These Chapter By-Laws are established pursuant to Article Three, Section 10(c) of the PASS Constitution.
Article I. Name and Purposes of Chapter
Section 1. In accordance with the official charter issued by the PASS Executive Board under Article Three, Section 10(a) of the PASS Constitution, the name of this Chapter shall be MW1which shall constitute a Chapter of the Professional Airways Systems Specialists (AFL-CIO) (“PASS”) under Article Three, Section 10 of the PASS Constitution.
Section 2. In accordance with Article Three, Section 10(b) of the PASS Constitution, the objectives of PASS Chapters shall be:
(a) To carry out the internal policies of PASS.
(b) To communicate with Chapter members on internal issues.
(c) To coordinate local membership recruitment and retention efforts.
(d) To engage in community, recreational and social activities to promote and support solidarity among Chapter members.
(e) To reach out to local and state AFL-CIO Labor Councils to promote and support solidarity among Chapter members.
Section 3. The purposes of this Chapter are to advance and support PASS and PASS members by organizing and promoting members’ direct involvement in internal PASS activities such as membership recruitment and retention, the PASS Political Action Committee, media relations, community events, application of PASS’s strategic plan, and communicating with the Chapter’s membership regarding information received from PASS’s contract administration representatives at the national, regional and local levels.
Article II. Boundaries
The jurisdiction of this Chapter shall consist of members residing in the States of Michigan and Wisconsin.
Article III. Membership
Section 1. Any PASS Member in good standing who is in the PASS Technical Operations and AVN are covered by the Chapter’s charter. Bargaining unit or units within the boundaries described in Article II above shall be a member of this Chapter.
Section 2. A member in good standing shall be current in the payment of PASS membership dues, and shall abide by the rules and policies duly adopted by PASS and this Chapter.
Section 3. The members of this Chapter shall be entitled to all rights and privileges of membership and shall be subject to all duties and responsibilities provided in the PASS Constitution, or as established by the PASS Executive Board or this Chapter.
Article IV. Structure of Chapter
Section 1. The Officers of this Chapter shall at a minimum be the President and Vice President. The Chapter officers shall comprise the Chapter Executive Board. The Chapter may provide for additional elected officers, such as Area Vice President, Secretary and/or Budget Officer to be appointed or elected at a later date.
Section 2. Chapter President
(a) The Chapter President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Chapter. He/She shall preside over all meeting of the Chapter. He/She shall maintain contact with the appropriate Regional Vice Presidents. He/She shall be an ex-officio member of all Chapter committees.
(b) The Chapter President shall be responsible for providing the PASS National Office with a copy of the Chapter’s current By-Laws. In January of each year the Chapter President or his/her designee shall be responsible for providing the membership coordinator at the PASS National Office with an annual report of the names of Chapter Officers and names of the Chairs of the Chapter’s Legislative, Safety and Organizing Committees. Failure to submit this information shall result in the Chapter being considered inactive and suspension of the Chapter’s funding per Article Three, Section 10(h) of the PASS Constitution. In addition, per Article Three, Section 10(k), of the PASS Constitution, the charter of an inactive Chapter may be suspended or revoked by the PASS Executive Board.
(c) The Chapter President shall be responsible for carrying out the internal policies of PASS; receiving direction from the PASS Executive Board, Regional Vice-President and membership on matters relating to the internal processes of PASS; developing and implementing a Chapter budget in conjunction with the Chapter Executive Board, developing and implementing membership recruitment/retention strategies in the Chapter; communicating to the Chapter membership on internal union matters; coordinating community events; and promoting the PASS PAC.
Section 3. Chapter Vice President
The Chapter Vice-President shall assist the President in the discharge of his/her duties. In the President’s absence, the Vice-President shall act in his/her stead. He/She shall perform all other appropriate duties as assigned by the President and/or as set forth in these By-Laws.
Section 4. Chapter Area Vice Presidents
The Chapter AreaVice-Presidents shall assist the President in the discharge of chapter duties in his/her respective Area and shall implement all policies established by the PASS Constitution, the PASS Executive Board and this Chapter.
