~ Chapter 164 Bylaws

Transcription

1 National Treasury Employees Union ~ Chapter 164 Bylaws Adopted by the General Membership on December 5, 2013 Signed By:

2 Part I Constitution The Constitution of the National Treasury Employees Union as amended at the last national convention is hereby adopted as the constitution of this Chapter. The Bylaws of this Chapter contained herein set forth rules for the local administration and functions of this Chapter. No part of these Bylaws shall be in force if they are contrary to, or in conflict with the provisions of the National Constitution and Bylaws. Part II Name and Jurisdiction Name This organization shall be known as the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), Chapter 164. Headquarters The headquarters of Chapter 164 shall be maintained at the Area Port of Blaine and have jurisdiction concurrent with the jurisdiction granted in the Charter issued pursuant to the national constitution, unless amended by operation of the provisions of the NTEU National Constitution. Section 3 Jurisdiction Chapter 164 will accept as members any employee of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) whose post of duty is located in Blaine, Sumas, Point Roberts, Bellingham, Friday Harbor, Nighthawk, Oroville, Ferry, Danville, Laurier, Northport, Frontier, and Metaline Falls, Washington, Vancouver, British Columbia or Victoria, British Columbia, and Telecommunication Specialist, Program Managers Contract Specialist, IT Specialist, Mission Support Specialist, Supply Management Specialist personnel in Everett and Spokane, Washington. Section 4 Fiscal Year The fiscal year of Chapter 164 shall be from October 1 to September 30. 1

3 Part III Membership Eligibility Any person who is a Federal Employee presently employed by CBP the Federal Government within the Chapter s jurisdiction as defined in Part II, Section 3, or any former employee, or any retired employee of CBP or its predecessor Agency Components is eligible for membership in this Chapter, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. Membership Standing A member of the Chapter is defined as one who is eligible for membership pursuant to Article V, of the NTEU National Constitution and who has remitted to the Chapter and for whom the Chapter has remitted to the National Headquarters Office, within sixty (60) days following the beginning of the fiscal year, the total amount of the Chapter and national per capita dues payable as a cash payment, or one who has notified the Chapter and for whom the Chapter has notified the National Headquarters Office of an intention to remit the total amount of Chapter and national per capita dues payable pursuant to the dues withholding program. Section 3 Classification of Membership within Chapter 164 A) ACTIVE EMPLOYEE MEMBER any member presently employed by CBP. B) RETIRED MEMBER any former employee of CBP or its predecessor Agency Components who is drawing an annuity under the U.S. Civil Service Retirement System(CSRS) or Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS). C) FORMER EMPLOYEE MEMBER - a member formerly employed by CBP or its predecessor Agency Components who left before he/she was eligible for retirement. D) NEW MEMBER an employee who has never been a member of NTEU or who has not been a member during the twelve months prior to submitting an application. E) MEMBER AT LARGE any person who meets the definitions set out in Part VII (E) of the NTEU National Bylaws. F) ASSOCIATE MEMBER a member who is not otherwise eligible for membership in this organization, and who shall not enjoy the privileges of NTEU membership in the national organization and shall not be a voting member on those matters relating to the national or local NTEU organization. 2

