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As amended in Bloomington ,
Illinois
June 28, 2006
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
State Officers and State
Steward Page 4
Preamble Page 5
Article I Name and Purpose Page 6
Section 1. Name
Section 2. Purpose
Section 3. Standards of Conduct
Article II Membership Page 7
Section 1. Types
of Membership
Section 2.
Dues
Section 3.
Membership and Fiscal Year
Article III Officers Page
8
Section 1. Officers
Section 2.
Executive Committee
Section 3.
General Supervision
Section 4.
Compensation
Section 5.
Voting
Section 6.
Vacancies
Section 7.
Duties of Officers
Section 8.
Full-time Employee
Article IV Meetings and Divisions Page 12
Section 1. The
Annual Meeting
Section 2. Booster
Meetings
Section 3. Leagues
Section 4.
Section 5. Trusteeship
Section 6. Association
Auxiliary
Article V Executive Board Page 15
Section 1. The
State Board
Section 2. The
State Steward
Section 3. The
Executive Board
Section 4. Quorum
Article VI Committees Page
16
Section 1. President
appointments
Section 2. Duties
Section 3. Eligibility
Article VII National Association Representative Page 16
Section 1. Representation
Section 2. Delegate
Eligibility
Section 3. How
to be elected
Section 4. Requirements
of being a Delegate
Section 5. Delegate
pay
Section 6. Election
Complaints
Article VIII Insurance Page
19
Article IX Tentative Agreements Page 20
Article X Parliamentary Authority Page
20
Article XI Amendments to the Constitution Page
20
Section 1. Amendments
Section 2. Interim
Amendments
CONSTITUTION
OF THE
(As revised at the 2006 Annual Meeting in
STATE OFFICERS
President……………………………………………………………..….. Joyce Wilson
Vice President……………….……………………………………..…..Janice Jeremiah
Secretary-Treasurer………………………………………….………...Pete Harrington
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chairman and
Northern Committeeman…………………………………….…...…… Edward Carter
Southern Committeeman……………………………………………...…..Chris Finley
Central Committeeman ……………………………………….………..…Becky Payne
Committeeman-at-Large…………………………………………………Deb Mullvain
STATE STEWARD
Steven L. Traylor
PREAMBLE
This
Association is predicated upon the long-recognized need of those who work in
our service industry for the establishment of a united force, free from
divisive conflict, to accomplish the organization of all workers within its
authority; to advance the economic and other interests of all members; to
safeguard, enhance, and insure their job security; to enlarge upon their
opportunities, and to provide in every respect their continuing full share of
reward in the growth and expansion of the United States Postal Service to which
they contribute so substantially in the commitment of their working lives.
This
Association shall seek, in unity and with all of the resources at its command,
to realize the highest aspirations of its members as workers and as citizens.
It deems such realization to be their right, and it shall protect against all
threats of impairment from any source.
This
Association is dedicated to the discharge of its responsibilities and the
achievement of its objectives in accordance with democratic principles,
processes, and traditions, which are embodied in this Constitution. As its
basic charter, this Constitution establishes the Illinois Rural Letter
Carriers’ Association and the organic law governing its operation.
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I
NAME AND PURPOSE
Section
1. The name of this Association shall be “The Illinois Rural Letter Carriers'
Association.” The
Treasurer,
maintains custody and control of the State Association name as well as any
State Association logo or symbol.
Unauthorized use of the State Association name, logo, or symbol shall be
addressed by the filing of an internal union charge or legal action or
both.
Illinois
Method of Control of Mark
Consistent
with its administrative duties and responsibilities, the Illinois Rural Letter
Carriers’ Association, by its Secretary-Treasurer, exercises custody and
control of the applied-for mark. Unauthorized use of the applied-for mark is
addressed through the internal union charge/appeals process or legal action or
both.
Section
2. The purpose of this Association shall be fraternal and for the study and
adoption of the best methods of performing the duties of the Rural Delivery
Service; to seek improvement in the condition of all its members and cooperate
at all times with the United States Postal Service for the advancement of the rural
carrier craft. This Association shall maintain its own craft identity in
accordance with the National Rural Letter Carriers’
Constitution
and By-Laws.
