S-T Talk - March 2024

S-T Talk

2024 PRESIDENT’S MEETING AND LEGISLATIVE/POLITICAL CONFERENCE
The 2024 Presidents’ Meeting will begin at 11 a.m. ET on Monday, June 24, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill located at 400 New Jersey Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20001.

The Presidents’ Meeting will be followed by our National Legislative/Political Conference, which will be at the same hotel beginning at 8 a.m. ET on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, and continue through the afternoon of Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Please plan to stay for the entire Legislative/Political conference, due to the critical importance of upcoming elections.

In an effort to be environmentally responsible, we are asking everyone to bring their own CWA lanyard. We look forward to seeing your Local at both of these important meetings in June. Watch for the official call, online registration, and additional information later this month.

FINANCE
How do I create a Local Budget? Where do I begin? How do I avoid double-dipping? Join us for our next quarterly S-T Town Hall when we will explore the budgeting process, paying lost time wages, and expense reimbursement. Our next Town Hall will be May 28, 2024, at 3 p.m. ET. Be on the lookout for your invitation next month. If you need guidance on these topics NOW click here for relevant information in the UOPM.

DUES

Open Local Check Balances
Locals can deduct these amounts from future payments. Open amounts will be refunded via the April 15th settlement if not sued before then. Current balances can be seen on the Aptify Portal under the Payment Balances by Date Range report.

To avoid paying the incorrect amount, or making a duplicate payment, please use the Open Invoices report as your payment guide and include a copy of it with your check.

If you have questions, email duesquestion@cwa-union.org for assistance.

*NEW* Online Forms
We are actively refining our operations to deliver optimal efficiency! We’re excited to announce that you know have the convenience of submitting Processing Unit (PU) Member Transfer Requests and Duplicate Records Merge Requests electronically!

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

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

APTIFY

CWA Digital Membership Cards
Still curious about the new CWA digital membership cards? If you want to learn about what they are, how they are distributed, or how they benefit members, we got you covered. Discover the ins and outs of the new CWA digital membership cards by exploring our comprehensive user guide. Click here to delve into the details.

For a more personalized experience, we invite you to reach out to AptifySupport@cwa-union.org and request to schedule a training session for your Local Officers. During the training session, we will cover key aspects including:
   1. What exactly is the CWA digital membership card?
   2. How do locals go about distributing digital membership cards?
   3. What are the benefits and functionalities for members?

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 require that CWA-COPE PCC:
 

1. Request the required information in the initial solicitation materials asking for the contributions;
2. Where required information is missing, make at least one writing 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, employers, and occupation are all provided. A member’s occupation/job title is the most commonly missed information, and that is now a required field to complete in 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 a list of members with missing information. In some Districts or Sectors, Locals will also receive a list. Districts and Locals 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 31st (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 may use the online Form LM-2.

Go to the following link for more information on the LM-2, LM-3 and LM-4: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/olms/reports/forms/lm-1-lm-2-lm3-lm-4

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

CWA Council – 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 UOPM )

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 setup online actions, social media tips and best practices, and graphic design training. You can click here for more information and to RSVP for a training. Interested in other topics? Let us know by clicking here to take our short survey.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Union Plus Hardship Help
Two new disaster declarations that may impact your members were made in February 2024:

California severe storms and flooding (Incident period Jan 21-23, 2024, Declaration on February 19, 2024:
https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4758
https://gis.fema.gov/maps/dec_4758.pdf

Michigan severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding (Incident period August 24-26, 2023, declaration on February 8, 2024):
https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4757
https://gis.fema.gov/maps/dec_4757.pdf

UNION PLUS Disaster Relief Grant Reminder: Members who live in areas impacted by the California storms, Michigan storms, West Virginia storms, Tennessee tornadoes, Hurricane Idalia, Hawaii fires, Vermont floods or any other natural disaster in the last 24 months, and who participate in the Union Plus Credit Card, Mortgage, Life Insurance, Accident Insurance, Auto Insurance, Personal Loan and Retiree Healthcare programs may be eligible to access Union Plus Disaster Relief Grants. Eligible members must have their primary residence in a county or parish designated by FEMA as eligible for Individual Assistance. No proof of property damage is required. Learn more at unionplus.org/disaster.

CWA Disaster Relief Available for CWA Members in California
Please refer to the CWA Disaster Relief Fund Member Handbook. We want to make sure every eligible members have updated information to access finance assistance in the event of a FEMA declared natural disaster. Members and their locals have six (6) months from the date of the disaster declaration to file the Disaster Relief Fund application with the District staff assigned to the Disaster Relief Fund.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Kevin Celata at kcelata@cwa-union.org.

Additional learning opportunities for New Officers at your own pace
CWA/NETT offers free access to LinkedIn Learning for members in good standing. This is an excellent resource for completing courses or if you are just looking for help in a particular skill or subject matter. Request a free account by clicking here, then explore LinkedIn Learning using the search function for topics like Budgeting-Basic Accounting, Inclusion, Leadership, Running Effective Meetings and so much more. If you would prefer a learning path to follow, just click here.

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

Grievance Management Module is “Live!”
The new Aptify Grievance Management Module was designed to streamline the process of filing and managing grievances within CWA. Local, District, and Sector users can effortlessly configure their collective bargaining agreement grievance procedure, manage employers and member data, create and manage grievances, upload supporting documentation, and stay on top of crucial deadlines – all aimed at efficiently resolving member grievances and tracking progress towards resolution.

Ensuring the utmost security of sensitive membership data, the Grievance Management Module implements various levels of user access, in strict accordance with CWA’s policies and guidelines. This ensures that users can only interact with grievances within their authorized scope, promoting a secure and efficient grievance management process.

As part of our comprehensive approach, we linked the module to Microsoft SharePoint, which serves as a centralized document library for collective bargaining agreements, letter templates, and relevant supporting documents related to past and ongoing grievances, ensuring easy access and organization.

Following a series of comprehensive trainings with Locals, Districts, and Sectors, we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback, indicating its effectiveness and user-friendliness.

We listened to your suggestions, and we are already planning our next set of enhancements, which include:
   · Ability to effortlessly generate PDFs
   · Develop comprehensive reports
   · Track arbitration decisions

Our 2024 Aptify Grievance Management Module training schedule is now available, and you can sign up for training by simply clicking here.


 

In Unity,

Ameenah Salaam
Secretary-Treasurer