Union Hall Management
Union hall management allows you to configure the local union halls your workforce belongs to, assign workers to their home hall based on geography, and track union affiliations across your organization. This is essential for ICI trade contractors working with organized labour — Appello is the only workforce management platform with built-in union hall support.
Navigation
Sidebar → Settings → Human Resources → Union Halls tab
URL: /settings/human-resources → Union Halls tab
Overview
The Union Halls tab displays all configured union locals and their geographic branches. Each hall represents a physical dispatch location where union members are dispatched from — this determines travel zone calculations, wage rates, and crew assignment eligibility.
Understanding Union Halls
In the unionized ICI construction industry, workers belong to a specific local union and are dispatched from a geographic hall. A single local (e.g., Local 95 — Heat and Frost Insulators) may operate multiple geographic halls across a province or region.
Appello supports this structure natively:
| Concept | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Local Union | Local 95 — Heat and Frost Insulators | The parent union organization |
| Geographic Hall | Local 95 — Toronto, Local 95 — Hamilton | Physical dispatch locations within the local |
| Worker Assignment | Dave Mitchell → Local 95 — Hamilton | Links a worker to their home hall for travel calculations |
Why This Matters
- Travel zone calculations — A worker's home hall determines their "free zone." Travel pay and board allowances are calculated based on the distance between their home hall and the job site.
- Wage rate lookups — Different locals may have different collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with different wage scales.
- Crew scheduling — Supervisors can see which hall workers are dispatched from when building crews for remote job sites.
- Payroll compliance — Union dues, pension contributions, and benefit rates may vary by local.
Creating a Union Hall
Click the Add Union Hall button to create a new hall.
Required Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The full name of the union hall (e.g., "Local 95 — Heat and Frost Insulators — Hamilton") |
Naming Convention
Use a consistent naming format that includes the local number, trade name, and geographic location:
Local {number} — {Trade Name} — {City}
Examples from a typical insulation contractor setup:
| Hall Name | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Local 95 — Heat and Frost Insulators — Toronto | Main dispatch for Greater Toronto Area |
| Local 95 — Heat and Frost Insulators — Hamilton | Golden Horseshoe region |
| Local 95 — Heat and Frost Insulators — London | Southwestern Ontario |
| Local 95 — Heat and Frost Insulators — Ottawa | Eastern Ontario |
| Local 95 — Heat and Frost Insulators — Sudbury | Northern Ontario |
| Local 95 — Heat and Frost Insulators — Windsor | Border region |
| Local 473 Sheet Metal Workers International Association — London | Sheet metal trade |
| SMWIA Local 30 (Toronto) | Sheet metal — Toronto |
Assigning Workers to Halls
Once union halls are configured, assign each worker to their home hall through the user profile:
- Navigate to Workforce → Users.
- Open the worker's profile.
- In the Union Hall field, select the appropriate hall based on the worker's home city.
Assignment Guidelines
Assign workers to the hall closest to their home address. This determines their "free zone" for travel calculations:
| Worker Home City | Assigned Hall |
|---|---|
| Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton | Local 95 — Toronto |
| Hamilton, Burlington, St. Catharines | Local 95 — Hamilton |
| London, Woodstock, Stratford | Local 95 — London |
| Ottawa, Kingston | Local 95 — Ottawa |
| Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins | Local 95 — Sudbury |
How Union Halls Connect to Other Features
Union hall assignments flow through several interconnected systems:
| Feature | How Union Hall is Used |
|---|---|
| Travel Rate Cards | The worker's hall determines their free zone — travel pay is calculated from hall to job site |
| Employment Agreements | Each hall may be linked to a specific CBA with its own wage tables |
| Scheduling | Dispatchers can filter by hall when building crews for remote projects |
| Timesheets | Travel allowances auto-calculate based on worker hall vs. job site location |
| Payroll Export | Union hall information exports with payroll data for dues remittance |
Related Pages
- Human Resources Settings — Overview of all HR configuration tabs
- Certifications — Track worker certifications and compliance
Appello is the only workforce management platform in the ICI construction space with native union hall management. Competing platforms require manual tracking in spreadsheets or third-party integrations.