AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS                                  AMENDED 09/15/07           
College Guild - Local 1521

AFT/CFT/A F L - C I O

 

 

                                                                              

 

               AFT COLLEGE STAFF GUILD, LOS ANGELES

                                        LOCAL 1521A

                                       CONSTITUTION

 

ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be "The AFT College Staff Guild, Los Angeles" and may be referred to in its discussions and documents as the "Staff Guild" The Staff Guild is Local 1521 of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and is affiliated with the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, California Federation of Labor and AFL-CIO.

Section 2. The Staff Guild shall be a democratically run organization supporting quality education and the best interests of Unit 1 Clerical/Technical employees in the Los Angeles Community College District.

Section 3. The Staff Guild shall, through affiliation with the California Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of Teachers, and in cooperation with the Los Angeles College Faculty Guild work to further these goals in California and throughout the nation.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

Section 1. Membership shall be open to all (classified) Unit 1 Clerical/Technical employees of the Los Angeles Community College District. Retired Unit 1 Clerical/Technical staff may continue their membership through a district-wide retiree Chapter, provided they shall have been members, in good standing, of the Staff Guild prior to retirement.

Section 2. Rights and Duties of Members: Membership is effective on the day that a membership card is received by the Staff Guild. Active members are entitled to introduce matters before the general membership, to vote in all Staff Guild polls and elections, to be eligible for elective and/or appointive office, and to receive member services offered by the Staff Guild.

Section 3. Access to Membership: Membership is open to all Staff Guild, Unit 1 employees and shall not be restricted or denied on the basis of job assignment, race, creed, country of origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical disability, and/or political activities and/or beliefs.

Section 4. Every member shall pay annual dues in a manner and amount to be fixed by the By-Laws of the Staff Guild. Unit 1 employees who pay fair share fees to the Staff Guild for its representational activities but choose not to join the Staff Guild are not members of the Staff Guild and do not have voting rights within the Staff Guild.

Section 5. The highest decision making body of the Staff Guild is the active membership which can make decisions either at a general membership meeting or through a mail ballot/referenda.

Section 6. At least one general membership meeting shall be held each year. Members shall be so notified at least 15 days before the meeting. At least 50 members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The membership meeting shall act upon all matters referred to it by the Staff Guild President, by majority vote of those present at a meeting of the Staff Guild Executive Board, by a petition signed by at least 25 members of the Staff Guild, or by 25% of the members of a given worksite Chapter. The agenda for the meeting must be published at least 15 days in advance, and only items on the published agenda shall be considered at the meeting, unless the body, by a two thirds (2/3) vote, authorizes special consideration of an unposted item. Procedures shall be governed by the most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 7. A copy of the current Staff Guild collective bargaining agreement is available upon request.

ARTICLE III: OFFICERS

Section 1. The elected officers of the Staff Guild shall be President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall select an Executive Secretary. The Board may name additional staff as deemed necessary. Such persons shall be responsible to the Executive Secretary or President as appropriate.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall have the power to set salaries and fringe benefits of the officers and staff and to authorize necessary expenses for employees and officers.

Section 4. Terms of Officers: All elected officers shall begin their terms July 1st in the year of the election. Commencing on July 1st, 2002, elected officers shall serve for a term of three (3) years. Elections shall be held in May of the year corresponding with the officers term of office.

Section 5. Eligibility: To be eligible to serve as an officer, a candidate must have been an active member, in good standing, of the Staff Guild for a period of one (1) year prior to being elected.

Section 6. Vacancies:

   a.   President: If for any reason the office of President is vacated, the First Vice President shall fill the    

         unexpired term. The line of succession is as follows: First Vice President then Second Vice President.

 

   b.   Other Elected Officers: If any other elected office becomes vacant with six (6) or more months remaining in

         the term of office, the Executive Board shall appoint, by a 2/3 vote, a member to fill the vacancy or call for

         a special election by secret ballot (and majority vote) to elect a member to serve for the remainder of the

         term.

ARTICLE IV: EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. The Staff Guild shall be governed by an Executive Board.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers, the chairperson of each chapter, and chapter delegates allocated as follows:

   a.       One delegate for 50 staff chapter members or fraction thereof.

   b.   The Executive Board may establish and adopt rules and regulations governing the  attendance and suspension

         of its members.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall act as the governing body in all matters not referred to a general membership meeting. It shall establish committees and act upon the recommendations of these committees. Procedures shall be governed by the most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 4. The Executive Board may refer any matter which it deems proper to the membership.

Section 5. There shall be a Steering Committee, composed of the elected officers of the AFT Staff Guild, Los Angeles and the Los Angeles College Faculty Guild. The purpose of the Steering Committee is to coordinate the administrative, political, and communication activities that affect both Guilds.

