Having a strong desire for success defines ambitiousness. In our today’s working environment, management versus the letter carriers, to achieve a successful career is strongly connected to who is elected to represent the membership. The qualities of a strong leader are commitment, hardworking, disciplined, openmindedness, and knowledgeable. A steward in Branch 132 is elected by his or her peers to represent the city carriers in their unit with their dealings with Postal management. The role of a steward is to ensure that the National Agreement and Postal rules and regulations are complied with and that the rights of the city letter carriers are protected and not violated.

Article XI Section 6 of the Lone Star Branch 132 Bylaws reads,

Between November 22 and December 31 of every three (3) years, there shall be at each carrier unit, an election to determine who shall be the Steward(s) and their Alternate(s). These elections shall be held in the following manner. There shall be separate elections for the positions of Steward(s) and Alternate(s). In offices where one Steward is allowed per Article 17, Section 2 of the National Agreement, the person receiving the most votes in each election shall be declared Steward and Alternate. In offices where more than one steward is allowed, the person receiving the most votes in the Steward election shall be declared the Chief Steward.

The duties of a steward are to:

1) Represent carriers in their disputes with the Postal Service.

2) Attend the Branch monthly meetings held at 7:30 pm every

first Monday of the month. Exceptions will be when there is a Monday holiday within that week. On those occasions, the meeting will be held the following Monday.

3) Attend the monthly Steward Training meetings held at 7:00 pm every first Thursday of the month.

4) Obtain additional training and gather information by attending the National Business Agent’s Fall and Spring Schools and the State and National Conventions.

To accomplish the duties of a steward, one must possess the following attributes:

1) Determination. One must possess the willingness to get problems resolved. To do this, it is a requirement to remove all judgement and to look at each individual situation objectively and apply the contract and/or Postal rules and regulations to the situation for the purpose of achieving a fair and reasonable settlement.

2) Patience. It is necessary for one to understand the need to be patient when dealing with matters that are sensitive and unique to the individuals they are representing. It is at those times that a steward must place themselves in the position of those they are representing to sufficiently provide representation. Patience requires a listening ear to seek out the problem of finding out who, what, where, when and why of a given situation.

3) Service. One must possess the ability to serve others. To serve others can at times require a sacrifice; a sacrifice of time, money, and/or energy. Serving requires a willingness to act on behalf of the overall well-being of the membership with passion and compassion.

For the continual growth of Branch 132, it is essential that the right members are selected as stewards and alternate stewards in the upcoming election. Stewards who have the intention of being actively involved in the affairs of the branch. Stewards who are willing to commit to providing valuable service to the membership and stewards who are dedicated to upholding the National Agreement and the rules and regulations of the Postal Service. If you have the audacity to be ambitious, then let’s see!