Election and Campaign Rules 2025

Constitution and Bylaws

The nomination and election of CWA Local 9009 officers will be conducted in accordance with the CWA International Constitution as Amended August 2025; the Local 9009 Bylaws updated on July 17, 2023; and the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, as amended (“LMRDA”).

This election will be for the offices of Term of Secretary, Treasurer, and Communications Chair. Those elected to serve will serve a three-year term which will end on November 24, 2028. Installation of Executive Board members will occur thirty days after certification of results.

Eligibility to Hold Office

Any member who has paid dues for at least the month of July 2025 or August 2025 and has not voluntarily withdrawn from membership is considered to be in good standing for the purposes of these rules and is eligible to run for office, provided that they are not a supervisor and that they are not ineligible due to criminal convictions as specified by Section 504 of the LMRDA. For more information about this provision of the LMRDA see the US Department of Labor website.

The Elections Committee will respond to any queries via email (elections@alphabetworkersunion.org) from an individual about whether they are eligible to hold office within 2 business days during the elections period, starting when notice of nomination is posted and ending when the results are certified.

Nomination Notice

A nomination notice will be posted in the union newsletter and directly sent to all voting members via email within the first ten days of September 2025.

Nomination Requirements

Nominations for each office will be accepted via email sent to elections@alphabetworkersunion.org. Nominations should include “Executive Board Nomination” in the subject line and must include the full name of the individual submitting the nomination, the full name of the individual being nominated and which office they are being nominated for. Nominations must be from members in good standing of the local, as specified above in the section about eligibility to hold office, and be submitted by Saturday, September 27, 2025. At least three individuals must nominate a candidate in order for them to be included on the ballot. Individuals may nominate themselves.

Nomination Acceptances

A candidate must accept or decline their nomination by submitting a written notice via email sent to elections@alphabetworkersunion.org by no later than 7:00pm PT on Saturday, October 4, 2025.

Candidate Eligibility Determinations

The Election Committee will review CWA Local 9009 dues records to determine the eligibility of all nominees. Eligible nominees will be notified of their eligibility by no later than Monday, September 29, 2025, sent a copy of these rules via electronic mail, and asked how they wish their names to appear on the ballot. Ineligible nominees will be advised of the reason(s) they are not eligible to run for office.

Inspection of the Membership List

Each candidate may inspect (not copy) the Local 9009 membership list once within 30 days prior to the election. No candidate is entitled to receive a copy of the list.

Distribution of Campaign Literature

As per LMRDA the union is required to honor any reasonable requests to distribute candidate literature at the Candidate’s expense.

The Elections Committee has arranged to display candidate statements on the union website, and to distribute them via the Union Newsletter. Candidate statements must be submitted via email to elections@alphabetworkersunion.org by no later than 7:00pm PT on Saturday, October 4, 2025 to appear in the first publication. The Elections Committee will host a candidate forum on Tuesday October 7th at 5pm PT. Candidate statements will not be indexed by web crawlers and will be removed from the website after the close of voting.

If any potential nominee or candidate wishes to distribute additional literature to the membership of the local in whole or in part via email, the Elections Committee will forward such literature within two days. The Committee will also notify all other candidates and known potential nominees of said distribution.

If any potential nominee or candidate wishes to distribute literature to members via paper mail, the Elections Committee will use a print shop to handle the mailing at the Candidate's expense. Candidates may reach out to the Elections Committee for pricing details. The Committee will also notify all other candidates and known potential nominees of any distribution.

Campaign Restrictions

Federal law prohibits the use of any union or employer funds to promote the candidacy of any person in a union officer election. This prohibition applies to cash, facilities, equipment, vehicles, office supplies, etc., of CWA Local 9009 and any other union, and of employers whether or not they employ CWA Local 9009 members. Union officers and employees may not campaign on time paid for by the union.

Federal law also provides that candidates must be treated equally regarding the opportunity to campaign and that all members may support the candidates of their choice without being subject to penalty, discipline, or reprisal of any kind. Relevant examples:

• If any committee, chapter or unit of Local 9009 hosts a candidate event using the union’s zoom accounts all candidates must be given an opportunity to speak at that event.
• Printing any campaign literature using printers at the offices of Alphabet Inc. or any other employer.
• Using any membership lists for campaign purposes obtained by any means other than the inspection expressly permitted under these Rules.

Voter Eligibility

Members in good standing as defined above in the section on eligibility to hold office are eligible to vote. Members who have joined after August 2025 dues were assessed and who have paid dues in September will also be eligible as long as they have not voluntarily withdrawn from membership.

Election Notice

A notice of election will be mailed to the last known home address of each CWA Local 9009 member on or before Wednesday, September 17, 2025. Election notices will also be posted in the union newsletter.

Electronic Ballots

Electronic ballots will be mailed via our Elections provider to the email address the union has on file for each eligible member on Saturday, October 11, 2025. A reminder of the in-progress election will also be included in the Union newsletter on the week of Monday October 13, 2025. If any member has not received a ballot they may reach out to the Elections Committee via email to rectify this error.

Observers

Candidates are entitled to have observers to verify the elections process. Observers must be members of Local 9009. Candidates should submit the names of their observers in writing to the Elections Committee prior to Monday, October 9th if they wish to exercise this right. Candidates may submit themselves as observers.

Tally of Ballots

Ballots will be counted by the Election Committee after the polls close on 11:59pm PT on Friday October 24, 2025. Votes will be tallied as per the CWA Constitution Article XV, Section 3. Notification of results will be sent to all voters on Saturday, October 25, 2025 via OPA Vote.

Runoff Election

If a runoff election is required it will take place from Monday, October 27, 2025 to Friday November 7, 2025.

Election Results

The election results will be posted in the Union Newsletter on Monday, October 27, 2025. If a Runoff election is required results will be posted in the Union Newsletter on Monday, November 10, 2025.

Election Records

The Local 9009 Secretary is responsible for maintaining all nomination and election records for at least one year after the election, as required by federal law.

Questions or Problems

Candidates and members with questions about the nomination or election procedures should contact the Election Committee via email at elections@alphabetworkersunion.org. Any violation of these rules should be reported promptly to the Election Committee so that corrective action can be taken, if necessary.

Protests

Article XV, Section 4 of the CWA Constitution provides that any member may challenge a local union officer election by filing a protest with the Election Committee within 10 days after election results are posted. Protests must be sent via email at elections@alphabetworkersunion.org.

Non-Exhaustion of Rules and Clarifications

The above rules are not all inclusive. Additional election rules or clarifications may be issued by the CWA Local 9009 Election Committee as needed during the nomination and election period.