Bylaws
From GEO
By-Laws of the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst
GEO By-Laws Committee
Ratified April 16, 1998
Amended October 1998, April 2002, and April 2009
As of May 2009
Introduction to the GEO By-Laws
GEO is a democratic union representing about 2400 graduate employees at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The graduate employees can chose to become full members or pay agency fees. Graduate students without a graduate employment can choose to become associate members.
There are three central decision-making bodies: The membership meeting, the assembly of stewards and the steering committee. There may also be membership referenda.
The assembly of stewards consists of the stewards, the members of the steering committee, the standing committee chairs and the caucus chairs.
Stewards are elected representatives from the work groups. A work group consists of graduate employees employed by the same department, which is most of the time, but not always, an academic department.
The steering committee consists of president, vice president, secretary-treasurer, two members at-large and two stewards at-large. The stewards at-large are elected each semester by the assembly of stewards. The other steering committee members are elected each spring by the membership and their term starts June 1. President, vice president and secretary-treasurer get paid a stipend of twenty hours per week at graduate students' rates.
GEO has about ten standing committees. The bargaining committee and the personnel committee are elected by the membership, other committees are open to all members.
GEO also has about 6 staff people hired by the assembly of stewards, paid at graduate students' rates for ten or twenty hours per week.
GEO is a unit of Local 2322, which is a local union of the United Auto Workers (UAW). GEO members go to local membership meetings and vote in local elections or referenda. GEO sends delegates to the local joint council and to the UAW convention.
Article 1-NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Graduate Employee Organization of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst or GEO, a unit within Local 2322 of the United Auto Workers (UAW).
Article 2-PURPOSE
A. GEO is a democratic union that aims to organize and represent all graduate employees at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst over issues related to their employment and the improvement of their working conditions. GEO also supports the struggle of all workers, and in solidarity with other unions and progressive organizations fights for social and economic justice.
B. GEO is authorized to negotiate on the employment practices and policies of the University as they relate to graduate employees including, but not limited to, affirmative action, appointment and reappointment process, childcare, contract length, discipline, dues check-off and agency fee, evaluations, fee waivers, grievance and arbitration, health and safety, health benefits, hours of work, job descriptions, retrenchment, salary, seniority, sexual harassment, sick leave, training, and workload. GEO is not authorized to negotiate on academic practices and policies as they relate to graduate employees in their simultaneous capacity as students, salary maximums or limitations on employee's rights to choose the time and manner of their work.
C. GEO shall not discriminate against person on the basis of race, class, native language or dialect, color, gender, religion, marital status, parental status, national origin, age, weight, sexual orientation, disability, political affiliation or belief, veteran status, citizenship, or HIV status. GEO strives to be an inclusive union and build a broad based unity among its members. It will actively seek to promote the participation of socially oppressed groups and underrepresented work sites at all levels of the union.
D. Stonewall Center Ally Training will be mandatory for all GEO Staff, Elected Officers, and Steering Committee members in addition to training that will address white privilege and racism. GEO staff and elected officers will provide this training for stewards at least once every semester.
E. GEO defines underrepresented groups as:
African (including African American), Latina(o) (including Latina(o) American), Asian and Pacific Islander (including Asian American and Pacific Islander American), Native American, Arab (including Arab American), Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and physically disabled graduate students.
GEO defines ALANAA as:
African (including African American), Latina(o) (including Latina(o) American), Asian and Pacific Islander (including Asian American and Pacific Islander American), Native American, Arab (including Arab American) graduate students.
Article 3-MEMBERSHIP
A. The Membership consists of all full and associate members in good standing of the bargaining unit.
B. A graduate employee of the University of Massachusetts who is included in the bargaining unit is eligible for full membership during the term of employment.
C. A full member in good standing who ceases to be included in the bargaining unit may remain a full member through the next semester plus one day, provided they retain their graduate student status. Summer session is not defined as a semester.
D. Any graduate student who does not meet the above criteria shall be eligible for associate membership.
E. A member is considered to be in good standing if they are current in their payment of dues. A member is considered to be a full member if they have paid their initiation fee.
