Page 16 - Work Force March 2017

2017 CSEA elections information — Public Sector Local and Unit Elections
Elections will be Conducted for All Public Sector Local and Unit Officers
The term of office for all current Public Sector Local and Unit officers expires June 30, 2017. Public Sector officers and local delegates will be elected to four-year terms.
Balloting for officers will be conducted between May 15 and June 15, 2017, where applicable.
Each Local and Unit executive board must select its own election committee and Election Committee Chairperson, or Election Meeting Chairperson, if applicable. The Election Committee/Election Meeting
Chairperson is responsible for conducting the election, which includes choosing an election schedule, posting notices and coordinating nominations and voting.
Members may run as individual candidates or as a slate. (See adjacent information regarding Slate Petitioning and Slate voting.)
Note: When circulating and signing individual and slate petition forms, members must write in their own CSEA ID numbers.
Important Information about Slate Petitioning and Slate Voting
Aslate must contain a candidate running for the offices of President, one or more Vice Presidents, as set forth in the Local’s by-laws, Secretary and Treasurer,
and any other offices that have been created according to the Local or Unit Constitution and by-laws (for example, the combined Secretary-Treasurer position).
Candidates should know the following:
• A member cannot be a candidate for officer and for delegate on the same slate.
An officer candidate must circulate a separate nominating petition in order to appear on the ballot also as a candidate for delegate. The member
will appear on the ballot as a candidate for office as part of the slate and as an individual for the position of delegate.
• When circulating and signing petition forms, members must write in their own CSEA ID numbers.
• Candidates who run as a
slate must complete a Slate Eligibility and Consent Form and Slate Petition Request Form. By petitioning as a slate, candidates who appear as part of a slate need to submit only one set of the required number of signatures to qualify as a candidate. Individual petitions are not necessary for slate candidates.
• Candidates who withdraw from a slate must complete a Slate Withdrawal Form and return the form to their election committee.
• More detailed information about election slates will be available from Local and Unit election committees.
ATTENTION: Public Sector Local and Unit Presidents
Did you send your Election Committee Data Form (ECDF) to CSEA Headquarters?
In early February, all registered Election Committee Chairs and Election Meeting Chairs received an election package from CSEA to assist them in performing their election duties. This material is necessary to have to run a proper election. As new election committees are registered,
these election packages will be mailed to the Election Committee Chairs.
CSEA Headquarters cannot send material and information to any Chairperson, without first receiving the completed ECDF from the Local or Unit President.
Inquiries regarding the election process may be directed to the CSEA Statewide Election Committee at 1-800- 342-4146, ext. 1447 or sec@cseainc.org.
Break in membership affects eligibility for union office, voting privileges
Abreak in union membership
status can have long-term future implications. Your membership status affects your eligibility with respect to:
• Seeking or holding union office;
• Signing nominating petitions
for potential candidates;
• Voting in union elections, and;
• Voting on collective bargaining
contracts.
Only members in “good standing”
can participate in these activities. To be in “good standing”, your dues cannot be delinquent.
If you go on unpaid leave or for any other reason have a break in your employment status, your dues will not continue to be paid through payroll deductions. You must make arrangements to pay your dues directly to CSEA to continue your membership status. If you are either laid off or placed on leave without pay status due to becoming disabled
by accident, illness, maternity or paternity, you may be eligible for dues-free membership status for a period not to exceed one year. If you are called up for active military duty you may also apply for dues-free status.
Note, however, you must continue to pay dues to run for office. Dues- free or gratuitous membership allows members to continue their insurance coverage while out of work. It does not protect your right to run for or hold office. This does not apply to members who are on leave due to being called up for military duty. Members on active duty, upon return, are considered to have had continuous membership status for all CSEA election purposes.
Please notify the CSEA Membership Department at 1-800-342-4146, ext. 1334, of any change in your status and what arrangements you are making to continue your membership in CSEA.
Locals and Units with 150 or Fewer Members
Holding an Election at a Special Membership Meeting
Locals and Units with 150 members or less may choose to appoint an Election Meeting Chairperson (instead of an election committee) in order to conduct an election at a meeting. Holding an election at a Special Membership meeting simplifies the election process in that, where there are races (more than one candidate for an office), the Election Meeting Chairperson calls a Membership
meeting for the purpose of electing officers.
Application for Office
In regard to nominations, special election rules apply to Locals and Units of 150 or fewer members.
In these smaller Locals and Units, completion of the Application for Election to Office replaces the requirement to obtain signatures on a nominating petition, simplifying the process.
16 The Work Force March 2017