ARTICLE
I – AFFILIATIONS
1. This
Federation shall maintain affiliation with and whenever possible
send delegates to the meetings and conventions of the following organizations:
a.
American Federation of Teachers
b.
AFT-Oregon
c.
Northwest Oregon AFL-CIO Central Labor Council
d.
Oregon AFL-CIO
2. All
delegates shall make written reports to the Executive Council about
meetings attended, if requested.
3. Every
reasonable effort shall be made by this Federation to pay the legitimate
expenses of delegates to meetings and conventions of affiliated organizations.
4. The
Federation, to the best of its ability, shall be active in the affairs
of affiliated organizations.
ARTICLE
II – DUTIES
OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND THE FEDERATION
REPRESENTATIVES
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
1. The
Executive Council shall administer the policy of this Federation
as set by this Constitution and By-Laws, and by the membership at
regular meetings. It shall have the power to act for the good of
the Federation in emergency situations where policy cannot be set
by the membership.
2. Shall
meet at least monthly during the academic year, not including General
Membership Meetings.
3. Shall
fill all Executive Council and Federation Representative vacancies
not otherwise provided for within thirty (30) days whenever possible.
4. Shall
have the power to employ all personnel on full or part time basis
and issue contracts to these employees as may be determined by the
needs and finances of the Federation.
5. Shall
report its activities at each regular General Membership Meeting.
6. Shall
abide by the following regulations:
a.
A quorum shall consist of a majority of the current Executive Council
Officers.
b.
Decisions to go to arbitration on behalf of the Federation or a member
must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the current Council
at a regular or special Executive Council Meeting or when polled by
the President by mail or telephone.
c.
The Executive Council cannot rescind any action taken by the membership
in any regular or special General Membership Meeting. It may ask the
membership to rescind previous actions at regular or special meetings.
7. Executive
Council Members who have a report shall submit it to the Secretary
seven (7) working days before each Executive Council Meeting. The
President shall also submit the agenda for the next meeting. The
Secretary shall print the reports and meeting agenda, and send a
copy to each Executive Council Member four (4) working days before
the Executive Council Meeting.
8. Special
meetings of the Executive Council may be called by the President
or by a majority of the Executive Council.
9. An
Executive Council Member shall be removed from office and their office
considered vacant if the Executive Council Member fails to attend
three (3) consecutive Executive Council meetings in any term or over
two (2) terms.
FEDERATION REPRESENTATIVES
10. Shall serve
as an information link between the individual member and the Council.
11. Shall meet
quarterly with their respective campus or site groups.
12 A
Federation Representative shall have no set term of office.
13. A Federation
Representative shall serve at the discretion of the President and
the Executive Council.
ARTICLE
III – DUTIES
OF OFFICERS
1. PRESIDENT
a. Shall act as chief Executive Officer of the federation.
b. Shall preside over all Executive Council and General Membership
Meetings, enforcing the rules of order.
c. Shall enforce the rule of this Constitution and its By-Laws.
d. Shall call regular meetings of the Executive Council.
e. Shall assign the duties of and direct the activities of Executive
Council members not otherwise specified in these By-Laws.
f. Shall call special meetings of the Executive Council or submit
proposals by telephone or mail whenever such action is necessary.
g. Shall appoint all committees, not otherwise specified in these
By-Laws, subject to the approval of the Executive Council.
h. Shall represent or appoint an appropriate designee to represent
the Federation regarding contract administration, PCC Board activities,
and public or Federation functions.
I .Shall sign all necessary papers and documents.
j. Shall present an annual report to the membership at the General
Membership Meeting detailing the state of the Federation.
k. Shall serve as an ex-officio member of all committees.
l. Shall appoint individuals to fill all Executive Council vacancies
with the advice and consent of the Executive Council.
m. Shall notify the college in the event of his/her extended absence
and establish the authority of the Executive Vice-President during
that absence.
n. Shall supervise and schedule employee’s
work.
o. Shall appoint an Officer to serve as Parliamentarian for the Executive
council
p. Shall appoint Federation Representatives (Fed Reps) with the advice
and consent of the Executive Council.
2. EXECUTIVE
VICE-PRESIDENT
a. Shall perform the Duties of the President
in meetings in the event of the President’s absence and assume
the duties of the President in the event of an extended absence,
permanent incapacity, death, or resignation.
b. Shall at the direction of the President, fulfill the duties
of any office in the event of an extended absence of any Officer or
the failure of any Officer to perform their Constitutional duties.
c. Shall be a member of each of the Federation’s
standing committees (Contract Administration, COPE and Membership).
