ARTICLE I- ORGANIZATION

This organization shall be known as the Union County College Adjunct Faculty Federation (UCCAFF), Local 6227, New Jersey State Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO.  

ARTICLE II- OBJECTIVES-  

1. To bring adjunct faculty and other bargaining unit members at Union County College into relations of mutual assistance and cooperation.

2. To secure and promote full union rights for all employees who are eligible for membership.

3. To advance the economic, social and political well being of the membership.

4. To raise the standards of the education profession by securing conditions essential to the best professional service.

5. To promote the interests of the community served by the membership.

6. To promote democracy and equality in the society at large.

7. To eliminate discrimination in education in all its forms.

ARTICLE III- MEMBERSHIP-

Section 1. All adjunct faculty at Union County College who are members of the UCCAFF are eligible for full membership.  

Section 2.  Bargaining unit members who leave Union County College may retain full membership by paying a fee of $15.00 per semester, however full membership of non-employed adjunct faculty may not exceed two years.  

Section 3.  Two or more members, who shall present such charges and documentation to the Executive Board, may expel a member from the organization upon the bringing of written and signed charges. A majority vote of the Executive Board shall cause an expulsion hearing to be held at which the accused member shall have the right to examine and question the charges and be represented by a person of their choice. At the conclusion of the hearing a three-fourths vote of the Executive Board shall be required for expulsion. A person what has been expelled from the Union may appeal the decision to the membership by requesting a vote at the next membership meeting or election.

A simple majority of the members voting shall be sufficient to overrule the decision of the Executive Board.  

Section 4. No discrimination shall ever be shown toward individual members or applicants for membership due to gender, race, national origin, religious faith, political belief, marital status, sexual orientation or disability.  

ARTICLE 1V- ELECTION OF OFFICERS-  

Section 1.  With the exception of the first election the following officers of the UCCAFF shall be elected every odd numbered year for a two-year term:  

A.    President

B.     First Vice President

C.     Second Vice President

D.    Secretary

E.     Treasurer

F.      Any other officers the executive board may determine  

Section 2.  With the exception of the first election, to be eligible for office a person must be a member in good standing of the UCCAFF for a period of two semesters prior to the date of the election.  

Section 3.  An Elections Committee shall be appointed by the Executive Board to conduct all general and special elections of the UCCAFF.  

Section 4. With the exception of the first election, forty-five days prior to the date of an election the Elections Committee shall notify all members of the opening of nominations for each office.  

Section 5. To be nominated a member must simply send a letter or email to the Elections Committee stating his name, department and office he would like to run for. The Elections Committee must receive all letters no later than twenty days before the election.  

Section 6. With the exception of the first election, the Election Committee will prepare ballots and disperse them no later than twelve days before the election. All attempts will be made to send these ballots electronically.  

Section 7. Only those ballots received by the date listed as the deadline on the ballot will be counted. Only full members are permitted to vote.  

Section 8. The winner for each open position shall be the candidate who receives the majority of the votes cast for that position. In the event that a candidate does not receive a majority the Elections Committee shall conduct a run-off election between the two candidates with the most votes for that position.  

Section 9.  Successful candidates will assume office on the date specified on the ballot by the Elections Committee.  

Section 10.  If a vacancy occurs mid-term all vacancies with the exception of the office of President shall be filled by a majority vote of the Executive Board and the individual will serve in an acting role until the next regular election.  

ARTICLE V- DUTIES OF OFFICERS  

Section 1. The President shall:  

a.       Be the presiding officer at all meetings of the membership and Executive Board.  

b.      Be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Elections Committee .

c.       Appoint, with the approval of a majority of the Executive Board, the chairs of all standing and special committees and the local’s membership to the bargaining team.  

d.      Be responsible for the ongoing administration of the local.  

e.       Receive, respond and report correspondence to the local.  

f.       Supervise any employees of the local.  

g.      Be authorized to sign contracts, co-sign financial instruments and direct regular and usual disbursements of funds.  

h.      Represent the local before the public, community organizations and the news media.  

i.        Represent the local before bodies of the employer.  

j.        Be, by office, the ranking delegate to the State Federation and any AFT meetings, conferences or conventions.  

k.      Appoint, with the approval of the Executive Board, any delegates to the State Federation.  

l.        Make an annual report to the general membership.  

m.    Be able to delegate the responsibilities of the office except where restricted by the constitution.

 Section 2. The First Vice President shall:  

a.       Assume the duties of President in the event of absence, illness or death of the President.  

b.      Co-sign financial instruments in the absence of the President or Treasurer.  

c.       Act as chair of the Elections Committee.  

d.      Perform any other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Executive Board.  

Section 3. The Second Vice President shall:  

a.       Assume the duties of the President in the event of absence, illness or death of the President and Vice President.  

b.      Act as chair of the Grievance and Membership Committees  

c.       Perform any other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Executive Board.  

