MAPE Local 901 Member Hardship Assistance Fund Policy
The purpose of this policy is to establish how our Hardship (aka Local Member Assistance) Fund will be administered. Copies of the Local 901 Member Hardship Assistance Fund Policy shall be made available to all members electronically.
- In order to be considered for Hardship Assistance applicants must be a member and have a recent major personal/family (spouse, domestic partner, or dependent child/children) catastrophe or major medical condition.
- Eligible expenses include but are not limited to: rent, mortgage, medical/dental bill, utility bill, car repair bill, major essential housing expenses etc.
- Disbursement of funds is limited to the approved local budget line item.
- Member Hardship Assistance shall occur as situations arise. Members or their representatives (person who can represent the member’s interests in the absence of the member being able to represent themselves; this could be a colleague, friend, or family member) must submit a completed and signed MAPE Local 901 Member Hardship Assistance Request Form to the Treasurer of MAPE Local 901.
- The Local Treasurer shall identify the Local Member Hardship Assistance Funds as line item “Hardship fund” in the Local 901 annual budget.
- Per MAPE’s Local Member Assistance Fund Policy, “Each qualified recipient is eligible to receive grants not to exceed a total of one thousand dollars ($1,000) of LMAF assistance during a 12-month period.”
- If members are on strike or during a government shutdown the Local Member Hardship Assistance fund will be temporary suspended until normal working conditions resume.
- Requests of Local Member Hardship Assistance Funds shall go through these steps: A member Hardship Assistance request must be made by the Local 901 member or a representative requesting the funds using the Request Form to the Local 901 Treasurer. The Treasurer will then provide the request to the Local Executive Committee for review and approval. Please give the Local Executive Committee at least 2 weeks to evaluate the request.
- Requests for Local Member Assistance Funding must be approved by a simple majority of the Local Executive Committee. If denied, the Local President will inform the Local Member.
- If approved, Local Treasurer will notify Local member when the check is mailed.
- The Local Executive Committee shall keep the membership appraised of the request in general terms at the monthly membership meeting through the treasurer’s report.
- The Local 901 Treasurer shall be responsible for dispersal of the Local Member Hardship Assistance funds, under the supervision of the Local 901 Executive Committee.
* If the Treasurer position in the Local Exec team is currently vacant, then this role will defer to the Local President or designated member of the Local Exec team.