4 Part IV Dues and Funds Revenue A) HOW PRESCRIBED The revenue of Chapter 164 shall be obtained from the membership dues paid by each member and from other activities as may be determined by the members of the Chapter Executive Board. B) AMOUNTOF DUES. The per capita payments from each member shall be at the rate of 28% more per each biweekly pay period than the national per capita dues for whatever membership category the person holds. C) PRORATION OF FUNDS - In the case of a new employee, or former NTEU member, whose membership has lapsed for a period of more than one year, who elects to pay the annual dues on a cash basis, the annual per capita dues will be prorated for the fiscal year in which the employee becomes a member. This member will pay dues for only those months (a fraction of a month will be counted as a full month) remaining in the fiscal year. Method of Payment A) The per capita payments shall be made to the National Headquarters office at the beginning of each fiscal year except for those members who are on dues withholding. The National Headquarters office shall issue renewal bills to all members who are not on dues withholding at the beginning of each fiscal year. Retired or former employees will be permitted to pay dues on an annual basis with payment due on October 1, on a semi-annual or quarterly basis. Per capita payments collected by a Chapter shall be forwarded to the National Headquarters Office. B) Dues withheld for members on a dues withholding program will be paid directly to the National Headquarters Office, which will then remit to the Chapter its share within ten (10) days. Section 3 Increase in Dues A) A minimum of ten (10) days advance notice shall be given to all members when a general or special meeting of members is called to consider an increase in Chapter dues. The Notice shall state the amount and effective date of the proposed increase. The president shall issue the notice for a general meeting in which the dues increase is to be considered, or a special meeting which may be called pursuant to Part V, Section 3, of these bylaws. Notice shall either be by letter to all members, or publication in a special message, which is sent to all members, or posting the notice on all official bulletin boards. B) The dues increase shall be levied after a simple majority vote of those Chapter 164 members present at a general or special meeting as described above, or by a majority vote of the members of Chapter by a secret ballot in the referendum conducted by secret ballot. 3

5 Part V Chapter Meetings Meetings The Chapter shall hold at least two General Meetings per calendar year. Meeting Time and Place for General Meetings The meeting place and time will be designated by the Chapter President and notice given to the members at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting date. The location of the meetings will normally be in a convenient place in Whatcom County. Exceptions to this must be approved by the Chapter Executive Board. The notice shall be by letter, (and/or ), and/or by posting the meeting notice on all official bulletin boards. The posting of notices on bulletin boards will be accomplished by the stewards in their respective areas of representation. Failure of such stewards to do so will not constitute a failure of NTEU leadership to give notice of meeting. A Oroville Area Meetings In consideration of the difficulty faced by Oroville Area members trying to attend Chapter meetings held in the Whatcom County area, the Chapter will hold separate sub-chapter meetings for the Oroville Area. The Oroville Area Chief Steward will call at least two such meetings per year or more as s/he sees fit and if approved by the Chapter Executive Board. Absent just cause, the Chapter Executive Board will not deny the request for additional meetings. The meetings will be held in a convenient location in the Area Port of Oroville area, to be designated by the Oroville Area Chief Steward. Topics of discussion for the Oroville Area meetings can be any topic of interest to the bargaining unit, but ideally should be restricted to matters of applicability to the Oroville Area. Any votes taken on issues will be applicable to Oroville Area issues only. Any binding votes taken will follow the procedures found in Part V Section 4 (D) of these bylaws, and again will be applicable to Oroville Area issues only. Oroville Area members will of course still be allowed to cast votes for issues of interest to the Chapter as a whole, at the general Chapter meetings held in Whatcom County. This includes being able to cast votes on binding issues presented at the general Chapter meeting. Section 3 Special Meetings A special meeting of the Chapter may be convened by A) Written call by the president. B) Written call by the majority of the Executive Board. 4

