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Local 6270

Constitution Executive Board Recommendations

ARTICLE 1 NameThe name of this organization shall be the Part-Time College Professionals Adjunct Faculty Union of Southwestern Illinois College, IFT/AFT, AFL-CIO, Local 6270. All members must will also be members of the affiliates.

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ARTICLE 3 MembershipSection 1 Eligibility

A. No applicant shall be denied or expelled from membership on the basis of race, color, creed, age, sex, sexual preferences or circumstances of birth.B. Membership shall be restricted to those Adjunct Faculty/Counselors/Librarians recognized as bargaining unit members in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between this union and Southwestern Illinois College.C. Individual membership in the state and national affiliates as specified in Article 1 shall be a requisite for membership.D. Any unit member that is appointed to an administrative position or a full time instructional/counseling/librarian position will be removed from Union membership no later than the date of acceptance the administrative appointment.

Section 2 Suspension/ReprimandA. Non-payment of dues or debts to the Union shall be considered grounds for a suspension or reprimand.B. Behavior detrimental to the purposes of the Union shall be considered grounds for a suspension or reprimand.C. Should a member be accused of an infraction warranting a suspension or reprimand, that member must be informed in writing of the allegation at hand and asked to attend a meeting of the Executive Board, at which time that Member will be allowed to address the allegation, which, if proved to the satisfaction of the members of the Executive Board, may result in a suspension or reprimand. Any such suspension or reprimand may be appealed to the full membership upon the written demand of the disciplined/reprimanded member filed with the President within 30 calendar days of the issuance of the suspension or reprimand. Such general membership meeting shall be convened by the president within 30 calendar days.

Section 3 ApplicationApplication for membership or reinstatement shall be processed through the office of the Part Time College Professionals Union President.

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ARTICLE 4 Dues and AuditsSection 1 Payment

A. Payment of dues shall be by payroll withholding as long as this is permitted by the Southwestern Illinois College Board of Trustees.

B. In any case where a member is not eligible for a payroll deduction of dues, a payment must be made by that member directly to the Union. This payment must be received by the 15th of each month for the upcoming month.

Section 2 DuesA. Local dues shall be established by the Treasurer /President with the approval of the Executive Board for the following year. The membership year shall be from August 15th August 1st of one year through August 14th July 31st of the subsequent year.B. Yearly dues shall be revised each year to reflect the current membership fee schedules of the affiliations indicated in Article 1.C. The Union shall increase local dues to equal any increase in per capita payments that are required to be made to

the American Federation of Teachers and any increase to the state federation, association, or regional council with which the local is affiliated. The local Treasurer shall notify the membership of all increases at a general membership meeting.D. Decreases in affiliation dues that occur during the academic year shall be deposited in the Union treasury.

Section 3 AuditThe financial records of the Union shall be subject to an audit as required by affiliated organizations. The audit agency, if any, shall be determined by the Executive Board. If permitted by AFT, the audit agency may be a committee of members.

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ARTICLE 5 Officers

Section 1 DesignationConstitutional Officers of the Union shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.

Section 2 EligibilityBecause these are salaried positons:

A. Officers of the Union must have at least one academic year of service to the Union as a Divisional Representative, Standing Committee Chair or Standing Committee member to be eligible to hold a Constitutional office.B. It is recommended, but not expressly stipulated, that those eligible to hold office also possess a rank and

preferably max load.C. Rank and max load should be retained unless changes are incurred due to Administration decision.

Section 2 3 Terms of OfficeThe term of office shall be for two three calendar years, expiring at the end of the calendar year in which their successors are elected.A. Each officer will be elected by a plurality of votes cast by the general membership.B. The election shall take place during the first week of November. in even numbered years. The term shall run

from January 1 of the upcoming odd numbered year, through December 31st of the following even numbered third year.

C. A candidate must be a member of the Union before he/she may be nominated to fill any local Union office or position.

D. The inaugural election of officers will occur at the membership meeting in which this constitution is approved immediately following such approval.

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In order to qualify to serve as president, a person must be a natural born citizen of the United States or a citizen at the time of the adoption of the Constitution, at least 35 years old and a resident of the United States for at least 14 years.[35] 

Section 4 PresidentA. The President shall be the official representative of the Union in matters of Union business.B. The President, if required to do so, will serve as liaison or advocate between an Part Time Adjunct Union

member and the College Administration in matters concerning the interpretation of the Union Contract. The President may delegate this authority to another member of the Executive Board or the IFT Field Service Director, as decided on a case by case basis.

