CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I: NAME
This organization shall be known as the
UNITED TEACHERS OF MONROE, LOCAL 3709, FEA, AFT, AFL-CIO.
ARTICLE II: AFFILIATION
The UNITED TEACHERS OF MONROE shall be a
unified local of the Florida Education Association and shall be affiliated
with:
(1) American Federation of Teachers
(2)
(3) Any Labor Organization approved by the
Council of Stewards.
ARTICLE III: OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this organization shall be:
Section
1: To achieve the best-written contract for teachers &
paraprofessional/school related personnel through the collective bargaining
process.
Section
2: To obtain and protect for all teachers & paraprofessional/school
related personnel all of the rights to which they are entitled in a free
society.
Section
3: To achieve for teachers & paraprofessional/school related personnel the
rights of self-governance in training, certification, curriculum, evaluation
and dismissal.
Section
4: To increase teacher& paraprofessional/school related personnel power
through legislative and political action.
Section 5: To
insure maximum economic and professional services for all members.
Section
6: To achieve an economic power base to benefit all teachers & paraprofessional/school
related personnel.
Section 7:
To create a positive and realistic image of teachers in the eyes of the public
and within the teaching profession.
Section 8:
To encourage and promote teacher & paraprofessional/school related personnel
involvement in community affairs.
Section
9: To promote the welfare of the children of
Section 10:
To promote mutual assistance and cooperation among all teacher &
paraprofessional/school related personnel organizations and public employee
organizations in
ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP
Section
1: All teachers, or retired teachers, and all school related personnel of
the Monroe County School System, or any member of the professional staff of
UTM, upon payment of annual dues, shall be a member of the UNITED TEACHERS OF
MONROE.
Section
2: Membership and all rights and privileges in the UNITED TEACHERS OF
MONROE shall not be denied because of race, sex, religious faith, or political
activities or beliefs.
Section 3:
All teachers and paraprofessional/school related personnel, as defined in the
BYLAWS, shall be eligible for membership.
Section 4:
Every person primarily engaged in classroom teaching or allied or school
related work in
Section 5:
Interpretation of Article IV shall be the responsibility of the Executive
Council, subject to the approval of the Council of Stewards.
ARTICLE V: OFFICERS
Section
1: The following officers shall be elected for a term of two (2) years:
(a)
President
(b)
Vice President
(c)
Secretary
(d)
Treasurer
(e)
Three (3) Area Vice Presidents
(f)
First Vice President for
Paraprofessional/School Related Personnel
(g)
Second Vice President for
Paraprofessional/School Related Personnel
Section
2: Active membership in UTM as a building Steward, officer or as a
committee member during the school year immediately preceding the election
shall be required as a prerequisite to running for office.
Section 3:
The organization shall be governed by elected representatives of the membership
known as the Council of Stewards, subject to the provisions of this Constitution
and BYLAWS.
Section
4: There shall be an Executive Council which shall consist of the nine (9)
elected officers.
Section 5:
The Executive Council shall:
(a)
Execute the policies of the organization in
between Council of Stewards meetings and area meetings.
(b)
Consider all matters of concern to the
organization.
ARTICLE VI: VACANCIES
Section 1: The
Executive Council shall determine when a vacancy exists in an elective or an
appointed position.
Section
2: Vacancies in elective or appointive positions shall be filled by the
Executive Council; should a vacancy develop in the position(s) of Steward, the
members from the school concerned, within two (2) weeks shall fill the vacancy
or it shall be filled by the Executive Council.
ARTICLE VII: QUORUM
Section
1: One eighth (1/8) of the active membership shall constitute a quorum at
meetings of the membership. One eighth
(1/8) of the active membership of an area shall constitute a quorum at area
membership meetings.
Section
2: A quorum of the Council of Stewards shall consist of one third (1/3) of
the Stewards.
Section
3: A majority of its members shall constitute a quorum at meetings of the
Executive Council.
ARTICLE VIII: INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM
Section 1:
One-third (1/3) of the active members may initiate a proposition or may demand
a referendum on any action of the Council of the Council of Stewards. The Executive Council shall submit same to
the entire membership within thirty (30) days following certification thereof. The Executive Council shall take no more than
two (2) weeks to certify the signatories.
Section 2:
Recall of the officers of the UNITED TEACHERS OF MONROE shall be in accordance
with Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised.
ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS
Section 1: Amendments to this
Constitution may be proposed by one-third (1/3) of the active members, a
majority of the Council of Stewards or by two-thirds (2/3) of the Executive Council.
Section
2: The Constitution may be altered, amended or repealed by two-thirds (2/3)
vote of the membership, provided that any proposed change must be submitted, in
writing, to the President and read in a Council of Stewards meeting before
being acted upon.