F. An associate member is in good standing if they pay dues and the initiation fee.
G. The initiation fee is set in accordance with the UAW constitution and Local 2322 bylaws.
H. A full member in good standing is entitled to full voice and a single vote on all questions and to hold any elected or appointed position.
I. An associate member in good standing is entitled to full voice and a single vote on all questions, exception contract ratification, and where specifically noted in this Bylaws. Associate members are not eligible to hold the elected offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary Treasurer, or At-large Member of the Steering Committee, and they may not serve on the Negotiating or Grievance Committees.
Article 4-OFFICERS
A. Election of officers shall be held during the spring semester. Members are asked to consider the requirements of Article 2(C) when voting.
B. All officers are elected for one year terms. They will take office on June 1 of the year in which they were elected.
C. Officers may only be removed by following procedures outlined in Articles 30 and 31 in the UAW International Constitution.
D. For the academic year in which they serve, the three officers will each receive one full time equivalent(FTE) stipend so long as such stipends are provided by the University.
E. There are three officers:
1. President
Responsibilities will include but are not limited too: organizing and overseeing the election of Stewards in departments and/or work sites; Chairing Steering Committee meetings and General Membership meetings and ensuring agendas are set for both; supervising membership drives; primary GEO representative to the Joint Council of Local 2322 and must attend Joint Council meetings; except where otherwise noted, the President shall be considered to be the official representative of GEO to the Administration and in all external relations; signs agreements between GEO and the University (with approval of the General Membership and/or Assembly of Stewards); shall serve as Liaison for the Steering Committee to the Staff and its Staff Coordinator; responsible for ensuring GEO representation at Labor Council/Leadership Coalition meetings; speaks on behalf of GEO to media, the University, etc.; acts as primary Liaison between GEO and other Unions.
2. Vice President
Responsibilities include but are not limited to: attending Assembly of Stewards meetings; chairing Steering Committee meetings in the absence of the President; managing the production of media and publicity; overseeing publication of GEO newsletter and web page; organizing Standing Committees; assuming duties if the President is unavailable.
3. Secretary/Treasurer
responsibilities include but are not limited to: Chairing GEO Finance Committee, serving on Local Finance committee; administering GEO operating budget; planning annual budget; overseeing the functioning of the GEO office; maintaining records of organization; ensuring that minutes are taken at all GEO meetings; submitting requisitions to the Local and International as needed; facilitating GEO sponsorship of events and organizations. Shall chair meetings in the absence of the President or the Vice-President; shall assume duties of the President or the Vice President if the President and the Vice President are unavailable.
F. Although each officer has her or his specific job responsibilities, all three officers are jointly responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of GEO and are collectively responsible for all the duties mentioned above.
Article 5-STAFF
A. GEO will hire at least five full time equivalent (FTE) employees in a given academic year. One of these shall be the Grievance Officer as stipulated in the contract between GEO and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
B. Officers and staff shall be paid at the average hourly stipend rate of FTEs.
C. GEO shall determine GEO related duties of all local personnel assigned to work at GEO.
Article 6-STEERING COMMITTEE
A. The Steering Committee will consist of the three officers, two Stewards elected by the stewards assembly, and two members at-large elected by the Membership. Each member of the Steering Committee will be entitled to one vote on any issue raised at any Steering Committee meeting. In addition, all staff members of GEO are ex-officio, non-voting members of the steering committee.
B. The Steering Committee shall be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the unit including, but not limited to: the direction of the day-to-day operations of the organization; the oversight of the staff; preparation and submission of all proposals, budgets, budget requisitions and budget modifications to the Assembly of Stewards for approval; coordination and oversight of standing committees; the appropriate maintenance of the health of the organization; management and execution of the budget; all correspondence and relations between the leadership, the Assembly of Stewards and the membership; and all external relations excepting those duties specifically proscribed for other committees (such as the Bargaining Committee).
C. The Steering Committee shall meet at least two times a month during the academic year. The committee shall meet once a month at other times. Additional meetings can be called as needed by the officers.
D. A quorum of one half (rounded upward) of the voting members of the Steering Committee is necessary to conduct business.
