🚨 CRITICAL SAFETY WARNING
NEVER use this app while driving. Distracted driving is dangerous and illegal. Always follow these safety protocols:
- Pull over to a safe location before interacting with the app
- Do not read or respond to notifications while driving
- Have a passenger operate the app when possible
- Use voice commands for navigation when available
- Focus on safe driving - organizing opportunities will still be there
What is the Proximity Alert App?
The Proximity Alert App is a professional field management tool designed specifically for union organizers and representatives. It uses your device's GPS to monitor your location in real-time and sends intelligent notifications when you're near active project sites where organizing opportunities exist.
Project Site Tracking
Real-time awareness of nearby construction and electrical projects
Organizing Opportunities
Never miss a chance to connect with workers at active job sites
Efficient Route Planning
Smart routing to visit multiple project sites in one trip
Professional Mobile App
Works seamlessly on iPhone and Android devices
Smart Alerts
Intelligent notifications that adapt to your organizing style
Project Management
Track visit status and mark completed organizing efforts
🆕 Enhanced 2025 Features
The 2025 version includes powerful new capabilities designed specifically for professional union organizing:
- Smart Alert Modes: Choose between "Closest Only" for focused visits or "All Nearby" for maximum coverage
- Contractor Filtering: Search and filter by specific contractors or company names
- Clear Filter Button: Easily reset your search to see all nearby projects
- Route Optimization: "Visit All Nearby" button creates efficient multi-stop routes
- Project Completion Tracking: Mark organizing efforts as complete when appropriate
- Enhanced Mobile Interface: Professional design optimized for field use
Initial Setup
📱 For iPhone Users
- Open Safari on your iPhone
- Navigate to:
myproximity.org - Tap the Share button (box with arrow pointing up) at the bottom of the screen
- Scroll down and tap "Add to Home Screen"
- Tap "Add" in the top right corner
- The Proximity app icon will appear on your home screen
🤖 For Android Users
- Open Chrome on your Android device
- Navigate to:
myproximity.org - Tap the menu (three dots) in the top right corner
- Select "Add to Home screen" or "Install app"
- Tap "Add" or "Install"
- The Proximity app icon will appear on your home screen
First Time Authentication
⚠️ Important Setup Order
You MUST add the app to your home screen BEFORE authenticating!
- Open Safari and go to myproximity.org
- Accept Terms & Conditions
- Tap Share → Add to Home Screen (WITHOUT logging in yet)
- Close Safari completely
- Open the Proximity app from your home screen
- NOW tap "Verify Email Access" and authenticate
Why this matters for organizers: Authenticating from within the app (not Safari) keeps your access working longer and prevents issues during field work.
Step 1: Email Verification
Your union has provided authorized email access for project databases:
Database Access Required
This application requires email verification to access project databases.
How it works:
1. Click button below
2. Enter your authorized email
3. Check email for verification code
4. Return here automatically
Step 2: Grant Required Permissions
Location Permission:
- Tap "Allow" when asked for location access
- Choose "Always Allow" for best organizing coverage
- This enables proximity alerts when you're near project sites
Notification Permission:
- Tap "Allow" when asked for notification access
- This enables organizing opportunity alerts and project updates
Using the App for Union Organizing
Understanding the Professional Interface
🎯 Smart Alert Modes for Organizers
The professional toggle lets you choose your organizing approach:
📍 Closest Only Mode (Left Position):
- Get notified only about the nearest project site
- Perfect for focused, deep organizing efforts
- Reduces notification overwhelm in dense construction areas
- Ideal when you want to concentrate on one site at a time
- Best for quality over quantity organizing approaches
🎯 All Nearby Mode (Right Position):
- Get notified about every project within your selected distance
- Maximum awareness of organizing opportunities
- Great for territory mapping and coverage assessment
- Perfect for areas with sparse construction activity
- Ideal for organizers covering large geographic areas
🔍 Contractor Filtering & Search
The new contractor filtering system helps you focus on specific organizing targets:
- Type any contractor name in the search box to filter results
- Partial matches work: typing "Electric" shows all electrical contractors
- Clear Filter button appears when you're filtering - tap to see all projects again
