CONSTITUTION
OF THE
EL PASO AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, AFT/TEXASAFT, AFL/CIO
LOCAL #3483
ARTICLE I
NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION
The name of this organization shall be the El Paso American Federation of Teachers, Local #3483, AFT, Texas AFT, AFL/CIO.
ARTICLE II
OBJECTIVES OF THE ORGANIZATION
Section 1. To bring members together for mutual assistance and cooperation.
Section 2. To secure for our members a fair and just salary in exchange for their services.
Section 3. To seek improved benefits and agreements as well as provide support for legislation that will guarantee basic rights for our members to insure each employee shall be treated fairly. These include the right of all educational workers to have due process, professional security, pleasant and safe work environment, and any other guarantees, which would serve to bring about and advance professionalism for all educational workers.
Section 4. To promote the welfare of the children and the community by providing progressively better educational opportunities for all.
Section 5. To seek to promote improved standards of education and teaching in this community by securing conditions essential to the best professional service.
Section 6. To support and promote the ideals of democracy and unionismas envisioned in the Constitution of the United States, to work for passage and retention of just laws which will improve the educational climate for students, teachers, and other workers in education, and to encourage them to exercise their proper rights and responsibilities under these laws.
Section 7. To promote a close relationship and mutual cooperation with the American Federation of Teachers, Texas American Federation ofTeachers, El Paso Central Labor Union, Texas AFL/CIO, and the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations(AFL- CIO).
Section 8. To oppose all forms of bias in education due to race, creed, sex, social, political or economic status, or national origin.
Section 9. To obtain for all employees of the district through an exclusive consultation contract all the rights and benefits to which they are entitled.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Employees of the El Paso Independent School District, private or charter schools within the EPISD’s boundaries and the El Paso Community College are eligible for membership.
Section 2. Supervisory personnel who receive compensation for an administrative position shall not obtain membership. Members who are promoted to positions in which they receive compensation for a supervisory administrative position shall automatically be removed from the active membership rolls on the date of their promotion.
Section 3. Persons from the El Paso Community College with the ability to hire or fire shall not obtain membership.
Section 4. Retired or part-time employees may maintain membership in the Federation. Upon payment of dues as described in the by-laws, part-time employees may vote at all Federation functions. Retired members are not required to pay dues, but may continue to vote at all Federation functions.
Section 5. No discrimination shall ever be shown toward individual members or applicants for membership because of race, religious faith, and/or political activities or belief.
Section 6. A member may be expelled for acts detrimental to the Federation upon presentation of written charges signed by at least ¼ of the total membership and approved ay 2/3 of the Executive Board. The member shall have the right to appeal the decision to the membership at the following membership meeting and shall be reinstated with full membership rights if a majority for the members present vote to reinstate.
Section 7. Any member who fails to pay dues for thirty (30) daysshall be dropped from the rolls and their names removed from the records at the national office. The member will be notified of back dues on the 15thof the month and dropped on the 1stworking day of the next calendar month.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers of the Federation shall be:
President
Executive Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer
Vice-President for Legal Defense/Grievances
Vice-President for Professional Development
Vice President for High Schools
Vice President for Middle Schools
Vice President for Elementary Schools
Vice-President for Support Professionals
Vice-President for Retirees
Vice-President for COPE
Vice-President for EPCC
Section 2. No member who holds dual-membership in an organization, which actively competes with the Federation, shall be eligible for office.
Section 3. Vacancies in any office shall be filled by the President with the approval of the executive
board within 30 days of the known vacancy.
Section 4. All officers of the Federation shall be elected for a term of two years. Elections shall take place in the spring, on thefirst Saturday in May. All officers will be elected in even numbered years. The effective date for the newly elected officers is June 1 of the even numbered years. In the event of a new president, the month of June shall be used as a transition month with both the new president and the out-going president working together.
Section 5. The President must be a member in good standing at the time of the first election to office. A President,who is still an employee of the EPISD, may choose to take a two-year leave of absence from the district. After the leave of absence is exhausted, a President may continue to run for re-election even though he/she will have to resign or retire from the district.
ARTICLE V
DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
Section 1. The duties of the President shall be:
To serve as the chief executive officer and spokesperson for the Federation.
To preside at all meetings of the Federation.
To carry out the will of the governing bodies.
To serve as an ex-officio member of all standing and special committees, except the audit and election committees.
To direct any and all employees in accordance with Federation policy.