ARTICLE V: CHAPTERS

Section 1. Each Unit 1 worksite shall constitute a Chapter of the Staff Guild, and there may be a district-wide chapter of retired members.

Section 2. The membership of each Chapter shall be composed of all active members of the Staff Guild, the majority of whose assignment is to the worksite upon which the Chapter is located.

Section 3. Each Chapter shall elect a Chapter Chair, Delegates and Alternates to the Executive Board.

  1. Each member shall have a reasonable opportunity to be nominated for office.
  1. Notice of the election of Chapter officers shall be provided to each member 15 days in advance of the election.
  1. Elections shall be by secret ballot.
  1. Results shall be published and all election records (including ballots) kept for one year.
  1. Elections shall be held at each worksite or by mail ballot.
  2. Results of elections shall be submitted to the Executive Board at their next meeting.

Section 4. Terms of Office and filling vacant offices for worksite chapters.

  1. Elections shall be held in May every even numbered year.
  2. Chapter Chairs and Delegates shall serve for a term of two (2) years.
  3. If a Chapter Chair vacates the position the first ranking Delegate shall assume the duties until an election is held.
  4. If a Delegate vacancy occurs Delegates and Alternates move up in ranking order. If a vacancy remains the Chapter Chair shall make an appointment.

Section 5. Chapters shall meet periodically to discuss and take action upon local issues, to refer matters of general interest to the Executive Board or to a general membership meeting of the Staff Guild. Worksite chapters provide a channel of communication between the Staff Guild and the individual members.

Section 6. If a Chapter fails to elect or otherwise act when so required, by specific provision(s) of this Constitution/By-Laws, the Staff Guild President shall conduct a vote of the Chapter members to determine the wishes of the majority of such members voting.

Section 7. The retired members of the Staff Guild may constitute a district-wide chapter upon the Staff Guild establishing a retiree Chapter.

a.  Retiree district-wide Chapter shall have one (1) liaison member to the Staff Guild Executive Board.                                

b. Retiree district-wide Chapter shall elect their own officers in a district-wide retiree election.

See Article V, Section 3, Section 4. a. and b.

c.  Retiree members are not eligible to vote for Staff Guild officers.

d. Dues: See By-Laws, 1. DUES, b.

ARTICLE VI: ELECTIONS

Section 1. Officers shall be elected as follows:

a. Each member shall have a reasonable opportunity to be nominated.

b. Elected members shall serve in only one elected office.

c. Notice of election of officers shall be provided to each member 15 days in advance of the election.

d. Elections shall be by secret ballot.

e. Results shall be published and all election records (including ballots) kept for one year.

f. Elections shall be held at each worksite or by mail ballot. The method to be used shall be determined by the Executive Board, provided only that this determination shall be made in advance of nominations.

g. Results of elections shall be submitted to the Executive Board at their next meeting for certification by the Election Committee or the third party retained for the election.

h. No candidate for any elected officer position shall serve on the Election Committee.

Section 2. The elected officers shall take office on July 1st in the year of the election.

Section 3. Vacancies in officer positions shall be filled in accordance with the Constitution/By-Laws.

Section 4. Recall: If 40% of the members eligible to vote in an election of an officer sign a petition for recall of an officer, a recall election shall be held. If 60% of the ballots cast favor the recall of that officer, the officer shall be recalled and the position shall be considered vacant.

Section 5. Election of Convention Delegates: Prior to the Notice of Nomination and Election of convention delegates, the Executive Board shall determine the number of delegates to be funded and those necessary delegate expenses to be reimbursed. If all delegates are not to be funded, those delegates receiving the greatest number of votes cast shall be funded. The funding and reimbursement policy shall be summarized in the Notice of Nomination and Election.

ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES AND NEGOTIATING TEAM

Section 1. Standing Committees: The standing committees of the Staff Guild shall be the Elections Committee and the Negotiating Team.

Section 2. Other Committees: Other committees, subcommittees, and task forces of the Staff Guild shall be established as required by the Executive Board or by a majority vote of the general membership. Other committees may become standing committees.

Section 3. The Elections Committee:  

  1. Selection: The chair of the Elections Committee and its members shall be selected by the Executive Board.
  2. Powers and Duties: The Elections Committee shall conduct all elections of the officers of the Staff Guild.

Section 4. The Negotiating Team:

  1. Selection: One member at each worksite shall be appointed by the Staff Guild President after considering the recommendation of the worksite Chapter Chairperson and Delegates.
  2. If a vacancy exists at a worksite, the Staff Guild President shall appoint a member to fill the vacancy.
  3. Diversity of Membership: The Team membership shall represent the membership as broadly as possible.
  4. Powers and Duties: The Negotiating Team shall represent the general membership in matters related to collective bargaining.

