S-T Talk March 14, 2025

March 14, 2025

Prior issues of S-T Talk are available on our website. 
Just visit cwa.org/s-t-talk

2025 CWA 80th CONVENTION
Mark Your Calendars and Save the Date
The 2025 CWA 80th Convention begins at 9 am on Monday, August 11, 2025, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center located at 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

Watch for the official call, online registration, and additional information in May 2025.

QUARTERLY LOCAL S-T TOWNHALL ZOOMS:
This month each CWA member will receive the CWA Newsletter, at their last known address. The Notice Regarding Union Security Agreements and Agency Fee Objections will be in the newsletter and can also be found on the CWA website by clicking here.

We will review the agency fee objectors on our next S-T Townhall call on May 27, 2025 from 3 pm-4 pm ET. We will review the requirements under the various laws, CWA’s timeline, and what is required by the Locals to help facilitate a uniform and cohesive processing of agency fee objectors.

Be sure to put our next S-T Townhalls on your calendar for May 27th, August 26th, November 25th, from 3 pm - 4 pm ET. Be on the lookout for your invitation in early April 2025.

DISASTER RELIEF INFORMATION
Union Plus: A complete resource for all things Disaster Related assistance from Union Plus.
Please distribute this flyer with valuable information to your members. unionplus.org/assistance.

Updated CWA Disaster Relief Applications for US and Canada

Now a convenient fillable form and easier process when your property is declared a complete loss.

Disaster Relief Fund Member Handbook - US

Disaster Relief Member Handbook - Canada

DUES

Convention Countdown - Are You Ready?

The countdown is on! If you plan to be seated as a delegate at the upcoming convention, make sure your dues files, and payments are up to date through January 2025. Staying current ensures your eligibility under the CWA Constitution and Local Bylaws.

Key deadlines to keep in mind:
 

• Dues files and payments must be current through January 2025.
• Your voting strength is based on the 12-month member average from April 2024 – March 2025.
• Delinquency Month: January 2025

Your voting strength is based on your 12-month member average from April 2024 to March 2025, check your dues status to ensure you are eligible to participate!

Need to check your status or have questions? Email CWACredentials@cwa-union.org for assistance.

CWA COPE/COMPLIANCE:
CWA-COPE PCC “Best Efforts” Requirements
Federal law requires CWA-COPE PCC to disclose on its scheduled FEC reports the name, mailing address, occupation, and employer name of all individuals who contribute in excess of $200 in a calendar year. If a contributor fails to provide all required information, CWA-COPE PCC must be able to show it has used its “best efforts” to obtain the information.

CWA’s Reporting Team has established a “Best Efforts Policy and Procedure” for compliance. In sum, compliance with “best efforts” under the FEC’s regulations and CWA’s Policy requires that CWA-COPE PCC 1) request the required information in the initial solicitation materials asking for the contribution; 2) where required information is missing, make at least one written or oral follow-up request to the contributor within 30 days of receipt of the contribution; and 3) if required information is obtained after a contribution has been reported to the FEC, report that new information to the FEC.

While CWA’s Reporting Team is primarily responsible for compliance with CWA’s Best Efforts Policy and Procedure, the following steps are requested of Locals and Districts to assist with compliance:

• COPE Cards: If creating a new COPE card in Aptify, ensure that the member’s name, mailing address, employer, and occupation are all provided. A member’s occupation/job title is the most commonly missing information, and that is now a required field to complete a new person’s record when creating a card in Aptify.
• Missing Contributor Information Reports: As the CWA Reporting Team prepares the CWA-COPE PCC FEC report each month, Aptify will send each District and Sectors a list of members with missing information. Districts and Sectors are then responsible for researching the lists and returning the list with any missing information obtained to copequestions@cwa-union.org. The CWA Reporting Team will then bulk-upload any information provided into Aptify and NGP.
• Member Information Portal: Members are encouraged to respond to notices from CWA-COPE PCC by using the information portal at the following address: https://cwa-union.jotform.com/jkim/CWA-COPE_PCC_Info_Portal. Locals and Districts should share this link with members listed on the report mentioned above.
• Respond Promptly to Other Requests: Promptly respond to any other requests by the CWA Reporting Team for information or action needed for compliance with CWA’s Best Efforts Policy and Procedure. Notify the CWA Reporting Team of missing contributor information obtained in any other manner by emailing copequestions@cwa-union.org.

For any questions regarding CWA’s Best Efforts Policy and Procedure or what is required of your Local or District to comply with the Policy, please contact copequestions@cwa-union.org.

LM Reports Due
Locals with a Fiscal Year Ending date of December 31 (12/31), your LM filing with the Department of Labor is due electronically by March 30, 2024.

The LMRDA does not authorize or grant any extension of time for filing these reports for any reason.

EFS is a web-based system for completing, signing, and submitting Labor Organization Annual Financial Reports. EFS allows a labor organization with a web-enabled computer the ability to acquire, complete, sign, and electronically file reports without purchasing a digital signature or downloading special software.

Reporting Requirements
 

• If total annual receipts are less than $10,000, Locals may use the online Form LM-4;
• If total annual receipts are less than $250,000, Locals may use the online Form LM-3;
• If total annual receipts are more than $250,000, Locals must use the online Form LM-2.

Go to the following links for more info on the LM-2, LM-3, and LM-4:
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/olms/reports/forms/lm-1-lm-2-lm-3-lm-4

Exclusion From Filing LM Reports
Only those Locals comprised entirely of public employees (state, county, or municipal employees) are excluded from filing an LM financial report.

CWA Councils ― Labor-Management (LM) Reporting
CWA Councils (city, state, or regional Councils) are also subject to the reporting requirements of the LMRDA. The Councils should use the same monetary guidelines as previously outlined in determining which LM financial report form to use. (See Part V Section 4 of the U.O.P.M.)

APTIFY
***NEW*** - Auto-Fill Local Address Fields Now Available!
Managing your local’s mailings just got easier! CWA is thrilled to introduce auto-fill for local address fields, saving you time and effort. For top-down units, we’ll seamlessly use employer-provided addresses, so you can quickly generate labels and mailing lists—no manual entry needed. This streamlined feature ensures accuracy and efficiency, letting you focus on what matters most—supporting our members!

📌 Want to enable this feature? Request it by filling out and submitting this form here.

Got questions? We’re here to help! Reach out to duesquestions@cwa-union.org for more info.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Win Education Supplies or some CASH!
For a chance to win a complete education bundle from the Ultimate Union Plus Education Sweepstakes click here! You can share for more chances to win.

ICYMI:(In Case You Missed It)
RCS Union Software
The S-T office was asked to look into accounting software as an alternative to other accounting software, and on our February 28th S-T Townhall we delivered. Secretary-Treasurer Salaam has negotiated discounts, see the flyer for all CWA Locals who want an alternate accounting software through RCS Union Software with labor unions in mind. RCS offers assistance with completion of LMs and 990s included in their package prices. If you missed the presentation, you can view it here or reach out to Greg Anfinson at g.anfinson@rcsunionsoftware.com.

In Unity,

Ameenah Salaam
Secretary-Treasurer