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Regional Chapters, District Councils & Federation Architecture

To ensure the trade remains worker-centric and responsive to local economic conditions, the Cybersecurity Craft Guild operates as a decentralized, federated association composed of Local Chapters (“The Locals”), District Councils, and the National Delegate Convention.

1. The Three-Tier Federation Model

+─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────+
| LEVEL 1: NATIONAL GUILD CONVENTION & EXECUTIVE COUNCIL                      |
| • Sets national minimum baseline wage floors (RJPB index).                  |
| • Administers the National Legal Defense Shield & Multi-Employer Trusts.    |
| • Holds biennial constitutional delegate conventions.                       |
+─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────+
                                       │
        ┌──────────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────┐
        ▼                                                             ▼
+──────────────────────────────────────────+   +───────────────────────────────+
| LEVEL 2: DISTRICT COUNCILS (Multi-State) |   | LEVEL 2: DISTRICT COUNCILS    |
| • Coordinates regional cyber ranges.     |   | • Coordinates regional surge. |
| • Aggregates multi-employer bargaining.  |   | • Oversees interstate mobility|
+──────────────────────────────────────────+   +───────────────────────────────+
                                       │
        ┌──────────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────┐
        ▼                                                             ▼
+──────────────────────────────────────────+   +───────────────────────────────+
| LEVEL 3: LOCAL CHAPTERS ("The Locals")   |   | LEVEL 3: LOCAL CHAPTERS       |
| • E.g., Local 134 (Chicago/Midwest)      |   | • E.g., Local 26 (DC/NoVA)    |
| • Operates local JATC Hiring Hall.       |   | • Negotiates local COLI adders|
| • Holds monthly in-person union meetings.|   | • Elects convention delegates.|
+──────────────────────────────────────────+   +───────────────────────────────+

2. Chartering a Local Chapter (“The Local”)

A Local Chapter represents the frontline democratic unit of the trade in a defined metropolitan or regional jurisdiction:

  • Charter Threshold: A new Local Chapter charter may be petitioned upon organizing 50 active Licensed Journeymen and Master Practitioners within a defined geographic radius (e.g., Greater Chicago, Washington DC Metro, Pacific Northwest).
  • Local Naming & Numbering: Local Chapters receive historical charter numbers upon formal recognition by the National Executive Council (e.g., Cyber Trade Local 101).
  • Local Officers (Democratically Elected):
    • Business Manager / President: Manages field operations, contract enforcement, and clearinghouse dispatch.
    • JATC Training Director: Manages local community college relationships, lab range facilities, and apprentice evaluations.
    • Treasurer & Recording Secretary: Audits local dues accounts and records monthly meeting proceedings.
    • Executive Board (3 to 5 Members): Elected rank-and-file practitioners providing oversight.
  • Local Democratic Guardrails:
    • Direct Secret Ballot: Local officers are elected directly by the local membership for 3-year terms (max 2 consecutive terms).
    • Active Practice Mandate: Local officers must maintain an active Journeyman or Master license and cannot be more than 12 months removed from active practice.
    • Officer Salary Cap: Local officer compensation is legally capped at a maximum of 1.25x the local Master of Record prevailing wage floor.
    • 15% Member Recall: A petition signed by 15% of the local active membership forces an immediate special recall election.

3. Geographic Regional District Hubs & Local Chapters

To maintain geographic labor standards, the Craft Guild establishes five permanent Regional District Hubs covering all 50 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, and all 5 U.S. Territories. Each Local Chapter publishes an official Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Zone Schedule mapping regional counties to Zone 1 (Metro Core), Zone 2 (Secondary Metro), or Zone 3 (Rural Baseline) based on federal BLS OEWS (SOC 15-1212) and HUD Fair Market Rent data:

