BY-LAWS AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES LOCAL 1658

Transcription

1 BY-LAWS AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES LOCAL 1658 May 15, 2013

2 INDEX SECTION PAGE 1. Name 1 2. Recognition through 11. Meetings through 13. Officer and Qualifications through 24. Duties through 26. Vacancies through 35. Nominations and Elections through 38. Delegates Committees through 43. Executive Board Duties through 45. Financial Records and Reporting through 47. Union Dues through 56. Remuneration through 58. Amendments Availability of By-laws 11

3 NAME SECTION 1. The headquarters of this AFGE Local 1658 is Room 136W, Building 230, Detroit Arsenal, Warren, Michigan RECOGNITION SECTION 2. Government civilian employees who provide government services and are employed at TACOM, Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC), serviced by TACOM, LCMC personnel office or the following locations, shall be eligible for membership in this local as provided in the AFGE National Constitution: Defense Logistics Agency Land Warren Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), Selfridge ANGB MEETINGS SECTION 3. General membership meetings of the local shall be held once a month at a place and time selected by the Local President, Executive Vice President or Acting Local President. The membership, by majority vote, may suspend up to three (3) general membership meetings, per calendar year. If the President is absent from a local meeting, the Executive Vice President or Acting President, will preside. A Sergeant-at-Arms may be appointed by the presiding officer of the membership meeting. SECTION 4. Special meetings may be called by the President or upon written petition of 50 members of the membership. A seven (7) day written notice of the specific purpose of the meeting must be given to the membership. No business other than that specified in the notice will be discussed. SECTION 5. The Executive Board shall meet monthly, prior to the regular membership meeting, or by 2/3 consent of the members of the Executive Board, or by special call of the President. SECTION 6. The current edition of Robert s Rule of Order shall govern the proceedings of all meeting of the Local, when not inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution and by-laws. SECTION 7. Only members of the Local in good standing (a union member in good standing is one who has fulfilled requirements for the organization and who has not voluntarily withdrawn from membership, been expelled, or suspended.) shall be allowed to vote. 1

4 SECTION 8. The regular order of business for meetings will be: a. Roll call of officers b. Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting c. Report of financial condition by the local treasurer (at General Membership meeting only) d. Report of committees e. Old business f. New business g. President s remarks h. General discussion i. Adjournment SECTION 9. A quorum for General Membership meeting of this local shall consist of not less than twenty-five (25) members, in good standing. A quorum is not necessary for a nomination or election meeting. A quorum for the Executive Board of this Local shall consist of a majority of the voting members thereof. SECTION 10. Unless otherwise specified by law (e.g., secret ballot election or dues) or by constitution, all questions before the local will be decided by vote of the members present first by voice vote, then by a showing of hands. SECTION 11. The time allowed for debate of any particular issue before the local and time allowed for speeches will be governed by circumstances and by majority vote of those present. Any limitations as to time allowed for debate may be extended by a majority of those present and voting. OFFICERS AND QUALIFICATIONS SECTION 12. The general officers (elected by the total membership) shall constitute the voting members of the Executive Board of this Local. The elected officers shall consist of: President Executive Vice President Secretary Treasurer Area Vice President (6) Women s/fair Practices Coordinator Trustees (3) 2

