Short answer: It's up to the local's bylaws, and amendments need the National President's written approval. Contract ratification may be by meeting, "mail referendum or any other form of referendum" (constitution amended through 2023).
| Verdict | Method left to local bylaws |
| Ratification / strike votes | Contract ratification: Leaves the method to local bylaws (bylaws must provide for ratification at a regular or special meeting, by mail referendum, or by 'any other form of referendum'; electronic not named). Strike votes: Lists specific methods; electronic not among them (majority vote of members at a special or regular meeting, Art. VII, Sec. 3) – counsel to confirm whether the list is exclusive. |
| Confidence | High |
| Last verified | 21 October 2026 |
What the text says
How local officer elections are run
"All challenges to election results for officers, delegates and representatives, must be made in writing to the local union within 15 days of the time the challenger becomes aware, or reasonably should have become aware, there have been violations of the election procedures of the local bylaws or the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 as amended, which would have affected the outcome of the election."
"Delegates to the National Convention shall be elected by secret ballot of the local union after the Call for the National Convention is received and has been read to the local union. ... if a local’s bylaws provide that any of its officers shall also serve as National Convention Delegates, then such officers, when elected to office, shall also be elected as delegate to the National Union Convention"
Electronic, internet, phone or remote voting
"Local union bylaws must provide for ratification of any contracts or renewal of contracts by their members in good standing at a regular or special meeting called for that purpose or by mail referendum or any other form of referendum."
"No vote shall be taken on disbanding or withdrawing from affiliation by the members of any affiliated Local Union, Regional Board or Joint Council except at a specially called meeting, after due notice in writing to each and every member, designating the time and place of meeting and the purpose for which the special meeting is called. The vote shall be by secret ballot."
International approval of local bylaws or election rules
"Local unions, regional boards or joint councils, may adopt such bylaws and rules as do not conflict with any of the provisions of this National Constitution or the policies of the National Union. ... If a local union, regional board or joint council seeks to amend its bylaws, the amendments must be sent to the National President for approval in writing before they can be adopted by the local union, regional board or joint council."
"The National President shall approve proposed amendments to the bylaws if in the best interests of the membership and not in conflict with the National Constitution."
Contract ratification and strike votes
"No local union shall call a strike unless their members have been notified of the consideration of such strike action at a special or regular meeting, and the members at such meeting by a majority vote approve strike action. In addition, the provisions in Article IX, Strikes, must be adhered to."
"No strike shall be called by any local union until the National Office is notified and the National President has given his/her sanction. Local union officers, before requesting strike approval from the National President, are required to have membership approval of such strike action. Membership approval of strike authority may be taken prior to such negotiations."
Open questions
The constitution never states how local officers are elected (it refers only to 'the election procedures of the local bylaws'), and bylaw amendments need the National President's written approval; whether 'any other form of referendum' in Art. VII, Sec. 2 covers electronic ratification voting is not addressed by the text.
The federal rules still apply
Federal law sits on top of every constitution. For unions covered by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), officer elections must meet Title IV's secret-ballot, notice and observer requirements however members vote. The Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) addresses remote electronic voting in its Compliance Tip Electing Union Officers Using Remote Electronic Voting Systems (updated December 10, 2024). The Tip describes safeguards for secrecy, observation and records, says it "does not offer unions safe harbor," and says each system is evaluated case by case. Federal-sector unions follow 29 CFR Part 458, which applies the same standards; postal unions are covered by the LMRDA. Locals made up entirely of state or local government employees are generally outside Title IV and follow state law and their own rules. OLMS Compliance Tip
Sources
- Constitution of the Utility Workers Union of America (PDF) — Adopted at Atlantic City, New Jersey April 6, 1946; Amended Through July 29, 2023. https://uwua.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/UWUA-Constitution-Amended-July-2023.pdf (accessed 2026-10-21)
- UWUA Constitution – text version (official web page; used to verify wording where the PDF text layer drops 'fi' ligatures) — Amended Through July 29, 2023. https://uwua.net/uwua-constitution-text-version/ (accessed 2026-10-21)
- UWUA Constitution filed with DOL OLMS (national HQ file no. 000-039) – checked for filing history only — Latest OLMS filing is the July 2019 edition (received 2020-03-24); not used for quotes. https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/orgReport.do?rptId=19437&rptForm=attachment (accessed 2026-10-21)
Not verified: Full-text keyword search (electron, internet, online, telephon, remote, digital, computer, web, machine, mail ballot, referendum) found no mention of electronic, internet or telephone voting; 'electronic' does not appear. The PDF text layer drops the 'fi' ligature (e.g. 'rati cation'); quotes were checked against the union's official text-version page. No UWUA local-election manual was found. The newest OLMS filing is the 2019 edition; the 2023 edition was taken from uwua.net.
This page summarizes the published text of a union's governing documents. It is not legal advice and not an official interpretation by the union. Constitutions change at conventions, and locals' own bylaws matter. Confirm with your International and your counsel before changing how members vote. Spotted an error or a newer edition? Tell us at info@votem.com and we'll correct it.
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