OFFICIAL RULES GOVERNING THE ISSUANCE AND USE OF THE CWA PRINTING UNION LABEL
Note: The CWA Union Label may be issued only to qualified firms which have signed, without alteration or amendment, the Label License Agreement forms furnished by the PPMWS. The License Agreement makes reference to Laws and Rules for label use. These are as follows as contained in the By-Laws for Printing, Publishing and Media Workers Sector:
- The CWA Label may be used only on work produced by members of the Printing, Publishing and Media Workers Sector of CWA (PPMWS) pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement with a PPMWS Local Union.
- Except as may be specifically authorized by the PPMWS, the CWA Label, in either its original or reproduced form, may not be sent out of the geographical jurisdiction of the Local Union for printing.
- The CWA Union Label may be used on work received from a printing broker only if the shop doing the work bills the customer direct and delivers the job to such customer.
- Any representative of the PPMWS shall have access to all offices using union labels at any time during working hours.
- No imprint shall be used in connection with the label other than the number of the firm which is legally licensed for its use, and the Federal Trademark Registration symbol, i.e., ® shall be used and appear next to the label.
- No firm authorized to use the label will be allowed to make a charge for the use of the label on printing.
- The label is to appear in its original form, free from rule work or ornamentation, which tends to or disguises the union label. The label may be reduced in size or enlarged, but no reduction in size may be made which will render the label illegible.
- Whenever the label is used, the shop label number assigned by the PPMWS headquarters must appear.
- Labels shall not be used by any firm other than the one named in the label license.
- The CWA Union Label shall not be issued to any firm unless there are a minimum of two (2) represented employees who shall not have a significant ownership interest. Firms currently authorized to use the CWA Label shall not lose the authorization as a result of this rule.
- Badly worn labels are not to be used.
- The label shall not be placed on work subcontracted by a label firm to a non-label firm. When a label firm subcontracts all or any portion of a job to another label office or offices, the label number of the firm contracting with the customer for the job is the label number to be used.
- The use of the CWA Union Label on any literature, card, picture or engraving of an obscene nature is strictly prohibited, and its appearance upon same shall be deemed sufficient cause for revocation of license.
- All label work subcontracted from a label shop must be given only to authorized union establishments.
- Firms must produce all labels authorized from the PPMWS.
- PPMWS Local Unions shall act as agents to represent the Union Label in each establishment loaned the CWA Union Label, and the representative shall see that the labels are not wrongfully used or loaned. The CWA Local Union representative shall deface the label on any plates after the impressions are run off before these plates are taken from the Firm and ensure all Labels are deleted and removed from such Firms when authorized by the PPMWS.
- No label license can be cancelled in any office without the express consent of the PPMWS, and such request will be made to the PPMWS President in writing. Investigation of such complaint(s) and acquired evidence may be presented by the union or unions interested and reported to the PPMWS.
- On a violation of the terms under which the label is granted, the custodian of the label shall, after instruction by the PPMWS, remove all labels in any form, from the offending firm.
- These rules may be altered or amended only by the President of the Printing, Publishing and Media Workers Sector of CWA.
*Rules furnished by the Printing, Publishing and Media Workers Sector of CWA. If there are questions about the interpretation or application of the above Rules, please contact your PPMWS Local Union.
Last amended 7/2017
Download a Copy of the Official Rules Governing the Issuance and Use of the CWA Printing Union Label