E. The Steering Committee shall be empowered to make decisions on behalf on the membership, except as limited by these bylaws. The Steering Committee shall not make any decisions which contradict those made by the Assembly of Stewards or the membership or contradict the will or intent of the Assembly of Stewards or the membership.
F. All Stewards are welcome to attend Steering Committee meetings and shall be considered ex-officio non-voting members of the Steering Committee.
Article 7-STEWARDS
A. A group of graduate employees who share a common employing department or unit are considered a work group. The Steering committee is authorized to determine the work group divisions in the event there is a dispute.
B. The membership of each work group shall elect one Steward for each 25 employees or fraction thereof. Stewards shall be elected at the start of each Fall semester and shall serve until the next elections. If no members in the work group are able to serve as Stewards, the graduate students from the same department who are employed in a different work group may be elected instead. The stewards shall be democratically elected by all GEO members in the work group. When an election occurs by secret ballot, outside of a meeting, a reasonable period shall be provided for return of ballots. The election shall be conducted by any two members who are not candidates in the election. Stewards may be recalled at any time by a vote of all members working under the Steward's jurisdiction. This vote must be initiated by a petition and set forth the reasons why the recall is sought. The petition must be signed by at least 25 percent of the current members working under the jurisdiction of the Steward.
C. Two or more work groups, each with fewer than 25 members, may choose to combine for purposes of Steward election, by majority vote of each such group. Such combined work groups shall then be treated as a single work group.
D. The Stewards shall be responsible for: organizing and mobilizing departments, assisting members with grievances, calling meetings of the group, distributing literature to the members, recruiting new members, serving on committees, and attending the Assembly of Stewards.
Article 8-ASSEMBLY OF STEWARDS
A. The assembly shall be composed of elected stewards from work sites and various ex-officio members as specified by these bylaws. The assembly shall meet at least twice during the semester. Additional meetings can be called by the Steward Assembly Chair(s) or 20% of the Stewards by means of a signed petition to the Steering Committee.
B. A quorum of one-fourth of the Stewards and one-fourth of the total voting members is necessary to conduct business.
C. The Assembly shall be empowered to make decisions on behalf of the Membership, including the ability to override decisions made by the Steering Committee. The Assembly cannot override a decision made by the Membership at a Membership meeting. Except as limited by these bylaws, the Assembly can draft its own rules, including the election of Assembly meeting chair(s).
D. The assembly of stewards aims to: to create and develop shop floor activism and to organize and mobilize rank-and-file participation and coordinate their struggle, to develop a team of activists and union leaders, to increase the communication between the leadership and the membership, to get the stewards involved in decision-making regarding union policy, contract administration, contract negotiations, and other work related issues, to bring the stewards together, to share information, to learn from one another, and to support each other.
E. Non-steward members of the Steering Committee (i.e. the four officers and the three elected at-large members) and committee chairs as designated in Article 9(C), are ex-officio, full-voting members of the Assembly.
F. Each semester the Assembly shall appoint two Stewards to serve as voting members of the Steering Committee.
G. The Chair of the Assembly shall be elected by all members of the Assembly at the first Assembly meeting of each semester. Ex officio members if the Assembly are not eligible to serve as Chair. In the absence of an elected Chair, the President may appoint an interim Chair.
Article 9-STANDING COMMITTEES
A. Committees carry out and facilitate the various functions of the union and aim to bring consistency and continuity to the work of the union. In addition, they are instrumental in facilitating rank and file participation in union activity and decision making. All members are eligible to serve on all committees except where noted in these bylaws and every effort shall be made to ensure the membership of all committees is representative of the diversity of the GEO members.
B. All committees and positions responsible for the hiring of staff and elected union leadership positions (e.g., officers, stewards, steering committee members) must meet with union members of underrepresented groups (ALANAA, LGBTQI and women students) to inform them of open positions and solicit applications and nominations. These committees will collaborate with GEO committees and caucuses (e.g., ALANAA Caucus, Queer Caucus, Family Issues), as well as GSS and other graduate student organizations on campus, which are comprised of and represent the interests of underrepresented groups.
