For those Locals who currently issue credit cards in the Local’s name and who are not convinced by our comments to change that policy, we recommend the following steps to protect the Local and yourself.

1. Issue cards only to those officers who have extensive travel responsibilities or are responsible for purchasing goods, services or bills that cannot be handled through the Local’s normal voucher procedure.

2. Inform Local officers on the proper use of the Local’s credit card. Ask each officer to read and sign the "Local Union Credit Proper Use Statement" and file a signed copy.

3. Do not activate the cash-withdrawing feature of the credit card (usually with PIN).

4. Require officers to submit monthly credit card expense reports.

5. Set up an audit committee, which knows how to spend time reviewing credit card statements, payments and monthly credit card expense reports.

6. Locals that maintain credit cards for their officers should consider increasing their blanket fiduciary bonding coverage beyond the required 10% of the Local’s assets. It has been our experience that Local Union credit card fraud often exceeds the normal bonding requirements.