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 used to take weeks using regular mail. Union ratification is a specialized process typically unaddressed by general customer relationship management systems.
Solution
Since eMembership was built specifically for unions, we have built-in tools to address specific needs such as union ratification. This local uses eMembership’s Surveys & Votes 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. eMembership’s Surveys and Votes module 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 eMembership’s Modules
The following eMembership modules facilitate communication and engagement with union members for all essential activities. You can:
FAQs
How does eMembership support electronic voting for contract ratification?
eMembership's Surveys and Votes module allows unions to create a vote, select the audience, and send the ballot by email or text in a single process. Members receive the ballot according to their communication preferences, and results are available as responses come in, reducing ratification from weeks to days.
Does eMembership meet Department of Labor requirements for union voting?
Yes. The Surveys and Votes module supports DOL requirements for double-blind voting. The system ensures each member votes only once and guarantees the anonymity of every vote, so the union cannot see how any individual member voted.
Can the union see which members have not yet voted?
Yes. While individual votes remain anonymous, the union can see which members have responded and which have not. This makes it easy to send a follow-up ballot only to members who have not yet participated, improving response rates without compromising vote anonymity.
Can votes be sent to a targeted group rather than the entire membership?
Yes. When creating a vote or survey, the union can select the full membership or a specific subset of members as the audience. This is useful when a ratification vote applies only to a particular bargaining unit, chapter, or member type.
How is electronic voting faster than mail-based ratification?
Mail-based ratification across a large membership can take weeks to distribute ballots, collect responses, and count results. Electronic voting through eMembership delivers ballots instantly by email or text and allows results to be tracked in real time, compressing the process to days.
Can eMembership handle ratification votes for large unions?
Yes. The Surveys and Votes module is built to scale. SEIU Local 500 uses it to run ratification votes across 20,000 members, with ballots delivered by email or text according to each member's preference and results tracked without manual counting.
