CONSTITUTION - NORTHWEST SUBURBAN TEACHERS UNION

                                              AS AMENDED, SPRING, 2009

 

 

 

Article I. Name and Affiliation

 

Section 1      The name of this organization shall be the Northwest Suburban Teachers Union, Local 1211.

Section 2      Local 1211 shall maintain affiliations with the Illinois and American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois AFL-CIO and its Local Labor Councils if such exist.

                                                                             

 

                                                           Article II.  Objectives

 

Section 1      The objectives of the Northwest Suburban Teachers Union are aimed toward improving the status of teachers, para-professionals and school related personnel that shall in turn provide better educational opportunities for all students.

 

Section 2      To initiate in and support activities that will secure desired state and local legislation.

 

Section 3      To be responsible for communications between our councils, members, and affiliates.

 

Section 4      To maintain an office and provide necessary staff and materials for conducting Union business.

 

Section 5      To organize interested educational workers.

 

Section 6      To provide legal council for members or councils when deemed necessary.

 

 

Article III Structure

 

Section 1      Qualified personnel including retirees and At-large members may, with the majority consent of the Local 1211 Executive Board, organize themselves into a council of the Northwest Suburban Teachers Union.

 

Section 2      Each council shall elect its own officers, hold meetings, and administer its own affairs;  elect its own delegate(s) to the Executive Board by secret ballot to serve a two-year term; adopt its own constitution consistent with that of the Northwest Suburban Teachers Union.

 

Section 3      The Executive Board shall have the power to conduct the business affairs of the Northwest Suburban Teachers Union, including, but not limited to, the power to execute on its behalf any or all of the following:

 

1.             Employ attorneys, advisors, accountants, agents and other persons having skills needed in the conduct of business.

 

2.              Adopt an official identity and have sole authority for its use.

 

3.             Dispose of property, make contracts and incur liabilities to accomplish any or all of its purposes.

 

4.             Invest the funds of the Northwest Suburban Teachers Union and take and hold real or personal property as security for funds so invested or loaned.

 

 

Article IV Membership

 

Section 1     Eligibility for membership shall conform to the AFT Constitution and the IFT Constitution.

 

Section 2      Any qualified school personnel and non-credited educational workers outside a recognized Council may be admitted to membership in the Local 1211 At-Large Members Council until such times as a majority or minority council of Local 1211 is formally established in his/her school district.

 

Section 3      Members, who have been dropped from the rolls of Local 1211 due to withdrawal or non-payment of dues, may apply for reinstatement during the first thirty (30) days of the next fiscal year.

 

Section 4      Members may be expelled from this organization, Local 1211, but no member may be expelled except on written charges presented by the unit making the charges at a regular meeting of the Executive Board and sustained by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board.  At the request of the defendant, the decision of the Executive Board shall be submitted by referendum to the membership.  A member, against whom charges are made, has the right to appear before the Executive Board at the meeting when the charges are presented; moreover, he must be notified in writing by the Executive Board at least ten days before the said meeting.

 

Section 5      Retired members in good standing with Local 1211 are eligible to join the Retired Members Council.

                                                                             

 

Article V.  The Executive Board

 

Section 1      The Executive Board of Local 1211 shall consist of a president, vice-president, treasurer and secretary, and delegates from affiliated councils.  They shall be elected in alternate years beginning in May 2009.  Vacancies that occur between elections shall be filled as described in Section 3, B.

A.         The President shall preside over all meetings of the Executive

Board and General Membership.

1.       Be ex-officio member of all committees.

2.       Be the spokesperson for the Local to the media.

                  B.        The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President when the President is absent and specific Union assignments as well as perform specific Union duties as assigned.

C.        The Treasurer shall be the chief financial officer of the Local.

1.          Shall collect all money and receipts for Union expenses.

2.          Shall make all deposits and pay financial obligations of the Local as directed by the Executive Board.

3.          Shall chair the budget committee and prepare the annual budget.

4.          Will arrange for a professional audit hired by the Executive Board to prepare for the annual audit required by the IFT and AFT.

D.            The Secretary

1.             Shall prepare minutes of the Executive Board and shall present said minutes to the general membership.

2.             He/she will chair the Election Committee

3.             He/she shall compile and present all communications concerning Local publications and Scholarship opportunities to the general membership.

4.             He/she shall oversee the maintenance and operation of the Local website.

 

Section 2      The following shall be the standing committees of the Local: Political Action, Communications, Elections, Organizing, and Office Management.

                        A.         Chairpersons of the standing committees shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the elected members of the Executive Board.

1.             Chairperson of the standing committees shall be members of the Executive Board.

2.             The committee chairperson will recommend members of the committee to the Executive Board for their approval.

3.             Standing Committee members will meet as necessary to carry out their responsibilities.

                        B.        Ad hoc Committees may be created by the President for specific tasks.

1.         Chairpersons of ad hoc committees shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the elected members of the Executive Board.

2.         Membership on ad hoc committees shall be on the recommendation by the President and approved by the Executive Board.

 

Section 3      Each Council shall have one delegate on the Executive Board for the First one hundred (100) members, or part thereof. Additional delegates will be based on each additional one hundred (100) members or major part thereof (51).

 

Section 4      Officers and delegates shall serve two (2) years terms.

Section 5      Officers may succeed themselves subject to election.

 

Section 6      Vacancies in the offices of Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary shall be filled by Presidential appointment with approval of the Executive Board. 

 

Section 7      The Vice President shall fill a vacancy in the office of President.