- Filter works with Visit All Nearby: creates routes using only filtered contractors
- Great for targeting specific companies your union is organizing
🚗 Visit All Nearby - Smart Route Planning
When you have 2 or more nearby projects, the "Visit All Nearby" button creates optimized routes:
- Automatic Route Optimization: Uses your current location as starting point
- Efficient Sequencing: Orders visits by proximity for maximum efficiency
- Multi-Stop Navigation: Creates waypoints for up to 5 locations in Google Maps
- One-Tap Experience: Opens directly in your phone's navigation app
- Perfect for Organizing: Visit multiple job sites in one efficient trip
Best organizing scenarios for route planning:
- Morning territory coverage to hit multiple sites during break times
- Follow-up visits to sites where you've made initial contact
- New territory exploration to assess organizing potential
- Maximizing site visits during shift changes (optimal organizing times)
⏱️ Update Interval Selection
Choose how often the app checks your location by tapping one of the clock faces:
- 10 seconds: Most frequent updates, highest battery usage, best for dense urban organizing
- 30 seconds: Balanced performance (recommended for most organizing situations)
- 1 minute: Good balance of accuracy and battery life
- 5 minutes: Battery conservation mode for long organizing days
🎯 Alert Distance Configuration
Set your proximity alert radius based on your organizing territory:
- 0.5 miles: Very close proximity, dense urban construction areas
- 1 mile: Close proximity (recommended for city organizing)
- 2 miles: Medium proximity, suburban construction zones
- 5 miles: Wide area coverage, mixed urban/rural territories
- 10 miles: Maximum coverage, rural organizing territories
Project Site Management for Organizers
👀 Viewing Project Details
Tap any project in your nearby list to view comprehensive site information:
✅ Organizing Progress Tracking
- Discovery: Receive proximity alerts when near active job sites
- Site Visit: Use navigation to reach the project location
- Worker Contact: Engage with workers during breaks or shift changes
- Follow-up Planning: Note which sites need return visits
- Completion: Mark organizing efforts complete when appropriate
When to Mark Organizing Complete:
- Successful Contact: When you've made meaningful contact with workers
- Project Completed: When construction work is finished
- Non-Viable Site: When site proves unsuitable for organizing (security, access issues)
- Fully Organized: When workers are already union members
⚠️ Important: Use Completion Feature Responsibly
Marking a project complete removes it from the database permanently. Only use this feature when you have proper authorization and the organizing effort is truly finished. This helps keep the database clean and focused on active opportunities.
➕ Adding New Project Sites
Union representatives can submit new project locations discovered during field work:
- Tap "➕ Add New Project" button
- Fill Required Information:
- Project Description (type of work being done)
- Contractor/Company Name
- Your Name (saved for future submissions)
- Project Location
- Easy Location Entry:
- 📍 Use My Current Location (when you're at the job site)
- 🔍 Search Address (enter the project address)
- Manual coordinate entry if needed
- Submit Project and see confirmation
- Refresh Locations to see the new site in your list
Smart Proximity Notifications
🧠 Intelligent Alert System
The app features advanced notification intelligence designed for professional organizing:
Smart Timing Technology:
- Approach Detection: More frequent alerts when you're getting closer to a site
- Distance-Based Intervals: Longer delays when very close to prevent notification spam
- Movement Awareness: Different timing for approaching vs. stationary positions
- Organizing-Friendly Timing: Respects professional work patterns
Always pull over safely before
interacting with notifications
Notification Features:
- Action Buttons: Tap "Navigate" to get directions immediately
- Lock Screen Support: Notifications work from locked device
- Professional Context: Notifications mention "organizing opportunity"
- Smart Timing: Respects your productivity and reduces interruptions
Professional Organizing Best Practices
🎯 Optimizing Alert Modes for Different Territories
Dense Urban Areas
Use "Closest Only" with 0.5-1 mile radius to focus on quality organizing without notification overload.
Suburban Territory
Use "All Nearby" with 2-5 mile radius for comprehensive coverage of construction activity.
Rural Coverage
Use "All Nearby" with 5-10 mile radius to catch every opportunity in sparse construction areas.
Route Planning Days
Use "All Nearby" with route optimization for efficient multi-site organizing trips.