3. VICE-PRESIDENTS
FOR MEMBERSHIP
a. Shall chair any Election Committee and shall conduct all
elections and ratifications as required.
b. Shall chair the Membership Committee and conduct Membership
Drives.
c. Shall maintain a current list of committees and Federation
Representatives.
4. VICE-PRESIDENTS
FOR GRIEVANCE/CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
a. Shall recruit and train all Grievance Committee members
b. Shall represent the Federation in the enforcement of the
contract.
c. Shall work closely with the President in matters of contract administration
and
report regularly to the Executive Council and membership
concerning grievances and current matters of dispute resolution.
d. Shall supervise grievance timetables, maintain
grievance files and maintain the security of member’s rights.
e. Shall be elected from the appropriate constituency.
5. TREASURER
a. Shall be the Chief Financial Officer of the Federation.
b. Shall receive and deposit all funds due in such bank or banks as
may be designated by the Executive Council or prudent financial planning,
sign all draft drawn on Federation accounts, and submit vouchers for
Executive Council approval or audit these activities in a prudent manner.
c. Shall maintain a current list of all dues paying members and all
fair share bargaining unit members and make this list available to
the appropriate officers.
d. Shall prepare or cause to be prepared an annual written report
at the end of the fiscal year, all required State and Federal reports
required by law, and other financial reports and documents necessary
to monitor the fiscal security of the Federation.
e. Shall prepare a financial report for every regular Executive Council
and General Membership Meeting and submit to audits at the discretion
of the Executive Council.
f. Shall submit or cause to be submitted a proposed budget to the
Executive Council no later than the April meeting.
g. Shall disburse funds as they are available in accordance with the
approved budget and the advice and consent of the President and/or
Executive Council.
6. SECRETARY
a. Shall keep a proper and current record of the proceedings of General
Membership and Executive Council Meetings, conduct all correspondence
pertaining to Federation business at the direction of the President,
maintain a file of all letters, documents and records of the Federation
in a prudent manner or cause these activities to take place.
b. Shall furnish each member of the Executive Council
with a copy of the minutes of previous meetings in a timely
manner and shall furnish the Federation Publicist with current information
for communication to the membership.
c. Shall provide copies of the minutes of previous Executive Council
and General Membership Meetings in prudent numbers for members at General
Membership Meetings.
d.
Shall be custodian of the Seal and Charter of the Federation.
7. NOLC DELEGATE
a.
Shall be the Federation’s delegate to the Northwest Oregon Labor
Council.
b.
Shall report to the Executive Council on matters that need political
action, and recommend actions to the Executive Council.
c. Shall prepare a quarterly report of pertinent Labor Council, AFL/CIO,
OFT and AFT activities.
d. Shall represent the Federation at conventions when appropriate
and at the discretion of the Executive Council and the membership.
8. CAMPUS
VICE-PRESIDENTS
a. Shall represent each Campus or building(s)
from which they are elected. They will communicate with their
members, act as a Grievance Representative when requested or when
they deem such action is prudent, and supervise and support the Federation
Representatives in their areas.
b. Shall insure that the membership is aware of Executive Council
actions by posting notices, minutes, and other pertinent materials
in appropriate places.
c. Shall hold periodic informal meetings with members on their
Campuses or in their buildings for the purpose of gathering information
and addressing the concerns of those members.
d. Shall chair standing and special committees, and/or be of
assistance at the request of the President.
9. COPE VICE-PRESIDENT
a.
Shall chair the Committee On Political Education
(COPE).
b.
Shall coordinate the political and fund raising activities of the
Federation.
c.
Shall prepare and file, on time, all campaign reports with the appropriate
filing
officer.
d. Shall work closely with the President and the Executive
Council to develop and implement political education strategies.
e.
Shall represent the Federation on the AFT-Oregon COPE Committee.
10. PUBLICIST
a. Shall gather and edit information for publication and have it printed
and distributed to the membership.
b. Shall monitor PCC Board actions and activities of the Oregon Legislature,
labor organization, OFTEHP, AFT, and membership for communication when
appropriate to the Executive Council and/or membership.
c. Shall submit a draft of Federation publications to the President
and Labor Relations Specialist for review.
ARTICLE IV–DUTIES
OF FEDERATION REPRESENTATIVES
1. Shall
serve as an information link between the individual member and the
Executive Council
2. Shall
represent each Campus or site group to which they are appointed.
They will
communicate with their members, and act as a Grievance Representative
when requested or when they deem such action is prudent.
