Federation of Franklin County Children Services Employees
Local 3143
CONSTITUTION
Article I
Name
This organization shall be known as the Federation of Franklin County Children Services Employees,
Local 3143, OFT, AFT, AFL-CIO.
Article II
Objectives
The purpose of this organization shall be:
Section 1. To secure full 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 professional well-being of the membership.
Section 3. To promote excellence in the work of our membership, and by all employees of Franklin County Children Services, for the benefit of our membership, our clients, and our community.
Section 4. To encourage mutual understanding and cooperation amongst the membership.
Section 5. To promote the welfare of the children and families of Franklin County.
Section 6. To promote the effectiveness and quality of the departments in which our members work.
Section 7. To promote democracy, equality, and unionism in the society at large.
Article III
Membership
Section 1. All employees of Franklin County Children Services who are not supervisors, managers, or confidential employees are eligible for membership in this organization. Members who are promoted to any position described herein, are automatically removed from the membership roll on the effective date of promotion.
Section 2. No person shall be denied membership, nor shall this organization ever discriminate against individual members or applicants for membership on the basis of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, religious faith, disability, social, political, or economic status, or national origin.
Section 3. Discipline of members:
a. A member, including officers and Executive Council members may be disciplined, including possible expulsion, by the organization for actions contrary to this Constitution or to the interests of the union or its membership. Such action may only be initiated by the bringing of written and signed charges to the Executive Council by two or more members of the local; these charges must include a specific and detailed accounting, including any documentation of the allegations against the member.
b. Upon receipt of such charges, the Executive Council shall cause a preliminary investigation to be conducted in order to determine whether the charges against the member have merit. In addition, at this time, the Executive Council shall give a copy of the charges to the accused member.
c. Following the preliminary investigation, the Executive Council shall vote on the question of whether a disciplinary hearing should be held. If a majority of the Executive Council votes to hold a hearing, the member shall be given at least ten (10) days written notice of the hearing.
d. At a disciplinary hearing, the accused member shall have the right to be represented by a person of his or her choice, and shall have the right to question the charges and present evidence and witnesses to support their defense. At the conclusion of the hearing, a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Council shall be required for discipline. If a member of the Executive Council has brought the charges against the member, that Council members shall recuse him/herself from the vote.
e. A disciplined member may appeal the decision of the Executive Council to the membership by requesting a vote at the next regular meeting. A simple majority of the members voting shall be sufficient to overrule the decision of the Executive Council to discipline.
Section 4. A member in good standing is defined as a member who is current in payment in dues to the organization.
Section 5. Upon approval by the Executive Council, members on extended, unpaid leave status shall be considered active and their dues waived.
Article IV
Meetings
Section 1. There shall be at least one (1) general membership meeting per year, with notification to all members, at a time and place to be determined by the Executive Council.
Section 2. The Executive Council shall meet at the call of the President and subsequently at least monthly at a time and place to be determined by the Council. Attendance at said meetings shall be open to all members.
Article V
Election of Officers
Section 1. Elections shall be conducted in accordance with the AFT Constitution and the standards set out by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA).
Section 2. The following officers shall be elected annually by this Federation:
1. President
2. Twelve (12) Vice-Presidents At-Large
3. Secretary
4. Treasurer
Section 3. The Vice-President receiving the highest number of votes shall have the entitlement of being appointed Executive Vice-President. Thereafter, the order of succession shall follow the candidate receiving the most votes.
Section 4. To be eligible for office, a person must be a member in good standing of the organization for a period of six (6) months prior to the date of the election.
Section 5. Nominations for office may be made at an April membership meeting or in writing. Notice shall be provided to the membership at least fifteen (15) days prior to the meeting and / or deadline for placing a nomination(s).
Section 6. Members nominated to run for office must affirmatively accept their nomination.
Section 7. Notice of the election shall be prepared and posted, in addition to being sent to all members by U.S. mail to their home address. The ballots shall be cast on a date not later than forty (40) days after the deadline for nominations. The organization shall administer a secret ballot election with the candidate receiving the majority of votes for each office being considered the winner. In the event there are more candidates than at-large positions to be filled, the top twelve (12) candidates receiving the most votes will be elected and there will be no run-off. In the event of a tie for any one position, a run-off election will be held between the candidates receiving the most votes for the office in question.
Section 8. Newly elected officers shall assume office thirty (30) days following the vote count, however, in interim they will be expected to attend all council meetings.
Section 9. Vacancies in any office shall be filled by the Executive Council.
Section 10. Any office may be filled by not more than two (2) members. Such persons must be clearly nominated and listed on the ballot as sharing the office.
Section 11. Challenges and objections to the election must be submitted in writing with a statement of supporting reasons that includes specific facts as well as any documentation to the Elections Committee within five (5) days of the vote count. The Elections Committee shall issue its written opinion regarding the objection(s) no later than ten (10) business days after receipt of said objection(s).
Section 12. The election results will be published and distributed to the membership within thirty (30) days of the count. All election materials, including the ballots will be kept for one (1) year after the election.
Section 13. The Executive Council shall designate two (2) officers to serve as delegates to represent the Federation with the OFT /AFT.
