S-T Talk - April 2024

S-T Talk

2024 PRESIDENTS’ MEETING AND LEGISLATIVE/POLITICAL CONFERENCE

You can now register online for the 2024 Presidents’ Meeting and the Legislative-Political Conference. Both will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, located at 400 New Jersey Avenue NW Washington, DC.  The room block is open for reservations at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill the cutoff date is May 28, 2024.

The Presidents’ Meeting will begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 24, 2024, and will continue until business is concluded. Online registration is open now!

The Legislative-Political Conference will begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, and continue through Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Online registration is open through June 17, 2024.

We look forward to seeing you and your delegates at both of these important meetings in June. Don't forget to bring your CWA lanyard and help reduce landfill waste. For your convenience, we have put the links to register for the meetings, to reserve a room, and instructions on how to register all in one place. Click this link https://cwa-union.org/2024-cwa-presidents-meeting.

QUARTERLY LOCAL S-T TOWNHALL ZOOMS:

We had such a great time we are doing it again this quarter. All CWA Local Secretary-Treasurer’s identified in Aptify should have received an invitation to the May 28, 2024, zoom meeting.  On the next Quarterly S-T Townhall where we will explore the budgeting process, paying lost time wages, and expense reimbursement. If you need guidance on these topics NOW click here for information in the U.O.P.M.

Mark your calendars for August 27th, November 26th, from 3 pm - 4 pm ET. If you have not received your invitation, check your spam filter, and if it is not there please email kcline@cwa-union.org.

CWA ONLINE DIRECTORY UPDATED:

As promised we have increased our ability to stay in contact with our Locals. We just launched our updated online directory which will sync with Aptify to provide the Local’s information including address, email, telephone etc.

How can you help? Check out your Local’s information here https://cwa-union.org/members/find-your-local.  If your information is incorrect, update it in Aptify and it will sync with the online directory within 3-5 days.

For detailed instructions on how to update your Local Union’s information, please review the Update Local Contact Information Guide.

FINANCE

End of the Fiscal Year Deadline - May 22, 2024

Just a reminder that we are fast approaching the end of the fiscal year.

All general fund expenses, excluding SIF and Growth fund charges, that need to be paid during this fiscal budget year must be submitted into PN3 no later than Wednesday, May 22, 2024, in order to ensure that they are paid by May 31st. Anything received after May 22, 2024, will be charged to the 2024-2025 budget.

Please feel free to share this information with anyone in your District, Sector, Division or Department who handles expenses and invoices. If you have any questions, contact the Secretary-Treasurer's office at SToffice@cwa-union.org. Thanks as always for your assistance!

You have 90 Days to request reimbursement for Expenses

All expense reimbursements must be submitted to your District/Sector for processing prior to 90 days of when the work was completed. It is important to make this a priority; especially, for SIF and Growth fund reimbursements since there is a time limit and funding limitations on these projects.

Also, when submitting reimbursement requests please make sure that a detailed business purpose is included along with all supporting documentation to ensure timely processing.

DUES

Charitable Invoices coming to your inbox or mailbox soon!

Your annual quotas for both the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation (EGPAF) and the Eduardo Diaz Union-To-Union International Solidarity Fund have been uploaded into Aptify and can be found on the Open Invoices Report.

You can pay these quotas like you would any other invoices. Please note these are optional, so they do NOT affect local delinquency and they will NOT be picked up by the AutoPay process.

Thank you for your ongoing support of these crucial charities. If you have any questions regarding this email duesquestion@cwa-union.org.

APTIFY

CWA Materials

We have an all-new CWA Materials module in Aptify, offering an enhanced experience at the familiar URL www.cwamaterials.org.

The most important change is that you will need to have an Aptify user account to access the module and place an order. If you don’t have an Aptify user account, you may request one by completing the New Aptify User Account Request Form.

Note: Only CWA local elected officers, their staff, and CWA International employees are eligible for account issuance.

