Officers & Reps

Officers & Representatives -- Executive Committee and Policy Board

[excerpted from the proposed Constitution and By-laws 3/22/2016 -- available as pdf at bottom of this page]

VII. Officers and Duties

(1) The Executive Committee shall be composed of a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer with terms beginning June 1, 2016. Candidates must have completed two semesters of teaching at USF before running for election. Each member will serve a two year term. Officers may be employed at the USF main campus or branch campuses. The Executive Committee will conduct the affairs of the Association subject to the advice and consent of the Policy Board and membership.

(2) The President shall:

a. be the principal executive officer of the Association;

b. be responsible for conducting the affairs of the Association subject to the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, Policy Board and membership;

c. be ex officio chair of the Executive Committee and the Policy Board;

d. be the presiding officer at all meetings of the membership;

e. be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Elections Committee;

f. with the exception of the Elections Committee, appoint, with the approval of the Policy Board, the chairs and members of all committees;

g. consult with the Association’s legal counsel when necessary;

h. communicate with AFT & CFT representatives;

i. participate in on-going communications with the Director of Labor Relations and others in the USF administration;

j. serve as liaison between Association members and the administration;

k. lead the team negotiating the Collective Bargaining Agreement;

l. receive, report, and respond to correspondence of the Association;

m. supervise all employees of the Association;

n. be one of the responsible financial officers of the organization and shall be authorized to co-sign financial instruments and make regular and usual disbursements of funds;

o. represent the Association in communication with the USFFA Full Time unit and at regular meetings of the full time policy board;

p. represent the Association before bodies of the employer, executive and legislative officials;

q. represent the Association before the public, community organizations, and the news media;

r. be, by office, a delegate to the Central Labor Council, and the state AFL-CIO body;

s. be, by office, a delegate to the convention of the American Federation of Teachers and meetings or conventions of its affiliated bodies;

t. make an annual report to the organization's membership; and

(3) The Vice President shall:

a. be an ex officio member of the Executive Committee and Policy Board,

b. serve as chief executive officer and preside at membership meetings in the absence of the President, and shall be responsible for the coordination of the work of Association committees.

c. assume the duties of the President in the event of the absence, illness, death, or resignation of the President;

d. oversee and assist the Policy Board Representatives in their duties;

e. oversee the work of and receive regular reports from the committees, including the Distinguished Adjunct Teaching Award;

f. organize and conduct PHP Application Workshops as deemed appropriate;

g. Set up additional workshops when necessary;

h. perform other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Executive Committee; and

i. co-sign financial instruments in the absence of the President or Treasurer.

(4) The Secretary shall:

a. be ex officio member of the Executive Committee and the Policy Board;

b. maintain the non-financial files and records of the Association;

c. record and keep accurate minutes of meetings of the membership, the Executive Committee and the Policy Board;

d. maintain accurate membership records;

e. assist the President in handling the correspondence of the organization;

f. notify the membership of membership meetings, set up meetings, and prepare the agenda in consultation with the Executive Committee;

g. Create and maintain the USFFA-PT website;

h. oversee the work of, and receive and certify the reports of, the Elections Committee;

i. perform other duties as delegated by the President, or assigned by the Executive Board;

(5) The Treasurer shall:

a. be an ex officio member of the Executive Committee and the Policy Board;

b. receive, record and deposit all dues monies and other income in the name of the organization;

c. be one of the responsible financial officers of the organization and be authorized to co-sign financial instruments and make regular and usual disbursements of funds;

d. maintain all financial records of the organization;

e. coordinate with the Full Time unit for an independent audit of the finances of the Association annually and make the audit results available to the Executive Board, Policy Board and membership;

f. transmit per-capita payments on a regular basis to the Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers and similar officers of all other bodies with which the organization is affiliated;

g. oversee the work of and receive reports from a Finance Committee;

h. assist the Policy Board in the preparation of an annual budget, due in the month prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.

i. perform other duties as delegated by the President in consultation with other members of the Executive Committee and/or Policy Board;

j. perform duties of the office as required by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, and the guidelines developed by the AFT;

(6) The Executive Committee shall process grievances under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. To accomplish this purpose, the Executive Board shall assume necessary duties and functions as appropriate, including, but not limited to, the following:

a. Receive complaints brought forward by its members on appeal from STEP 2.