To serve as an official delegate to all agencies.
To serve as chairperson of any delegation of delegates to all organizations and agencies.
To perform all other duties and functions as are generally considered appropriate to that of a president of an AFT local.
Section 2. The duties of the Executive Vice-President shall be:
To carry out all activities of the president in the absence of that officer. If for any reason such as resignation, death, etc., the President is kept from office and from performing the duties of that office, the Executive Vice-President shall be, upon determination by the Executive Board, the President of the Federation for the remainder of the unexpired term of office.
To maintain EP AFT website and prepare and transmit E-mail communications as
directed by the President.
To insure the internal structure of the Federation performs properly.
Section 3. The duties of the Secretary shall be to take responsibility for the recording and the security of all Federation records and documents with the exception of financial records.
Section 4. The duties of the Treasurer shall be:
To serve as chairperson of the Budget Committee. He/she shall present a written report to all members once a year in June.
To pay all bills authorized by the adopted budget, retaining a voucher or invoice for the same.
To report the financial status of the Federation to the Executive Board monthly reporting with the income statement and balance sheet, and copies of reconciled bank statements. The Treasurer shall be responsible, in conjunction with the President, to see that the Federation remains within its budget, to ensure that all debts are paid, and that all accounts receivable are collected.
To keep adequate records available at all times for the Executive Board and the Audit Committee. These records including the checkbook shall be kept in the Federation office.
To file all government reports in a timely fashion.
To file a financial statement with the AFT Secretary/Treasurer’s office within five months of the end of the fiscal year.
Section 5. The duties of the Vice-Presidents shall be:
To carry out any assignments as stipulated by the President with the concurrence of the Executive Board.
To develop a program of activities for each division of the organization. These programs must be coordinated with the overall Federation program and agreed to by the majority of the Executive Board.
To accept responsibility for the efficient running of committees that they are assigned to chair.
Section 6 The Vice Presidents for High Schools, Middle Schools, and Elementary Schools shall be the principal officer responsible to the President for their level of education. They will develop, and monitor advocacy issues and actions for their level education. They will represent their area on EPISD committees deemed essential to the support of the representational goals of this union. They will work to increase member activism within their area of education. To do so, they will work closely with Building Representatives at their level of education to develop future leaders and expand membership. They are the primary advocates to membership, Administration, the Trustees, and the public for issues in their level of education. They must be currently working at their level of representation.
Section 7 Vice President for Legal Defense and Grievances: Beyond the responsibilities of membership on the statewide Legal Defense Committee, this officer will also be the chair of the committee on grievance appeals. All members, who are seeking, but have been denied, legal representation by staff grievance officers, may submit an appeal to the Vice President for Legal Defense/Grievance within 15 working days of the denial. All decisions by the Appeals Committee will be final.
Section 8 Vice President for Professional Development will have received AFT training in the TEACH program (old name ER&D) at the national training sessions
Section 9 General:
Four officers, including the President and Treasurer, shall be authorized to sign checks and other documents. Financial arrangements such as loans and applications for credit may be made with the approval of the Executive Board.
The President, as the representative of the Federation, may engage the services of lawyers and other agents with the approval of the Executive Board.
Article VI
Election Procedures
Section 1 The Federation office will notify all members through a special publication (E- Mail Notice and posted on EP AFT website and Facebook Page) that nominations for office will be open.
Section 2 A member in good standing may declare his/her candidacy by turning in a petition signed by at least fifteen members in good standing. Petitions will be available at the Federation office starting the second Monday in March. They will be submitted by the last Friday in March to the Election Committee for validation. With the petition will be a statement of up to 100 words prepared by the candidate on why they are seeking the office and a current picture of the candidate.
Section 3 An Election Committee shall be elected by members at the first general meeting of the calendar year.
Section 4 The Election Committee shall:
1) Validate petitions and prepare four ballots (General membership, PSRP, EPCC, and Retiree) prior to the first Monday in April.
2) Prepare a special publication (E-Mail Notice and posted on EP AFT website and Facebook Page) containing pictures and an up to 100 word statement from each candidate.
3) In writing, notify, the President of any uncontested offices on the first Monday in April. The Executive Board shall declare by acclamation the election of candidates for uncontested offices. Winning candidates for unfilled positions may start their term early, upon a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board at their April or May meeting, situation dependent.
Section 5 Elections shall take place during even numbered years and be conducted by secret ballot during the first full week in May in accordance with Article III of the El Paso AFT By Laws.
