CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I
The
name of this organization shall be AFSCME Local 1703 of the American Federation
of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO.
This
local shall be chartered by the American Federation of State, County, and
Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO and shall be affiliated with AFSCME Council 93 of
the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees; the
Massachusetts State Labor Council, AFL-CIO; and the appropriate central body of
the AFL-CIO.
The
objectives of this local union shall be to carry out, on a local basis, the
objectives of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal
Employees.
MEMBERSHIP AND
DUES
Section
1. All public employees except state employees
in the following Massachusetts cities and towns: Acton, Ayer, Bedford, Bolton,
Boxborough, Burlington, Chelmsford, Concord, Harvard, Lexington, Lincoln,
Littleton, Maynard, North Reading, Pepperell, Reading, Shawsheen Valley
Technical School, Shirley, Stoneham, Tewksbury, Townsend, Tyngsboro, Westford,
and Wilmington, excluding those employees within the jurisdiction of Locals
2896 and 833, are eligible for
membership in this local union subject to the requirements of the Constitution
of the International Union.
Section
2. Application for membership shall be made on
a standard application form. Unless
such form includes a valid authorization for payroll deduction of dues, the
application shall be accompanied by the current month’s dues.
Section
3. The
monthly membership dues of this local shall be $30.00 for full-time members,
$22.50 for part-time members, and $15.00 for members working 12 or fewer hours
per week.
Section
4. Membership dues shall be payable monthly in
advance to the local secretary-treasurer and in any event shall be paid not
later than the 15th day of the month in which they become due. Any member who fails to pay dues by the 15th
day of the month in which they become due shall be considered delinquent, and
upon failure to pay dues for two successive months shall stand suspended. Provided, however, that any person who is
paying his/her dues through a system of regular payroll deduction shall, for so
long as he/she continues to pay through such deduction method, be considered in
good standing.
Section
5. A member suspended under the above section
may be reinstated to membership in the local on payment of all arrearages plus
the current month’s dues.
MEETINGS
Section
1. Regular meetings of this local shall be held
once each month, at a time and place to be fixed by the membership or the local
executive board.
Section
2. Regular
meetings of each chapter shall be held once each month at a time and place to
be fixed by the membership of the chapter or the officers of the chapter. Special meetings may be called by the
chapter chairperson.
Section
3. Special meetings may be called by the local
president, the local executive board, or by petition filed with the president
and signed by ten percent of the members of the local. Special meetings may also be called by the
International President or his authorized representatives.
OFFICERS,
NOMINATIONS, AND ELECTIONS
Section
1. The officers of this local shall be a
president, a vice-president, a recording secretary, a secretary-treasurer, and
three executive board members, and these seven shall constitute the local union
executive board. They shall be elected to terms of office for three years
beginning in the year 1988.
Section
2. The officers of each chapter shall be a
chapter chairperson, a chapter vice-chairperson, a chapter recording secretary,
and three chapter executive board members.
They shall be elected to terms of office for three years.
Section
3. Nominations and elections shall be made at a
regular or special meeting of the local.
At least fifteen days advance notice shall be given the membership prior
to the nomination and election meeting.
A nominating committee may be appointed or elected to make nominations,
but whether or not such nominating committee is used; nominations shall be
permitted from the floor at the nomination meeting. All regular elections shall be held in the month of May.
Section
4. To be eligible for office, a member must be
in good standing for one year immediately preceding the election, except in the
initial election held in this local; provided, however, that no retired member
shall be a candidate for office. For a
member who is transferred or promoted into this local from another AFSCME
local, this requirement shall be satisfied if such member’s combined membership
in good standing in both locals is one year at the time of the election.
Section
5. Officers shall be elected by secret ballot
vote, and the balloting shall be so conducted as to afford to all members a
reasonable opportunity to vote. At
least fifteen days advance notice shall be given the membership prior to the
holding of the election.
Section
6. All matters concerning nominations and
elections in this local union shall be subject to the provisions of Appendix D,
entitled Elections Code, of the International Union Constitution.
Section
7. Every
officer shall, upon assuming office, subscribe to the Obligations of an Officer
contained in Appendix B of the International Union Constitution.
Section
8. Should
any local officer be absent from three (3) consecutive meetings without an
excuse acceptable to the executive board, that office shall be declared vacant.
Section
9. Should any chapter officer be absent from
three (3) consecutive chapter meetings without an excuse acceptable to the
other chapter officers, that office shall be declared vacant.
Section
10. Vacancies in the office of vice-president,
recording secretary, or secretary-treasurer shall be filled for the remainder
of the term by a vote of the executive board.