Section 3. The following
Standards of Conduct are prescribed for this Association.
A. To
maintain democratic procedures and practices, including provisions for periodic
elections to be conducted subject to recognized safeguards and provisions
defining and securing the right of individual members to participate in the
affairs of the organization, to fair and equal treatment under the governing
rules of the organization, the regulations of the Department of Labor, and to
fair process in any disciplinary proceedings;
B. To
prevent discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, gender, religion,
creed, national origin, disability, or marital, economic, social, or political
status;
C. To
prohibit business or financial interests on the part of organization officers
and agents which conflict with their duty to the organization and its members;
D.
To prohibit the interests of those involved in the “Quality of Worklife
Process”, as officers of this organization from any compromising of the
integrity of the organization. To maintain a strong and viable, as well as
educated and informed membership, those members of this organization involved
in the QWL/EI process must be active in their attendance and support of the
Association to retain their opportunity to participate in the
Quality
of Worklife Process;
E. To maintain fiscal
integrity in the conduct of the affairs of the organization.
F. The
State Secretary-Treasurer must be bonded. The National Rural Letter Carriers’
Association bonds all State Secretary-Treasurers. Bonding is set according to
the amount of the yearly State LM report.
ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Types of
Membership
A.
Active: The active membership shall be composed of regular rural letter
carriers, part time flexible (PTF) rural carriers, rural letter carriers who
are serving in the Armed Forces of our country, provided they were members of
the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association at the time of their entry into
the Armed Forces, auxiliary rural letter carriers,
substitute
rural letter carriers, rural carrier relief employees, rural carrier associate
employees, rural carriers who have been retired on an annuity and all former
rural letter carriers who were in good Association standing when they left the
service.
B.
Associate: The associate membership shall be comprised of former rural letter
carriers working in other postal related jobs, or individuals who are working
on postal related jobs, and/or are retired with a postal annuity. These
associates are non-active, non-voting dues paying members, and are not entitled
to hold an office.
C.
Honorary: Honorary members shall be composed of rural carriers in good standing
at the time of retirement and all carriers in active military service shall be
honorary members of the Association, unless they elect to remain active members
by the payment of annual per capita dues. Honorary membership may be bestowed
upon others at one of the ILRLCA meetings. No honorary member shall be entitled
to vote or hold office.
Section 2.
A. The State Association shall
be maintained by per capita dues.
1. Regular, Associate, or
PTF: $345.50 per year
2. Relief Carriers: $148.50.
per year
3. Retirees: $57.48 per year
Plus National Dues of:
1. Regular, Associate, or
PTF: $153.00 per year
2. Relief Carriers: $50.00
per year
3. Retirees: $30.00 per year
Included in the above State
per capita dues is:
1. Family dues of $10.00
remitted to auxiliary quarterly
2. County dues of $3.00
remitted back to each county once a year
B. All persons eligible for and
who choose active membership in this Association shall pay all per capita dues
to the State Secretary in one of the following ways:
1. Cash dues
2. Standard Form 1187 for
the active members
3. Standard Form 1187R for
the retired member
C. The per capita dues of the
membership shall be determined by the Delegates at the annual meeting with a
2/3 (two-thirds) vote.
Section 3. The Association
membership and fiscal year shall begin July 1 and end June
30.
ARTICLE III
OFFICERS
Section
1. The officers of this Association shall be a president, a vice-president, and
a full-time secretary-treasurer, who shall be elected for a term of one year,
or until their successors are elected.
The full-time secretary-treasurer will be a non-voting ex-officio member
of the Board.
The
officers shall discharge the duties of their respective offices and each shall
be entitled to a voice and vote on all questions in the Annual Meeting
including the election of officers and Board members provided they are duly
elected Delegates.
Section 2. An executive committee of four (4) elected
members.
A.
Three (3) of the members shall be elected one (1) each year, from each of the
three leagues for a three (3) year term or until their successors are elected.
B. The
fourth member shall be considered as the committee member-at-large, and shall
be elected for a two (2) year term or until a vacancy occurs and or a successor
is elected. The member-at-large shall not be elected from the same league as
the president or the vice-president.
