Stewards focusing on new skill to help build the union: Storytelling

The popular Organizing as a Steward Training series has added a third specialty: storytelling as a way to engage more members. “We build our democracy as a union through one relationship at a time. Learning how to tell your own story helps others learn to tell their stories,” Organizing Council Chair Zac Echola said. “We want stewards to walk away from this training knowing it’s not good enough to be right – to have the right data, the right talking points. We have to be compelling. We have to let people project their own values into our union.” 

According to Local 1402 President and OST Trainer Ariel Johnson, “As union members, we sometimes put ourselves in a box. It’s good for our stewards to be able to be pulled into the statewide mindset to see what other locals and regions are experiencing. Shared stories remind us that we’re human and even though we may have different opinions, it is our humanity that brings us together. Through stories, we can discover the common ground we all stand on in solidarity, and what we are willing to fight for as a union.”  

This is the third in a series of Organizing as a Steward Training (OST). This training concentrates on storytelling and the earlier ones focused on organizing and building teams. This OST focusing on storytelling was the first of the three-part series Local 401 Secretary and Steward Michael Yost took part in. He belonged to a university faculty union in Florida before moving to Minnesota and said he had been waiting to participate in a structured one-to-one conversation organizing training at MAPE.  

“The benefit of that one-to-one conversation is that it’s probably the most powerful tool union organizers have. Having that connection and then relating the issues people face in their day jobs with labor issues like power and the union,” Yost said.  

He pointed out that most MAPE-represented employees belong to the union but aren’t active until they need to be, because of a Respectful Workplace issue, abuse of hours and scheduling, or something else. “People don’t know how to address these issues, and one-on-one conversations are how stewards bring people on board to do that. You relate your personal stories, and discuss what our union can do,” he said.   

Yost recommended that other stewards take the OST on storytelling because while basic and advanced steward trainings are centered on well-defined processes, this OST discussed issues that stewards deal with which aren’t necessarily well defined by contract or statute. “It allows stewards to organize their coworkers on issues that don’t depend solely on contract wins. It’s for the things that aren’t quite clear contract violations but there’s still something we can do about it together. There are a lot of issues that don’t rise up to the grievance level,” Yost added.     

Local 1001 President Kent Barnard, pictured second from left in photo to the right, said he always enjoys learning from other stewards and noted the training highlighted how to broach difficult topics. "I’ve been participating in New Employee Orientations (NEO) with our Membership Secretary Ben Harris, and this OST gave me some ideas for the next NEO.   

“New members are necessary for our union to grow and be successful. I joined MAPE the very day I was hired at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT). There’s power in numbers. You can’t negotiate a contract by yourself. I don’t want to be someone who doesn’t pay their share. I’ve borrowed a line from Local 401’s Lee Sullivan: ‘It would be like going to a potluck and not bringing a dish to share.’  I want MNDOT and other state agencies to be employers of choice. We can do so much more together,” Barnard said.  

Upcoming Organizing as a Steward Trainings (OST) in 2026  

• The first OST covers organizing planning and strategies and will be held April 10, 2026. 

• The second OST focuses on building effective teams and will be held Aug. 14, 2026. 

• The third OST teaches how organizers use stories to inspire and motivate your co-workers on Oct. 23, 2026.