Section 8      In the event of the disability of the President, the Vice President shall serve as "Acting President� and shall fill the duties of the President.

 

Section 9      The respective Councils will fill vacancies in the office of delegate.

 

Section 10  The Executive Board shall have the authority to set stipends for its officers and delegates respectively.

 

 

Article VI. Meetings

 

Section 1      The Executive Board shall meet monthly a minimum of nine (9) times between August and June.

A.         A quorum for the purpose of doing business shall consist of the President and 50% of the membership of the Executive Board.

B.        Meetings of the Local membership may be called by:

1.         The President.

2.         Petition of 10% of the Local membership as a whole.

3.         A majority of the Executive Board.

C.        The quorum for Local 1211 membership meetings shall be a majority of the Local membership.

 

Section 2      The president may employ electronic voting in the absence of an Executive Board meeting, or when necessary and/or appropriate to conducting the business of the Local.

 

Section 3      All meetings of this organization shall be governed by Roberts Rules of Order.

 

 

Article VII Elections

 

Section 1 

                        A.         Candidates for a Local office shall be nominated no later than March 31st by one of the following procedures:

                                    1.         By open membership meetings within each council.

                                    2.         By petitions bearing no less than twenty five (25) signatures of members in good standing.  Such petitions shall be submitted to the Election Committee chairperson.

                        B.        Elections will be held in April on a date set by the Election Committee.

                        C.        The Election Committee shall conduct a lottery to determine the sequence of both candidates� statements and names on ballots.

                        D.        Voting will be by both electronic and paper secret ballots.

                        E.        Candidates shall win by a majority vote.

                        F.         The Election Committee shall provide for absentee balloting.

                        G.      All elections of Local 1211 and its councils will meet the standards of the Landrum-Griffin Act.

 

Section 2  Delegates to the Executive Board shall be elected by their council in accordance with the by-laws or constitution governing that council.

 

Section 3      Newly elected officers and delegates shall assume their respective positions immediately following the presentation of the final vote totals to the membership.

 

 

Article VIII. Recall Elections

 

Section 1      Officers may be removed from office for neglect of duty or other behavior contrary to the welfare of this organization upon completion of the following steps:

                        A.         Presenting a petition signed by seventy-five (75) members in good standing and containing reasons for the proposed recall shall be submitted to the Executive Board at any regular meeting of that Board.

                        B.        After determining that it is a legal petition the Executive Board shall vote.  No more than forty-five (45) days may elapse between step A of the procedure and the vote.

                        C.        The recall vote must be taken by written ballot and requires two-thirds (2/3) of those present and voting in agreement to pass.

 

Section 2      Delegates may be removed from their position on the Board in accordance with the by-laws of their respective Councils.

 

 

Article IX.  Dues

 

Section 1      All dues shall include per capita assessments for the individual Council, Local IFT, AFT, CFL, IFL, AFL-CIO, and professional liability insurance.

 

Section 2      Each Council shall establish a dues rate above Local dues.  Each Council President shall notify the Local Treasurer of said dues by September 1st of each year unless it is mutually agreed to postpone the decision.

 

Section 3      Method of payment:

                        A.         All dues shall be sent directly from school districts to the Council's Treasurer.               

                        B.        The Council Treasurer shall forward appropriate money to Local Treasurer within 30 days.

                        C.        All members and fee payers shall be enrolled in payroll deduction at their school district.

                       

Section 4      Dues shall reflect changes that occur in state, national and local needs.

 

Section 5      Non-Payment of dues:

A.             Any member who becomes 30 days delinquent in dues payment shall be automatically dropped from membership.

Any member who has been dropped from the membership due to nonpayment of dues decides to rejoin the Union shall be required to pay back dues for the current school year and a $10.00 reinstatement fee.

 

Section 6      The fiscal year of this organization shall begin September 1st and end August 31 of the following calendar year.

 

Section 7      Dues for members of the Retired Council shall only be those of the IFT.

 

Article X.  The Budget

 

Section 1      The annual budget may be prepared by a budget committee composed of the officers of the Local and one (1) representative of each council, with the Treasurer serving as chairperson.

 

Section 2      The Budget shall be prepared and distributed to each council no later than April 30th.

 

Section 3      The Budget shall be considered for approval at the May Executive Board meeting.  Approval shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Board present and voting.

 

 

Article XI. Conventions

 

Section 1      All delegates to the IFT and AFT conventions shall be elected in a Local-wide election.  If the President of the Local is elected, he/she shall serve as ranking delegate.

 

Section 2      The number of delegates to be sent by the Local to the IFT and AFT conventions will be determined by the allocations from the IFT and the AFT and in accord with each council's per capita. If there are fewer candidates for delegate than those allocated by the IFT and AFT, those candidates will be elected by proclamation.

 

Section 3      The Local will fund its President, if elected, as a delegate to the IFT and AFT conventions.  All other delegates shall be funded equally by the Local Executive Board.

 

 

Article XII.  Amendments

 

Section 1      Amendments to this constitution may be proposed by any of the following:

                        A.         The Executive Board

                        B.        The Governing Board of any council.

                        C.        A petition signed by twenty (20) percent of the Local membership.

 

Section 2      All proposed amendments shall be presented to the entire Local membership at least one (1) week prior to a ratification vote.

 

Section 3      Ratification of a proposed amendment requires a three-fifths (3/5) vote of those Local members voting in a ratification election.

 

 

 

Local 1211 Executive Board/Approved:     March 12, 2009