Constitution of the

Eau Claire Schools Classified Staff Federation

AFT-WI, Local 4018

Article I – Name

This organization shall be known as the Eau Claire Schools Classified Staff Federation, Local #4018, AFT, AFT-Wisconsin, AFL-CIO.

Article II – Objectives

The purposes of this organization shall be:

• Section 1. To secure full trade union rights, including the rights to exclusive recognition and collective bargaining, for all employees who are eligible for membership.
• Section 2. To advance the economic, social, and political well-being of the membership.
• Section 3. To promote the standards of support staff positions by securing the conditions essential to the best professional service.
• Section 4. To encourage mutual understanding and cooperation among the membership.
• Section 5. To promote the effectiveness and quality of the institutions in which our members work.
• Section 6. To promote democracy and equality in the society at large.
• Section 7. To promote, with the school system, the welfare of the students by helping to provide progressively better educational opportunities for all.

Article III – Membership

• Section 1. All persons affected (by the bargaining unit of the Eau Claire Schools Classified Staff, including all permanent support staff but excluding confidential and supervisory personnel, Head Start aides, and other choice restricted positions who are employed by the Eau Claire Area School District, are eligible for membership.
• Section 2. No person shall be denied membership on the basis of sex, race, national origin, religious or political belief, sexual orientation, disability or social status.
• Section 3. A member may be expelled from the organization upon the presentation of written and signed charges by two or more members, who shall present such charges and documentation to the Executive Board. A majority vote of the Executive Board shall cause an expulsion hearing to be held at which time the accused member shall have the right to examine and question the charges and be represented by a person of their choice. At the conclusion of the hearing, a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board shall be required for expulsion. A person expelled from the organization may appeal the decision of the Executive Board to the membership by requesting a vote at the next monthly meeting. A simple majority of the members voting shall be sufficient to overrule the decision of the Executive Board to expel.

Article IV - Election of Officers

• Section 1. The following officers shall be elected by this Federation:
1. President or co-Presidents
2. Vice-President
3. Treasurer
4. Secretary
• Section 2. In February 2006, the President/co-Presidents and Secretary shall be elected to a one-year term. Beginning in February 2007, the President/co-Presidents and Secretary shall be elected to a two-year term on odd numbered years. Beginning in February 2006, the Vice President and Treasurer shall be elected to a two-year term biennially on even numbered years.
• Section 3. Membership in good standing for at least one year is required to hold office.
• Section 4. The President(s) shall appoint a Nominations Committee of no less than two (2) and no more than five (5) members. This committee shall then present a slate of candidates to the membership at a March general membership meeting. Nominations from the floor shall be allowed at this time. All names submitted for candidacy must be done only with the prior consent of said nominees. Any member of the Nominations Committee seeking office must vacate their position on the Nominations Committee, and a new member can be appointed.
• Section 5. A member shall only be presented once on the slate of candidates presented by the Nominations Committee.
• Section 6. Members shall vote for officers by secret ballot. Official ballots shall be distributed by the Nominations Committee to designated Building Representatives who shall distribute the ballots to voting member in good standing no more than seven (7) days following the March general membership meeting.
• Section 7. Official ballots shall be returned to the Nominations Committee Chairperson no more than fourteen (14) days following the March general membership meeting.
• Section 8. The Nominations Committee shall count ballots and report results to the President who shall cause them to be announced within two (2) days. The candidate receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared elected.
• Section 9. Officers shall be installed at the May General Membership meeting and shall assume the duties and responsibilities of their office on the first day of June.
• Section 10. A protest of the election by any member shall be made to the Nominations Committee in writing within 15 days of the election. The protest shall specify the particular act, or acts, charged and shall be signed by the protesting member(s). The Nominations Committee shall present the protest(s) to the Executive Council at their March meeting.
• Section 11. Vacancies in any office shall be filled by the Executive Council.

Article V – Committees

• Section 1. The committee chairperson shall be appointed by the President(s) and the Executive Council. Should there be a reason to dismiss a chairperson, the President(s) and the Executive Council shall jointly discuss and vote on the dismissal.
• Section 2. The chairperson shall select a committee of three or more persons.
• Section 3. The chairperson shall report activities of their Committee at the regularly scheduled meetings of the Executive Council and general membership.
• Section 4. The following standing committees shall be active in this Federation:
1. Negotiation
2. Labor Relations
3. Social
4. Membership
5. Reclassification
6. Professional Development
7. Insurance
8. Political

Length of term on committees shall be one (1) year beginning July 1 following election of officers. If the Negotiations Chair term expires while contract negotiations are in progress, the Negotiations Chair will continue in his/her position until contract negotiations have concluded.