3. Shall
insure that the membership is aware of Executive Council actions
by posting
notices, minutes, and other pertinent materials in appropriate places.
4. Shall
hold periodic informal meetings with members of their Campus or site
groups for the purpose of gathering information and addressing the
concerns of those members.
5. Shall
chair standing and special committees, and/or be of assistance at
the request of the President.
ARTICLE
V – DUTIES OF COMMITTEES
- GRIEVANCE AND CONTRACT ADMINISRTRATION COMMITTEE
a. Shall review all grievances
submitted in writing to the Executive Council or the Vice Presidents
for Grievances/Contract Administration.
b. Shall cause the grievance
procedures to be publicized as widely as possible.
c. Shall recommend from their membership Contract
Administration Teams for the contracts currently bargained by the Federation. These
teams shall meet on a regular basis and as needed with College Management
for the purpose of discussing matters of common interest arising out
of the administration of the Collective Bargaining Agreements.
d. Shall make recommendations
to the Executive Council as necessary.
- MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
- Shall recruit new members continuously.
- Shall arrange such programs and entertainments as appropriate
and within the Federation Budget.
3. COMMITTEE
ON POLITICAL EDUCATION (COPE)
a. Shall
support and strengthen the commitment of the citizens and the government
to excellence in public education at all levels.
b. Shall
promote and strive for the improvement of the college by encouraging
and stimulating faculty and staff to take a more active part in governmental
affairs pertaining to public education.
c. Shall
encourage the membership to know and understand the nature and actions
of their government and the important political issues as they pertain
to public education.
d. Shall
assist the membership in organizing themselves for more effective
political action and in carrying out their civic responsibilities.
e. Shall
engage in any suitable activities to achieve the purposes stated
above.
f. Shall
determine, by a simple majority vote of the current committee member,
any donation made to a political candidate or cause on behalf of
the Federation.
g. Shall
be chaired by the COPE VICE-PRESIDENT.
ARTICLE VI - MEETINGS
1. The time and place of General Membership Meetings shall be fixed by
the Executive Council
2. There shall be at least one regular General Membership
Meeting during the academic year. There shall be at least one regular Federation
Representatives campus or site group Meeting in
every academic term.
3. A quorum for General Membership Meeting shall consist of five (5) percent
of the total membership.
4. Special or Emergency General Membership Meetings may be
called by the president, by a majority of the Executive Council,
or by a petition signed by no less than one-fifth (1/5) of the membership,
provided, however, that no less than seven (7) calendar days notice
of such a meeting shall be provided to the membership. In the event
the meeting is called by petition, such a petition shall be delivered
to the Presidents. The Presidents shall cause the Executive
Council to be convened within (7) calendar days of the receipt of
the petition. The Executive Council shall set the time, date
and place of the Special or Emergency. Meeting no more than
twenty-one (21) calendar days following the receipt of the petition
by the President.
5. Contractual issues exclusive to members of the Full–Time Bargaining
Unit will be voted on only by the members belonging to the Full–Time
Bargaining Unit; contractual issues exclusive to members of the Adjunct
Bargaining Unit will be voted on only by the members belonging to
the Adjunct Bargaining Unit.
6. Any action of the Executive Council that was not required
specifically by this Constitution or By- Laws can be rescinded by
a vote of the membership at any regular or special General Membership
Meeting if the issue has been published as part of the regular agenda. A
simple majority of those voting is required for recision.
ARTICLE
VII – ELECTIONS
- Absentee ballots will be made available to members of the Federation
in any elections at the discretion of the Elections Committee.
- The Elections Committee will establish an adequate system of ballot
certification to insure the rights of the individual to confidentiality
and the Federation to a certifiable election.
- The Executive Vice-President for Membership shall establish the
times, dates, places, and methods of election with the approval of
the Executive council.
- The Executive Vice-President for Membership will certify election
procedures and results.
- Election of delegates to conventions shall have the following restrictions:
a. The Executive Council will decide the number of delegates to send to
any convention within the limits of the Federation budget and reasonable
value to the Federation of such representation.
b. The membership will elect delegates under the specific requirements
of and procedures prescribed by the convention.
c. Delegates must meet the same qualifications as Officers of the Federation.
d. The NOLC Delegate shall always be nominated to the Oregon
AFL—CIO
Convention.
e. Ties shall be decided by the President.
6. Election of Federation Officers shall have the following
restrictions:
a. A Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the President during the
month of April.
b. The voting membership shall be presented with a
slate of nominees at a Membership Meeting at least fifteen (15) days
before the election date.
c. Election of Officers will be held annually during the Spring Quarter.