Section 5. Chapter Secretary
The Secretary shall take and maintain minutes of all Chapter Executive Board and membership meetings, and shall maintain custody of all other Chapter documents and records, except those dealing with Chapter expenses and funding. The Secretary shall attend all Chapter membership and Executive Board Meetings. At the completion of his/her term in office, the Secretary shall provide his/her successor with all documentation and records in his/her possession or control pertaining to the Chapter.
Section 6. Chapter Budget Officer
The Chapter Budget Officer shall keep a record of all Chapter expenses and will be responsible for the submission of all expense vouchers related to Chapter expenses to the PASS National Office for approval per Article Three, Section 10(g) of the PASS Constitution. He/She is responsible for: reporting to the Chapter Executive Board and Chapter membership on the Chapter’s funding level and amount of available funds per Article Three, Section 10(d-e) of the PASS Constitution; maintaining Chapter expense records so they are available for inspection by any member in good standing at a reasonable time; attending all Chapter membership and Executive Board meetings; performing other appropriate duties assigned by the President or Executive Board. At the completion of his/her term in office, the Budget Officer shall provide his/her successor with all documentation and records in his/her possession or control pertaining to the Chapter’s financial affairs.
Section 7. Chapter Executive Board
The Chapter Executive Board shall exercise general supervision and control over the activities of the Chapter. The Executive Board shall meet on a regular basis, not less than quarterly, at the call of the Chapter President, or on call signed by a majority of Chapter Executive Board’s members, and shall be open to all Chapter members in good standing. The Executive Board may conduct business by telephone, mail, or other communications methods provided a quorum of at least a majority of the Executive Board participates.
The order of business shall be established by the Chapter President and by Robert’s Rules of Order. All Chapter Executive Board decisions shall be made by majority vote of the Board members present in person and/or on the telephone, provided there is a quorum.
Section 8. Chapter Membership Meetings
(a) There shall be regular meetings of the Chapter no less than quarterly per Article Three, Section 10(l), of the PASS Constitution, or more often as deemed necessary by the Chapter President or Chapter Executive Board.
(b) All Chapter meetings shall be governed by these By-Laws and the PASS Constitution. The Order of Business will be established by the Chapter President and by Robert’s Rules of Order.
(c) Special Chapter membership meetings may be called by the National President of PASS or by the Regional Vice-President by posting advance notice within a reasonable time on all Union bulletin boards throughout the Chapter and on the Chapter’s website, if any.
(d) Chapter meetings shall be open to all Chapter members in good standing and occasionally to non-members in an effort to increase membership.
Article V. Chapter Committees
Section 1. There shall be maintained at all times the following standing Committees: Legislative, Safety and Organizing. All committees must meet at least quarterly either in person or via teleconference.
Section 2. All committees shall consist of at least three Chapter members, unless otherwise indicated by the Chapter Executive Board. The committee members shall be appointed for one-year terms by majority vote of the members of the Chapter Executive Board. The Committee Chairperson shall be designated by the Chapter President.
Section 3. SafetyCommittee
The Safety Committee shall coordinate all safety issues with the National Safety Committee and within the Chapter, and shall communicate with and assist PASS Safety Representatives. Meetings of the committee shall be open to all interested members in good standing. The Chairperson of the Chapter Safety Committee shall submit a quarterly report to the National Safety Committee in the form and manner established and distributed to the Chapters by the National Safety Committee.
Section 4. Organizing Committee
The Organizing Committee shall coordinate all membership recruitment and retention issues with the National Organizing Committee, and shall be responsible for membership recruitment and retention within the Chapter, dissemination of information to the Chapter membership and for fostering member involvement in Chapter interests and activities. Meetings of the committee shall be open to all interested members in good standing. The Chairperson of the Chapter Organizing Committee shall submit a quarterly report to the National Organizing Committee in the form and manner established and distributed by the National Organizing Committee.
Section 5. Legislative Committee
The Chapter Legislative Committee shall coordinate all legislative issues with the National Legislative Committee. The committee is responsible for establishing grassroots lobbying network for letter writing, e-mail, telephone calls, faxes, site visits, etc. and increasing PASS PAC membership and participation. The committee shall insure Chapter members know which lawmakers represent them, how those lawmakers are elected and the legislative issues that affect them. The committee shall encourage Chapter members to elect incumbents and candidates who are supportive of issues that affect PASS members. Meetings of the committee shall be open to all interested members in good standing. The Chairperson of the Chapter Legislative Committee shall submit a quarterly report to the National Legislative Committee in the form and manner established and distributed by the National Legislative Committee.
