shop steward

Trade-union representative in a ‘shop’, or department of a factory, elected by his or her fellow workers. Shop stewards are unpaid and usually conduct union business in their own time. They recruit for the union, inspect contribution cards, and report grievances to the district committee. They represent their members' interests to employers through the process of collective bargaining.

This form of organization originated in the engineering industry and has spread to all large industrial undertakings.