Article VI
Executive Council
Section 1. The Executive Council of this Organization shall consist of the following:
1. All elected / delegated officers
2. Chairpersons of standing committees
Section 2. The President of the Federation shall act as Chairperson of the Executive Council.
Section 3. Any member of the Executive Council who is absent from four (4) consecutive Executive Council meetings, without just cause and approval from the majority of the Executive Council, shall be deemed resigned from office.
Section 4. The Executive Council shall administer the policies of this Federation as set by the membership at regular meetings. It shall have the power to act for the good of the Federation in emergency situations where the policies cannot be set by the membership. A quorum for the Executive Council shall be one-half (1/2) of its members.
Section 5. The Executive Council shall set the time and place of its meetings.
Section 6. The Executive Council shall establish the salary and expense guidelines for the office of Treasurer.
Section 7. The Executive Council shall be empowered to make contracts and incur liabilities including the purchase of services, equipment, borrow money, and to otherwise engage in financial transactions to the extent permitted by applicable law or statute. The Executive Council shall have the power to sue, complain, and defend on behalf of the membership.
Section 8. The Executive Council shall be responsible for adherence to and enforcement of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Federation.
Section 9. The Executive Council shall report its activities to the membership at each regular meeting.
Article VII
Duties of Officers
Section 1. The President shall:
a. be the presiding officer at all meetings of the membership, the Executive Council, and the Representative Assembly;
b. shall appoint, with the approval of the Executive Council, the chairs of all standing and special committees except the Elections Committee;
c. shall be the principal executive officer of the Federation;
d. shall receive, report, and respond to correspondence of the Federation;
e. may be one of the responsible financial officers of the Federation and be authorized to co-sign financial instruments and make regular and usual disbursements of funds;
f. shall supervise all employees of the Federation;
g. shall represent the Federation before bodies of the employer, executive, and legislative officials;
h. shall represent the Federation before the public, community organizations, and the news media.
i. shall be, by office, a delegate to the convention of the AFT and meetings or conventions of its affiliated bodies;
j. shall be able to delegate the responsibilities of the office except where otherwise specified by the Constitution.
Section 2. The Executive Vice-President shall perform all duties of the President in the absence of that officer.
Section 3. The Secretary shall issue all notices, record and keep accurate minutes of meetings of the membership and Executive Council, assist the President in handling the correspondence of the organization, perform other duties as delegated by the President, or assigned by the Executive Council, and perform duties of the office as required by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act.
Section 4. The Treasurer shall:
a. receive, record, and deposit all dues monies and other income in the name of the organization;
b. maintain accurate membership records;
c. be one of the responsible financial officers of the organization and be authorized to co-sign financial instruments and make regular and usual disbursements of funds;
d. maintain all financial records of the organization;
e. perform other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Executive Council; and
f. where appropriate, the Executive Council shall have the authority to merge the offices and duties of the Secretary and Treasurer.
Article VIII
Committees
Section 1. Standing committees shall be active in the Federation as needed and each committee shall carry out the duties ascribed to it by the President.
Section 2. The Executive Council may establish special committees as needed.
Section 3. The President, with the approval of the Executive Council, shall appoint all committee chairs.
Section 4. Members of each committee shall be appointed by the chairperson of the committee with the consent of the President.
Article IX
Dues / Fair Share Fees
Section 1. The dues and fair share fees of this organization shall be set annually and any changes shall be approved by the majority of the membership voting. Dues shall be paid through payroll deduction by the employer.
Section 2. Additional finances may be obtained by various fund raising activities.
Article X
Affiliations
Section 1. The organization shall maintain affiliation with the following organizations:
a. The American Federation of Teachers. Whenever possible, the Federation of Franklin County Children Services Employees will send delegates to the AFT’s convention. The delegates will be elected by secret ballot in keeping with the procedures consistent with Article IV of this Constitution.
b. The Ohio Federation of Teachers. Whenever possible, the union will send delegates to the state federation’s convention. Delegates will be elected by secret ballot in keeping with the procedures consistent with Article V of this Constitution.
c. The Ohio AFL-CIO.
d. The Columbus Central Labor Council(s) of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations.
Article XI
Rules of Order
Section 1. Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern this organization and all of its subordinate bodies in all matters not expressly covered by this Constitution or the By-Laws of this organization.
Article XII
Amendment
Section 1. Proposed amendments to the Constitution shall be submitted at any membership meeting and read to the assembled members. Two-thirds (2/3) of the assembled members at the subsequent membership meeting, voting in the affirmative, shall be required for passage of an amendment. However, the Executive Council may empower the election committee to conduct a vote on a proposed constitutional amendment. Such vote shall be by secret ballot at several designated work sites. A two thirds (2/3) vote of those voting on proposed constitutional amendments shall be needed for passage.
Article XIII
Availability of the Constitution
Section 1. Three (3) copies of this Constitution and all subsequent amendments shall be submitted to the office of the Secretary-Treasurer of the AFT.
Section 2. One copy shall be sent to the similar officer of each organization with which this organization is affiliated.
Section 3. Copies shall be made available for any member of the Federation upon request to the Secretary.