S-T Talk May 15, 2025

May 15, 2025

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

QUARTERLY LOCAL S-T TOWNHALL ZOOMS:

By now, all CWA Local Secretary-Treasurers identified in Aptify should have received the form to register for the May 27, 2025, Zoom meeting. We will discuss the agency fee objector process and the training workshops being offered at the convention. If you have not registered, there is still time to register for this Zoom meeting. Simply email stoffice@cwa-union.org on or before May 20, 2025. Looking forward to seeing you on Zoom.

CWA COPE/COMPLIANCE:
Additional COPE/PAF Training Sessions Available

To accommodate those who were unable to attend the previous COPE/PAF training sessions, as well as those seeking a refresher, we are pleased to offer three additional training opportunities. Please see the schedule below for details:

• May 16, 2025 | 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM EST
• May 20, 2025 | 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM EST
• May 30, 2025 | 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM EST

We encourage all interested participants to attend. You can register for training using this website https://cwa=union.jotform.com/233035015804950

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 Fund Member Handbook – Canada

DUES:
Spring Cleaning in Aptify!

• It’s a convention year
  • Are your bottom-up units up to date?
  • Are your open non-charity invoices paid?
  • Are there any defunct units that need to be closed?
  • Are there any new units that need to be added?
• It’s the annual period for Agency Fee Payers to object
  • Have you checked/updated your AFP list in Aptify?
  • Have you reached out to any of these folks?

To request a PU for a new unit, use the form found HERE and return it to DuesPU@cwa-union.org .

To close a defunct PU, use the form found HERE and return it to DuesPU@cwa-union.org .

Your Agency Fee Payer list can be found on the local portal under Reports in the Member Status Reports section. The last report in the section allows you to look at your AFP list and click a link directly to the employer status record for that person. No searching, no drilling down, it takes you right where you need to go!

REMINDER: The open charity invoice payments are optional and do not affect local delinquency for convention. If you would like to opt out this year, please email SToffice@cwa-union.org and cc duesquestions@cwa-union.org .

MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS:
Protect Your Local's Email and Website Domain Name
Custom domain names for websites or email accounts are great for your local’s visibility, but they need to be renewed and are very difficult to recover if they expire. A custom domain is something like cwalocal5678.org – a domain name that is specific to your local.

Some CWA locals have lost access to their website or email because only one person had a login for the domain registration, and they left the Local.

We recommend that the email account associated with your Local’s domain registration and website hosting be an email address that your Local’s Secretary-Treasurer or trusted local staff have access to, and that at least one other officer or staff person has an administrative account with the domain registrar.

We also recommend that your Local’s Secretary-Treasurer keep a secure record of the login information (username and password) and expiration date for your Local’s domain name registrations and website hosting with other important, confidential information that is passed on when there is a change in the Local’s elected leadership.

Contact commshelp@cwa-union.org if you have any questions.

ICYMI:
End of the Fiscal Year Deadline May 21, 2025
Just a reminder that we are quickly 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 21, 2025, in order to ensure that they are paid by May 31^st. Anything received after May 21, 2025, will be charged to the 2025-2026 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!

Locals 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.

In Unity,

Ameenah Salaam
Secretary-Treasurer