Getting started with Unionsuite

Roles at a glance

Unionsuite is your union's all-in-one management suite. What you see and what you can do depend on your role and on the capabilities an administrator has granted you.

There are four roles. An Administrator typically has full access across all regions and Branches. A Regional VP typically works within one region: its members, Branches, grievances, and seniority. A Branch Executive typically works within one Branch with a reduced view of member data. A Member is a basic login with no staff tools, and opening a staff screen sends them to the No access page.

Nothing is fixed. Every feature checks a named capability, so an administrator can change role defaults or grant a per-user exception at any time. Changes to role defaults can take around 30 seconds to apply.

Signing in with a one-time code

Unionsuite uses passwordless sign-in. There is no password. Each time you sign in, you receive a one-time 6-digit code by email.

Only addresses on your union's access list can sign in. If your address is not on the list, you will see a Not allowed or Access denied message, and an administrator will need to add your email. If you reach the welcome page while signed out, it offers a path to the Dashboard (which asks you to sign in) and one straight to the login page.

1. 1Open the login page and type your authorized email address.
2. 2Decide whether to keep "Trust this device, stay signed in for 60 days" ticked. It is on by default.
3. 3Click Send code. The button reads Sending while it works and stays disabled until you have typed a valid email address.
4. 4Check your inbox and type the 6-digit code into the box. The form submits automatically the moment you enter the sixth digit, or you can click Verify code.
5. 5If the code is wrong, re-type it or use Resend code. Use Change email to start over with a different address.
6. 6On success you briefly see Verified, then land on the Dashboard.

Rate limits and staying signed in

Code requests are rate-limited to protect the access list. You can make up to 5 requests per minute and 20 per hour from one network, and up to 5 requests per 10 minutes for a single email address. Going over shows a short cooldown message. These are brief waits, not lockouts, so wait the indicated time and try again.

The trust checkbox controls how long your session lasts in that browser. Ticked, your sign-in is kept for about 60 days on that device. Unticked, it lasts only for the current browser session and clears when you fully close the browser, which is the safer choice on shared or public computers. Trust is per browser and per device, so signing in on your phone does not affect your laptop.

There is no in-app screen that revokes trusted devices. To clear a saved sign-in, open that browser's settings and clear cookies or site data for the app's address. The next visit will ask for the full email and code again.

Your first stop: the Dashboard

The Dashboard is the home screen for staff roles. It opens with the app's name, the running version, and a short subtitle. Members are redirected from the Dashboard to the No access page.

Four KPI cards sit at the top, scoped to what your role is allowed to see: Total Members (excluding inactive or terminated), Active, Branch Executives, and Branches. Below them, a Status Breakdown lists member statuses with counts and percentages, with inactive and terminated statuses excluded so the chart reflects the working membership. Top Branches and Top Job Titles rank your members, and both are hidden on phones to keep the screen compact.

Quick Actions tiles jump to the main areas: Members, Branches, Job Titles, and Grievances. The Grievances tile carries a red badge with your count of unread grievance updates. If you lack the capability to view grievances, that tile is hidden and the others spread to fill the row.

Finding your way around

The header sits at the top of every page. On the left is the menu button (the hamburger icon) that opens the navigation drawer, and the app name, which is always a shortcut back to the Dashboard. On the right are the notification bell (only if you can view grievances) and the settings gear.

On wide screens, inline links for Dashboard, Members, and Branches appear in the header, while everything else lives in the menu drawer, so you use the menu button even on a desktop. On phones and tablets, the inline links disappear and the drawer is the only navigation. Every tool works on a phone with all of its functionality intact, with layouts adapting into stacked cards and full-width buttons rather than shrinking.

The drawer lists the pages for your role and highlights the page you are on. Close it by choosing a link, clicking outside it, pressing Escape, or clicking the X. The drawer shows navigation by role, but actually using a page still depends on your capabilities. Pressing Tab on a freshly loaded page also reveals a hidden Skip to main content link.

Notifications, themes, and the update banner

If you can view grievances, a bell appears in the header. When you have unread items, a red badge shows the count, displaying anything over 99 as 99+, and it refreshes about every 45 seconds while the tab is visible. Click the bell to open the Unread changes panel. Click a grievance row to mark it read and jump to that grievance, use Dismiss to clear one item without navigating, or Dismiss all to clear everything. The panel has no search box, so use the Grievances page for full searching and filtering.

The settings gear opens the Settings window. You can pick from twelve themes (six light and six dark, with Light as the default), tune appearance with Reduce transparency and Reduce motion, and tune notifications such as the unread badge and how long toast popups stay on screen. While signed in, your settings are saved to your account and follow you across devices.

While you work, the app checks about every 3 minutes for a new version. When one is found, a banner appears at the bottom-centre of the screen. Save any open changes, then click Reload to pick up the new version, or click the X to dismiss it for now.

Announcements and getting help

Administrators can broadcast a site-wide notice that appears as a red banner directly below the header on every signed-in screen, in real time with no reload needed. Click the X to dismiss it from your own screen. It disappears for everyone once an administrator clears it. Broadcasting is reserved for super-admin accounts, who use a small megaphone button at the bottom-right of the page to open the Broadcast Announcement popup, send a Quick Send or custom message, and Clear Announcement when done. Only one announcement can be live at a time.

If you open something your account cannot use, or sign in as a Member and reach a staff screen, you will see the No access page with buttons to go Back to home or Try a different account. If you believe you should have access, ask an administrator, who manages the access list, roles, and exceptions.

Once signed in, a round "i" button floats at the bottom-right of every page. It opens the in-app help assistant, which answers your plain-language questions using this manual and your own resolved permissions.