In the event the office of the president becomes vacant, the
vice-president shall become president for the remainder of the unexpired term
and the office of vice-president shall be filled for the remainder of the
unexpired term by a vote of the executive board.
Section
11. Vacancies in any chapter office shall be
filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by a majority vote of the
members present and voting at the next meeting of the chapter after such
vacancy occurs.
Section
12. The president, vice-president, recording
secretary, secretary-treasurer of this local shall automatically be delegates
to all conventions, conferences, meetings, and seminars by virtue of their
office. No more than the assigned
number of delegates listed on the convention call shall be designated as
delegates. Alternates, if needed, may be elected by the membership. The president, or in his/her absence the
vice-president, shall be the chairperson of the delegation.
DUTIES OF
OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section
1. The President shall:
A.
Preside
at all meetings of the local union and of the Executive Board.
B.
Be
a member of all committees except election committees.
C.
Countersign
all checks drawn against the funds of the local.
D.
Appoint
all standing committees and all special committees of the local, subject to the
approval of the Executive Board.
E.
Report
periodically to the membership regarding the progress and standing of the local
and regarding the President’s official acts.
Section
2. The Vice-President shall:
A.
Assist
the President in the work of the President’s office.
B.
In
the absence of the President or in the President’s inability to serve, preside
at all meetings and perform all duties otherwise performed by the President.
C.
Upon
approval by the local executive board, be authorized to act as co-signer of
checks drawn on the local funds in place of either the President of the
Secretary-Treasurer.
Section
3. The Recording Secretary shall:
A.
Keep
a record of the proceedings of all membership meetings and of all Executive
Board meetings.
B.
Carry
on the official correspondence of the local, except as the Executive Board may
direct otherwise.
C.
Perform
such other duties as the Executive Board may require.
Section
4. The Secretary-Treasurer shall:
A.
Receive
and receipt for all monies of the local union.
B.
Deposit
all money so received in the name of the local union in a bank or banks
selected by the Executive Board, and money so deposited shall be withdrawn only
by check signed by the President and the Secretary-Treasurer.
C.
Prepare
and sign checks for such purposes as are required by the constitution or are
authorized by the membership or the Executive Board.
D.
Prepare
and submit the monthly membership report to the International Union office and
see that a check is drawn in payment of the local’s per capita tax each month
and sent to the International Secretary-Treasurer.
E.
Keep
an accurate record of receipts and disbursements and shall, once each month,
submit to the membership a monthly operating statement of the financial
transactions of the local for the previous month.
F.
Act
as custodian of all properties of the local union.
G.
Give
a surety bond for an amount to be fixed by the Executive Board of the local
union and through the International Union.
H.
See
that any financial reports required by the International Union Constitution to
be submitted to the International Union are submitted in accordance with the
International Union Constitution.
Section
5. The Executive Board shall be the governing
body of the local union except when meetings of the local union are in
session. All matters affecting the
policies, aims, and means of accomplishing the purposes of the local not
specifically provided for in this constitution or by action of the membership at
a regular or special meeting shall be decided by the Executive board. The board shall meet at the call of the
President or of a majority of the members of the board. A report on all actions taken by the
Executive Board shall be made to the membership at the next following
meeting. A majority of the members of
the Executive Board shall be required for a quorum.
Section
6. The Executive board shall cause to be made,
at least annually, an audit of the records of the local by a certified public
accountant. The results of this audit
will be mailed to the International Union and reported to the membership of
this local.
MISCELLANEOUS
PROVISIONS
Section
1. This local union shall at all times be
subject to the provisions of the Constitution of the American Federation of State,
County, and Municipal Employees.
Section
2. Except to the extent specified in this
Constitution, no officer of the local union shall have the power to act as
agent for or otherwise bind the local union in any way whatsoever. No member or group of members or other
person or persons shall have the power to act on behalf of or otherwise bind
the local union except to the extent specifically authorized in writing by the
President of the local union or by the Executive Board of the local union.
Section
3. Robert’s rules of Order, Revised, shall be
the guide in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not
inconsistent with this Constitution and special rules of this local union or of
the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.
AMENDMENTS
This
Constitution may be amended, revised, or otherwise changed by a majority vote
of the members voting on such proposed change and such change shall take effect
only upon written approval of the International President. Proposed amendments to this Constitution
must be read at a regular or special meeting of the local union and read and
voted on at a subsequent meeting of the local union, adequate and proper notice
having been given to the membership prior to the date on which the vote is
taken. A written copy of the proposed
amendment shall be furnished to every eligible voter at the meeting at which
the vote is taken.
Revised
- 2/11/99