ARTICLE X: ELECTION
Election of officers and delegates shall be
by secret ballot.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised, shall be the authority on all questions of procedure not
specifically stated in this Constitution and its Bylaws.
ARTICLE II: OFFICERS
Section 1: The officers shall
assume their duties June 1.
Section 2:
The President shall preside at membership meetings of the organization, the
Council of Stewards and the Executive Council.
He/she shall appoint all committees of the organization, subject to the
approval of the Executive Council.
He/she shall serve as a voting member of all committees.
Section
3: The Vice President shall assist the President and shall assume all
duties of the President in case of his/her absence and shall perform such other
duties as may be assigned by the President.
Additionally, the Vice President shall coordinate the goals of UTM in
the respective schools, working cooperatively with the Area Vice Presidents.
Section 4:
The Secretary shall assist the President and the Vice President, shall take
notes and prepare minutes of all meetings, and shall perform such other duties
as may be assigned by the President.
Section
5: The Treasurer shall assist the President and Vice President, shall
oversee the finances, jointly sign all checks, and perform such other duties as
may be assigned by the President.
Section 6:
There shall be three (3) Area Vice Presidents, one for each of the following
areas:
Section 7: The
First Vice President for Paraprofessional/School-Related Personnel (P/SRP)
shall act as chairman of the standing committee for P/SRP of UTM, shall make
all appointments to said committee or subcommittees subject to the approval of
the President, and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the
President. He/she shall be a voting
member of the P/SRP committee and its subcommittees.
Section
8: The Second Vice President for P/SRP shall assist the First Vice
President for P/SRP and shall serve in his/her absence. He/she shall also perform such other duties
as may be assigned by the President.
Section
9: The President shall be the chief executive officer and spokesman of the
UNITED TEACHERS OF MONROE. It shall be
his/her duty to:
(a)
Administer the affairs of the UNITED
TEACHERS OF MONROE as determined by the Council of Stewards and the Executive
Council.
(b)
Plan meetings and conferences and serve as a
delegate to all conventions of state and national affiliates.
(c)
Prepare the annual budget and submit it to
the Executive Council and the Council of Stewards for approval.
(d)
Hire employees and consultants as deemed
necessary.
(e)
Maintain minutes and records of the
organization.
(f)
Manage the financial affairs of the
organization.
(g)
Sign all checks.
(h)
Fulfill such other duties as the office
requires and as are consistent with this Constitution and Bylaws.
Section 10:
All incumbents shall be eligible to succeed themselves. They also shall be eligible to hold any other
office upon completion of their present terms or upon resignation from their
present office.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1:
Membership in this organization shall be classified as active, special or
retired.
Section 2:
An active member shall be a full-time teacher or school-related employee as
defined in this section.
(a)
A teacher shall be defined as one who
devotes a major part of his/her time to classroom teaching or allied work
considered as teaching on the local instructional schedule.
(b)
A school-related employee shall be defined
as one who is employed in any of the following areas: custodians,
crossing-guards, clerical land monitorial aides, data processors, food service
personnel, school nurses, security personnel, transportation personnel,
teacher's assistants, or any other support position not included on the
instructional salary schedule.
Section 3: A special member shall be a
full-time substitute or part-time teacher or part-time school-related employee.
Section 4: A retired member shall be an
active member who has retired from teaching or related schoolwork.
ARTICLE IV: COUNCIL OF STEWARDS
Section
1: The Council of Stewards shall formulate the policies of the
organization, and it shall have the power to adopt, amend or rescind actions of
the Executive Council. It shall be the
sole judge of the qualifications of its members. The Council of Stewards shall have the power
to remove elected representatives from the Council of Stewards for neglect of
duty upon a majority vote of the Council.
The Council shall be the final arbitrator in all dispute elections and
interpretations of this Constitution and its Bylaws, and shall approve the
annual budget and fiscal policy.
Section
2: Notice of the meetings of the Council of Stewards must be provided not less
than five (5) days in advance in the manner set forth for its notice of
meetings of membership.
ARTICLE V: EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Section 1:
The function of the Executive Council shall be to give consideration and study
to all aspects of the union and to take action and make recommendations to the
President, the Council of Stewards and all committees of UTM.
Section 2:
The Executive Council members shall have full voting rights on the Council of
Stewards. Further, Executive Council
recommendations are in no way intended to usurp the already powers of the
Council of Stewards.
ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS OF THE ORGANIZATION
Section 1:
The time and place of the meetings of the membership and/or special meetings
shall be designated by, and at the call of, the Executive Council upon ten (10)
days notice thereof.
Section
2: Meetings of the Executive Council
shall be no less than five (5) times during a school year. The Executive Council will determine the
place for each meeting.