5 The appointed officers, designated by the Local President, shall consist of: Senior Director of Labor Relations Co-Directors of Labor Relations (2) SECTION 13. To be qualified as a candidate for local office, a member must have been a member of an AFGE local for at least one (1) year immediately preceding the close of the nominations process, be a member in good standing, and must not be a member in any labor organization not affiliated with the AFL-CIO. DUTIES SECTION 14. The President shall be the executive officer of this local; he/she shall exercise general supervision over the affairs of the local and see that other officers comply with the responsibilities of their office and constitutional duties; comply with the National and standard local Constitutions; keep the membership apprised of the goals and objectives of the Federation; serve as an ex-officio member of all committees except the Election Committee; automatically serve by virtue of election to office as a local delegate to the district caucus, council meetings, the AFGE National Convention, and such other meetings participated in by this Local as the Local may be entitled. SECTION 15. The Executive Vice President shall assist the President in performing duties of that office. If the President is absent from a Local meeting, the Executive Vice President will preside. SECTION 16. The duties of the Treasurer shall be to maintain a bookkeeping system as prescribed by the National Secretary-Treasurer (NST); make a financial report at each general membership meeting; keep up-to-date roll of the members; receive all monies and/or dues paid into the Local and receipt thereof; keep records of all transactions; deposit money in the bank to the credit of the local; make regular monthly reports to the NST. SECTION 17. The duties of the Secretary shall be to keep a complete record of the minutes of all meetings; maintain all election related documents (including copies of those pertaining to nominations, notices of meetings, and the minutes of any meetings, all of which must be sealed and preserved for one year after the election unless the records are requested by higher authority in the election appeal process or are still relevant). The secretary will also be responsible for taking of and certifying the inventory of the local s property. 3

6 SECTION 18. The duties of the Area Vice Presidents shall be to oversee all organizational work in their respective areas and coordinate as necessary with the Senior Director and Co-Directors of Labor Relations. They shall exercise general supervision over their respective stewards, giving them advice and guidance as required. They shall recommend available training as appropriate. They shall assign grievance cases, appeals and assist in the resolution in any disputes and grievances. They shall assist in negotiation and implementation of contracts within the Local. They shall handle their individual cases of their respective area and confer with the Local President for adjustments to any grievances or appeals not resolved at the third (3 rd ) step level. Each Area Vice President shall be entitled to no less than one (1) Steward, who will work directly with the Area Vice President. Such Stewards shall be selected in accordance with the policy established by the Local, by the incumbent Area Vice President or Executive Board. SECTION 19. The Senior Director of Labor Relations (SDLR) shall have the responsibility of (1) assuring that an adequate number of trained stewards are available in the local to meet the representation requirements, (2) maintaining a communication link between the membership and the local officers, and (3) establishing an arbitration committee when required. SECTION 20. The Co-Directors of Labor Relations shall assist the Senior Director of Labor Relations in the performance of all aspects of his/her assigned duties as so directed by the Senior Labor Relations Director or the Local President. SECTION 21. The duties of the Trustees shall be to audit all accounts and books of the Local quarterly (March, June, September, December) and report their findings at the next regular general membership meeting. If no meetings are held during June, July and August, the June quarterly report will be presented at the September meeting. All bonds issued on the officers as directed by the Local will be held in custody of the Trustees. SECTION 22. The duties of the Women s /Fair Practices Coordinator shall be to coordinate with the National and District offices on issues of concern to women/fair practices issues, to disseminate information within the Local as necessary and to work with other groups in the Command to address specific needs. The goal of the Women s/fair Practices Local Coordinator is to (1) improve the status of women in government service, (2) eliminate discrimination in the government workforce, (3) promote affirmative action policies designed to eliminate discriminatory barriers to employment opportunities, 4

7 and (4) to assure the protection of members against unlawful discriminatory actions based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical/ mental disability, or sexual orientation. The Women s/fair Practices Coordinator will help AFGE members and officers, government officials and Congress identify situations that cause sex discrimination and deal with the problems once they are identified. SECTION 23. Stewards appointed by the President shall serve as front line representatives of the Local. They shall protect conditions of employment as well as the dignity and security of the jobs of all bargaining unit members; increase members understanding of the Local s contract with management/ represent employees during investigations and management meetings; and file grievances/arbitrations on behalf of bargaining unit employees. SECTION 24. The duties of the Sergeant-at-Arms shall be to attend the outer door to see that no one enters the meeting without proper authority; to assist the presiding officer in the maintenance of order; to welcome and introduce guests; to see that each member s presence is recorded in a log; to ascertain that a quorum is present except in nomination or elections meetings; to provide a roll to call should the recording of individual votes be necessary; and to perform other duties as may be assigned by the presiding officer. VACANCIES SECTION 25. In case of vacancy in the office of President, the Executive Vice President shall fill the office for the unexpired term, and a special election shall be held for office of Executive Vice President, unless unexpired term is less than 366 days. Interim vacancies in any other office, to include the Executive Vice President, if unexpired term is less than 366 days, shall be filled by the President of the Local with the approval of the Executive Board. SECTION 26. If the President is unable to perform his/her regular duties, either because of sickness, leave or TDY, or for some other legitimate reason, such duties will be the responsibility of the Executive Vice President or designated Acting President. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS SECTION 27. Nomination of officers shall be held in October, and elections and installations shall be held in December, tri-annually, once every three (3) years. 5

