T

he Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union established in 1921 representing nearly two million workers across the United States and Canada. The Local 500 chapter started in the 1960s and currently represents workers across Washington D.C. and Maryland. Here, they used eMembership to achieve union ratification in their contracts.

Problem

Ratification of contracts or amendments across 20,000 members can take weeks using regular mail.

Solution

This local uses the Survey/Voting feature of eMembership’s Communication module to solicit instant member feedback. The process is easy: create a survey (one or more questions) or a vote (single question); select the audience (entire membership, or a select group); send! The poll/ballot is delivered via email and/or text, according to each member’s preference. Note that the eMembership Survey/Voting feature supports DOL requirements for double-blind voting by ensuring each voter votes only once, and guaranteeing the anonymity of every vote.

Result

Contract ratifications can be completed within days rather than what previously took weeks (or longer). And although the local cannot see how a member voted, they can see if a member has already voted. It is therefore very easy to send the poll/ballot to all members who have not yet responded allowing for quicker contract ratification within the union.

About the eMembership Communications Module

The eMembership Communications module facilitates communication and engagement with members for union activities. You can:

  • Create and send online surveys
  • Using integrated email and/or text, send messages to the entire membership, or to targeted groups of members.
  • Easily create invitation lists for meetings or events, email or text those invitations, track RVSPs, and track attendance.
  • Send documents for electronic signature.
  • Track the engagement of every member or prospective member.

 

Read More: eMembership Communications Module