• Section 5. Other committees shall be appointed as deemed necessary.

Article VI - The Executive Council

• Section 1. The Executive Council of this Federation shall consist of the following:
1. All elected Officers
2. Chairpersons of Standing Committees
3. Two Calendar Year Employees
4. Two School Year Employees
5. Ex-Officio Past President
• Section 2. Delegates of groups C. and D. in the aforementioned list, pursuant to Article IV, Sections 4, shall be presented on the slate of candidates, to the membership, at a March general membership meeting and shall be elected by majority vote. One Calendar Year Employee and One School Year Employee shall be elected on even numbered years. One Calendar Year Employee and One School Year Employee shall be elected on odd number years.
• Section 3. The Executive Council shall administer the policy of this Federation as set by the membership at regular meetings. It shall have power to act for the good of the Federation in emergency situations where the policy cannot be set by membership.
• Section 4. The Executive Council shall hire an outside auditor on odd numbered years to conduct an independent audit. On even numbered years an internal audit shall be conducted by a committee appointed by the President(s) and the Executive Council.
• Section 5. The Executive Council shall accept recommendations for improvements in job technique and other professional matters.
• Section 6. The chairperson of the Executive Council shall be the President(s) of the Federation.
• Section 7. The Executive Council shall report its activities at each regular meeting.
• Section 8. A quorum for the Executive Council shall consist of at least 7 persons.
• Section 9. The Executive Council shall meet at least bimonthly throughout the calendar year.

Article VII – Affiliations

• Section 1. This Federation shall maintain affiliation with and whenever possible send delegates to the following organizations:
1. The American Federation of Teachers - Upon receiving AFT's Convention Call, the President(s) shall notify the members in writing about the upcoming AFT convention. Members interested in attending the convention as a delegate shall submit a completed application form to the President(s), or Vice President, within 15 days of notification. The Executive Council will review the applications and shall elect the delegate(s). The President and Secretary shall certify the election and forward the credentials of all elected delegates and alternates to the National Office as soon as possible but not later than 10 days before the convening of the National Convention. The President(s) shall confer with the Treasurer to make sure the AFT per capita through June has been sent to the National Office at least 10 days before the convening of the National Convention.
2. The AFT- Wisconsin - Upon receiving AFT-Wisconsin's Convention Call, the President(s) shall notify the members in writing about the upcoming AFT-Wisconsin convention. Members interested in attending the convention as a delegate shall submit a completed application form to the President(s), or Vice President, within 10 days of notification. The Executive Council will review the applications and shall elect the delegate(s). The President and Secretary shall certify the election and forward the credentials of all elected delegates and alternates to the State Office as soon as possible but not later than 30 days before the convening of the State Convention. The President(s) shall confer with the Treasurer to make sure the AFT-Wisconsin per capita through June has been sent to the State Office at least 10 days before the convening of the State Convention.
3. The Eau Claire Area AFL-CIO Labor Council – members interested in representing the Eau Claire Schools Classified Staff Federation, Local #4018 shall submit a completed application form to the President(s) or Vice President. The Executive Council will review the applications and shall elect the delegate(s).
4. The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO - Upon receiving the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO's Convention Call, the President(s) shall notify the members in writing about the upcoming Wisconsin State AFL-CIO’s convention. Members interested in attending the convention as a delegate shall submit a completed application form to the President(s), or Vice President, within 10 days of notification. The Executive Council will review the applications and shall elect the delegate(s). The President and Secretary shall certify the election and forward the credentials of all elected delegates and alternates to the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO’s Office as soon as possible but not later than 30 days before the convening of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO’s Convention.
• Section 2. Members interested in representing the Eau Claire Schools Classified Staff Federation, Local #4018 as a delegate to other events shall submit a completed application form to the President(s) or Vice President. The Executive Council will review the applications and shall elect the delegate(s).
• Section 3. All delegates shall make written reports to the Executive Council on meeting attended.
• Section 4. Every reasonable effort shall be made by this Federation to pay the legitimate expenses of delegates to meetings and conventions of affiliated organizations.
• Section 5. The Federation to the best of its ability shall be active in the affairs of affiliated organizations.
• Section 6. Delegates to affiliated organizations shall meet the same requirements as the officers of this local (Must be member in good standing of this Federation for at least one year).