C. The
Executive Committee shall discharge the duties of their respective offices and
each shall be entitled to a voice and vote on all questions in the Annual
Meeting including the election of officers and Board members provided they are
duly elected Delegates.
Section
3. The three (3) elected officers and the four (4) executive committee members
shall compose the State Board also known as the Executive Board. It shall be
the duty of the State Board to have the general supervision over the affairs of
the Association.
Section 4. Compensation
A. All
officers shall receive their necessary traveling, office, and convention
expenses during their term of office.
B. The
President, Editor and State Steward
shall receive additional monies monthly in the amounts of:
1. President: $250.00
2. State Steward: $1,000.00
3. Editor: $100.00
C. The full-time secretary-treasurer
shall receive as his/her compensation an amount equal to the current annual
salary for an evaluated route of 46 hours at Step 12, and shall receive an
additional salary of $500.00 monthly plus expenses noted above, and all
benefits as established per USPS regulations.
This additional salary is compensation for home office expenses and
compensation for any and all hours necessary over 46 hours per week. No other monetary compensation or benefit
will be awarded.
D.
Assistant
Stewards performing official business for the ILRLCA shall be compensated a
monthly salary of $300. This additional
salary is compensation for home office expenses and for any and all hours
required above their daily pay.
E. The State Steward shall:
1. Receive forty-six (46)K,
step 12 pay, plus additional salary and expenses noted above.
2. Receive all benefits as
established per USPS regulations.
Section
5.
A.
Voting for the elected positions shall be by secret ballot, and in no case by
acclamation except by unanimous consent. A majority of all votes cast is needed
to elect.
B.
Nominations for all elected positions shall be opened on the first day of
convention and remain open until the final day of the convention when the
elections shall be held.
C. If
there is but one (1) nominee for a position, the election may be by voice,
provided there are no objections.
Section 6. Vacancies
A.
Vacancies during the term of office occurring by deaths, resignations, removal
from the rural carrier craft or dismissal from the State Board because of neglect
of duty shall be filled by the appointment of a successor by the State Board
for the unexpired term, the replacement shall serve until the next Annual
Convention, when all candidates shall be eligible for election.
1. When any vacancy occurs more than 90 days
prior to the opening of the next Annual Convention, the State Board will notify
all members of the League from which the vacancy occurred.
2. The notification will have the time, date,
and location of the league meeting, to be held for the purpose of naming a
replacement to the State Board, this shall take place within 15 days of
vacancy.
3. During the League meeting all League members
will be eligible to have their names placed in nomination. If more than one (1) member is nominated the
decision will be made by secret ballot of the members in attendance, the
successful candidate will be submitted to the State Board as the replacement.
4. The vacancy will be filled within seven (7)
days of the League meeting, and announced in the next issue of The Illinois Rural
Carrier paper.
Section
7. Duties of Officers.
A.
President: It shall be the duty of the president to preside over all meetings
of the Association. The president shall direct the Association work throughout
the state.
The President is responsible
for appointing the following:
1. PAC Chairman
2. Editor
3. GMAC insurance
representative
4. State Steward
The State Steward is the
only appointee who will also need Board approval.
B.
Vice-President: It shall be the duty of the vice-president to assist the
president in the performance of his duties and to preside over all meetings in
his absence.
C. The Secretary-Treasurer
shall:
·
Keep a correct record of the proceedings of all meetings of the
Association,
·
Read, or cause to be read, all communications, reports, etc.,
·
Draw and attest all orders drawn on the Treasury
·
Conduct all correspondence of the Association
·
Receive all moneys paid into the Association and keep an accurate account
of same, and shall deposit it in convenient depositories – such deposits to be
made in the name of “The Illinois Rural Letter Carriers’ Association”, and any
interest thereon shall be credited to the funds of the Association
·
Issue checks in payment of all ordinary and properly itemized invoices
and statements, for authorized payroll payments and for other obligations of
the Association
·
Make a complete financial and/or membership report to the State Board at
their demand
·
Keep on file all documents, including permanent Necrology reports
belonging to the Association, and at the expiration of the
Secretary-Treasurer’s term of office shall turn same over to the successor upon
written authority of the State Board
·
Close all entries in his books on June 15th, these books to be carefully
audited and a complete report of the audit submitted to the convention
·
Have printed new copies of the Constitution each year when there are any
approved changes
·
Have printed a supply of the Constitutions so each county will have at
least four (4) books and mail them to the
·
Verify that the NRLCA has sent the Bond certificate to the State
Secretary-Treasurer.
