Election and Campaign Rules 2023

1. Constitution and Bylaws The nomination and election of CWA Local 9009 officers will be conducted in accordance with the CWA International Constitution as Amended October 2021; the Local 9009 Bylaws updated on July 17, 2023; and the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, as amended (“LMRDA”).
2. Term of Office Those elected to serve as President, Vice President and Organizing Chair will serve a three-year term which will end on October 28, 2026. Those elected to serve as Secretary, Treasurer and Communications Chair will serve a two-year term which will end on October 28, 2025. Installation of Executive Board members will occur thirty days after certification of results.
3. Eligibility to Hold Office Any member who has paid dues for at least the month of July 2023 or August 2023 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 for criminal convictions as specified by Section 504 of the LMRDA. For more information about this provision of the LMRDA see the factsheet published by the US Department of Labor.

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.

4. Nomination Notice A nomination notice will be posted in the union newsletter and directly sent to all members via email on September 11th, 2023.
5. Nomination Requirements Nominations for the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, as well as the chairs for the Organizing and Communications Committees will be accepted via email sent to elections@alphabetworkersunion.org. Nominations should include the “Executive Board Nomination” in the subject line and must include the name of the individual submitting the nomination, the 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 and be submitted by September 30, 2023.
6. Nomination Acceptances A candidate must accept or decline nomination by submitting a written acceptance via email sent to elections@alphabetworkersunion.org by no later than 7:00pm PT on Saturday October 7, 2023.
7. 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 October 1, 2023, 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.
8. 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.
9. 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 7, 2023 to appear in the first publication. The Elections Committee will host a candidate forum on Tuesday October 10th 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.

10. 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.

11. Voter Eligibility Any member who has paid dues for at least the month of July 2023 or August 2023 is considered to be in good standing and eligible to vote in this election. Members who have joined after August 2023 dues were assessed and who have paid dues in September will also be eligible.
12. 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 20, 2023. Election notices will also be posted in the union newsletter.
13. 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 14, 2023. A reminder of the in progress election will also be included in the Union newsletter on Monday October 16, 2023. If any member has not received a ballot they may reach out to the Elections Committee via email to rectify this error.
14. 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.
15. Tally of Ballots Ballots will be counted by the Election Committee after the polls close on 11:59pm PT on Friday October 27, 2023. 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 28, 2023 via OPA Vote.
16. Runoff election If a runoff election is required it will take place from Monday October 30, 2023 to Friday November 10, 2023
17. Election Results The election results will be posted in the Union Newsletter on Monday October 30, 2023. If a Runoff election is required results will be posted in the Union Newsletter on Monday November 13, 2023.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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. Such protest must be sent via email at elections@alphabetworkersunion.org
21. 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.

Changelog:

September 18: These rules were updated after it was determined that the planned use of Warren STV conflicted with the CWA constitution.

September 20: Updated start dates in Term of Office.