cybersteward.net

Welcome to Cybersteward.net, a place for news and views from a union perspective. Originally called The Willow Grove Twilight Steward Info Site, this site was started in 2003, and continues to be administered today, by Howard Hall, a Teamsters Local 384 Shop Steward at UPS.

This Rank-and-File site is dedicated to the interests of working people in general, and members of Teamsters Local 384 in particular. If you’re a member of our local, a member of another union in general, or just interested in promoting Union philosophy and the rights of working people, feel free to join in.

to top

On the top left of each page below the site header is a navigation menu to help you get to specific parts of the site. They are, from top to bottom:

• Home - This is for the main page of the website, usually containing the latest information and updates..
• About - This is for the page you are currently on, which tells you a little bit about the site, like its history and origins, intended usage and navigation.
• Meetings - This is for the page of the site that contains the current year’s meeting schedule for Teamsters Local 384.
• Basic UPS Rights - This is for the page detailing a few of the important rights UPS Teamsters have under the current contract.
• Write to Congress - This is for the page that allows U.S. residents to find and contact their elected federal representatives. This tool is graciously furnished by the folks at Public Citizen, the longtime public advocacy organization (Citizen.org)
• Questions - This is for the page that contains contact information for this site, including a contact form to send questions and feedback.

to top

It means that while this site is by and for Union members, it does not officially represent any Union and should not be mistaken for official Union media.

to top

I’m doing this because ever since I came to work at UPS in 1995, I’ve noticed an imbalance. The company has its own army of hired guns searching every day for ways to get away with more and more. The Union only has a small number of paid Business Agents. After them, it’s up to folks like me to defend the rights of our co-workers. That’s why I first chose to become a Shop Steward in 2001.

We may not make a lot of money (or in my case, any money) doing this, but it’s worth doing nonetheless. And I’d rather work for free helping my my brothers and sisters than get paid a million dollars finding ways to take advantage of them.

In my first couple years as a Shop Steward, I realized that many of my brothers and sisters would be a whole lot better off if they just knew more about their rights as Union members and employees. I also realized that words like solidarity had become lost ideals, and I wanted to change that.

So in 2003 I began posting information online for anyone who was interested in learning more about their rights and about Union culture. Over the years, those online postings have become the site you’re reading now.

to top

If you have any questions or suggestions about what you see on this website, please feel free to ask (click here for contact info).

You may be a like-minded Union member who’d like to help with this site. Cybersteward.net is open to contributions and possibly even new members to join the team and keep the site fresh and informative. There is also hosting space available at little or no cost for those wishing to run their own rank-and-file webpages (subject to certain terms and conditions).

For more about these, or any other matters, feel free to use the contact page.