D. In the event the
Secretary-Treasurer is unable to perform the duties of the office as required,
the Vice-President shall be authorized by notification of the President to
perform same. The State Secretary-Treasurer’s name and the State
Vice-President’s name shall be on the bank signature authorization card with
only one signature required on checks.
E. The Executive Committee:
1. With the aid of other
Association members, act as a credential committee to see that all Delegates
have proper credentials before they are seated in the convention
2. Audit all expense
accounts of the State Board
3. Perform such duties as
authorized by the State Board
F. The Secretary-Treasurer will be responsible
for preparing a periodic financial report providing both the statement of
activities and statement of financial position for the State of
Section 8. Full-time Employee
Any full-time state official
will be the sole employee of the ILRLCA, and will be prohibited from working
for any other entity, such as QWL-EI.
ARTICLE IV
MEETINGS/DIVISIONS
Section 1. The Annual
Meeting:
A.
This meeting shall be composed of its officers and duly elected Delegates of
the various
B.
The business meeting of the association shall be held between June 15 (6/15)
and July 15 (7/15), not to include the 4th of July, on consecutive days to be
decided by the State Board, to be announced not less than sixty (60) days in
advance of the first official session of the annual meeting.
C. The
quorum for the annual meeting shall be a majority of Delegates registered by
the Credentials Committee.
D. The
annual meeting is to conduct the business of the association, including the
election of members to the State Board, and adoption of the annual audit.
E. The
membership of this State Association shall be notified by the State Secretary
at least fifteen (15) days prior to the opening of the State Convention of the
time and place, the nominating and election procedures, and the offices to be
filled.
F. At
the annual meeting when the presiding officer takes the chair, the officers and
members shall take their respective seats and at the sound of the gavel, there
shall be a general silence.
Section 2. Booster Meetings:
There may be two (2) booster meetings held annually – one (1) in the spring and
one in the fall for the purpose of information and education. At the
Booster Meeting immediately prior to the State Convention, each League will
host a caucus. The caucus will be held for the purpose of allowing candidates
for office to announce their intention to run and for informational purposes specific
to each league.
Section 3. The State of
THE NORTHERN LEAGUE,
composed of Boone-Winnebago, Bureau- Putnam, Carroll, DeKalb, Fulton,
Mercer-Henderson-Warren, Iroquois, Jo-Daviess-Stephenson, Kane-DuPage-North
Cook, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle-Grundy, Livingston-Ford, McHenry,
Ogle-Lee, Rock Island-Henry, Stark, Whiteside, and Will-South Cook;
THE CENTRAL LEAGUE, composed
of Adams-Brown-Pike, Calhoun-Jersey-Macoupin,
THE SOUTHERN LEAGUE, composed
of Bond, Clark,
These leagues shall function
for the purpose of distribution of educational information and also for social
purposes.
Section 4.
The following provisions shall
govern the
A. The County Association
shall be maintained by $3.00 per capita dues from the State Association.
B.
Each County Association must hold a county meeting during either the months of
April, May, or June for the purpose of the election of county officers and the
election of
C. Each
County Association shall elect two (2) Delegates to the State Convention and in
addition may elect one (1) Delegate for every ten (10) members or major part
thereof.
1. All
elections must be held by secret ballot unless a nominee for county officer is
unopposed.
2. If
nominations for Delegates are equal to or less than the number allowed, no
secret ballot is required.
3. All
county officers and Delegates to the State Convention must be dues paying members,
and have paid their dues for the current fiscal year through withholding or
cash prior to April 15 of each year.
4.
April 15 will be the cut-off date for calculations by the State
Secretary-Treasurer for all membership records for the fiscal year when
considering percentages and Delegates for the annual meeting. A paid member may
not transfer membership from one county to another after April 15 of the fiscal
year until after the annual meeting has been completed.
