The Constitution
of the Teaching Assistants Union of Western Michigan
University
Preamble:
We, the members of the Teaching Assistants Union
at Western Michigan University, having been authorized
in a democratic election validated by the State of
Michigan as the legal representative of our constituency
for the purposes of collective bargaining, hereby
commit ourselves to fostering participatory democracy
in our university and community.
Article I: Name
The name of this union
shall be the Teaching Assistants Union.
Article II: Affiliation
This union is affiliated
with the AFT-Michigan, American Federation of Teachers,
and the AFL-CIO.
Article III: Goals
The goals of this union
shall be the organization of our members, collective
bargaining for our members, the promotion of union
solidarity, and the promotion of quality education
at Western Michigan University. This union seeks
to cooperate with other unions and groups to promote
common goals.
Article IV: Membership
Definitions
i-
Eligibility: No person otherwise eligible for
membership in this union, as provided in the definition
hereafter, shall be denied membership for any reason.
ii- Regular
Membership: This union shall consist of those graduate
students of Western Michigan University who are included
in the collective bargaining unit and who remain in
good standing by paying regular dues.
iii- Associate
Membership: This union shall also consist of those
who are graduate students at Western Michigan University
who choose to pay membership dues but are not included
in the Collective Bargaining Unit.
iv- Representation
Fee Payers: All those who are part of the Collective
Bargaining Unit but choose not to be members shall
be assessed a representation fee as set by the union.
In order to become a regular member, they shall be
required to pay the difference between the regular
membership dues and the representation fee retroactively
to the beginning of the current academic term.
v- General
Membership shall be defined as both regular and associate
members in good standing.
Article V: Membership
Rights and Responsibilities
i-
As defined in Article IV, the Regular Members
shall have the right to:
a. elect
their stewards from their employing unit to the Stewards
Council. For the purposes of this constitution, the
employing unit shall be defined as the basic level
of organization that employs teaching assistants as
recognized by the Stewards Council,
b. hold
office as a steward and hold any office open to stewards
as defined below unless otherwise prohibited,
c. attend
and speak before the Stewards Council,
d. serve
on committees as appointed by the Stewards Council,
e. propose
policies or changes to policies at either the Stewards
Council or General Membership Meetings,
f.
vote on ratification of this constitution,
amendments to this constitution, employment contracts,
work actions, and major issues as determined by the
Stewards Council,
g. bring
grievances,
h. attend
membership meetings,
i.
receive periodic reports providing a full and
clear accounting of all funds including periodic reports
to the membership by the appropriate fiscal officers
and an annual financial review as required by law
or affiliation.
ii- Associate
Members shall have all the same rights as regular
members except they shall be barred from voting on
contracts and work actions.
iii- Representation
Fee Payers shall have the rights as required by law
and the right to become regular members in accordance
with Article IV, section iv.
Article VI: General
Membership Meetings
i-
There shall be at least one General Membership
Meeting called in the fall and spring terms, as early
in the term as possible following the first week of
classes.
ii- Additional
General Membership Meetings may be called by the Stewards
Council, the President, or by petition of ten (10)
percent of the general membership to settle issues
facing the union.
iii- General principles
a. All
regular and associate members shall be eligible to
speak and vote except as specified in Article V, section
ii.
b. Meetings
shall be moderated by the President and/or designee(s).
c. Rules
of order shall be determined by the Stewards Council
as consistent with this constitution.
d. Decisions
made shall be binding on union policy and these can
only be revoked by the general membership, not by
the Stewards Council.
e. The
Information Officer shall procure a meeting place
and give notice to the membership through appropriate
means.
iv- Agendas of Regularly
Scheduled Meetings
a. The
Fall Term Membership meeting shall include setting
the union’s agenda and priorities for the coming academic
year, welcome and introduction for new union members,
critical issues, and any other added agenda items.
b. The
Spring Term Membership meeting shall include presentation
of the yearly financial review, approval of the budget
and dues structure for the following academic year,
critical issues, and any other added agenda items.
Article
VII. Stewards Council
i-
The Stewards Council shall consist of all stewards.
ii- The
duties of a steward shall be to:
a. promote
participation and activism,
b. attend
and participate in the Stewards Council and its meetings,
c. attend
and participate in committees as needed,
d. handle
grievances following proper procedural guidelines.
e. perform
tasks as determined by the Stewards Council,
iii- Structure
a. The
basic level of representation on the Stewards Council
is the employing unit.
b. Each
employing unit shall elect stewards to the Stewards
Council at least annually and all policies governing
the election and relationship between individual stewards
and their constituency shall be reserved to that constituency.
c. Each
employing unit shall have at least one steward regardless
of size, with the number of stewards to be determined
by tenth-scale of all bargaining unit employees, viz.:
1-9=1, 10-19=2, 20-29=3, etc. All vacancies shall
be the responsibility of the employing unit.