Terms of office shall begin July 1, of the year elected.
d. Officers will be elected by majority vote.
e. Campus Vice-Presidents will be elected by members from their Campus.
f. Officers
shall serve two (2) year terms of office. The President, Executive
Vice President, Vice-Presidents for Grievance/Contract Administration,
the Treasurer and the Sylvania Vice Presidents shall be elected in
even numbered years. The Vice Presidents Membership, Secretary, the
Vice-President COPE, the NOLC Labor Delegate, the Publicist and the
Cascade, Rock Creek and Southeast Vice Presidents shall be elected
in odd numbered years.
7. Recall of Officers and Federation Representatives shall be done
in the following manner:
a. When two-thirds (2/3) of the Executive Council
feels that an Officer is not performing the duties outlined in this
Constitution and/or By-Laws or is failing to exercise prudent judgment
as an officer, the Executive Council may initiate and serve a request
in writing for the resignation of that Officer. This request will include the reasons for the
requested resignation. The Officer in question shall have five
(5) days in which to respond. If the Officer
refuses to resign, recall may be initiated by a resolution in the next
Executive Council Meeting and passed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority. A
secret ballot election will be held after a special General Membership
Meeting convened to discuss the recall. A majority of the members
voting will prevail. The Vice-President for Membership
will conduct the election unless he/she is the subject of the recall. In
that instance, the President will conduct the election and certify
the results. The results of the election shall be posted on each
Campus within two (2) working days. The voters eligible to vote
in a recall election will be restricted to those voters normally eligible
to vote in an election for that position.
b.When a petition requesting the recall of any
Officer and signed by at least twenty (20) percent of the membership
is submitted to the Executive Council, the Executive Council after
verifying the signatures shall initiate the recall process as described
in Section 7, Subsection “a” of this Article. Representatives
of the petitioners must attend the Executive Council Meeting when the
petition is presented to explain the reasons for the request. If
such persons do not appear, the petition may be declared invalid.
8. The Negotiating Team and Committee will be appointed by the President
with the advice and consent of Executive Council after interviewing
interested members and shall be as representative as possible.
9. Contract ratification will be by secret ballot election of the
membership of that bargaining group held after the Negotiating Team
has reached a tentative agreement.
10. Vacancies in any office, except that of President, shall be filled
by the President with the approval of the Executive Council.
11. In the
case of a vacancy in the Presidency, the Executive Vice President will
serve as interim President for a maximum period of forty-five (45)
days during which nominating petitions will be submitted to the Executive
Council and a special election of the membership will be held.
ARTICLE VIII - DUES AND FINANCES
- Regular local dues (other than Affiliate dues)
shall be fixed by a vote of the membership. A simple majority of
those voting is required, provided that notice of the proposed
dues change has been announced to the membership no less than fourteen
calendar days prior to the election. Affiliate dues increases
shall be passed through to members without vote or announcement.
- Additional funds may be obtained by fund-raising activities.
3. Regular local monthly dues for those
whose annual salary is between $15,000 and $50,000 shall be .0003708
times the base annual salary as given in the Salary Schedule of the
current contract Regular local
monthly dues for these whose annual salary is $50,000 or more shall
be .0004032 times the base annual salary as given in the Salary
Schedule of the current contract. Members whose estimated annual
income from PCC is less than $10,000 will pay ¼ of regular local
monthly dues. Members whose
estimated annual income from PCC is between $10,000 and $15,000 will
pay ½ of the regular local monthly dues. The full dues
amount charged each month shall be the computed local dues plus affiliation
fees and insurance premiums. The local will also create a special
class of membership for those members who qualify under the provisions
of Article III, Section 6 of the AFT Constitution, and will pay affiliation
fees for these members in accordance with that section of the AFT Constitution. All
members paying reduced dues under this section are entitled to the
full rights and benefits of membership. The full dues amount
charged each month shall be computed local dues plus affiliation fees
and insurance premiums.
ARTICLE IX – RULES
OF ORDER
Roberts Rules of Order, revised, shall govern in all cases not covered
by this Constitution and/or its By-laws. A parliamentarian shall
be appointed by the President (see Article III, Section1, Subsection “n”)
ARTICLE X – AVAILABILITY
OF CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
1. Three (3) copies of this Constitution
and its By-Laws and all future amendments shall be submitted to the
National Office of the American Federation of Teachers.
2. Copies shall be made available to
other affiliated organizations upon request.
3. Copies shall be made available for
any member of this Federation upon request to the secretary.