C. Except where specifically noted in Article 9(D), the steering committee will appoint acting chairs to the standing committees until such time as the committee meets to elect a formal chair.
D. Chairs of Committees are ex-officio, non-voting members of the Steering Committee and are ex-officio, full voting members of the Assembly of Stewards, except where noted in Article 9(D).
E. The standing Committees include, but are not limited to:
1. Organizing Committee
which shall be chaired by the GEO staff person responsible for internal organizing. This committee will also consist of all lead organizers as well as at least one elected officer. The committee will be responsible for signing up new members, working with stewards and developing leadership in departments and clusters. The goal of the committee will be to build a strong internal organizing structure able to lead and support a contract campaign, respond to and prevent grievances, create a stronger union presence and awareness in individual departments campus-wide.
2. Bargaining Committee
which will consist of nine members and an unspecified number of alternate members elected by the membership. The chief and the co-chief negotiators will be elected by the bargaining committee members. All bargaining committee members shall serve throughout the duration of a contract negotiation and shall not be required to seek re-election if contract negotiations go beyond a year. If bargaining committee members resign or are recalled, new members of the committee will be elected by the membership as needed. A quorum of five is needed to make decisions. All decisions shall be made by consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, the decision in question shall be brought to the membership for final determination. Membership has oversight over the bargaining committee. The bargaining committee shall be responsible for assessing membership needs and concerns prior to contract negotiations, and issuing regular written bargaining updates to the membership during negotiations. These updates shall also be posted regularly on the GEO web site.
3. Grievance Committee
which will consist of not less than five members. Committee members must be trained in labor grievance procedure. Any graduate employee coming forward with a grievance shall be interviewed by the Chair of this committee and one member of the committee, apprising them of their rights according to the contract and advising them on how to proceed; the committee shall meet to decide which grievances will be filed. All grievance requests must be kept on file and the Chair will ensure that these records are in order. The Chair of this committee shall be the staff person hired by GEO.
4. Communications Committee
which shall be chaired by the vice-president of GEO, shall be responsible for generating the newsletter; drafting and distributing press releases; maintaining the GEO web page; and the creation and distribution of posters, flyers and billets.
5. Finance Committee
which will be composed of the Treasurer (as Chair) and two members(one from the Assembly of Stewards and one from the General Membership). All members have responsibilities that include serving on Local 2322 Finance Committee, attending all Joint Council meetings, drafting the annual budget for the unit, and preparing requisitions for the Joint Council. The annual budget for the unit will be presented at the first membership meeting of the spring semester and passed by a simple majority.
6. Elections Committee
The membership will annually elect an Elections Committee to oversee the election of officers and at-large members of the Steering Committee. This committee must be composed of at least five members, none of whom are seeking office or are currently elected officers or at-large members of the Steering Committee. The chair of this committee is not an ex-officio member of the stewards assembly or the steering committee. In the event that two or fewer candidates run for the president/vice-president or co-chairs positions, then there will be a vetting process rather than a de facto election of the unopposed candidates. The Stewards’ Assembly will convene and ask the candidates questions, and then excuse the candidates while stewards vote on whether or not to approve the candidates for president/vice-president or co-chairs. If either one or both of the candidates is a steward, then he or she will recuse herself from the vote. A simple majority wins. In the event that stewards vote “No,” on one or both of the candidates, the nominations process will be extended, and stewards will aggressively recruit nominees for the elected positions. The elections process will then repeat.
7. Civil Rights Committee
which will oversee issues concerning any violation of the civil rights of GEO members, including internal incidents which may violate the civil rights of GEO members. The Committee will assist any GEO member who submits a grievance through the campus Harassment Policy, Sexual Harassment Policy, and/or the Affirmative Action Office. The committee shall investigate any accusations of racist, sexist, or other discriminatory or defamatory action on the part of GEO members against other GEO members. If any incident of such behavior is verified by this committee, the committee will report such incidents and its recommendation (including sanctions) to the Steering Committee where the appropriate action shall be taken or begun. The decision of the Steering Committee may be appealed by either party before the Assembly of Stewards where final disposition of the issue shall rest. Sanctions may include expulsion from the unit.
