable pieces, listing goals such as
reviewing the contract, interviewing specific
workers and requesting specific records. |
|
Accept Your Limitations.
Every steward occasionally forgets something
important, makes mistakes or fails at some
task. Nobody is perfect, so stop beating
yourself up on yourself. Instead,
resolve to do the best you can, and move on
the the next challenge. |
And, Finally, Some Wisdom
from a Pro
And for the
final word on avoiding the stress that can lead
to total burnout, consider this philosophy of
life, offered by legendary pitcher Satchel
Paige, who stayed in the major leagues until he
was 47 years old:
-
Avoid fried meats, which angry
up the blood.
-
If your stomach disputes you,
lie down and pacify it with cool thought.
-
Keep the juices flowing by
jangling around gently as you move.
-
Go very lightly on the vices
such as carrying on in society. The
social ramble ain't restful.
-
Avoid running under pressure
at all times.
-
Don't look back.
Something might be gaining on you.
Stewards Lead
Fight For Accountability
As union
activists, we need to take the political process very
seriously as we head into another election cycle.
There is
a tendency among working people to feel overwhelmed
ad/or insignificant in the face of national and global
events, and in many ways this is completely
understandable. After all, while we're caring
for our families, managing mounting personal debt,
fighting our bosses and otherwise just barley managing
to scratch and claw our way through the day, it's hard
to feel whole lot of emotional connection to political
issues, including the 2008 Presidential nominations.
But we've got to continue to do what we, as a union
activist, do best - ask critical questions about how
things got to be the way they are and how we can
change them. We have to believe that the more we
can do to foster independent thinking in the workplace
among our rank-and-file, the more our members will
begin to think independently about the great questions
of our time. As we search for leaders to take
the labor movement into the future (such as through
the CSEA Leadership Education and Development
program), we must seek out critical thinkers who
believe in a society in which everyone shares
accountability and an opportunity to thrive.
Throughout the past seven years, working people have
been constantly challenged by a Presidential
administration that opposes just about everything we
dedicate our lives to fighting for - respect, dignity
and a fair day's work. Time and time again, the
administration has rolled back the progress in
workers' rights and benefits we - and the workers
before us - have fought to win. It has been a
decade dominated by "shrink, shift and shaft" - shrink
government, shift resources and shaft working people.*
We have been fighting back for years, but now is our
time to finally win the war the administration has
been waging against workers.
One of
these rollbacks is in public health care, an important
service in our society that the administration
opposes. Unfortunately, our veterans are among
the many Americans who have been harmed by the
administration's anti-labor policies. The Walter
Reed Army Medical Center, once an esteemed military
hospital where many of our men and women in uniform
recuperate from devastating wounds, was recently found
to be in disrepair, with many veterans forced to
recover from their injuries amongst mold, mice and
other shoddy conditions.
The Walter
Reed scandal, and let's not forget the bungled
Hurricane Katrina response, should provide an
important lesson to us about the need to ensure we
have leaders who are accountable to everyone, not just
the most powerful. As stewards, we are the
voices of working people and it is up to us to step
up, be heard and make a difference in the direction
that out country goes in next year. Anti-labor
policies and constant rollbacks of previous progress
have served as a staple of this administration, yet we
have the voices - and the potential votes - to lead
our country to some real change in 2008. No
matter what your political affiliation may be, we are
all workers who deserve respect and accountability.
Many of our members may be exasperated by your call to
them to join in making the changes we all need.
We all have numerous work and personal
responsibilities that keep us busy from morning to
night, but this time, it's truly different.
This is the fight for our future.
_
Eric Muldoon
Labor Education Specialist
*
The phrase "shrink, shift, shaft" is borrowed from a
United for a Fair Economy workshop of the same name.
For more information, check out
www.faireconomy.org.