6 C) Written call signed by 25% of the active members of this Chapter. D) The notification of time and place will be as in Part V,. E) Restricted Special Meetings 1) With the approval of the majority of the Executive Board, the President can call for a meeting restricted to a particular geographic area, or a particular group of employees to address a concern affecting only that area or that group. 2) Any decisions made pursuant to such a meeting will be applicable only to that restricted geographic area or group. 3) All general and special meeting rules will apply to such a meeting, except that the normal rules which refer to all chapter members being eligible to bvote and participate in all meetings will not be applicable. 4) Such meetings may be called with five (5) days notice, instead of the normal requirement to have ten (10) days notice for a General or Special meeting. 5) Only those members in the selected geographic area or group will be eligible to participate and vote. 6) This will in no way restrict chapter leadership from being able to have informal meeting to discuss topics of concern to a particular area or group. Section 4 Voting A) All members of Chapter 164 shall have equal rights to attend and participate in all Chapter meetings, except for executive meetings, or restricted special meetings as mentioned in Section 3(E) above. B) Each member shall be entitled to one (1) vote at any regular or special meeting, and in the election of officers. C) If a member s right to vote is challenged, the Chapter president shall rule on the member s right to vote at said meeting. The member shall have the right to challenge this decision pursuant to the applicable provisions of the NTEU national constitution. D) Binding Votes. 1) Only those topics for which pre-notice was given will be considered eligible for binding votes. Pre-notice will be made by announcement at a previous chapter meeting. The topic for which a binding vote will be taken must be explained, in detail, by the member proposing the vote. Debate will be allowed, and the wording of the proposal may be changed through such debate, by simple majority vote of the members present. If the members present approve the proposal for consideration, it will be reduced to writing and placed in the meeting minutes. The Chapter Executive Board will consider the matter, and make a recommendation at the next regular or special chapter meeting. The proposal will be made available for review, either by chapter mailing or through bulletin board postings on all customary bulletin boards. If notice is given through bulletin board, notice may also be given by . The Chapter Executive Board will determine whether the proposal will be made available 5

7 for review by posting, or mail, or both. Any member in good standing may propose a matter for consideration. At the next regular or special chapter meeting, debate on the matter will be entertained, but no substantive change to the proposal will be allowed for it to be considered a binding vote. If the proposal garners a simple majority vote of the members present, it will be adopted. If the wording to the proposal is changed so that a substantive change is made to the original proposal, it will be considered an advisory vote only. 2) Alternative format for binding votes. As an alternative to the formal procedures for binding votes listed in part (1) above, the Chapter Executive Board shall be empowered to present issues for binding votes. The process to do so will be as follows: (a) A member of the Chapter Executive Board will present to the full Board any matter for which he desires a binding vote to be taken (b) The full Board will consider the matter, and either approve or disapprove the measure to be included in the agenda for the next Chapter meeting. (c) If approved by the Chapter Executive Board for inclusion in the agenda for the next Chapter meeting, the matter will be posted on all customary union bulletin boards in the Chapter, for a period of no less than ten (10) days prior to the next scheduled Chapter meeting. The matter may also be sent to members via , or U.S. mail, at the discretion of the Chapter Executive Board. (d) A member of the Chapter Executive Board will explain the merits of the matter to the union, and it will be discussed and voted on at the next Chapter meeting. The exact wording of the proposal may be changed through normal debate, but any substantive changes to the proposal will render a vote on the matter as advisory only, similar to any other matter of discussion where pre-notice was not given. 3) All Other Votes. All votes on matters not taken through the binding vote process described above will be considered advisory votes. Chapter leadership will make every reasonable attempt to honor such votes, but the fluidity of negotiations, or changes in circumstances, may make it impractical for chapter leadership to always adhere to advisory votes. E) Proxy Votes. A member in good standing unable to attend the meeting will be entitled to cast a proxy vote. Because of the fluid nature of debate at chapter meetings, only blanket proxies will be allowed. A blanket proxy is a written or typed, signed note, executed by a member in good standing and given to a member in good standing, authorizing that person to vote as he sees fit on any matter brought to a vote. An alternative form of proxy will be a note sent by any member in good standing, to any other member in good standing, on government , clearly indicating that a proxy is being given. Exception: on matters that will have a binding vote taken, the member giving a proxy may indicate the specific way that he wants the proxy member to vote. 6

