Unions in America have a long-running history. Generally what comes to mind when we think of unions are strikes, walk-outs, and other media attracting events over compensation and benefits. We may vaguely understand that there are business aspects to union activities as we read the headlines. However, thinking of unions as diversified business enterprises with records may not be the first thing that comes to mind. The definition of a record, often identified as a document, includes any physical object or digital bit of knowledge, that has organizational significance. The historicity of any organization's records cannot be understated and this is especially true for American unions. According to the University of Albany (https://library.albany.edu/speccoll/documentinglabor/savingrecords1.htm) …show more content…
The U.S. alone has more than ten federal records management laws and regulations that must be followed when working with government records. Beyond these legal mandates, a records management strategy is vital to any organization's life, including unions. A strategic decision regarding how all information is stored, created, shared, tracked and protected will ensure that those records will never be in the wrong hands or wrong place, and can be accessed by those who need it now and in the …show more content…
In order to meet and maintain compliance the following general standards are necessary: • Storage, preservation, and retrieval, of electronic records must be ensured. • Integrity, accuracy, and reliability of stored records must be ensured through inspection and evaluation of the electronic storage system. • Unauthorized creation, addition, alteration, deletion, or deterioration of electronically stored records must be prevented and detectable. • An indexing system that permits the identification and retrieval of records maintained in the system must be included. • A capability for a high degree of legibility when records are displayed on a video display terminal and when reduced to hard copy is met. • Hard copy records must be kept until the first completed and successful testing the electronic storage system ensures that the stored electronic versions of the records comply with the standards