C. The President shall reside over all meetings of the Union.D. The President shall appoint, when deemed necessary, and with the approval of the Executive Board, the

following committee chairmen, and any others as seen as necessary, and assign duties thereto:Membership Committee* Political Action CommitteeSocial Committee Grievance CommitteeCurriculum and Instruction Committee Insurance CommitteeElection Committee Negotiating Committee *A minimum of one person per campus

E. The President may appoint individuals to represent the Union at specific functions or to specific groups.F. The President shall be responsible for reporting to the Executive Board any correspondence or information

that is relevant to the Part Time Adjunct Union’s concerns.G. The President shall be responsible for nominating the negotiating team, including Chief Negotiator, to represent the Union in the collective bargaining process, subject to the approval of the Executive Board.H. The President shall be the ranking delegate to any and all conventions of affiliated organizations when the

Executive Board decides to send delegates. All other delegates shall be elected by the membership of the union, except that the Southwest Area Council Delegate to affiliate organizations shall always be listed as the delegate of least rank in order to assure the union’s votes will always be cast.

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Section 5 Vice-PresidentA. The Vice President shall act as President if the President is absent or if so directed by the President. The

President may not delegate such authority to any other individual unless the Vice President is absent or subject to suspension/reprimand.

B. The Vice-President shall assume duties as delegated by the President.C. The Vice President shall process all membership information providing membership cards, filing cards and

forwarding membership information to the IFT office when requested and the college payroll office.D. The Vice President is charged with the responsibility of checking and verifying monthly dues reports and following up on discrepancies, and reporting monthly to the President.

Section 6 TreasurerA. In accordance Article 5, Section 1, The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection verification of deposits

of membership dues, together with any other sums due the Union, and deposit said amounts in the name of the Union.

B. With the authorization of the Executive Board the Treasurer shall invest any money not needed for current distribution in a federally insured interest bearing certificate, fund or account.

C. The Treasurer shall administer the payment of all legitimately incurred bills and fees of the Union and shall keep appropriate financial records of the organization’s business, together with all appropriate forms.

D. The Treasurer shall put together the Annual Budget.E. The Treasurer shall initiate audits as required by affiliate organizations.F. Issue quarterly semi-annual reports to the membership at the general membership meetings.

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Section 7 SecretaryA. The secretary shall create and disseminate all announcements for all Union meetings and Executive Board meetings.B. The Secretary shall function as Parliamentarian at all Union meetings and Executive Board

meetings.C B. The Secretary shall keep appropriate minutes of all Union meetings.D C. The Secretary shall administer the distribution of approved minutes, which should be

published available within 10 days after their approval by the Executive Board.E. D. At the end of the calendar year, the Secretary shall be responsible for the printing and

distribution of all By-laws and major resolution enacted during the year.F. At the end of the calendar year, the Secretary shall provide copies of the minutes to the President for

the archives.

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ARTICLE 6 Executive Board

Section 1 The term Executive Board shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the chairpersons of standing committees, and Divisional Representatives. (Selected to assure at least one member from each campus).

Section 2 The members of the Executive Board, other than the Constitutional officers, shall be elected to represent the following areas:A. Each division (per the College Organizational Chart) shall elect at large one eligible member to represent all

departments in each division on the Executive Board for a two three year term. B. The terms of office for the Executive Board shall run conterminously with the term of the President.

 

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Section 3 DutiesThe duties of the Executive Board shall be:

A. To run the day-to-day operations of the Union.B. A. To help enforce the Union Contract by bringing concerns to the Executive Board from the Union

members in their respective divisions.C. B. To attend to investigate and act on issues affecting the welfare of individual Union members, as well

as issues affecting the membership as a whole.D. C. To recommend appropriate resolutions to the Union membership.E. D. To approve all special appointments.F. To function as a tribunal in cases of membership eligibility as indicated in Article 3.G. To function as the Grievance Committee in accord with the Union Contract.H. E. To approve the negotiating team for the collective bargaining process.I. F. To review an annual budget of operating expenses, exclusive of litigation fees and other unpredictable

contingencies, and to present this budget for approval by the membership at the first general meeting of the calendar year.

J. G. To appoint, as required, an agency/committee to audit the Union’s financial records.K. To provide for such surety bond and insurance policies as are warranted or necessary.L. To secure legal services when such services are warranted or necessary.M. H. To formulate any policies and/or procedures to effect smooth and proper operation of Executive

Committee functions.N. I. To add items to the agenda of Executive Board meetings by issuing a written request to the President by

one third of the Executive Board members.