8 Section 5 Quorum A quorum at any general or special meeting of Chapter 164 shall be a minimum of five (5) of its members as defined in Part III,, of these Bylaws. Section 6 Discussion Except for restricted meetings and Chapter Executive Board meetings, each member shall be entitled to a full discussion at any meeting of the Chapter on those matters relating to the national or local organization. Section 7 Order of Business The order of business of special and regular Chapter meetings shall be determined by the executive board at its regular or special meeting preceding the Chapter meeting. Part VI Chapter Executive Board Officer Designations The Chapter Executive Board shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Qualifications Any member of this Chapter, who is a member in good standing for one calendar year prior to the time the notice of election is posted, may be elected to any office. Section 3 Elections A) The term of office for Chapter 164 officers shall be three years. The election to office, of all Chapter officers, shall take place as provided in the NTEU National Constitution and Bylaws. These officers will assume their elected position on the first Tuesday in November. Should it be necessary to hold a mid-term election to fill three or more vacancies, the terms of those newly elected officials will run concurrently with those elected during a regular election. The terms of these newly elected officers will end at the same time as those elected during the last regular election. B) The Chapter President and the Vice President, by their election, are considered ex officio delegates to the NTEU National Convention conducted during their term of office. C) The election of any additional delegates to the NTEU National Convention shall be conducted pursuant to the NTEU Constitution and Bylaws. 7

9 Section 4 Duties A) The president s duties shall be: 1) To perform as administrator of the affairs of Chapter 164 in accordance with the provisions of the NTEU National Constitution and Chapter Bylaws. 2) To issue proper notice, calling meetings of the Chapter and the executive board pursuant to Part V,, and Part VI, Section 4 and 5, of these bylaws. 3) To preside at all regular and special meeting of the Chapter and executive board. 4) To appoint chairpersons of all standing committees, except the Committee of Nominations and Elections. 5) To appoint the Stewards, Chief Stewards, and Chapter Chief Steward, subject to the simple majority vote of the Executive Board. Should the Executive Board be deadlocked, the wishes of the Chapter President will carry. The President may also remove Stewards, Chief Stewards, and Area Chief Stewards, subject to the simple majority vote of the Executive Board. Should the Executive Board be deadlocked, the wishes of the Chapter President will carry. Before proposing to the Executive Board to remove a steward, the Chapter President will consult with the affected Area Chief Steward. 6) To appoint all committee members and maintain ex-officio membership of each, subject to approval by a simple majority vote of the executive board. 7) To sign all documents pertaining to official business of the Chapter. 8) To authorize expenditure of funds in accordance with the budget approved by the executive board. However, the President may not authorize the expenditure of funds to himself/herself. If the President incurs expenses, two Executive Board members must authorize them. 9) To perform all other duties as are necessary to protect and advance the interests of the membership. 10) To appoint the Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary, if no eligible member had stood for election for the offices at the time of the regular election. These appointments will be subject to approval by a majority of the Executive Board. Once so approved, the persons appointed to these positions, in this fashion, will be voting members of the Executive Board, for the normal duration fo the position being filled. However, a Vice President appointed in this fashion will not be considered an ex-officio delegate for the National Convention. B) The Vice President s duties shall be: 1) To perform the duties of the President when the President is incapacitated and unable to discharge his/her responsibilities, or when the President resigns from office or otherwise ceases to be the Chapter President. 2) To coordinate the activities of the membership committee in their immediate areas and under the direction of the president, to build membership to the highest possible level. 3) To report directly to the president any and all problems of the members in their areas and to keep the president informed as to the progress in resolving these problems. 8

10 C) The duties of the Secretary shall be: 1) To record and keep the minutes of all Chapter Meetings and the Executive Board Meetings, and publish and post these minutes on the Chapter s bulletin boards. 2) To conduct such correspondence as may be necessary or as the president shall direct, and to maintain copies in a permanent file. 3) To maintain custody of all papers and effects of the Chapter and to transfer these items to his/her successor at the termination of his/her tenure of office. 4) Distribute literature, copies of documents and other communications to the Chapter members. 5) To prepare and maintain a correct and current record of the membership with the name, number, and dues status of each member. D) The duties of the Treasurer shall be: 1) To receive and deposit all funds of the Chapter in a depository approved by the Executive Board. 2) To make payment from funds as authorized by the Chapter president, and to maintain a petty cash fund in an amount determined by the Executive Board. 3) To submit financial reports and other reports as requested by the Executive Board. 4) To provide the secretary with dues information necessary for the Secretary to maintain updated membership roster. 5) To submit the Chapter books and accounts for audit on the demand of the Executive Board. 6) To furnish a surety bond to the Chapter, the premium of such bond to be paid by the Chapter. 7) To prepare and file Internal Revenue Service Form 990 and the Department of Labor LM Forms. 8) To keep an accurate and current record of all receipts and expenditures of the Chapter, according to accepted accounting practices and in accordance with Federal and State laws. 9) To provide a final expenditure report to the Executive Board at the end of each fiscal year. 10) To arrange for an independent audit six months prior to the end of the election term of office and to provide a copy of the audit to the Executive Board. This report shall be made available to any member of Chapter 164 upon written request to the Executive Board. Section 5 Suspension of Officers The process for suspension of Chapter Officers will adhere to the NTEU Constitution and National Bylaws. 9