8. Coalition and Political Action Committee
which shall be responsible for organizing GEO participation in local, state, national, and international concerns; building coalitions with campus and local unions, student organizations, community organizations and caucuses, including, but not limited to, those representing international students, ALANA students, poor and working class students, women, GLBT students, and other under-represented groups in our union. GEO resolves to actively support legislation which seeks to improve the higher education system, including the principle of educational access and promotes free collective bargaining. This committee shall recommend proposed actions or endorsements to the Assembly of Stewards. Political endorsements and expenditures shall require a two-thirds vote of approval by the Assembly of Stewards or the membership.
9. Family Issues Committee
which is responsible for providing the membership with information concerning child care, housing, and other family concerns, as well as discussing with individual members how GEO can improve the living conditions of members who have families. This committee shall have at least three members (from either the Assembly of Stewards or the Membership).The committee shall be chaired by the family issues advocate.
10. Personnel Committee
which will be composed of five representatives elected by the Membership and two members of the Steering Committee, selected by the Steering Committee. This committee may include elected officers and current staff members who are not seeking re-appointment. Quorum is five members. The primary responsibility of this committee is to hold interviews for applicants interested in staff positions. The Personnel Committee will select three committee members to conduct interviews for all open positions. Upon completion of the interview process, the committee will submit a list of recommended candidates to the Assembly. The final hiring decision is made by the Assembly of Stewards. Interim and temporary appointments for periods no longer than six weeks, may be made directly by the Steering Committee. An Evaluation Subcommittee will be appointed to evaluate the performance of the staff at least once per semester. These evaluations will be used in future hiring decisions. The subcommittee will be composed of at least three members of the personnel committee.
11. By-Laws Committee
All GEO members are invited to meetings of the By-Laws Committee. The responsibility of the by-laws committee is to try to achieve broad consensus about procedures in GEO, to educate people holding positions in GEO about their rights and duties according to the bylaws and established practices and to resolve, on the basis of consensus, conflicts related to the bylaws. The bylaws committee has the right and the duty to give recommendations on:
(a) Changes of the by-laws, from general concepts to final drafts
(b) Disputes over interpretations or implementations of the by-laws
(c) Conflicts between actual procedures and procedures as outlined in the by-laws
F. The Assembly of Stewards shall decide if any additional committee chairs shall have a vote in the stewards assembly.
G. The committees may decide upon their own operational procedures, except when specified by these bylaws.
H. The following procedure shall be followed when electing members to the bargaining and personnel committees.
1. Appropriate notification will be given two weeks prior to when such elections are due to take place.
2. Nominations are due at the membership meeting at which the elections are scheduled to take place. If the nominee is present in person, s/he is required to make a short statement to the meeting prior to the elections. If the nominee is not present in person, s/he is required to submit a written statement to the President, who shall ensure that the statement is read out to the meeting, prior to the elections.
I. In order to recall any member from a committee a petition which sets forth the reason why recall is sought must be signed by twenty members and submitted to the President no less than ten days before a membership meeting in order to be put on the agenda of that meeting. The President will see to it that this agenda item is announced ten days prior to the meeting. A two-thirds vote of the membership is required to recall a committee member.
Article 10-CAUCUSES
A. Caucuses are formed around issues of social oppression. They aim to provide a voice for underrepresented groups in the Union and a forum in which their concerns and issues can be addressed. Caucuses should provide a supportive context for underrepresented groups and facilitate their active involvement and full participation in the union as a whole.
B. Chairs of caucuses are ex-officio non-voting members of the Steering Committee and full voting members of the Stewards Assembly.
C. The Steering Committee will appoint acting chairs to the caucuses until the caucus meets to elect a formal chair.
D. The Caucuses include, but are not limited to:
1. ALANA and International Students Caucus
which will consist of ALANA graduate employees and International graduate employees of color.
2. Women's Caucus
which will consist of graduate employee women.
3. Queer Caucus
which will consist of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered graduate employees.