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Section 4 Executive Board Meetings

A. The Executive Board shall meet, monthly, or more often if needed to conduct business affairs of the Union with the exception of the summer term: June, July and August unless contract negotiations are ongoing.

B. Other meetings of the Executive Board will be scheduled at the discretion of the President or by a petition of one third of the members of the Executive Board.

C. To conduct Executive Board business, a quorum of half of the members must formally convene.

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ARTICLE 7 General Membership MeetingsSection 1 General Business Membership Meetings

A. General Business Membership meetings, minimum of one per semester, and shall be advertised via US mail as such on the Union’s website.

B. An announcement and an agenda for a General Meeting shall be published two weeks ten (10) working days in advance of the assembly.

C. One General Meeting per semester shall be convened at an appropriate place, date and time. Other General meetings can be called as necessary by the President with the approval of the Executive Board.

D. One-fourth Ten percent (10%) of the membership shall constitute a quorum. Section 2 Special Meetings

A. Special Meetings must be advertised as such.B. Special Meetings shall be those needed for specified business: contract negotiations, contract ratification,

or any pressing issue that might arise.C. The protocol of reports by Constitutional Officers will be suspended, and no other business shall be

introduced at the Special Meeting.D. Special Meetings must be announced expeditiously, at least 48 hours before they are to take place.

E. Ten (10%) percent of the membership shall constitute a quorum at the Special Meeting.F. Special Meetings are called by the President and published on the Union website according to Section 2 D.

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ARTICLE 8 Committees 

Section 1 Negotiating

A. The Negotiating Team shall be a standing committee. and shall be elected by the general membership. Each team member will be elected by a plurality of votes cast. Election of the team shall take place not less than 6 months prior to the expiration of the current contract.

B. The number of members of the Negotiating Team shall be determined by the Executive Board with a minimum of four (4) members plus the Chief Negotiator. Voters shall vote for candidates up to the number of spots on the team, however, each vote shall only count as one vote.

C. It shall be their duty to work at the direction of the Chief Negotiator to conduct all negotiations with the Board of Trustees or their designated representative(s). They may also draw upon any resources and services, as the team deems necessary.

D. The term of office for the team shall coincide with the length of the contract that is negotiated.E. Members of the Negotiating team shall also be ex-officio members of the Executive Board but will not have

voting rights.F. It is understood by those serving on the negotiating team that all issues discussed in negotiations remain in

strictest confidence so that the integrity of the talks remain intact and unresolved issues are not jeopardized. G. Members of the Negotiating team shall be compensated while actively performing duties of the committee.

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Section 2 Chief NegotiatorA. Eligibility: The Chief Negotiator may be any Union member. The President of Local 6270 may serve as

Chief Negotiator only with the vote of two-thirds of the Executive Board. Otherwise the Chief Negotiator is selected by the President, and approved by the Executive Board via simple majority.

B. Duties: In addition to functioning as an Executive Board Member, the Chief Negotiator shall manage the negotiating process in conjunction with the Negotiating Team and shall act as a consultant regarding the Contract after it has been negotiated.

C. The Chief Negotiator shall serve until the appointment of a new Chief Negotiator, serving consecutive terms if he/she negotiates consecutive contracts.

 Section 3 Grievance Committee

A. The Grievance Committee shall consist of all members of the Executive Board. the Officers of the Union.B. The Grievance Committee shall administer all grievances filed under the Grievance Procedure of the Union

Contract. Section 4 Grievance Chair

A. Eligibility: The Grievance Chair may be any Union member shall be the President of the Union.B. The Grievance Chair shall be appointed by the Union President and approved by the Executive Board.C. Duties: In addition to functioning as a member of the Executive Board, The Chair shall maintain all records

pertaining to grievances filed during the term of office. and make these records available to the Union President on request.

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Section 5 Election Committee

A. Function: The Election Committee shall conduct the bi-annual election of Constitutional Officers, elected Committee Members, and members of the Executive Board, as well as administering the procedures governing amendments to this Constitution, the Formulation of its By-Laws, and other referenda, ensuring the secrecy and validity of the ballot.

B. Formulation: The Election Committee shall be composed of any three members appointed by the President, exclusive of members of the Executive Board and candidates for elected office.