Section 6. Special Committees
Special committees shall be established by the Chapter Executive Board on an “as needed” basis.
Article VI. Terms of Officers
Section 1. The President, Vice-President and any other Chapter officer shall hold office for a term of three years.
Section 2. In accordance with the PASS Constitution, Chapter Officers must be members in good standing.
(a) In the event a Chapter Officer is temporarily absent (less than 60 days) the Chapter Executive Board shall appoint an “interim” officer for the term of the officer’s absence; unless the absent officer is the President, in which case the Vice-President shall assume the President’s duties for the term of the absence per Article VI, Section 3.
(b) In the event a Chapter Officer is absent for more than 60 days, the officer’s position shall be considered vacant.
Section 3. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice-President will assume the role until a replacement is appointed. The President shall call a special meeting of the Executive Board to fill any other vacancy within the Executive Board as soon as practicable.
Article VII. Impeachment of Officers
Section 1. Any officer of the Chapter may be impeached for misconduct as follows:
(a) Refusal or failure without justifiable cause to comply with or abide by the provisions of the PASS Constitution or these By-Laws; refusal or failure without justifiable cause to comply with or abide by a decision of any National Officer, National Executive Board, the National Convention, or this Chapter.
(b) Committing any act of fraud, embezzlement, larceny, or misappropriation of any funds or property or other item of value belonging to PASS.
Section 2. Any member may lodge charges of misconduct against any Officer of the Chapter as defined in Section 1 of this Article.
Section 3. All charges shall be submitted in writing within thirty (30) days of the alleged offense and shall contain a detailed statement of the facts of which the charges are based. The charges shall define the specific act alleged which constitutes the misconduct and shall include the date, place, and persons involved in the misconduct. Charges should state the nature of the violation alleged and shall refer to the specific Article and Section of the PASS Constitution or these By-Laws that have been violated. The charging member shall sign and date the written statement.
Section 4. The charges shall be served upon the officer, with a copy to the Chapter Executive Board. A hearing shall be held at the next Chapter Executive Board meeting or at another time and place as determined by the Chapter Executive Board. The Executive Board shall give the Officer an opportunity to defend him/herself against the charges and shall in all instances afford the Officer a full and fair hearing.
Section 5. In the event the Executive Board rules to impeach, the Board’s findings shall be presented to the membership of the Chapter in a mail referendum. The accused Officer will be given an opportunity to provide a statement to be included with the ballot. If two-thirds (2/3) of the ballots cast are in favor of a guilty finding, the Officer shall be removed from office forthwith, and the vacancy shall be filled in accordance with Article VI. There shall be no appeals following the vote of the Chapter membership.
Article VIII. Chapter Officer Elections
Section 1. Nominations. Notice of nominations shall be posted on Union bulletin boards throughout the Chapter and on the Chapter’s website, if any, not less than 30 days prior to the closing of nominations for Chapter officer positions. Any member in good standing of the Chapter may submit his/her name for nomination. Nominations must be in writing and must be received by the Chapter President no later than 45 days prior to the end of the term of the existing officers. No member shall be nominated for more than one Chapter officer position.
Section 2. Election of officers shall be by secret mail ballot and must be completed prior to the expiration of the term of the existing officers. The Chapter President shall appoint a Balloting Committee consisting of three members in good standing of the Chapter. The Balloting Committee shall prepare the ballots and otherwise administer the election. The ballots will be tallied by the Balloting Committee. Any member in good standing may attend and observe the tally of ballots.
Section 3. The elected officers shall assume office upon the expiration of the term of the existing officers.
Section 4. Any protest concerning the conduct of the Chapter officer elections shall be submitted in writing to the Chapter Executive Board within five (5) days of the tally of ballots. The Chapter Executive Board shall render a decision regarding the protest, which may be appealed to the next regularly scheduled Chapter membership meeting. Unless overturned by the membership, the Chapter Executive Board’s decision is final and binding.
Article IX. Amendments
Section 1. These By-Laws may be amended under procedures developed by the Chapter Executive Board. Before any amendment can become effective, it must be approved by majority vote at a meeting.
