General membership meetings

On this page
  1. About General Membership Meetings
  2. Slides from past meetings
  3. Zoom troubleshooting
  4. Security
  5. A reminder about babies and baseball

About General Membership Meetings

General membership meetings occur on the third Thursday of each month from 12 – 1 p.m., unless otherwise noted on the calendar. All members are encouraged to attend general membership meetings.  

As always: please attend on your break or personal time. You are allowed to attend meetings using City devices (laptops or phones).

Meetings are held on Zoom (find troubleshooting info below) with invites and instructions going to your work Outlook email as well as a personal email for card-signed members who have provided it. These meetings are also posted on our event calendar and Discord. However, for security reasons, we only provide the link in your email. Time/date subject to change!

Typical agenda is:

  • a highlights overview from the past month
  • financial report
  • committee updates
  • bargaining or contract updates
  • information from the stewards corner
  • upcoming events
  • Q&A.

Slides from past meetings

Zoom troubleshooting

We have been working on improving the Zoom experience for all members and appreciate your patience as we navigate all the technology hurdles. Our biggest advice: log in early to make sure everything works!

We have some tips and workarounds listed here. If you have an issue that is not addressed here, reach out to Stacy Brewster for assistance.

Basics

General membership meeting invites are sent to everyone’s work email PLUS their personal email we have for card-signed members. The Zoom link, meeting ID, passcode, and call-in options are included in these invites only. We do not include them anywhere else. Share your personal email with us anytime at info@cppwunion.org so we have it for these communications.

Our meetings are set up so you can join through the desktop or mobile Zoom app, from within the Zoom website on a web browser, or calling in on either City or personal devices.

  • Zoom app: we recommend you connect through the desktop app for the best experience. Downloading the app for desktop or a mobile device and creating a Zoom account is free.
  • Web browser: create a free Zoom account using your either your work or personal email address (whichever works best with the system at your worksite), then log into Zoom via a web browser. After logging in on the website, in the top right corner, hit JOIN, then enter the meeting ID and passcode when prompted. Note for Police members: this method has been successful for others but recommend testing it beforehand.
  • Call-in: If you use the call-in option, you will only be able to hear the meeting, you will not be able to see the shared screen. While this is not ideal, our presenters make sure to cover (and verbalize) all the material on slides and to answer questions from the chat or Q&A verbally as well. From calling in, you are also able to raise your hand (by pressing *9) and unmute yourself (by pressing *6).

Beyond the basics – Workarounds to get connected

If you are not able to connect to Zoom meetings simply through hitting the link in the invite, here are some options to try.

Set up a free Zoom account using your personal email address. Signing up is free and removes most barriers to joining meetings. Once set up, you can sign into your account either in the app or web browser.

Log into Zoom (on either app or web browser) before hitting the meeting link in the invite. This will make joining through the link much easier.

Download the Zoom app on your personal phone and join using your Zoom account created in the above step. Again, the Zoom app is free for a mobile device so that you can join meetings from the invite link. This method is easiest when meeting invites are already sent to your personal email address. Send your personal email address to info@cppwunion.org.

Join the meeting through a web browser on your personal phone using the meeting ID and passcode. After logging in to your free Zoom account on a web browser on your personal device, hit “Join” in the top right corner then you will be prompted for the Meeting ID and passcode we provide in the invites.

Use the call-in option on your personal device. While this is not ideal, our presenters make sure to cover (and verbalize) all the material on slides and to answer questions from the chat or Q&A verbally as well. From calling in, you are also able to raise your hand (by pressing *9) and unmute yourself (by pressing *6). For security reasons, please use a personal or work phone number we can match to our list or you may be removed from the meeting.

Security

We are balancing the ease of joining our meetings with security. To keep meetings private to only employees in the CPPW bargaining unit, please rename yourself in the meeting to your full name so we can verify who is in the room.

Simply click on the three dots (…) by your name, and select “rename” to do this easily. Note: this renames you for the current meeting only, it does not modify the account settings if you are joining from a work account.

Facilitators will remind you verbally and by private message to do this. If you do not rename or respond, we may remove you from the meeting.

A reminder about babies and baseball

We are all allowed to talk about our union in the same way you can talk about your hobbies, family, or other interests with fellow coworkers. This is a legally protected right.

We are also allowed to use City devices (laptops, Teams, etc.) to communicate with each other about our union or any topics related to our union. This is also legally protected. 

Devices are controlled by the City, so it’s a good idea to move important or confidential union conversations to personal devices. 

If you are interested in older meeting minutes or materials, or need an alternative format, reach out to the CPPW secretary.