E. Caucus members may choose to expand the scope of their membership.
F. The Assembly of Stewards shall decide if any additional caucus chairs shall have a vote on the Stewards Assembly and ex-officio non-voting status on the Steering Committee.
Article 11-MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS
A. A general meeting of the membership shall be held at least twice each semester.
B. Additional meetings can be called as needed by the Steering Committee, the Assembly of Stewards, or by petition of one-tenth of the membership.
C. Decisions of the Membership override decisions made by any other GEO body.
D. The quorum for Membership meeting will be 10% of the Membership or 35 members, whichever is less.
Article 12-PROCESS AND PROCEDURES AT MEETINGS
A. Whenever a decision is to be made in a meeting of the Assembly of Stewards, the Steering Committee, or the Membership, the following process and procedures will apply.
B. The Chair (The title Chair refers to the individual conducting the meeting.) will ensure broad participation and open discussion at these meetings. Members wishing to speak at such meetings, who have not spoken already will be given priority over members wishing to speak, but have already spoken. The Chair may set a time limit, applied to all speakers uniformly, on the duration of speeches.
C. The Chair will recognize motions, and amendments thereof, made by anyone in the group.
D. Motions or amendments are proper only after they have been offered to and accepted by the Chair, and seconded.
E. Debate over motions is closed by a call from the group, which must be supported by a second. When the Chair puts this to a vote of the body, a two-thirds majority of the voting members present is required to end debate. If enough votes are cast to end debate, the chair must call for an immediate vote on the motion and the amendments.
F. Motions to table debate are made from the group, and if seconded, must be put to an immediate vote.
G. Any member may at anytime call upon the Chair for a Point of Information to clarify business being discussed.
H. If any member disagrees with a ruling of the Chair, s/he may raise a Point of Order and state his/her objection to the Chair. The Chair must then rule on this Point of Order.
I. If any member disagrees with a ruling of the Chair on a Point of Order, then s/he may, if supported by a second, appeal from the decision of the Chair. The member appealing the Chair's decision will be recognized by the Chair, and given an opportunity to state his or her reasons for believing the Chair should be overruled, after which the Chair will also have an opportunity to give his or her reasons for ruling against the appealing member. No one else may participate in this discussion. The Chair will then place the appeal before the group for a vote. A simple majority vote is necessary to sustain the appeal. A tie vote sustains the Chair.
Article 13-AFFILIATION
A. Affiliation with another organization, for purposes of better realizing the goals and objective of GEO, or conversely, disaffiliation with another organization, may be initiated by Referendum (as provided in Article 17).
B. The affiliation or disaffiliation shall be approved if more than one-half of the votes cast are in favor of affiliation or disaffiliation.
Article 14-DUES
A. GEO dues will be set in accordance with the UAW and Local 2322 constitution and bylaws.
B. Full members who do not hold current employment (as provided in Article 3(C)) shall pay dues at the same rate as associate members.
C. Associate members pay $1/month in dues.
Article 15-MEMBER RIGHTS
A. GEO derives all of its power from the members. The membership reserves the right to override any decision of the Steering Committee, the Assembly of Stewards or any other Committee at any time.
B. All GEO meetings are open to all members and all GEO members have the right to participate in the discussion of all decisions, with the exception of confidential personnel matters. This right includes notification of meetings, when feasible.
C. While the Steering Committee and the Assembly of Stewards are empowered to make decisions on behalf of the membership, they shall not make any decisions which contradict decisions made by the membership or contradict the will or intent of the membership.
D. The steering committee is authorized to disperse funds in an amount not to exceed $500. The assembly of stewards is authorized to disperse funds in an amount not to exceed $1000. Dispersal of funds exceeding these amounts, must be approved by the membership. Expenditures for political activity may be made only by the Assembly of Stewards or the membership and shall not exceed $500 per semester.
E. GEO does not prevent people from holding elected positions including becoming officers based upon their political affiliations.
F. GEO is a Union made up of graduate employees from many different countries. We do not condone or operate under the patriotic notions of any one of these represented countries, but are instead steered by the common interests of our members as academic workers.
