The Treasurer’s role now is to dredge the riverbed: test every gate, trace every current, and chart where the missing waters went. Only through structured forensic testing and transparent reporting to the Executive Board can the current run clear again.

Every river, no matter how vast, depends on balance. Too many dams and the waters stagnate; too few and it floods the valley. Within a labor organization, that balance is maintained through segregation of duties, independence in oversight, and mutual respect between union staff and the elected executive board.

A river is only as strong as the guardians who watch its flow. Within a labor organization, the Treasurer plays this role. The Treasurer is not simply a record keeper, nor a passive observer of staff accounting. They are the member-elected, independent steward of the current, tasked with conducting audits that ensure the river of dues revenue remains clear, lawful, and aligned with the course set by General Council.

The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) developed the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework, which is designed to help organizations manage risk in a holistic way. For a labor union, aligning its internal controls with the COSO ERM framework involves implementing a robust system of controls that ensures transparency, accountability, and risk mitigation across various aspects of its operations.