Online Registration of Convention Delegates To Replace Paper Process

For the first time, APWU locals and state organizations will register delegates to the APWU National Convention online, through the union’s Web site, www.apwu.org. “This is another important step on the road to modernization,” said APWU Secretary-Treasurer Terry R. Stapleton. “Submitting paper credentials is a thing of the past.” 

To register delegates from their locals or state organizations, authorized officers must visit the Web site’s Members Only section, and select My Local and Personal Info, where they will be prompted to log-in and enter a password. (Log-in instructions are provided on the page.) Authorized officers are the president and the secretary, secretary-treasurer, or treasurer. 

Once they have logged in, presidents and other authorized officers should click on Convention Credentials on the blue left-hand column. Instructions for selecting and registering delegates will follow. 

Delegate names must be submitted by the president and verified by one of the other authorized officers. The names also can be submitted by one of the other authorized officers and verified by the president. Once an officer has submitted a delegate’s name, an e-mail will be automatically sent to the other officer, asking him or her to verify the delegate. 

The Convention Credentials page will indicate the number of delegates local officers are permitted to register, the number of delegates that have been registered by the local or state, and the number awaiting verification. Delegates can be registered individually or in groups. 

If officers get stuck, they can e-mail questions to credentialshelp@apwu.org. 

After delegates have been registered and verified, local officers will be instructed to print the credentials to be brought to the convention. 

The National Convention, the union’s highest decision-making body, will be held Aug. 18-22, 2008, in Las Vegas. The convention charts the union’s course for the future, gives focus to the union’s goals in contract negotiations and in the political arena, and improves the organization so it can better serve the membership. A wide variety of resolutions are introduced, debated, and voted upon to accomplish these objectives. 

Online delegate registration is the newest feature of the Web site’s “Members Only” section. In June 2007, the union made its national membership database available online to allow members to review their personal records, update their contact information, and find out how to get in touch with their union representatives. Union officers can also use the My Local and Personal Info section to retrieve their most current membership records, as well as dues information, records of COPA contributions, and non-member reports. 

Online registration was used for the All-Craft Conference in November 2007.