8 SECTION 28. The nomination and election procedures shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the AFGE National Constitution, Appendix A, AFGE Rules of Conduct for an Election. SECTION 29. An Election Committee shall be constituted to conduct each election. The committee shall consist of not less than three (3) members, and if a larger committee is required, it shall contain an odd number of members. Its members shall be selected at the Local s discretion, either (1) by majority vote of the members of the Local in attendance at the General membership meeting preceding the nominations meeting, or (2) preceding the commencement of the nomination procedure. No member of the committee shall be an incumbent of, nor candidate for, the office for which the election is being conducted. The Treasurer shall furnish to the Election Committee the names and addresses of all members in good standing. The Election Committee shall determine the type of election to be conducted (manual ballot election or mail ballot election). It shall be the responsibility of the committee to conduct all aspects of the election including the mailing of notices of nominations and elections to all members in good standing, preparing the ballots, distributing the ballots, tallying the ballots, preparing a written report and informing the members of the results as soon as possible, and adjudicating all conflicts which arise out of the election procedures and protests. SECTION 30. Candidates shall not run for more than one (1) office in the same local election; however, candidacy as a delegate shall not be considered to be covered by this provision. SECTION 31. Any officer seeking re-election will be identified on the ballot as incumbent. SECTION 32. The AFGE Rules of Conduct of Elections, Appendix A, of the National Constitution are integral provisions. In the event any provision of these by-laws is inconsistent with the AFGE National Constitution, the AFGE National Constitution shall control. SECTION 33. All election protests must be filed in accordance with the provisions of the AFGE National Constitution. SECTION 34. All officers will be administered the Oath of Union Officers contained in the AFGE National Constitution upon their installation in office. The oath shall be administered either by the out going officer, the National Vice President or his/her designee. SECTION 35. Any officer who moves beyond the jurisdiction of the local during his/her term of office or who ceases to be a member in good standing shall there by automatically forfeit such office. The vacancy caused thereby shall be filled under the provision of Sections of these bylaws. 6

9 DELEGATES SECTION 36. Delegates to the National Convention, district caucus, and national council meeting, must be elected by secret ballot of the members on whose behalf they will serve as delegates. To the extent that the Local is entitled to send delegates, the officers who comprise the Executive Board of Local 1658 shall, by virtue of office, be delegates to the AFGE National Convention, AFGE District Caucus, national councils, and such other labor bodies as the local is entitled to send delegates. SECTION 37: The number of delegates and alternates to be sent to a National Convention, District Caucus or Council Meeting will be voted upon at a General Membership Meeting. Should the number of delegates eligible exceed the number of delegates approved by the General Membership, the President and the Executive Vice President shall have priority, in that order. Priority for the remaining delegate and alternate slots will be based on the number of votes received in the election. In the event that any of the officers are voted in by acclamation, priority for the remaining delegate and alternate slots will be based on seniority. The officer with the highest seniority as a union officer will have the first choice of service as a delegate, the selection will continue in descending order for officers with the next highest seniority. In the event of a equal seniority as a union officer, the determining factor will be the highest seniority as a union member. SECTION 38: This local must comply with applicable provisions regarding qualifications for candidacy to local delegates as provided in the current AFGE National Constitution. COMMITTEES SECTION 39: Committees established by the local shall be comprised of members appointed by the President subject to the approval of the Executive Board (except for the Election Committee, see Section 29 of these bylaws). 7