🚗 Maximizing Route Efficiency
- Morning Territory Sweeps: Hit multiple sites during early break times
- Shift Change Coverage: Visit sites during optimal worker interaction times
- Follow-up Visit Days: Return to sites where initial contact was made
- New Territory Assessment: Efficient way to survey unfamiliar areas
- Targeted Contractor Focus: Use filtering + routing for specific company campaigns
📱 Professional Mobile Management
Power Management for Long Organizing Days:
- Vehicle Charging: Always use car charger during driving between sites
- Smart Intervals: Use 30-second updates for active organizing, 1-5 minutes for battery conservation
- Tracking Control: Stop tracking during office time, lunch, or long drives
- Overnight Shutdown: Always stop tracking at end of organizing day
Device-Specific Tips:
- Set location permission to "Always Allow" for background alerts
- Keep app minimized (don't force-close) for continued notifications
- Configure Focus modes to allow organizing alerts during work hours
- Disable battery optimization for Chrome/browser app
- Set notifications to "Unrestricted" priority
- Enable background app refresh for location services
Troubleshooting Guide
🔔 Notification Issues
Problem: Not receiving organizing opportunity alerts
- Verify you opened the app from home screen icon, not Safari browser
- Check notification permissions in device Settings → Notifications
- Ensure tracking is active and alert distance is selected (tap a ring)
- Verify your Alert Mode setting matches your organizing approach
- App must be running in background (minimized, not force-closed on iPhone)
🎯 Alert Mode Problems
Problem: Alert mode toggle not responding
- Tap the toggle switch itself, not the text labels
- Your preference saves automatically - changes take effect immediately
- Try refreshing by stopping and restarting tracking
- Check that you're authenticated properly
🚗 Route Planning Issues
Problem: "Visit All Nearby" button not appearing
- Need minimum 2 nearby locations for route button to show
- Try increasing alert distance to find more nearby projects
- Use refresh button to reload project data
- Clear any contractor filters that might be limiting results
- Ensure you're properly authenticated to access project database
🔍 Search and Filter Problems
Problem: Contractor filtering not working
- Type partial company names (e.g., "Electric" finds all electrical contractors)
- Use the "Clear Filter" button to reset and see all projects
- Search is case-insensitive - "ABC" finds "ABC Electric Co."
- Filter works in real-time as you type
📍 Location and GPS Issues
Problem: Location not updating accurately
- Ensure location permissions set to "Always Allow" or "While Using App"
- Move to area with better GPS signal (outdoors, away from tall buildings)
- Wait 30-60 seconds for GPS to stabilize after starting
- Try stopping and restarting location tracking
- Restart the app if location appears frozen
🔐 Authentication Problems
Problem: Keeps asking for re-authentication
- Authentication expires every 24 hours - this is normal security
- For initial setup: temporarily disable WiFi, use cellular data
- Always authenticate from the app, not Safari browser
- Contact your union's technical support to verify email authorization
- Clear browser cache if having persistent login issues
Quick Reference Guide
🌅 Daily Organizing Startup Checklist
- ✅ Open app from home screen (never from Safari)
- ✅ Verify authentication if prompted
- ✅ Select update interval (30 seconds recommended)
- ✅ Choose alert mode based on territory and organizing goals
- ✅ Set alert distance appropriate for your coverage area
- ✅ Tap "Start Tracking"
- ✅ Connect vehicle charger and mount phone safely
- ✅ Plan initial route using "Visit All Nearby" if multiple sites available
- ✅ Begin organized field work - drive safely!
🌅 End-of-Day Best Practices
- ✅ Mark completed organizing efforts appropriately
- ✅ Add new project sites discovered during field work
- ✅ Review territory coverage for tomorrow's planning
- ✅ Stop tracking to conserve battery
- ✅ Note follow-up sites for future visits
🔧 Emergency Quick Fixes
- No alerts: Check home screen app usage, restart tracking
- No route button: Need 2+ sites, try wider distance setting
- Stuck location: Stop/restart tracking, move to clear area
- Filter not working: Use "Clear Filter" button, try partial names
- Battery drain: Use longer intervals (1-5 min), connect charger
- Authentication issues: Use cellular data, authenticate from app not browser
Privacy and Data Security
🔒 Union Data Protection
Your union takes data privacy seriously. Here's what you need to know:
What Data is Used:
- Location Data: Your GPS coordinates only during active tracking
- Email Verification: Work email address for database access authorization
- Project Submissions: Your name on projects you add to the system
- Usage Patterns: When you start/stop tracking, alert preferences
How Data is Protected:
- Encrypted Transmission: All data uses secure HTTPS connections
- No Location Storage: Your location isn't permanently stored
- Authorized Access Only: Only union-verified personnel can access
- Secure Authentication: 24-hour session limits for security
Your Privacy Controls:
- Tracking Control: Start and stop location monitoring anytime
- Notification Control: Turn alerts on/off as needed
- Data Minimization: Only essential organizing data is collected
System Information
Application Version: 2025 Union Organizing Edition
Last Updated: January 2025
Key Features: Smart Alert Modes, Contractor Filtering, Route Optimization, Project Completion Tracking
Device Support: iPhone (iOS 14+), Android (8.0+)
Browser Compatibility: Safari (iOS), Chrome (Android)
Database: Real-time project data with completion sync
- Professional Interface: Clean, union-focused design
- Smart Routing: Efficient multi-site visit planning
- Advanced Filtering: Target specific contractors and companies
- Completion Tracking: Professional organizing lifecycle management
- Mobile Optimized: Designed for field organizing work