C. Term: Members of this Committee shall serve for one calendar year with no limitations on consecutive terms.

D. Members of the Election Committee shall be compensated while actively performing duties of the committee.

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ARTICLE 9 Election and Referendum Procedures 

Section 1 Referendum ProceduresThe Elections Committee shall follow the procedures indicated in Article 11, Sections 1-4, in votes concerning this Constitution, its By-Laws, and other referenda.

 Section 2 Election Procedures

A. On October 15th 1st of even numbered years, or the first business day following October 1st 15th if same falls on a holiday or weekend, the Elections Committee President shall publish on the Union’s website and distribute to members, a notice announcing positions on the Executive Board about to become open for election, together with the deadline for candidacy.

B. Nominations shall close at noon on October 22nd 15th of even numbered years, or the first business day following October 15th 22nd if same falls on a holiday or weekend.

C. On November 1st of even numbered years, or the first business day following November 1st if same falls on a holiday or weekend, the Election Committee shall issue a complete ballot via US mail listing nominees for offices on the Union’s website with complete directions on deadlines and balloting procedures.

D. Ballots shall be due back to the committee by noon, on the fifteenth day following mailing of the ballots, and that date, place and time shall be made known to the union membership as part of the mailing of ballots.

E. D. At noon on the fifteenth day Following the mailing the casting of ballots, the Election Committee shall convene in session a designated area/place, open to the members of the union, to count the ballots and complete its report to the President. Said report shall be signed by all members of the Election Committee present for the counting of the ballots. The report shall note any dissenting views or objections to the conduct of the election.

F. E. Within ten (10) days of the President’s receipt of the Election Committee Results, the President shall hold an Executive Board Meeting to accept the Committee report.

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ARTICLE 10 Rights

Section 2 RecallA. Any officer or Executive Board Representative, may be subject to a recall election by a petition of one-

third fifty one (51) percent of the membership in good standing.B. Recalled officers or Board Representatives, other than the President, shall be replaced by the Union

President with the approval of the Executive Board.C. A recalled President shall be replaced by the Vice President.

D. In the event that both the President and Vice President are recalled, the Executive Board shall appoint a successor to the President.

E. In the recall of a Board Representative only the members of the respective division represented will be eligible to vote.

 Section 3 Petitions

A Petitions demanding the Executive Board to consider a given action shall require one- third signatories from the current membership in good standing.

B. Written signatures of Union members on an official form is the only document type that will be accepted. Electronic transmissions cannot be verified and are not permissible.

C The number of signatures required will be provided by the Officer in charge of membership.

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ARTICLE 11 Amendments and By Laws 

Constitutional Amendments and By-Laws shall be considered as referenda, with referenda to be enacted by this procedure:Section 1 The referendum

A. must May be introduced in written form at a General Membership or Special Meeting. B. May be introduced in written form at any Executive Board meeting. posted on the Union’s website within 10 days of

Executive Board approval.

 Section 2 Within seven (7) days of the introduction of the referendum the Elections Committee President (or designee) shall mail to each

member a package post a notice on the Union’s website to include these items:A. A statement of the referendum itself

B. An appropriate ballot. C. B. A single page statement arguing for the referendum, to be drafted by its proponents.D. C.A single page statement arguing against the referendum to be drafted and posted by its opponents, should its opponents

choose to make their case. Section 3 Should proponents of a referendum fail to provide the proposing rationale indicated in Article 11, Section 2, Paragraph C B,

the referendum will be dissolved, however, if opponents of a referendum fail to provide the opposing rationale indicated in Article 10 11, Section 2, Paragraph D C., the referendum process will be advanced with the proponents’ statement alone.

 Section 4 The referendum must achieve a majority of affirmative ballots in order to succeed. Balloting shall conclude and the votes

tallied at noon on the 14th 3rd day following the mailing casting of the ballots, or at noon on the first business day following the 14th 3rd day if the 14th that day falls on a holiday or weekend. The day of mailing shall not count in calculating the 14 th day.

 Section 5 The Election Committee shall notify members of the voting procedures.

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ARTICLE 12 Constitutional Ratification

This Constitution shall be ratified in this manner:Section 1 It shall be distributed to all members via US mail not later than February 4, 2005. Said mailing shall include a

notice, a copy of the proposed constitution, a notice of office elections to follow immediately following ratification, and a notice that amendments must be presented in writing to the chair of the meeting.

Section 2 It shall be the subject of a Special Meeting at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday February 2005 in Room 1200 on the Belleville Campus for discussion, modification and final approval.