10 EXECUTIVE BOARD DUTIES SECTION 40: It shall be the duty of the Executive Board to devise and initiate such actions as may be necessary in the interim between the local s meetings, but such actions shall not be inconsistent with the objectives of the Federation and shall be subject to local approval. SECTION 41: Expenditures by the Executive Board in excess of $500 per month must have prior approval of the local s members either as authorized by the budget approved by the local or by separate vote of the local s members. All expenditures authorized by the Executive Board will be reported in writing at the next regular meeting of the local. Upon request a copy of such report will be made available to any member in good standing of the local. SECTION 42: The Executive Board shall prepare an annual budget subject to the membership s approval, which shall ensure at a minimum that the local s revenues are sufficient to meet its financial obligations. SECTION 43: Employment of office staff and related issues concerning salary, benefits and performance shall be the responsibility of the President, subject to the advice and approval of the Executive Board. FINANCIAL RECORDS AND REPORTING SECTION 44: All receipts, checks, and cash disbursements shall be properly recorded and accounted for in the financial records. The Treasurer shall sign and the President shall countersign checks covering proper expenditures for the local. In absence of either the Treasurer or the President, the Secretary shall sign. SECTION 45: All books, records, and financial accounts at all times shall be open to the inspections of the national officers or accredited representative of the National Executive Council and any duly authorized and accredited representative of the local. See AFGE National Constitution, Article XXIV, Section 9. 8

11 UNION DUES SECTION 46: Dues must be paid in advance or by payroll deduction. a. The dues shall be $12.50 bi-weekly. b. The dues for direct paying members shall be $81.25 quarterly, $ semi-annually and $ annually to be paid in advance. c. The dues for retired members shall be $15.00 annually. Retirees will have all the rights as a regular member. The AFGE National Constitution, Article XIX, Sections 4(a)(6) and 4(b)(6), require that each local establish and maintain a dues level high enough to allow adequate funds for the payment for the per capita tax and to provide sufficient funds for the operational expenses of the local. SECTION 47: Changes to the dues structure will be accomplished by a majority vote by a secret ballot of the members in good standing, voting at a special meeting or a general membership meeting after reasonable notice of intent to vote upon such question or by majority vote of the members in good standing in a membership referendum conducted by secret ballot. REMUNERATION SECTION 48: The President shall have a voucher fund of not more than two hundred dollars ($200.00) per month for the purpose of defraying promotional work and demonstration of good will; and a regular salary of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) per month. SECTION 49: The Executive Vice President shall be remunerated not more than three hundred dollars ($300.00) per month for the performance of this duty. SECTION 50: The Treasurer shall be remunerated not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) per month for the performance of this duty. 9

12 SECTION 51: The Secretary shall be remunerated not more than one hundred and fifty ($150.00) per month for the performance of this duty. SECTION 52: The Vice Presidents and the Women s/fair Practices Coordinator shall be remunerated not more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) each per month for the performance of this duty. SECTION 53: The Trustees shall be remunerated not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) each per month for the performance of this duty. SECTION 54: The Director of Labor Relations shall be remunerated not more than one hundred twenty -five dollars ($125.00) per month for the performance of this duty. SECTION 55: The two (2) Co-Directors of Labor Relations shall be remunerated not more than seventy-five dollars ($75.00) each per month for the performance of this duty. SECTION 56: Officers, committee-persons or stewards remunerations not specifically covered in this article shall be subject to the approval of the Executive Board when such remunerations are requested. AMENDMENTS SECTION 57: With the exception of a change in dues, the by-laws of this local shall be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present at any regular membership meeting, provided the amendment(s) to be voted on have been presented in writing and read at the preceding membership meeting of the local. SECTION 58: All amendments adopted by the local shall become effective immediately following approval of the local membership. 10

13 AVAILABILITY OF BY-LAWS SECTION 59: Copies of the by-laws shall be made available to all members in good standing upon request to the Secretary. PAUL VESELENAK President AFGE Local