A member portal and dues system for a labor union

A regional labor union kept membership, dues and grievance records in spreadsheets and paper files. Members contacted the hall for dues balances, documents and case updates.

The problem

The portal needed reliable payment history, restricted access to sensitive grievance records, and a rollout that kept phone and in-person service available.

What we built

• Member portal: membership status, dues history, profile details and communication preferences.
• Dues collection: Stripe subscriptions, receipts, failed-payment handling and ledger reconciliation.
• Grievance tracking: member submissions, steward queues, internal notes and status notifications.
• Document library: versioned collective bargaining agreements and unit-specific documents with role-based access.
• Communications: staff announcements by email and in the dashboard.

Stripe supplies payment events, while PostgreSQL stores membership records. A nightly reconciliation compares payment records with ledger entries and flags discrepancies for staff review.

How we approached it

Payment history was cleaned and checked with the bookkeeper before a small payments pilot. Stewards tested the grievance workflow before members gained access to case status.

The portal launched with documents and account information already available. Staff provided orientation and a short video walkthrough, while phone and walk-in service continued.

Delivered system

Members can view dues history and documents outside office hours. Staff manage payment discrepancies and grievances in dedicated queues with the appropriate access controls.

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