  • District 1 (Local 101 - Northeast & Mid-Atlantic Hub): DC, MD, VA, DE, PA, NY, NJ, CT, MA, RI, VT, NH, ME, Puerto Rico (PR), U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) (Zone 1 Metro Core: $85.00/hr RJPB Baseline; Rural Floor: $62.00/hr).
  • District 2 (Local 204 - Midwest & Great Lakes Industrial Hub): IL, IN, OH, MI, WI, MN, IA, MO (Zone 1 Metro Core: $78.00/hr; Zone 2 Standard Metro: $72.00/hr RJPB Baseline; Rural Floor: $62.00/hr).
  • District 3 (Local 302 - Western & Pacific Rim Hub): WA, OR, CA, NV, ID, Alaska (AK), Hawaii (HI), Guam (GU), American Samoa (AS), Northern Mariana Islands (MP) (Zone 1 Metro Core: $92.00/hr RJPB Baseline; Zone 2 Secondary Metro: $78.00/hr; Rural Floor: $62.00/hr).
  • District 4 (Local 405 - South & Gulf Coast Energy Hub): TX, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, TN, NC, SC (Zone 1 Metro Core: $82.00/hr; Zone 2 Standard Metro: $78.00/hr RJPB Baseline; Rural Floor: $62.00/hr).
  • District 5 (Local 508 - Mountain West & Plains Hub): CO, UT, AZ, NM, WY, MT, ND, SD, NE, KS (Zone 1 Metro Core: $74.00/hr; Zone 3 General Baseline Floor: $62.00/hr).

A. Non-Contiguous States & Island Territories Standard

To protect frontline defenders operating in remote logistics environments and critical defense theaters:

  • Anti-Isolation Wage Floor: Practitioners residing in non-contiguous states and island territories (Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, USVI, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands) face elevated baseline living expenses due to maritime transport logistics, fuel tariffs, and island supply chains. Sponsoring employers are barred from classifying non-contiguous operational sites under the Zone 3 Rural floor without formal Local Chapter JATC variance review.
  • Defense & Critical Enclave Alignment: Pacific theater operational nodes (Guam, Hawaii, Alaska) supporting INDOPACOM, PACAF, missile defense, and undersea cable landing stations default to Zone 1 (Metro Core / High COLI) prevailing baselines to reflect strategic importance and prevent talent attrition to unorganized private contractors.
  • Autonomous Island Charters: Any territory with 50+ active Journeymen (e.g., Local 109 San Juan or Local 312 Honolulu) holds full autonomous standing to establish dedicated JATC community college training trusts and negotiate localized COLI differentials.

4. Local Autonomy & Regional Authority

Local Chapters maintain substantial autonomy over matters directly impacting their local membership:

A. Local Cost-of-Living (COLI) Adjustments

While the National Convention sets the mandatory Regional Journeyman Prevailing Benchmark (RJPB) Floor, Local Chapters hold exclusive authority to negotiate higher prevailing local wage scales to match regional housing and living costs (e.g., Local 101 New York setting a +35% COLI local differential above national base).

B. Local JATC Community College Partnerships

Each Local Chapter’s JATC standing committee directly partners with regional community colleges, technical institutes, and municipal workforce boards to establish approved classroom (RTI) campuses, ensuring apprentices learn in local facilities without remote dislocation.

C. Monthly Member Meetings

Local Chapters conduct mandatory monthly member meetings where rank-and-file engineers, practitioners, and apprentices gather in person to:

  • Review local grievance reports and safety non-concurrence filings.
  • Share non-attributable defensive threat intelligence and engineering tradecraft.
  • Vote on local trust allocations, charitable community cyber clinics, and local policy initiatives.

5. National Convention Delegate Apportionment

To ensure large urban locals cannot disenfranchise smaller rural or regional chapters:

  • Proportional Delegate Representation: Every Local Chapter elects delegates to the Biennial National Convention based on verified active membership:
    • 1 Delegate per 50 active members up to 500 members.
    • 1 Additional Delegate per 150 members thereafter.
  • Constitutional Amendments: Any change to the National Guild Charter, foundational wage formulas, or member dues schedules requires a two-thirds (2/3) supermajority vote of seated convention delegates.