Section 3 Following approval of the constitution in its current or modified form, officer nominations and elections will occur. One must be present to vote and only candidates who have expressed written acceptance in advance or oral acceptance at the meeting will be allowed to be nominated.

Section 4 Officers shall take office upon the conclusion of the balloting. Their first order of business shall be the distribution by mail of the approved constitution to all members of the union.

This Constitution shall be revised in this manner:Section 1 This revised constitution shall first be presented to the Executive Board for input at the earliest scheduled Board

meeting. Section 2 Once the Board has approved these revisions the Constitution shall be posted on the Union’s website for the

membership to review. Section 3 With Board approval a period of time will be established for the membership to present opinions and input. At a

time decided by the Executive Board the membership will be given the opportunity to vote on the referenda conducted by the Election Committee. A majority of affirmative votes will establish this Constitution as accepted.

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By-Laws 

#1 Individual membership in the state and national affiliates as specified in Article 1 shall be a requisite for membership.

#2 Any unit member that is appointed to an administrative position or a full time instructional/counseling/librarian position will be removed from Union membership no later than the date of acceptance of the administrative appointment.

 #3 Non-payment of dues or debts to the Union shall be considered grounds for a suspension or reprimand. #4 Behavior detrimental to the purposes of the Union shall be considered grounds for a suspension or reprimand.  #5 Should a member be accused of an infraction warranting a suspension or reprimand, that member must be

informed in writing of the allegation at hand and asked to attend a meeting of the Executive Board, at which time that Member will be allowed to address the allegation, which, if proved to the satisfaction of the members of the Executive Board, may result in a suspension or reprimand. Any such suspension or reprimand may be appealed to the full membership upon the written demand of the disciplined/reprimanded member filed with the President within 30 calendar days of the issuance of the suspension or reprimand. Such general membership meeting shall be convened by the president within 30 calendar days.

 #6 Application for membership or reinstatement shall be processed through the office of the Adjunct Faculty Union

President.

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#7 Yearly dues shall be revised each year to reflect the current membership fee schedules of the affiliations indicated in Article 1.

 #8 The Union shall increase local dues to equal any increase in per capita payments that are required to be made to

the American Federation of Teachers and any increase to the state federation, association, or regional council with which the local is affiliated.

#9 Decreases in affiliation dues that occur during the academic year shall be deposited in the Union treasury. 

#10 The Executive Board will function as a tribunal in cases of membership eligibility as indicated in Article 3. #11 The Executive Board will secure legal services when such services are warranted or necessary. #12 The Secretary shall provide copies of the minutes for the archives which are maintained by the Secretary. #13 The Vice President will be responsible for the monthly verification of those Union members covered by the

Union provided life insurance policy and certify their continued eligibility so that the Treasurer makes the correct payment to the insurance carrier.

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#14 The Election of Officers and Divisional Representatives shall be conducted as follows:A. Dates will be used as indicted in Article 9, Section 2. The election Committee shall oversee the casting of ballots. A Wednesday,

Thursday, and Saturday morning of the same week shall be designated as balloting days. The balloting will take place in a designated area on the BV campus only.

B. Ballots will only be available when members come to the polling place and request one.C. All Union members wishing to cast a ballot will be required to present a valid ID and must be a member in good standing of the

Union. D. The current membership list will be provided by the Vice President of the Union to the Election Committee. Only those on the

list will be given a ballot to vote. E. All members who chose to vote and receive a ballot will be required to vote before leaving the polling area. Any member

deciding not to vote must return the ballot to the Election Committee where the ballot will be voided. F. Any ballot cast and incorrectly marked will be voided.G. With the understanding that members may not be able to attend any of the balloting days/time, a onetime early ballot will be

granted upon request.1. Early ballots will be stamped with the seal of the Union to prevent duplication.

2. All early balloting will be conducted at the direction of the Election Committee as to a specific day and time. 3. Early ballots received must be cast at that time.

H. Nominated candidates may campaign as they wish. A list of Union members, with department, will be provided upon request to candidates who understand the liability of receiving such information and will handle all Union documents with discretion and integrity. No one is allowed to make any Union copyrighted material available to any other individual member or group.

1. Personal addresses and personal emails will never be provided.2. Candidates are strictly prohibited from using the SWIC website for campaigning.

I. Any candidate violating Section 13 H is subject to dismissal from the Union. J. Ballots will contain the nominees for the Officers of the Union and the nominees for their respective Divisional Representative.

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