The Information Systems Department plays a critical role in maintaining, operating and securing all USW data and computing systems, helping to equip the International and districts with the resources essential to serving local union members.
In fulfilling this responsibility, the department oversees the management and protection of more than 400 terabytes of data, 1,000 desktop and laptop computers, 80 servers and 375 mobile devices across the United States and Canada.
To enhance communications infrastructure, we’re migrating all USW office phones and fax lines to modern, internet-based systems. This transition will reduce operational costs and increase flexibility, ensuring fast, reliable communication across all levels of the organization.
Wielding Tech for Worker Empowerment
Like technology itself, the department continually evolves. Our commitment to improvement and innovation helps the union organize workplaces, enforce contracts and safeguard workers’ rights.
Since the last convention, for example, the department developed an application that enables workers to digitally sign authorization cards. This played an important role in historic organizing drives that brought thousands of University of Pittsburgh faculty, staff members and graduate students into the USW.
We continue to deploy this technology in other campaigns, especially in health care workplaces in District 11.
Digital cards provide an efficient means of securing signatures from large numbers of workers spread across multiple shifts, buildings and communities.
We also continue working with the Communications Department to better leverage the USW’s use of Action Network, an online tool for mobilizing and educating members.
Information Systems and Communications vetted the union’s Action Network distribution lists, adding thousands of members to the appropriate district and sector lists for the first time.
This enhanced accuracy better positions the union to update members in real time about issues affecting their workplaces, industries and communities. Among many other uses, Action Network enables the union to communicate bargaining information to members across major sectors like oil and paper.
In addition, Information Systems debuted the USW Mobile App, now available for both iOS (Apple) and Android devices.
This app serves as a valuable resource for members and non-members alike, providing essential information at both district and international levels. It’s already being used to help members make the most of conferences they attend.
The USW Mobile App will have a key role at the 2025 convention, helping to guide delegates through a full agenda as well as numerous sector and district events outside the main meeting hall.
Securing and Leveraging Data
A secure computing environment is vital to ensuring the availability and integrity of our data and communications.
Our security efforts encompass a range of solutions, from ransomware detection software to email filtering systems designed to block malicious communications. We prioritize data protection, ensuring that sensitive information is only accessible to authorized individuals, such as local union officers and staff representatives.
We also recognize that user training is essential to security. To mitigate the risks of cyberattacks and fraud, we implemented a comprehensive user awareness training program, equipping users with the knowledge and best practices to protect themselves both at work and in their personal computing lives.
We are also streamlining how data is ingested, stored and utilized to maximize value for the union.
Since the last convention, Information Systems has worked to provide staff representatives with easier access to employer and local union information on their smart devices. Because staff reps juggle so many issues and spend so much time on the road, it’s essential for them to have this information at their fingertips whenever they need it and wherever they might be.
Information Systems collaborates with districts and other departments on an ongoing basis to ensure that we’re meeting their technological needs efficiently. When necessary, we augment internal data with external sources to help achieve organizational objectives, all while maintaining strict data security and protection against unauthorized access.
Growing Our Front-Line Impact
In many other ways, Information Systems helps to build the union.
Steelweb—USW’s suite of services designed to enhance local union communications and administrative efficiency—continues to expand. Steelweb currently supports more than 1,500 local unions and offers the following services:
- Membership Maintenance, assissting local union leadership in keeping accurate records of active and retired members.
- Arbitration Services, providing access to comprehensive databases of past and current arbitration cases, including those curated by USW and public sources. This resource helps local unions gather evidence and win their own cases.
- Grievance Tracking, offering a secure electronic repository for grievance chairs and committee members to document and monitor grievance cases.
- Local Union Websites, empowering locals to establish and maintain an online presence that enables them to build solidarity, share information and respond to members’ needs.
- Text Messaging, allowing local unions to quickly and securely communicate with members via opt-in text messaging while safeguarding their personal phone numbers.
Our commitment to maintaining and expanding these services is unwavering, as they remain vital to the efficient functioning of local unions and the broader USW.