In his most recent book, Robert Schwartz, Sensei of Today’s Labor Samurai, finally took his original work, The Legal Rights of Shop Stewards, and filled in the missing sections, filling in the picture.
While Legal Rights is a masterpiece of Union tradition and technology, used daily in the workshop by delegates from around the world, it seriously lacked strict information on the nitty-gritty of the issue of dismissal, discipline and the ways to counteract them.
Just Cause begins with the principles of just cause, insubordination, and off-duty misconduct. Dishonesty, sleeping at work, and sexual harassment along with other offenses round out the offenses, but it doesn’t stop there. Schwartz not only regurgitates the same old rhetoric about “just cause test seven,” but goes further by providing the reader with a much more practical set of tests that includes due process tenants, substantial evidence, and extenuating circumstances. Subsequent chapters deal with advice on making complaints, requesting information, and organizing support for the aggrieved.
As with his previous books, Schwartz provides practical and real-world insights for both the hardworking Joe Steward and the job professional.
Again, footnotes and endnotes are provided to direct readers to the relevant arbitration awards and court decisions, as well as a “Questions and Answers” section at the end of each chapter.
In addition to the sardonic illustrations, you will find an appendix of sample contract language, an appendix of the basic principles of just cause, and finally an appendix to Daugherty’s Original Proofs (the original seven proofs of just cause).
I found it easy to understand and digest. He really got into the gist of the issues without getting bogged down in the legal gibberish that you get from most books written by lawyers. This book is designed and written to be read and used in the workshop by the men and women who write, file and process complaints.
Priced at just $ 20.00 plus shipping and handling, this 174-page powerhouse is worth the price. I recommend that you buy two, because if you’re like me, you’ll be borrowing one before you know it.
Labor rights press
PO Box 391066
Cambridge, MA 02139
http://www.workrightspress.com
Mr. Schwartz has also published the FMLA Handbook, How to Win Complaints and Practice Strikes in the Past, Pickets, and Internal Campaigns. All are available to order through their website mentioned above.
Enjoy!