We Are the Union

Member involvement is key to the success of our union. Our union is not just something we belong to—it is an organization that we, as CWA members, actively participate in and direct through a democratic process. CWA members elect local officers and serve as stewards. We sit at the negotiating table to bargain contracts and vote on whether or not to approve those contracts.

CWA members also elect local union delegates to the CWA Convention, held every other year. This year the CWA Convention will be held August 11-12 in Pittsburgh, Penn.

The convention is our union’s highest governing body. Convention delegates have the final authority over our union’s budget, policy, and programs. The proceedings of the convention are posted on CWA’s website.

Our union’s top international officers—president and secretary-treasurer—are elected by delegates to the convention. The international officers serve on CWA’s executive board along with fifteen regional/sector officers and four at-large members who are local officers.

Seven of those officers come from our geographical regions across the country—CWA Districts—and the other eight are officers representing CWA members from our union’s “sectors”—industry or occupational groups—including a Canadian Director.

CWA’s structure and rules are outlined in the CWA Constitution, which can be amended by convention delegates. A copy of the constitution is available at cwa.org/constitution.