11 Section 6 Succession of Officers Should the Chapter President resign from office or otherwise cease to be the Chapter President, the elected Vice President shall immediately assume the office of President. Should the Vice President be an appointed officer having not been elected by the chapter, he shall assume the Presidency only upon the approval of a majority vote of the remaining Executive Board. If a majority decision can t be reached the Chapter Chief Steward can be approved as Chapter President upon the approval of a majority vote of the remaining Executive Board. If a majority decision can t be reached an interim president will be appointed by the Servicing NTEU Field Representative. The term of a Chapter President appointment during such a midterm election, caused by a vacancy, shall be concurrent with those officials elected during a regular Chapter Election. This will result in the termination of their term coinciding with the officers elected during a regular election. With the exception of office of Chapter President, should an elected official be unable to complete their term of office, or otherwise permanently cease to fulfill their official duties the remaining executive board members shall appoint, upon a majority vote of its members, an individual to fulfill the duties of the vacated position until such time as an election is held. The appointed official will be considered a voting member of the Executive Board, but cannot serve as a delegate to the district conference or the National Convention unless designated to do so under Part IX,, (B) of these bylaws. Should three or more elected offices be vacated at the same time, and a regular election will not be completed within a year from the date the third position becomes vacant, the remaining Executive Board members will immediately select a Chairperson and in turn an Election Committee to hold a special election in accordance with Part VII of these bylaws. The terms of officers elected in such a midterm election, caused by these vacancies, shall be concurrent with those officials elected during a regular Chapter Election. This will result in the termination of their term coinciding with the officers elected during a regular election. Should the sole remaining member of the Executive Boards also have originated from an appointment, his office will be eligible for election as well, at the time of the election. Should there be no remaining members of the Executive Board, the servicing NTEU Field Representative shall be empowered to appoint a Chairperson to conduct a mid-term election. Part VII CHAPTER ELECTIONS Candidate for Election Any candidate for election to any office of Chapter 164 must be a reliable member of the Chapter. For the purposes of candidacy eligibility, a reliable member, as defined by Chapter 164, 10

12 means a union member in good standing in chapter 164, who has been a member in good standing for at least 1 years. Eligibility to Vote All members of Chapter 164 are eligible to vote for election, and be nominated as a candidate for Chapter Offices so long as they meet the requirements above. Section 3 Election of Chapter Officers All elected Chapter Officers shall be elected in the following manner: 1. Elections will normally be held on the First Tuesday following 10/15. Exceptions to this must be approved by a majority of the Executive Committee, and can only be changed for good cause shown. The Executive Board will appoint an Election Committee Chairperson who will appoint an election committee, which will consist of the Chairperson and 3 additional members. No less than forty-five(45) days prior to the scheduled election, the Chapter Election Committee must mail each member, at his/her last known address, a Notice of Nomination and a notice of Election, which shall: a. Identify the offices to be filled, b. Specify the date, time and place for any special meeting for the purpose of nominations for office or state that nominations must be submitted to the Chairperson of the Election and Nomination Committee in writing twenty-five (25) days prior to the scheduled election date and, c. Specify the date, time and place of the scheduled election. 2. The Chairperson of the Election and Nomination Committee shall notify all nominees, in writing of their nomination for office. 3. A member otherwise eligible to run for office shall become a bona fide candidate only upon his/her nomination for office and acceptance of the nomination. Acceptance of nomination must be made in writing, no later than five (5) days prior to the scheduled election date. 4. The election shall be held on the date, time and place specified in the notice of election, and the election shall be by secret ballot to be placed in boxes. In the alternative, a mail referendum ballot procedure may be established, which will insure that all members will receive a ballot, that an envelope is provided in which to place the ballot, that a return envelope is furnished in which to mail the ballot and which identifies the voter, that the confidentiality of the ballot is maintained, and that the ballots are secure until counted. a. To guarantee that only members in good standing are voting in the election, a current official list of all chapter members is good standing will be obtained by the Election Committee prior to tabulating the ballots. i. The list used must not have been created more than seven (7) days prior to the election. 11