Section 4. The Secretary shall:  

a.       Maintain the non-financial files and records of the local.  

b.      Be the custodian of the charter of the local.  

c.       Record and keep accurate minutes of the meetings of the membership and the Executive Board.  

d.      Assist the president in handling all correspondence of the local.  

e.       Perform the duties of the office as required by the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act.  

f.       Perform any other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Executive Board.  

Section 5. The Treasurer shall:  

a.       Receive, record and deposit all dues monies and other income in the name of the local.  

b.      Oversee accurate membership records.  

c.       Issue membership cards.  

d.      Co-sign financial instruments and make regular and usual disbursements of funds.  

e.       Maintain all financial records for the Local.  

f.       With the approval of the Executive Board arrange for an independent audit of the finances of the local as directed by the IRS and AFT, and make these available to the Executive Board.  

g.      Transmit dues and per-capita payments to various AFT agencies as per our obligations.  

h.      Chair the Finance and Budget Committee.  

i.        Perform duties of the office as required by the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act.  

j.        Perform any other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Executive Board.  

Section 6.   All officers elected by the general membership of the UCCAFF shall serve as members of the Executive Board. Also, any committee chairs to be appointed by the President will also serve on the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VI- EXECUTIVE BOARD-  

Section 1. The Executive Board shall meet at least twice a semester (Fall and Spring) or at the call of the President or two or more members of the Board.  

Section 2.  A quorum shall consist of 40% of the membership of the Executive Board.  

Section 3. Executive Board members shall receive in writing or by electronic mail notice of any meeting. Such notice shall be sent at least ten days in advance of any meeting. This requirement may be waived in case of an emergency.  

Section 4. The Executive Board shall establish any stipends, benefits or expense reimbursements for any officers or board members. This decision will only be made after concurring with both the Finance and Budget Committees. A majority of the Executive Board must approve these expenditures.  

Section 5. Subject to the approved budget the Executive Board shall be empowered to make contracts and incur liabilities, including the purchase of services or equipment and to otherwise engage in financial transactions to the extent permitted by law.  

Section 6. The Executive Board shall approve the chair and membership of all standing and special committees of the local and receive regular reports for all such committees.  

Section 7.  The Executive Board shall be responsible for adherence to and enforcement of the Constitution and By-Laws of the UCCAFF.  

ARTICLE VII- COMMITTEES-  

Section 1. The Standing Committees of the local shall be:  

a.       Grievance

b.      Membership

c.       Elections

d.      Finance and Budget  

Section 2.  The Grievance Committee shall work to resolve all contractual and non-contractual disputes in the workplace maintain records of grievances and their disposition and be responsible for processing grievances and disputes. The 2^nd vice president will chair the Grievance Committee.  

Section 3. The Membership Committee shall be responsible for overseeing the recruitment of all bargaining unit members into the UCCAFF. The chair of the Membership Committee shall be the 2^nd vice president.  

Section 4. The first vice-president shall act as the chair of the Elections Committee.  

Section 5.  The Finance and Budge Committee shall prepare an annual budget for the approval of the Executive Board. The treasurer shall serve as chair of the Finance and Budget Committee.  

Section 6.  The Executive Board on its own initiative may establish any special committees.  

ARTICLE VIII- MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS-  

Section 1. The Executive Board shall determine the time and place of the annual membership meeting and post the date and place at least twenty days before the meeting is to be held.  

Section 2. At least ten percent of the membership shall constitute a quorum for all membership meetings.  

Section 3.  Only full members are permitted to vote.

ARTICLE IX- AFFILIATIONS-  

The UCCAFF shall maintain affiliation with the following organizations:  

1.      The American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO.

2.      The State Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO

3.      The New Jersey State AFL-CIO

ARTICLE X- RULES OF ORDER-  

Roberts Rules of Order (revised) shall govern in all cases not covered by this constitution or the UCCAFF By-Laws.

ARTICLE X1- AMENDMENTS-  

Any member may present proposed amendments to this Constitution to either the Executive Board or the full membership assembled. Upon two-thirds endorsement by either the Executive Board or those present at a membership meeting a mail ballot referendum shall be conducted by the Elections Committee. The amendment shall be enacted by a two-thirds vote of the membership voting in the referendum.  

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I- DUES  

Section 1. The dues for UCCAFF full members shall be two percent (2%) of salary earned as a bargaining unit member at Union County College .  

Section 2. Representation fee for all eligible UCCAFF unit members shall be eighty-five percent (85%) of the dues paid by full members.  

Section 3.  The dues for ‘on-leave’ members shall be $15.00 per semester (Fall and Spring).

ARTICLE II- AMENDMENTS-     

The UCCAFF By-Laws may be amended by a vote of the Executive Board with the approval of a majority of the Board.  

ARTICLE III- STIPENDS-  

The Executive Board shall recommend to the Finance and Budget Committee stipends and expense reimbursements for all officers and members of the Executive Board. These stipends will be determined by the Finance and Budget Committee based on budget considerations and revenues.

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