SEASON'S GREETINGS! - It's the holiday season, everyone is busy and we don't want to take a lot of your time this month, so this missive will be short.

But, we do want to take this opportunity to wish all of you Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We want you to know that here at Unions-America, we value and appreciate each and every one of our clients. We hope you have a great holiday season, enjoy family and friends and enter the New Year refreshed and reinvigorated. The work we do is so important to so many, and yes, sometimes it can bog us down. This is the season to recharge, and make plans for the best-possible 2019 for all of organized labor. Working together, we can make that happen!

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IS THE GRASS REALLY GREENER? - As we are about to embark upon the New Year, we'd like to take a moment to respond the growing trend of various "FREE" websites.

Remember the old adage "You get what you pay for?" This proverb is very true when it comes to FREE websites. We've had a chance to look at these systems being offered by various groups. What we've found is that these systems are largely nothing more than scaled-down, entry-level websites that offer only the basic minimum of features. 

In essence, you give up a dollar to get a dime. They don't offer:

             * A full suite of Membership Management Tools

             * A full suite of Membership Communications Tools

             * The ability to add a Mobile App

             * E-Mail accounts or services

             * MOST IMPORTANTLY - No Technical Support!!

Try calling a free website service when your site is down, your e-mail isn't working or you're having trouble uploading a critical document with a tight deadline, etc. Good luck with getting your needs met instantly and professionally. 

Unions-America has spent 20 years building the highest level of technology websites to help build strong unions. We have listened to unions across the nation and have built the most comprehensive, state-of-the-art web platform for unions in the industry.

We have always offered superior technical assistance in a prompt, courteous fashion to keep unions running at optimum efficiency. Your union would experience a HUGE downgrade of quality and service if you elected to leave Unions-America for one of those FREE website services. Don't get burned! STAY WITH THE EXPERTS!!

"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price."

- Your Unions-America Service Team

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PLANNING AHEAD - The dawn of each New Year is always a great time to reflect and make plans for improvement over the next 12 months. We feature a unique communications product line that can truly broaden your outreach and enhance the connection with your members. As we enter the New Year, think about the following:

            * Your Website - Is it responsive (automatically scales to any device)? Is your website easy to navigate and does it provide a good user experience? Current and potential members need to find what they're looking for within just a few clicks. If you're not sure, check in with us and let's see what improvements we can help you make.

            * Mobile App - Do you have a mobile app? Statistically speaking, 100 percent of your members under 30 have a cell phone, 98 percent of those 30 to 50 have one and even your oldest members, those 50 and over, use cell phones at a 94 percent rate. And in each category, the vast majority are using smart-phones. Millennials typically use their phone to access the Internet, rather than a computer or laptop. We have a wide menu of mobile app options to fit any union's needs - think about adding a mobile app in 2019!

            * Grievance Tracking - 2018 saw the NLRB beef up its rules regarding grievance tracking. We have a product, GrievTrac, that moves the entire grievance process into a modern, digital platform. And you can scan all of your existing paperwork right into the system. Consider GrievTrac as you make your 2019 plans.

            * Database - Between Janus and new NLRB rules and everything else that's happened recently, it's more important than ever to know who your members are, where they work, where they live and how to best contact them. Our Unions-America Member Database Builder is the perfect tool!

As always, you can check out any of our products at www.Unions-America.com. And remember, we're in this fight together to better the lives of working people throughout the U.S. and Canada.

"THE WORKERS … UNITED … WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!"

Once again, Happy Holidays from all of us at Unions-America!