b. Collect data and initiate other fact-finding necessary to properly identify the issues at stake.

c. Meet as a body to evaluate grievances brought forward as to their merits, timeliness, and arbitrability.

d. Consider all grievances, whether arbitrable or not, and decide, on the basis of specific circumstances involved in each specific dispute, which grievances are to be moved to higher levels of the grievance procedure.

e. Prepare cases that are recommended for presentation to arbitration.

f. Retain jurisdiction over all grievances received, including the right to submit grievances to higher levels and the right to withdraw the grievances from further consideration at any time.

g. Initiate grievances on behalf of the Association

(7) The Executive Committee may receive stipends set by the membership (see By-laws).

(8) The Executive Committee may appoint special representatives at times who will take on extra responsibilities for which they may be paid an honorarium. Such honoraria will be approved by the Executive Committee and the Policy Board.

...

(10) Three (3) absences from an Executive Committee meeting within a year, counted from the date of assumption of office, may be grounds for an Executive Committee member’s suspension and/or replacement. Pursuant to VII (3), the Executive Committee, in consultation with the Policy Board, shall have the authority to appoint a member to take the seat of an Executive Committee member who was suspended or replaced under the terms of this Section.

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VIII. Policy Board

(1) The Policy Board shall be comprised of the four (4) Executive Committee members, one (1) at-large representative, and representatives from each college: Three (3) members shall be from Arts & Sciences and one (1) each from the School of Nursing and Health Professions, the School of Education, and the School of Management. There shall be eleven (11) Policy Board members altogether, and candidates shall stand for election in Spring 2016, coinciding with the Executive Committee elections. Candidates must have completed two semesters of teaching at USF before running for election. Each member will serve a two year term, with terms beginning June 1, 2016. Representatives may serve from the USF main campus or branch campuses.

(2) The Policy Board’s duties shall be to create policies that promote the objectives of the Association at regularly scheduled meetings. Policy Board members may be designated by the Executive Committee to represent the Association on a temporary basis for tasks described in VII (2), (3), (4), (5).

(3) In the event of a vacancy on the Policy Board,

a. The Executive Committee and Policy Board shall appoint a replacement from the Association membership.

b. Two (2) appointees during the two (2) year term may serve the remaining terms that were vacated.

c. In the event of a third (or more) vacancy, the appointee shall fulfill the remainder of the term that was vacated, if the term remaining is less than twelve (12) months. If the term remaining is twelve (12) months or more, a special election shall be held to fill the vacated seat, usually within three (3) months. The election winner shall serve out the remainder of the original, vacated term.

(4) The Policy Board shall meet twice a semester, or at the call of the President, or at the call of six (6) or more of its members, for the purpose of initiating, overseeing or revising the program of the organization and to conduct other business of the organization that is within its authority. A quorum for the Policy Board shall be a majority of its members.

(5) The Policy Board, with the assistance of the Treasurer and the Finance Committee, shall prepare, establish, and present to the membership an annual budget in the month prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.

(6) The Policy Board shall approve the employment of all professional, technical, clerical, and support staff of the organization.

(7) The Policy Board shall establish the salary, benefits, and expense guidelines of any general officer who is employed by the organization.

(8) The Policy Board may receive stipends as set by the membership (see By-laws).

(9) The Policy Board shall be empowered to make contracts and incur liabilities including the purchase of services, equipment, and real property, to borrow money, to secure such obligations by mortgage or other instrument, and to otherwise engage in financial transactions to the extent permitted by applicable law or statute.

(10) The Policy Board shall be responsible for adherence to and enforcement of the Constitution and By-laws of the organization.

(11) The Policy Board shall issue regular reports, including an annual report, to the membership.

(12) The Policy Board shall approve the chairperson and membership of all standing and special committees appointed by the President, and receive regular reports from such committees.

(13) Three (3) absences from a Policy Board meeting within a year, counted from the date of assumption of office, may be grounds for a Policy Board member’s suspension and/or replacement. Pursuant to VIII (3), the Policy Board shall have the authority to appoint a member to take the seat of a Board member who was suspended or replaced under the terms of this Section.

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