Section 6 The effective date of office for the newly elected officers is June 1.
Section 7 If no candidate receives a simple majority of ballots cast, the committee shall provide for a runoff between the two (2) top candidates.
Section 8 Vacancies, which occur during the term of office, shall be filled by appointment by the President and approval by the Executive Board. Such appointments shall be effective until the next regularly scheduled election.
Section 9 Officers may be recalled in one of two ways:
1) Impeachmentand removal proceedings may be instituted by a three-fourthsvote of the Board. Charges,such as for 3 consecutive absences from Board meetings, shall be specified and the officer shall have an opportunity to respond. The officer may appeal a board removal decision to the general full-membership of the Local. At a general membership meeting, the full-membership may reinstate the officer by a simple majority vote.
2) A petition of recall may be filed by a group of members or by an
individual member, bearing the signatures of 25% of the current membership. The petition must be filed with the Secretary of the Federation. If the recall petition is against the Secretary, the recall petition is filed with the Treasurer. All signatures must be mutually verified by a representative of the challenged officer and of the challenger. The petition, when so validated, requires that a special election must be held within thirty-days from the date of validation.
Section 10 All applicable election procedures shall govern all recall and impeachment elections. The Election Committee shall oversee the special election and its procedures. In no case shall the results of such election be announced later than forty-five (45) days from the receipt of a recall petition.
ARTICLE VII
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1. Voting members of the Executive Board shall be the elected officers of the organization.
Section 2. The duties of the Executive Board shall be to deal with all affairs of the organization during the period between general membership meetings, to assign duties to the elected officers, deemed necessary, to interpret and enforce this constitution and by-laws.
Section 3. The Executive Board shall meet at least monthly. The dates and times of each meeting shall be established at the preceding meeting. The president of the Federation may call special meetings of the Executive Board.
Section 4. A quorum of the Executive Board shall consist of half of the voting members of the Board.
Section 5. The President shall preside over all board meetings and shall be a voting member.
ARTICLE VIII
COMMITTEES
Section 1. The President shall nominate and the Executive Board shall approve all members of committees. The duties and responsibilities of the committees shall be specified by the
President and confirmed by the Executive Board.
Section 2. Committees shall exist for a length of time determined by the Executive Board.
Section 3. The President serves as an ex-officio member of all Committees except the Election Committee.
ARTICLE IX
MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS
Section 1. There shall be at least two (2) regular general membership meetings per school-year held during the months that school is in session. One meeting shall be held during the first two (2) months of the school year and one meeting shall be held in April.
Section 2. Called meetings may be held at any time at the discretion of the President. Additionally, twenty-five (25) members may request in writing that the President call a special meeting. The date and time of the meetings shall be set by the President, but no later than fourteen (14) days following a request by the required number of members.
Section 3. Only those members in good standing (as defined in Article III) at the time of the announcement of a membership meeting shall be entitled to vote.
ARTICLE X
AFFILIATION
This organization shall affiliate with the AFL/CIO, the American Federation of Teachers, the Texas AFT, the Texas AFL/CIO, and the El Paso Central Labor Union.
ARTICLE XI
RULES FOR AMENDING
Amendments to the Constitution shall be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of members voting at a membership meeting. Thirty (30) days prior to the vote on any proposed amendment, the sponsor shall submit it in writing to the Secretary. The Secretary shall notify the membership of the proposed amendment within fourteen (14) days of when the vote will take place.
ARTICLE XII
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revisedshall govern this organization in all cases in which they are inconsistent with this constitution or by-laws.
ARTICLE XIII
RATIFICATION
This constitution shall be ratified and any by-laws put into force at such time as majority approval of this constitution and by-laws at a membership meeting shall be announced in advance to all members. The approval vote shall consist of those who attend.
ARTICLE XIV
COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW
If any provisions of this constitution are found to be contrary to state law, they will be ruled null and void. The El Paso American Federation of Teachers is an organization that does not claim the right to strike and is in accord with the provision of the state law on strikes.
ARTICLE XV
AVAILABILITY OF CONSTITUTION
Copies of this constitution shall be available to any member in good standing upon request.
Section 1. A COPE committee shall be established in accordance with the
Constitution. The Vice-President for COPE shall serve as chair.
Section 2. All provisions of AFT COPE shall be followed by the EP AFT COPE committee.