D. If
there are not enough carriers in a county to form an effective Association,
they may unite with an Association of an adjoining County, if they so desire,
subject to approval by Delegates at the Annual Meeting.
E.
Failure to hold a meeting annually will result in the
this
provision and make all necessary arrangements needed for forfeiture at the next
Annual Meeting of the ILRLCA.
Section 5. Trusteeship
Section A. The President,
with approval of the State Board, may place in trusteeship any
1. To uphold the principles
and integrity of this Constitution.
2. To correct corruption or
financial malpractice;
3. To assure performance of
collective bargaining agreements or other duties of a bargaining
representatives;
4. To restore democratic
procedures; and
5. To otherwise carry out
the legitimate objectives of the State Association
Section
B. The trustee shall assume immediate control and authority of the
Section
C. Within 30 days of the imposition of the trusteeship, a hearing shall be held
before an impartial member of the State Association acting as a hearing
officer, to determine facts on continuing the trusteeship. All interested
persons shall have the right to present evidence at the hearing to the hearing
officer, who shall have the sole discretion on the conduct and procedures at
the hearing.
Section
D. The hearing officer shall report, as soon as practicable, after the close of
the hearing, the findings and recommendations to the President. The President
may accept or reject these findings and recommendations, and the trusteeship
may be continued or terminated
accordingly.
Section
E. Upon a petition filed with the President, no earlier than six months after
the appointment of the trusteeship, and at six-month intervals thereafter, any
party may request termination of the trusteeship. The President, acting on such
petition, or at any time, may terminate the trusteeship and restore government
to the
Section
F. Any party not satisfied with the decision of the President under Sections D
or E shall have appeal rights as provided under Article VII, Section 6,
Election Complaints.
Section 6. Association
Auxiliary
A. The purpose of the
Association Auxiliary is to support the Association.
B. In order to maintain the
family type organization, the Association underwrites the expense of the
Auxiliary.
B. A family membership fee is
charged to all classes of membership in the amount of ten ($10.00) dollars per
annum, in addition to the State per capita dues.
2. The Association shall
remit the current amount to the State Auxiliary each quarter.
3.
Those members not wishing to participate in the family plan may request in
writing to the Auxiliary Secretary for a refund at the end of the fiscal year.
ARTICLE V
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section
1. The State Board, also known as the Executive Board, shall consist of the
president, the vice-president, the secretary-treasurer, four (4) elected
committee people, and the state steward.
Section
2. The State Steward, is an appointed member of the State Board, serving full
time
as a non-voting ex officio advisor of the State Board, governed by the rules
and regulations issued by the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association.
A.
The State Steward will be evaluated by the State Board as any employee of any
employer, annually prior to the State Convention.
B. The
Board shall review the continued need for the full time state steward position
annually at their pre-convention Board meeting to determine if the full time
position continues to be necessary. A report will be given to the convention
body with the President’s Report.
C. The
elected officers of the Association, if they are certified by the State
Steward, shall act as stewards (Assistant or Area) in the area of the state
that they are assigned.
Section 3. The Executive
Board shall:
A. Have the general
supervision over the affairs of the Association,
B. Be empowered to make such
interim amendments to the Constitution of the Association as may be necessary
to conform to the requirements of federal law and the National Constitution and
Bylaws, such amendments to be effective only until the following Convention of
the Association,
C. Fill vacancies in
elective positions,
D. Set dates for Association
meetings,
E. Meet in between the annual
meeting as needed.
Section
4. A quorum for state Board meetings shall be a majority of voting members.
ARTICLE VI
COMMITTEES
Section
1. The President shall make any necessary appointments and the following
committees: committee on auditing, committee on the Constitution, committee on
mileage and per diem, committee on resolutions, advisory committee consisting
of Presidents and Past National Officers, and National Delegate Election
committee or any committee deemed necessary.
Section 2. These committees
shall discharge the duties implied by their names.
Section 3. Eligibility
A. Any regular, substitute,
auxiliary, rural carrier relief, rural carrier associate, PTF, or retired rural
carrier who is eligible to serve on a committee.
B. Any former reg