22Apr

How Union.dev’s Employer Portal Is Strengthening Relationships Between Unions and Employers

22 Apr, 2025 | Return|

How Union.dev’s Employer Portal Is Strengthening Relationships Between Unions and Employers

Union-management relations are often viewed through the lens of negotiation, tension, and compromise. But at Union.dev, we believe that collaboration is the true future of labor-management interaction — and that starts with communication, clarity, and trust.

That’s why we built the Employer Portal: a shared, digital space where union and employer operations intersect smoothly. Since its launch, we’ve seen firsthand how this portal is not just a backend convenience — it’s become a key bridge in modernizing and improving relationships between unions and employers.

In this post, we’ll walk through why it matters, what problems it solves, and the real-life ways it’s helping both sides move faster, stay aligned, and focus on what really matters: fair work, timely pay, and better job outcomes.

The State of Union-Employer Communication: Paper Trails, Delays, and Frustration

Before we go into the solution, it’s worth being honest about the problems we heard over and over during discovery:

Remittance confusion: Employers struggled to track what they owed vs. what they paid. Unions often had to chase payments manually.
Contract tracking nightmares: Renewals, expiries, and renegotiations were buried in email threads or Word docs.
Dispute-prone reporting: Mismatches between employer reports and union records led to avoidable tension and miscommunication.
Zero transparency: Employers often didn’t know if submissions were received, accepted, or flagged, leading to repeated emails and follow-ups.
No digital trail: Without shared infrastructure, everything relied on good faith, memory, or someone’s inbox.

These weren’t just technical challenges — they were relationship problems. Mistrust builds when information is hard to access or when one party feels like they’re being kept in the dark.

Our Goal: Give Employers and Unions a Shared Source of Truth

We designed the Employer Portal as a two-way window — not just a data dump or one-way reporting tool.

Here’s what it unlocks:

On-time remittance with transparent submission history
Automated notifications for missing, late, or incorrect filings
Contract lifecycle tracking with reminders for upcoming renewals
Financial reconciliation tools to catch discrepancies early
Secure messaging between employers and union admins
Fully audited communication logs so nothing falls through the cracks

This structure provides employers with autonomy and accountability — while giving unions the oversight and controls they need.

Let’s walk through the key features that are improving relationships, one workflow at a time.

1. Remittance That’s Transparent, Traceable, and On-Time

The Problem: Before, employers would submit remittances via PDFs or spreadsheets attached to emails. Sometimes they'd forget to submit at all. Other times, they'd submit partial payments without explanation — creating extra admin overhead for the union and confusion for employers.

The Portal Fix:

Employers log in and submit directly via a guided form.
The system automatically checks if all required fields and attachments are present.
Submissions generate a receipt and log visible to both parties.
If payment differs from expected, the system flags the mismatch and sends an alert to both sides.

Impact:

Unions no longer have to chase down employers about what was sent or when.
Employers have a single history of submissions for internal compliance and audits.
Everyone saves time and prevents issues from escalating into disputes.

“This is the first time we haven’t had to email back and forth to confirm every remittance.”
— Employer Rep, Construction Trades Local

2. Proactive Contract Expiry Notices: No More Last-Minute Surprises

The Problem: Contract expirations used to creep up on both parties. Without alerts or a shared calendar, renewals often started late, triggering rushed negotiations or short-term rollovers.

The Portal Fix:

Every employer contract in the system is tracked by name and expiration date.
90, 60, and 30-day automated notices go out to both union and employer contacts.
The emails include a link to the exact contract and supporting docs in the portal.

Impact:

Employers feel respected and prepared — no more being caught off guard.
Unions get a head start on bargaining prep and can plan campaigns accordingly.
The tone of contract talks improves simply because no one feels blindsided.

“We started negotiations two months earlier than usual this year. The reminder email made all the difference.”
— Union Business Agent

3. Discrepancy Detection That Builds Trust

The Problem: One of the biggest tension points was financial: when the union’s expectations didn’t match the employer’s remittance, and no one knew why.

The Portal Fix:

The system auto-compares what was submitted vs. what was expected based on CBA logic.
Discrepancies (underpayment or overpayment) generate an alert with a full breakdown.
Employers can add notes or attach clarifying documents immediately.

Impact:

These mismatches are now handled factually and early — not emotionally and late.
Employers appreciate having context and a chance to explain.
Union admins spend less time digging through old records and more time resolving the issue.

4. Role-Based Access and Audit Trails

The Problem: When something went wrong — a missed remittance, a late report, or a contract misfiled — there was no way to trace what happened. Who logged in? What was submitted? When?

The Portal Fix:

Every action in the portal is timestamped and attached to a user account.
Union admins and employer reps have role-based access (e.g., finance only sees remittance).
Logs can be pulled at any time for internal review, compliance, or conflict resolution.

Impact:

Transparency becomes the default. There's less "he said, she said" — more shared facts.
Admins on both sides feel protected by the system, not burdened by it.
Trust increases when there's a clear, auditable digital trail for all interactions.

5. Centralized, Secure Communication

The Problem: When email is your main method of record-keeping, things get lost — people change roles, inboxes are missed, and critical info sits buried in threads.

The Portal Fix:

Messaging and notifications related to remittances, contracts, and financials are centralized.
Employers get in-app alerts and email summaries — always with a link to the relevant task.
Unions have a single source of truth: what was sent, when, and who viewed it.

Impact:

No more missed memos or unread emails.
Tasks like “re-submit this form” or “confirm this change” can be handled quickly and without confusion.
Professionalism increases, and tone improves when there’s structure and clarity.

6. Empowerment Without Chaos

We’ve seen firsthand that when employers are given clear tools, context, and structure, they’re more likely to meet expectations — and less likely to escalate issues.

At the same time, union admins retain full control:

They can approve or reject employer-submitted items.
They can monitor email status (delivered, bounced, rejected).
They’re notified when something needs review.

This balance is what makes the Employer Portal different from just a dashboard. It’s not just a data view — it’s a collaborative workflow.

Real-World Results

Across our current Employer Portal deployments, we’ve seen:

25–40% reduction in delayed remittances within the first 3 months
50% faster resolution on remittance disputes
Dozens of hours saved per month in admin back-and-forth
Increased participation in early bargaining prep due to expiry reminders
Improved tone and trust from employer reps who now feel "in the loop"

What’s Next: Scaling the Relationship Layer

As we continue to expand the Employer Portal’s capabilities, we’re focusing on:

Digital signing of contract documents and amendments
Self-serve employer onboarding, reducing the need for union handholding
Custom form submissions for fringe benefits, safety reports, and more
Multi-employer dashboards for associations or contractors with multiple CBAs

Our long-term vision is simple: make every routine interaction a chance to build alignment, not friction.

Final Thoughts: Building Trust One Click at a Time

Labor-management relationships don’t have to be adversarial. When both sides have access to the same information, when workflows are clear, and when issues are caught early — collaboration becomes the norm, not the exception.

Union.dev’s Employer Portal isn’t just a tool. It’s a relationship platform.

By replacing disjointed communication with transparency and automation, we’re helping unions and employers spend less time chasing paperwork — and more time improving outcomes for the workers they serve.