ARTICLE XVI
CONVENTION DELEGATES
All convention delegates will be elected according to the rules of the organization holding the convention and as specified in the constitution. Delegates to the AFT Convention must be chosen in accordance with the Landrum-Griffin Act. The President is an automatic delegate to all conventions.
ARTICLE XVII
RULES FOR AMENDING
Amendments to the by-laws shall follow the same procedure as those for amending the constitution; except the vote must be a majority of those voting instead of two-third (2/3) for passage.
Amended on 10 August 2015
_______________________________________________
Ross P. Moore, President
EP AFT By-Laws
Article I C.O.P.E Endorsements
The process by which the El Paso American Federation of Teachers on Political Education (COPE) will endorse candidates for any elections will be as follows:
- A questionnaire for candidates will be developed by the COPE VP in coordination with Texas AFT.
- Candidates will be invited to submit answers to a questionnaire regarding their qualifications.
- Candidates who submit their questionnaires in a timely manner will be invited to address a COPE membership meeting following the close of filing for the office the candidates are seeking.
- COPE members are those EP AFT members who make contributions to the local COPE fund.
- While contributions to COPE are normally made through payroll deduction, a single contribution within a calendar year will permit a Federation member to be a voting member of COPE.
- COPE members, who make annual contributions, must be in good standing no later than the day before an endorsement meeting to be eligible to vote at that meeting.
- COPE meetings will be presided over by the COPE Vice President.
- Robert’s Rules of Order will be used to conduct the COPE endorsement meetings.
- The COPE Vice President will report on the outcome of COPE meetings to the Executive Board of the EP AFT.
- All endorsements will be determined by a 2/3 majority vote of the COPE members present.
- All contributions to a candidate’s campaign will be determined by a 2/3 majority vote of the COPE members present.
- COPE membership may vote to not endorse candidates.
- COPE membership may vote to not contribute to an endorsed candidate’s campaign.
- The EPFTSP Executive Board has veto power over endorsements and contributions.
The by-laws for COPE were added to the El Paso American Federation of Teachers Constitution at the general membership meeting held on August 10th, 2015.
ARTICLE II DUES
Section 1. The annual dues shall be set by the Executive Board and shall include any increased per capita from the preceding year.
Section 2. The half and quarter dues structures shall be based on the local amount plus mandated per capita and insurances.
ARTICLE III ELECTIONS
Section 1. Notification
On the first day of school after the Christmas break, an announcement of the upcoming election of officers and the election process shall be sent to each member in good standing, including retirees. (E-Mail Notice and posted on EP AFT website and Facebook Page)
Section 2. Candidates
A member in good standing may declare his/her candidacy by turning in a petition signed by at least fifteen members in good standing. Petitions will be available at the Federation office starting the second Monday in March. They will be submitted by the last Friday in March to the Election Committee for validation. With the petition will be a statement of up to 100 words prepared by the candidate on why they are seeking the office and a current picture of the candidate.
Section 3. Election Committee
1) A three member Election Committee shall be elected at a general meeting. No staff, Officer, or candidate may serve on this committee.
2) The election committee shall conduct seeding of the candidates within one week of the close of candidate petitions.
3) The election shall be conducted from the first Monday in May through the first Saturday in May at the Federation Office.
4) The election committee shall prepare four ballots.
a) One with all officers and no Support Professionals, Retiree or EPCC Vice- Presidentsfor EPISD certified members.
b) One ballot for Support Professionals members that includes the Support Professionals Vice-President and all other officers, except the Retiree and EPCC Vice-President.
c) One ballot for EPCC members that includes all officers, except the Retiree and Support Professionals Vice-President.
D) One ballot for Retired members that includes the Retiree Vice-President and all other officers, except the Support Professionals and EPCC Vice-President.
Section 4. Election
1) A Texas AFT Officer or management staff member shall oversee and monitor the voting process and secure the ballot box.
2) The hours for the election shall be from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm every day of the election.
3) Ballots shall be numbered and placed on the table randomly by category. Each voter will present an ID and sign in.
4) The Election Committee will be in attendance at 6:00 pm on the last day of the election to observe the counting of ballots.
5) Each candidate may choose an observer to watch the tally of votes as soon as the poll closes at 6:00 pm on the last day of the election.
6) The results shall be announced as soon as the tally is completed (E-Mail Notice and postedon EP AFT website and Facebook Page).
_________________________________
Ross P. Moore, President