13 ii. Relying on the list of members used at the time of the Notice of Nominations and Election will not be allowed, as individual membership statuses may have changed. b. Before tabulating the ballots, the Election Committee must verify that each ballot cast is indeed from a member in good standing, by referencing the current list of members in good standing. i. Any reasonable, transparent method of verification, such as the methods suggested at Step I, Chapter 19, of the NTEU Chapter Manual, will be allowed. 5. The candidates for each office that receive a plurality of members votes cast for that office shall be declared duly elected. Where the nominee is unopposed, there shall be no necessity for the election of such nominee, and he/she shall be declared duly elected. 6. The Chapter secretary shall maintain for one year all used, unused, and challenged ballots, and the envelopes used to mail marked ballots, in the case of a mail ballot election, tally sheets and related documents. Section 4 Challenges to Elections Any member of Chapter 164, who wishes to challenge an election conducted under these bylaws, must do so pursuant to Part IV Section 4 of the NTEU National Bylaws. Part VIII COMMITTEES Except as mentioned below for the Committee on Elections and Nominations, the president shall appoint, as necessary, the chairperson and/or members of any committees, whose members shall serve for one year. Committee on Elections and Nominations 1. Committee on election and nominations shall consist of three or more members and a chairperson for the purpose of conducting a democratic election of officers as provided in the NTEU constitution. The Chairperson shall be appointed by the Executive Board and he/she will be responsible for selecting the committee. a. This committee shall conduct the election of officers pursuant to Part IV, Section 2, of the NTEU National Bylaws. b. This committee shall count the ballots, and post the results of the election and mail results to all posts of duty. The newly elected officers shall be notified in writing by the chairperson of the election and nominating committee of their election. 12

14 c. In case of a tie vote for any office, the chairperson in the presence of his/her committee members shall determine the winner by the toss of a coin and enter the results in his/her report. d. The chairperson shall immediately make a written report on the results of the election to the NTEU national headquarters. Part IX DELEGATES and PROXIES Delegate to the National Convention and District Conferences 1. The executive board, at a meeting not less than thirty (30) days prior to the national convention or district conference, shall determine the number of Chapter delegate to the National Convention or District Conference, and the amount of delegate s expenses that will be paid by Chapter funds. Each delegate must receive an equal amount of reimbursement. 2. The President and the Vice President shall serve as delegates unless unable to attend. If the Executive Board determines that additional delegates may attend at the Chapter s expense, such delegates will be elected pursuant to the NTEU Constitution and Bylaws. 3. Any member who wishes to attend the national convention or district conference as a delegate at his/her own expense must be elected pursuant to the NTEU Constitution and Bylaws. 4. The chairperson of the delegation will be the President, or in his/her absence, the highest ranking officer who is a delegate. If no Chapter officer is a delegate, the Executive Board will appoint a chairperson and define the succession of authority in the delegation. Proxies For the purpose of representation at the National Convention or District Conference, Chapter 164 may designate by proxy any member(s) of NTEU elected pursuant to part IV of the NETU bylaws on a form prescribed by the administrative controller of NTEU. There shall be the statement made that the authority to issue and assign a proxy is given pursuant to a motion duly passed at a regular or special Chapter meeting. The member of NTEU to whom the proxy is assigned shall be named therein and it shall be signed by the president and secretary of Chapter