ARTICLE VIII: RESIGNATION AND SUSPENSION/EXPULSION

Section 1. A member may resign by submitting written notice to the Staff Guild President.

Section 2. A member may be suspended and/or expelled for cause, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Board, after an opportunity for hearing, in accordance with established policy and procedures.

ARTICLE IX: BY-LAWS

Section 1. By-Laws may be proposed by a majority vote of those present at an Executive Board meeting, by a petition signed by 25 members or by a petition signed by 25% of the members of a worksite Chapter.

Section 2. By-Laws shall be enacted by a majority of those voting at a membership meeting, provided that a quorum is present and the text of the proposed By-Law has been announced in the call for the meeting.

ARTICLE X: RATIFICATION AND AMENDMENT

Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by a majority vote of those present at a meeting of the Executive Board, by a petition signed by 25 members, or by a petition signed by 25% of the members of a worksite Chapter.

Section 2. Amendments shall be adopted by a two-thirds vote of those voting at a membership meeting provided that quorum is present and the text of the proposed amendment has been announced in the call for the meeting.

BY-LAWS

1. DUES

  1. Dues to the AFT College Staff Guild, Los Angeles, shall be 1% of gross salary, with a minimum of $5.50, per pay period, payable through payroll deductions plus an amount equal to the sum of any post-1985 increases in per capita payments to the American Federation of Teachers and/or the California Federation of Teachers.
  1. Retiree members: Retired classified who desire to be members of a district-wide retiree Chapter of the Staff Guild shall pay dues in an amount to be determined by the Staff Guild Executive Board after hearing the recommendation of the district-wide Chapter.

2. VACANCIES

Vacancies in Staff Guild offices shall be filled by election in accordance with Article III, Section 6.a., b., Article V, Section 4.c., d., Article VI, Section 3. and Article VII, Section 4.b.

3. GRIEVANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE

All grievances proceeding toward arbitration shall be referred to the Grievance Review Committee. The committee shall consist of seven persons: the Staff Guild President, Executive Secretary, Assistant Executive Secretary, two members of the Executive Board selected by the Executive Board, and two Grievance Representatives chosen by lot. In the event that the grievance affects a given worksite and that a worksite Grievance Representative has been chosen to serve on the Grievance Review Committee, a replacement shall be chosen by lot to deal with that grievance.

The Grievance Review Committee shall review grievances and shall determine whether to proceed or not to proceed with arbitration on a given grievance. The decision of the Grievance Review Committee shall be final and binding upon the Guild.

4. INTERNAL REVIEW (Internal Disputes)

a. The Executive Board has established a procedure for the selection of an arbitration panel for the settlement of an internal Staff Guild dispute. Such a panel shall be made available to hear a complaint from a member(s) concerning action by the Staff Guild which the member(s) alleges to affect adversely his/her status or rights as a member(s) of the AFT or the bargaining unit. Before bringing a case to the Staff Guild Internal Disputes Panel, the complainants(s) must first exhaust all his/her remedies provided in the Constitution/By-Laws.

b. The Staff Guild Internal Disputes Panel shall consist of three members: One Staff Guild member chosen by each party, and a third, chairperson, chosen by the first two from an approved list of the American Arbitration Association (AAA). The chairperson of the panel shall not be a member of the AFT Staff Guild, nor shall have been a member during any of the five previous years immediately prior to his or her appointment to the panel.

c. American Arbitration Association (AAA) shall monitor each step of the procedure.

d. The Staff Guild shall assume the administrative and monitoring costs of the procedure and fees the and expenses of the chairperson of the panel. The Staff Guild shall assume the fees, if any, and expenses of his/her panel member. Cases will be heard in the Los Angeles AAA region.

e. In order to insure that the complaint is not frivolous or mischievous, or that the complaint is not utterly without merit, the complainant shall post a $250 escrow amount with AAA. The panel shall not hear the case until escrow is posted. The tripartite panel shall, by its majority, decide whether the escrow fund will be returned or forfeited.

f. A panel shall have authority to decide the issue in conflict and order a correction of the situation in those instances in which it is judged that the complaint has merit; however, no monetary damages can be granted in the award.

g. The decision of the panel shall be final and binding.

5. QUORUM

A quorum shall consist of 50 members of the total membership.

 

 

Opeiu: 537 afl-cio/sm

Constitution 7/1/02

Amended 9/28/02: Article III/Sec 4

Amended 9/15/07: Article VI/b