Section
3: Meetings of the Council of Stewards shall be held no less than three (3)
times a year; however, other meetings may be called by the President.
Section
4: Area building steward meetings shall be held at least three (3) times a
year; however, other meetings may be called by the President or the Area
V.P. Area meetings of the membership
shall be held at least three (3) times a year; however, other other meetings
may be called by the President or the Area V.P.
ARTICLE VII: STANDING COMMITTEES
Section 1: Chairpersons
and members of the following standing committees shall be appointed by the
President, subject to the approval of the Executive Council.
(a)
Minority Affairs
(b)
Legislative and Political Action
(Tiger/Cope)
(c)
Scholarship
(d)
Economic Services
(e)
Internal Affairs
(f)
Paraprofessional/School-Related Personnel
(P/SRP)
Section 2:
The committees shall advise the Executive Council upon matters within their
respective competencies.
Section
3: Chairpersons of standing committees shall be members of the Council of
Stewards with full voting privileges.
Section
4: Members of the union in good standing shall be eligible to serve on a
committee or to act as chairperson of any committee upon nomination of the
President and approval of the Executive Council.
Section
5: Special committees may be established by the President subject to the
approval of the Executive Council.
ARTICLE VIII: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1:
The Internal Affairs Committee shall be responsible for conducting elections of
officers and delegates and for holding special elections, subject to approval
of the Council of Stewards.
Section
2: Election procedures shall be established not less than forty-five (45)
days prior to elections; failure in this regard, however, shall not be deemed
to invalidate any election, provided only that the procedures established and
adopted are fair and impartial to all candidates and validly protect the
interests of the members.
Section
3: Nominations for officers and delegates shall be in writing, executed by
the nominees and five (5) sponsoring members, and shall be delivered or
postmarked at least thirty (30) days prior to the election to the Internal
Affairs Committee or its designated agent.
Nominations may not be made from the floor. Notice of these nominations shall be made at
least fifteen (15) days prior to the election.
Section
4: Delegates shall be selected by secret ballot and/or appointed by the
President with approval of the Executive Council.
Section
5:
(a)
All officers shall be elected by a majority
of the votes cast. If candidates do not
receive a majority, a run-off election shall be held.
(b)
All delegates shall be elected by a
plurality of the votes cast. In the
event of a tie, a run-off election shall be held.
Section
6: The President and the Vice President shall certify the results of all
elections at the next Steward Council meeting following an election.
ARTICLE IX: STEWARDS
Section 1:
Stewards shall be elected from the UTM's active members of each school or
county work site at a unit meeting in the ratio of one (1) steward for each ten
(10) active members of UTM or major fraction thereof: provided, that no school
or work site shall have no less than one (1) steward for instructional
personnel and one (1) steward for P/SRP.
Section
2: Election of stewards shall coincide with the election of officers. Each steward shall hold office for a term of
two (2) years.
Section
3: A member, in order to serve as a steward, shall be an active member in
good standing of the UNITED TEACHERS OF MONROE.
ARTICLE X: ANNUAL DUES
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Section 1:
Annual dues of the union shall be determined by a majority vote of the Council
of Stewards upon recommendation of the President and the Executive Council in
accordance with Article XI, Section 1, of the Bylaws.
Section 2:
Effective
a. Active: One percent (1%) of the base teacher
salary plus a pass-through for all affiliate per capita, plus $10 for Tiger
Cope, with an additional provision that no increase shall exceed fifteen
percent (15%) from one year to the next.
b. Special: the dues of any Active or Special
member earning less than $26,357 but more than $8,785 shall be ½ the dues of an
active member; any Active or Special member earning less than $8,785 shall be one fourth (1/4) the
dues of an Active member. The thresholds
for full, half and quarter dues shall coincide with FEA dues for full, half and
quarter dues.
c.
Retired: The dues for Retired members shall be set annually by the Executive
Council.
ARTICLE XI: MEMBERSHIP YEAR
Section 1: the
membership year shall be from August 15th of any given year through
August 14th of the succeeding year.
Section
2: The member electing to pay his/her dues through payroll deduction shall
be a member in good standing upon submission of the sighed form to the UNITED
TEACHERS OF MONROE. A cash member shall
be in good standing upon payment in full of annual dues by November 15th
of that membership year.
ARTICLE XII: AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds
(2/3) vote of those stewards present and voting at a Steward Council meeting;
provided, that the amendment has been read at the preceding Council of Stewards
meeting or at the direction of the Executive Council.
UNITED TEACHERS OF
1400 C UNITED STREET, KEY WEST, FL 33040
TEL 305-294-7483 FAX
305-294-3876
FEA/United, AFT, AFL-CIO
CONSTITUTION
AND BYLAWS