Page 17 - Work Force October 2024

Proposed amendments to
CSEA’s Constitution and By-Laws
The Committee has, amongst its functions,
the duty to review proposals and make recommendations to the Delegates regarding amendments to the CSEA Constitution and By-
Laws. This report addresses proposals submitted for the 2024 Delegates Meeting. Committee recommendations are presented to the Delegates, together with the reasons for the recommendations. As of this writing, the Committee met twice this year to review the proposals below. (New language is underlined; deleted language is [lined out and in brackets].)
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THE FOLLOWING ITEM IS BEING PRESENTED TO THE DELEGATES BY THE COMMITTEE AS A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE STATEWIDE CONSTITUTION. PRESENTATION AT THIS MEETING CONSTITUTES A FIRST READING OF THIS AMENDMENT. IF PASSED AT THIS MEETING, THIS AMENDMENT WILL BE PRESENTED AGAIN TO THE DELEGATES AT THE NEXT REGULAR DELEGATES MEETING FOR A SECOND REQUIRED READING.
Proposal 1
The following Constitution proposal was submitted by Statewide President Mary E. Sullivan: ARTICLE XIII – Amendments
This Constitution may be amended as follows:
(a) A proposed amendment must be submitted in writing to the Secretary of the Association by June 15 of the year of the delegate meeting at which it is to be presented, and
(b) A copy of [A majority of the delegates present and voting at the meeting must approve] the proposed amendment [or a substantially similar amendment and order that it be] shall be published in the official newspaper of CSEA at least ten (10) days prior to the delegate [next] meeting at which it is to be presented [of the Association], and
(c) The proposed amendment, as published, or a substantially similar amendment is approved
by a two-thirds vote of the delegates present and voting at the delegate [next] meeting at which it is presented [of the Association].
EXPLANATION: “This proposal addresses the current need to wait four (4) years to amend the CSEA Constitution. By changing the Article to one reading on proper notice, but still requiring a 2/3 vote, it allows a more efficient process while protecting the integrity of the constitution.”
The Committee supports this proposal for the reasons set forth by the proposer.
FOR THE PURPOSE OF PLACING THIS AMENDMENT BEFORE THE DELEGATES,
ON BEHALF OF THE COMMITTEE, I MOVE THE ADOPTION OF THIS AMENDMENT. THE
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS A “YES” VOTE.
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THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE BEING PRESENTED TO THE DELEGATES BY THE COMMITTEE AS PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE BY-LAWS. IF PASSED AT THIS MEETING, THESE AMENDMENTS WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
Proposal 2
The following By-Laws proposal was submitted by Region 6 President Steve Healy, Tim Finnigan
of Local 608, Sheri Ambuske of Local 805, Lovette Mootry of Local 403, and William Wilkinson of Local 815:
ARTICLE Ill - Statewide Elections
Section 1. ELECTION TERMS. Text Remains the Same.
Section 2. ELECTION PROCEDURE. Text Remains the Same.
(a)ELIGIBILITY. Text Remains the Same.
(b)NOMINATIONS. Nominations for the offices
of President, Executive Vice President, six Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and for State Executive Committee and Local Government Executive Committee shall be made by official petition. Upon the written request of any member, official petition forms shall be provided by the Chairperson of the Statewide Election Committee
or designated employee of the Association. When nominating petitions are given out, the name of
the candidate and the office that the candidate is seeking must be typed or clearly printed at the top of the petition. A record must be kept of all petitions distributed.
(1)A member who is otherwise eligible may qualify as a candidate for Association President, Executive Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer
by submitting a nominating petition carrying the signatures and identifying information of not less than 1,000 members in good standing eligible to vote in the election.
(2)A member who is otherwise eligible may qualify as a candidate for Region President (CSEA Vice President) by submitting a nominating petition carrying the signatures and identifying information of not less than 500 members in good standing eligible to vote in the election.
(3)A member who is otherwise eligible may qualify as a candidate for the State Executive Committee or Local Government Executive Committee by submitting a nominating petition carrying the signatures and identifying information of not less than [ten percent (10%)] 5 percent (5%) of the members in good standing eligible to vote in their election provided, however, that in no
event will more than [300] 100 valid signatures be required.
Rest of Article Remains the Same.
EXPLANATION: “This process is just to get on
the ballot and run for office, opposed or unopposed. During the COVID-19 period no individual or slate needed signatures and identifying information
on the petitions and this process worked well.
Post COVID-19, many facilities and members are working remotely and this process is very difficult for individuals trying to run for the position on the Board of Directors to get the required signatures
per the by-laws. In State agencies’ BOD seats, some have multiple areas across the state or region
that are required to get signatures from outside
their job site where these individuals have no authorization to these work sites for access. In
local government, they have the same issues with
no access to individual buildings for signatures
also. So, to accomplish these petitions’ signatures, individuals usually have other members help them out with petitions, but that is a burden on trusting these individuals to help out with the process. We feel that reducing the required number of signatures would ease the burden of the member seeking this seat. This is just to get on a ballot and if campaigning needs to be done, there is an election process. It is up to the member running for office to campaign and receive support from their members.”
The Committee does not support this proposal for the following reasons:
Getting out and speaking to members is a cornerstone of successful unions. Members who wish to take on a leadership role in CSEA need to meet and speak to their members in order to better understand the needs and wants of the membership. The CSEA Board of Directors is the governing body of a multi-million dollar corporation. Becoming
a director on the board and making decisions regarding policies and the use of resources should not be a trivial endeavor. The Committee believes that the current signature requirements—10% but no more than 300, emphasizes the importance of
the position while at the same time not making the qualification process overly burdensome.
In the 2024 election, only 22 seats required more than 200 signatures. Of the 36 unfilled seats, only 11 required more than 200 signatures.
The Committee strongly believes that it is incumbent upon the member seeking a board seat to take the time and put in the required effort to become qualified. The Committee is not convinced, based on the data, that the signature requirement is the impediment to qualifying for the election.
Continued on page 18
October 2024
The Work Force 17