Here is what to expect:

   Fresh Look and Feel: Experience our revamped website with the same user-friendly e-
   commerce interface.

   Streamlined Invoice Access: Once your order is processed, easily access your invoice with
   a summary of charges in Aptify under the Invoice & Payments reports - OPEN INVOICES.
 

   Effortless Order History: Access your complete order history with ease.

   Transparent Checkout: Please note that the checkout total serves as an estimate only, as
   shipping costs may vary and will be calculated once the order is shipped. Once the order is
   processed and shipped your invoice in the OPEN INVOICES section will provide the accurate
   total cost for your order.

   Convenient Navigation: Upon logging into Aptify, you can access the CWA Materials
   module by clicking on the MATERIALS link in the top menu bar.

For details and step-by-step instructions, please review the Aptify CWA Materials and Products Guide.

If you have any questions, email AptifySupport@cwa-union.org.

CWA COPE/COMPLIANCE

Annual Financial Statement

Article XIII, Section 9, M Requires that all Locals furnish copies of their annual financial statement to the Union’s Secretary-Treasurer. The Compliance office is asking that Locals remit PDF copies of these statements to CWAMail@cwa-union.org.

PAF/COPE Accountability

For those who have yet to engage in Aptify Accountability training, we strongly urge you to enroll in the next available session(s) by following this link.

Below are the upcoming training dates:

1. April 5, 2024, from 11:30 am -1:00 pm EST
2. April 25, 2024, from 11:30 am -1:00 pm EST

Should you have any inquiries regarding the entry of PAF/COPE cards or general Accountability matters, please feel free to reach out to us via email at COPEQuestions@cwa-union.org.

COPE/Compliance Information Portal

In line with CWA’s ongoing commitment to comply with the Federal Election Commission’s Best Efforts regulation, COPE/Compliance has developed an information hub for members to input missing information required for federal reporting. Please aid us in our ongoing compliance efforts by promoting awareness of this portal with your members.

You may access the portal here.

Districts and locals also have the option to submit their list of job titles to COPEQuestions@cwa-union.org for a bulk data upload. It's important to note that this process requires the CWA ID of each member. Utilizing the Missing Job Titles report (export to Excel) in Aptify is advised as it already contains the CWA ID.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Did you know that CWA has a Charity of Choice partnership with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation?

For over 30 years, CWA Locals have raised critical funds as the Foundation (EGPAF) seeks to end HIV and AIDS globally in children, youth, and families.

You can read more about the great progress that has been made in this recent feature on EGPAF’s work in Eswatini. Still, more than 400 children a day are newly infected with HIV. These infections are preventable. EGPAF’s lifesaving efforts are focused in global communities where the need is greatest, like in Nigeria, where we are supporting counseling and testing for pregnant mothers to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

We’ve recently updated the EGPAF feature on CWA’s website. You can learn more about CWA’s commitment, including how to contribute, here.

CWA is a key partner in helping EGPAF fight for an AIDS-free generation. Thank you for your support and partnership!

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

NEW DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

The CWA Communications Department is now offering regularly scheduled free training for CWA local officers, members, and staff. Trainings include an overview of the digital tools that we offer, basics on how to use Action Network to send emails and text messages and set up online actions, social media tips and best practices, and graphic design training. You can click here for more information and to RSVP for training. Interested in other topics? Let us know by clicking here to take our short survey.

*NEW* Online Forms

We're excited to announce that you now have the convenience of submitting Processing Unit (PU) Member Transfer Requests and Duplicate Records Merge Requests electronically! Bookmark the links for future reference.

This new feature marks a significant leap towards a paperless workflow. No more hassles or delays; just a seamless process at your fingertips.

If you have questions, email your District/Sector dues specialist or send a message to duesquestions@cwa-union.org for assistance.


 

In Unity,

Ameenah Salaam
Secretary-Treasurer