15 Part X BUSINESS PROCEDURE Executive Board Order of Business 1. At each regular meeting of the executive board as provided by part VII, section 4, the following order of business shall be observed: a. Call to Order b. Roll call c. Report of the President d. Report of the Treasurer e. Report of the Vice President f. Report of the chairpersons of the standing committees g. Unfinished business h. New business i. Adjournment 2. The above order of business may be suspended at any time by a majority vote of the Executive Board members present at the meeting. In the case of a special meeting of the board, the president s call for the meeting shall set forth the business to be transacted and the order of it. Part XI MISCELLANEOUS Rules of Order In the absence of any rules of to the contrary (in the constitution and these bylaws) all meetings of the executive board, committees, and Chapter meetings shall be governed by the parliamentary rules and usages contained in a current edition of Robert s Rules of Order Revised. Copies Copies of these bylaws shall be maintained in the chapter union office in Blaine and distributed to all members seeking a copy. Section 3 Amendments Amendments to these bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the Chapter 164 executive board for their recommendations and consideration, which shall be completed within 30 days of receiving the proposed amendment/s. The President will then report the recommendations of the Executive Board at the next regular or special Chapter meeting. The members may adopt such 14

16 amendment/s by a simple majority vote, provided notice of the proposed amendment/s was given in writing at the previous meeting and/or all members were notified by posting of the amendment/s at least ten (10) days before such meeting. A special Chapter meeting may be called to consider the proposed amendments. If not, the amendments will be considered at the next regular Chapter Meeting. Section 4 Annual Audits An Annual audit of Chapter 164 s financial records will be conducted according to Article IV, Section 7 (B) of the NTEU Constitution and Bylaws. Part XII REMUNERATION The remuneration of any officer or official is to be recommended by the Executive Board. Such remuneration must be approved by a majority of those members present at a general meeting of the membership. The remuneration of the following officers and officials shall be: President $0 Vice President $0 Treasurer $0 Secretary $0 Stewards $0 1. A member on union travel, not reimbursable by the government, to perform duties for the Chapter shall be entitled to seek remuneration from the chapter consistent with the equivalent amount that would be due if the member were on government travel. Such requests will be reviewed and approved by the Chapter President. Amounts in excess of this must be approved by the Chapter Executive Board, and will be considered on a caseby-case basis. 2. The member may also elect to seek to recover actual expenses only, in lieu of government remuneration rates, in consideration of limited chapter resources. The request will be reviewed and approved by the Chapter President. 3. Mileage: If the member uses his personally owned vehicle (POV) for union business, he may also seek mileage remuneration equal to the actual cost of the fuel used to propel the 15

17 POV, plus an additional 25% charge to account for wear and tear on the POV. Such requests should be supported by fuel receipts, and will be reviewed and approved by the Chapter President. A member electing this type of remuneration will not be allowed to also seek mileage remuneration under part (1) above; one or the other will be allowed, not both. This will be the preferred method for remuneration for the use of a POV. All expenses shall be listed on the approved NTEU expense form, for ease of later auditing. Section 3 Airfare and Lodging, Special Circumstances Appropriate reimbursement for airfare and lodging above normal government reimbursement rates shall be determined and approved by the Chapter President in accordance with the national and chapter bylaws. If the President s decision is not to the satisfaction of the affected person, such a person shall be entitled to appeal the decision to the Executive Board. The decision of a majority of the Executive Board will be considered as binding. If the Executive Board is deadlocked, the wishes of the Chapter President will carry. Section 4 Remuneration for Other than Travel Request for remuneration for other than travel purposes will be reviewed and approved by the Chapter President. The President s decision may be appealed to the Executive Board. The decision by a majority of the Executive Board will be considered as binding. Should the Executive Board be deadlocked, the wishes of the Chapter President shall carry. 16