Authority by Function, Not Organizational Height
TWU authority does not operate through a single upward chain. Different governing bodies control different stages of a decision, and a single process can contain both direct member authority and International approval requirements.
Collective bargaining provides a clear example. The 2025 Constitution requires proposed agreements to be ratified by the members covered by them. The International President must be notified of bargaining and may personally participate or designate a representative, but that International participant does not vote on Local negotiating decisions. Separately, a collective bargaining agreement cannot become binding without written approval from the International President or an authorized designee.
The Constitution establishes multiple control points; it does not prescribe one universal linear hierarchy for every governance action.
Primary source: TWU Constitution, Article XXV and related provisions
Member Authority
Direct member authority exists at several important points. Within the limits established by the Constitution and Local bylaws, the membership is the highest authority in a Local. Members elect Local leadership through constitutionally regulated Local election procedures, participate through membership or section meetings, ratify proposed collective bargaining agreements covering them, and exercise specified voting rights in other consequential actions.
Member authority therefore should not be described merely as the starting point of a process that subsequently transfers upward. In some matters, the member vote is itself an indispensable decision point.
Local Administrative Authority
Between membership meetings, the Local Executive Board administers Local affairs. Local bylaws establish additional carrier- or workplace-specific structures within the International constitutional framework. The Constitution permits Locals to establish sections, divisions, branches, and appropriately allocated Executive Board representation where circumstances warrant.
Contract administration likewise contains substantial Local authority. Under Article XXIV, grievances begin with the Local, section, or designated Local officer; Local representatives evaluate and handle them; unresolved matters may proceed to the Local President or representative. Unless the International Union itself is party to the CBA, the Constitution designates the member's Local as the member's representative for grievances and employment-related matters.
International Participation and Support
International participation should be distinguished from International control. TWU maintains an Air Division staff and other International resources that can provide industry knowledge, bargaining experience, legal or strategic assistance, training, and institutional continuity. The existence of those resources does not establish that every Local decision is made by or routed through the Air Division.
Support is not necessarily control; participation is not necessarily a vote; oversight is not necessarily day-to-day administration.
International Approval and Oversight
TWU International institutions nevertheless possess significant documented control points. Local bylaws require IAC approval. The International President interprets and enforces the Constitution subject to constitutional review. The International has broad inspection authority over Local and related financial records. Collective bargaining agreements require written International Presidential approval. The Constitution also creates International appellate, disciplinary, charter, and specified strike-approval mechanisms.
These powers should be described specifically rather than generalized into a claim that all final decision-making resides nationally.
Convention, IEC, IAC, and International President
“International” is not one undifferentiated actor. The Convention, International Executive Council, International Administrative Committee, International President, International Secretary-Treasurer, and International staff or Division personnel can possess different constitutional responsibilities. CrewSignal names the governing actor whenever the distinction changes the authority being analyzed.
CrewSignal Authority Test
For each material governance decision, identify: Who initiates? Who administers? Who participates? Who votes? Who must approve? Who may appeal? Who may reverse or supersede?
This functional test is used throughout the TWU reporting and is designed to support later cross-union comparison without changing the test to fit the organization being studied.