Article VIII - Duties of Officers

• Section 1. The President(s) shall preside at all meetings of the Federation and the Executive Council. The President(s) shall be ex-officio member of all committees, except the Audit Committee, shall sign all necessary papers and documents, and represent the local when and where necessary. The President(s) shall make a report to the membership at least once a year, summarizing the accomplishments of the Federation and outlining plans for the next year.
• Section 2. The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President(s) in the absence of that officer. The Vice-President shall be responsible for publicity and public relations at the direction of the Executive Council, making use of all available sources of publicity, i.e. newspapers, radio, television, etc.
• Section 3. The Secretary shall issue all notices, shall answer correspondence at the direction of the Executive Council. The Secretary shall be custodian of the seal and charter of the Federation. The Secretary shall record the minutes of the Executive Council and general membership meetings.
• Section 4. The duties of the Treasurer shall be:
1. To receive, record and deposit in the name of the Federation all monies from dues and all other sources.
2. To keep the membership roll, issue receipts, and delinquent notices.
3. To forward all per capita dues and current membership lists to the National Office of the American Federation of Teachers and to other affiliated organizations to keep this Federation in good standing at all times. Special care shall be taken to see that per capita dues is forwarded to the National Office in a timely manner.
4. To present a written report to all members once a year.
5. To keep adequate records available at all times for the Executive Council and the Audit Committee.
6. To pay all bills authorized by the Executive Council, retaining voucher or invoice for same.

Article IX - Duties of Standing Committees

• Section 1. The Negotiation Committee shall prepare and substantiate all contract proposals for approval of the membership and then shall negotiate these proposals with the Employer.
• Section 2. The Labor Relations Committee shall act on all grievances submitted in writing to the Labor Relations Committee. It shall inform the membership of procedures for handling grievances.
• Section 3. The Social Committee shall arrange such programs and entertainments as the local may direct. It shall arrange for a minimum of one social event during the year.
• Section 4. The Membership Committee shall contact all new support staff employees, informing them of the local's services and inviting them to join. It shall periodically contact those employees who are not members and urge them to join. It shall keep the membership up to date on services provided by the local.
• Section 5. The Reclassification Committee shall handle all reclassification requests pursuant to the current contract.
• Section 6. The Professional Development Committee shall collect information from membership regarding their professional development needs. The Committee shall research, coordinate, and communicate opportunities to the membership.

Article X - Contract Ratification

• Section 1. After the Negotiations Committee has reached a tentative agreement with the Board, the Negotiations Committee will:
1. Prepare a document stating the proposal agreed upon with the Board and distribute to all members at an information meeting. All members will be notified of said meeting. Members not able to attend said meeting may request this document from the Negotiations Committee Chairperson within five (5) days after said meeting.
2. Unique ballots that can not be easily reproduced shall be prepared and mailed to each voting member in good standing within seven (7) days following the information meeting. The ballots shall be returned to the Negotiations Committee Chairperson no later than seven (7) days from the date originally sent to the members.
3. Results of the ratification ballots will be distributed to all members within 24 hours after the close date of the vote.
4. A simple majority vote of all members in good standing is needed to ratify the contract.

Article XI - General Membership Meetings

• Section 1. The time and place of meetings shall be fixed by the Executive Council.
• Section 2. There shall be at least two business meetings per year.
• Section 3. A quorum shall consist of 10% of the total membership.

Article XII – Finance

• Section 1. Dues shall be re-calculated upon any increase in per-capita payments that are required to be made to the AFT and any increase to either the AFT-Wisconsin or AFL-CIO.
• Section 2. Additional funds may be obtained by various fund raising activities.

Article XIII - Roberts Rules of Order

Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern in all cases not covered by this constitution or the By-Laws of this local.

Article XIV – Amendment

• Section 1. This constitution may be amended as follows:
1. Thirty percent (30%) of the membership may present, by petition, a proposed amendment to this constitution to the Secretary, who shall notify the membership of the proposed amendment no later than thirty (30) days prior to the next membership meeting. Discussion of the proposed amendment will be scheduled for said membership meeting.
2. The Executive Council may initiate amendments. After having received a majority vote of the Executive Council, the Secretary shall notify the membership of the proposed amendment no later than thirty (30) days prior to the next membership meeting. Discussion of the proposed amendment will be scheduled for said membership meeting.
3. The Executive Council will hold a vote on the amendment at the next Membership Meeting. The Executive Council will tally the results. Two-thirds (2/3) of those members voting shall be required for passage of the amendment.

Article XV - Availability of Constitution

• Section 1. Three copies of this Constitution and all future amendments shall be submitted to the National Office at the American Federation of Teachers.
• Section 2. Copies shall be available to other affiliated organizations upon request.
• Section 3. Copies shall be available for any members of this Federation upon request to the Secretary.

Article XVI – Definitions

• Except when expressly defined otherwise, the term "day" shall mean calendar day.
• Except when expressly defined otherwise, the term "in writing" may include e-mail.

Constitution Passed January 2009