From the August newsletter:

EAP/ProStan: The Same Committee

Due to recent events in MEM, it is time to have a serious conversation about what it means to be a "Union Member." Everyone knows a union is responsible to negotiate and defend our collective bargaining agreement. Your union representative should be your first call when you have a required meeting with your manager. Those are just a few of the obvious things a union does. If that is the extent of our participation then we are not taking full advantage of our shared strength. A union is a collective, and when functioning properly should provide a source of influence over our workplace. We are only as strong as the connection between us. This means that we always stand together. An injury to one is an injury to all.

To put it in the bluntest of terms – IT IS NEVER OK TO GO TO MANAGEMENT WITH AN ISSUE THAT COULD CAUSE ANOTHER MEMBER TO BE DISCIPLINED, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT COULD COST THEM THEIR JOB – EVER!

AFA-CWA encompasses our Professional Standards Committee under the EAP umbrella. Studies have shown that when someone is having issues at work they are usually having issues outside the workplace that are carrying over. Our EAP Counselors are highly trained to have conversations with our coworkers in an attempt to try to find the root of any issues that would cause problems at work. Any conversation you have with EAP is completely confidential. Please use our EAP/ProStan process for dealing with coworker concerns or conflicts. Going to management is never the UNION answer. A list of our MEM EAP Reps is available here on our website at http://www.afa93.org/stuff/eapreps.html. Should you not be comfortable using someone from Memphis, you can call someone from another base (those names and their bases are also listed there).