iv- The Stewards Council
shall manage the operations of the union including
but not limited to:
a. submitting
the budget and dues for membership approval,
b. voting
on proposed policies,
c. appointing
and adjourning committees,
d. electing
the Executive Committee from amongst itself.
v- Procedures
a. The
Stewards Council must have at least one meeting a
month with a quorum of twenty (20) percent of recognized
employing units to hold a binding vote.
b. The
Stewards Council shall determine its own procedural
rules except as specified in this constitution.
c. The
Stewards Council shall establish committees, their
number and membership, and duration except for the
Grievance Committee and Executive Committee, which
shall be standing committees.
d. The
minutes of Stewards Council meetings shall be made
available to members upon request.
vi- Discipline or Removal
of Stewards:
a. Stewards
can be disciplined or removed from the council by
a two-thirds vote of the council which meets requirements
of Article VII, Section v, Paragraph a.
b. Upon
either action, it will be the duty of the Vice President
to notify the steward and the steward’s employing
unit of the action in a timely fashion.
c. In
the event of removal, the vacancy shall be filled
as directed by said unit, with the offending member
unable to serve as a steward for the remained of the
academic year or longer as determined by the Stewards
Council.
Article VIII: The
Executive Committee
i-
The Executive Committee shall consist of the
offices of President, Vice-President, Information
Officer and Treasurer.
a. The
officers shall be elected from amongst the stewards,
nominated, and elected by simple majority of the council
which meets requirements of Article VII, Section v,
Paragraph a.
b. The
officers shall serve one-year terms from May 1st
to April 31st with newly elected officers
attending Executive Committee meetings beginning April
1 with no voting privileges until May 1.
c. It
shall meet weekly apart from designated university
breaks.
d. It
shall recommend the agenda for the Stewards Council
meeting.
e. The
officers retain the rights, privileges, and duties
of a steward.
f.
The officers can be disciplined or removed
by a two-thirds vote of the Stewards Council which
meets requirements of Article VII, Section v, Paragraph
a. If removed from the Executive Committee, the steward
shall remain on the Stewards Council with all rights
and privileges unless removed by a separate vote.
g. The
officers shall be reimbursed their dues at the end
of each academic year.
ii- The
President. The duties of the President shall be to
a. recommend
the agenda for Executive Committee meetings,
b. officiate
at Executive Committee Meetings, Stewards Council
Meetings and General Membership Meetings,
c. have
access to all accounts and property of the union,
d. serve
as ex officio on all committees at the President’s
discretion,
e. serve
as or designate the chief representative of the union
to other unions, groups, and the community.
iii- The Vice-President.
The duties of the Vice-President shall be to
a. maintain
membership rolls,
b. serve
as chair of the Grievance Committee,
c. perform
the duties of the President in the event the President
is unable to perform them unless otherwise designated.
d. In
the case of executive committee vacancies, the Vice
President shall assume the duties of the vacant post
until the Stewards Council shall nominate and elect
a new officer.
iv- The Information
Officer. The duties of the Information Officer shall
be to
a. record,
or designate someone to record, the minutes of Executive
Committee Meetings, Stewards Council Meetings, and
General Membership Meetings,
b. receive
written proposals from the General Membership,
c. maintain
regular communication between the Stewards Council
and the General Membership including, but not limited
to, publicizing meeting agendas and minutes, General
Membership Meetings, policy changes, and all policies
regarding voting procedures of the general membership,
including their time, place, and method.
v- The
Treasurer. The duties of the Treasure shall be to
a. maintain
accurate records of all monies and properties of the
union,
b. have
access, with the President, to all accounts and property
of the union,
c. administer
the collection of dues,
d. distribute
funds,
e. submit
a yearly written report of the finances of the union
to the Spring General Membership meeting.
Article IX: Dues
i-
Dues shall be proposed by the Stewards Council
and approved at the General Membership Meeting. A
majority vote of the membership present shall approve
any increase in dues over the current level.
ii- The
Stewards Council may temporarily increase dues for
unforeseen reasons but such increases will only become
permanent upon the approval of the General Membership
at the next regularly scheduled General Membership
Meeting.
iii- The representation
fee paid by non-union members of the Collective Bargaining
Unit shall be proposed each year by the Stewards Council
and approved at the General Membership Meeting.
Article X: Amendments
i-
Any member or members (including stewards)
seeking to amend this constitution shall present in
writing a copy of the proposed amendment to the Information
Officer. The Information Officer shall place the
proposed amendment on the next Stewards Council agenda
for consideration. The proposed amendment must be
approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the Stewards
Council which meets the requirements of Article VII,
Section v, Paragraph a before being placed before
the General Membership for approval.
ii- Any
member or members seeking to amend this constitution
may alternatively propose such amendment at a General
Membership Meeting. If such an amendment passes at
the same meeting as it was proposed, a second vote
by the General Membership shall be required to ratify
the amendment.
Article XI: Ratification
of this Constitution
i-
This Constitution must be ratified by a simple
majority of the general membership voting in a well-publicized
election.
ii- The
acting stewards shall determine the procedure of the
election.