Article 16-BYLAWS
A. These bylaws may be amended by presenting a motion in writing setting forth the amendments sought to a Membership meeting. The motion shall be read at that meeting and referred to the Bylaws Committee which will report with a drafted amendment to the next Membership meeting. A notice of the drafted amendment must contain a description of the particular bylaw amendments that will be considered. If approved by two-thirds of the Membership vote at this succeeding meeting, the amendment shall be adopted.
B. Only full members and associate members in good standing may vote on changes to the Bylaws. No changes may contradict any provision of this Bylaws, including any subsequent Amendments.
Article 17-ELECTION AND REFERENDA
A. Elections of officers and referenda votes shall be held by secret ballot at membership meetings. Before this meeting, provisions shall be made for absentee, mail-in or open balloting.
B. If more than two candidates run for one office, and if none of the candidates receives more than 50% of the votes cast, then a runoff election shall be held between the two candidates who receive the most votes.
C. Regular elections for officers and at-large members of the Steering Committee shall be held during the spring semester.
D. Elections to fill vacancies shall be held at the first general meeting following the date the office became vacant. The Assembly of Stewards can appoint a Steward or member of the Assembly of Stewards to fill a position on an interim basis.
E. Full members in good standing (as defined by Article 3(H)) may nominate themselves or any other full member in good standing for any office. Nominations shall be presented in writing to the Steering Committee. The deadline for nominations shall be 15 calendar days before the date of the election. Elections must occur no later than the first full week of May.
F. Referendum questions must be presented in writing at a Steering Committee Meeting with the signatures of at least one-tenth of the membership, the signatures of one-half of the Stewards, or the signatures of two-thirds of the members of the Steering Committee, no later than ten calendar days before the next Membership meeting. The Steering Committee shall place the referendum on the agenda for the next membership meeting and distribute written copies of the referendum within three working days after the referendum is presented to the Steering Committee. Referenda may specify that they may not be amended. If this specification is made, they must be voted on in the form they are written and originally presented.
Article 18-JURISDICTION
A. As a unit within the UAW, GEO is subject to the rules and regulations governing the UAW and Local Union 2322 Bylaws. However, in all unit matters we have strict autonomy in accordance with Article 35 Section 3 of the UAW Constitution.
B. GEO has proportional representation on Local 2322 Join Council based on the dues dollar amount GEO pays to the Local Union in accordance with Article 35 Section 3 of the UAW Constitution.
C. GEO representatives to the Joint Council shall serve the greater of one year or until such time as new elections for representatives to Joint Council takes place. If a GEO representative to the Joint Council resigns or is recalled, the Steering Committee must appoint a new representative to serve until the next membership meeting. At that membership meeting a new representative will be elected, in accordance with the bylaws of Local 2322.
Article 19-ENACTMENT
This bylaws shall be voted on by secret ballot and enacted thereupon.
GEO Bylaws Amendments
Passed amendments
Current by-laws have been ratified April 16, 1998. They have been amended October 1998.
There has been one amendment since:
April 2002: Article 9(D) “Standing Committees”
Added bylaws committee as a standing committee and defined rights and duties of the GEO bylaws committee.
GEO bylaws amendment procedure
(GEO bylaws, article 16 and UAW constitution)
1. Present a written motion to the membership meeting
2. Refer to bylaws committee
3. Present drafted version to the next membership meeting
4. Adopt with two-thirds vote at following membership meeting
5. Send to UAW International for approval
Proposed amendments
Article 3-Membership
Brought up at BLC Fri, Sep 28, 2001
Making GEO staff full members
Article 4-Officers, (E)
Brought up at BLC Fri, Sep 28, 2001
Substantially simplify job description of officers
Article 7-Stewards, (B)
Brought up at BLC Fri, Sep 28, 2001
Clarify and make more flexible the time of elections, clarify end of term of steward
Article 8-Assembly of Stewards, (E)
Brought up at BLC Fri, Sep 28, 2001
Correct or remove incorrect mentioning of number of officers and members at-large
Article 9-Standing Committees, (C), 5
Brought up at BLC Fri, Sep 28, 2001
Clarify if Finance Committee members should be Joint Council delegates
