San Mateo Community College Federation of Teachers
Local 1493, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO

Article I - Name

This organization shall be known as the San Mateo Community College Federation of Teachers, Local 1493, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO.

Article II - Objective

1. To promote the welfare of students and the advancement of community college education in the public interest;

2. To promote the highest standards of professional services in education;

3. To obtain for teachers their rightful voice in shaping educational policy and in establishing the conditions under which they teach;

4. To promote the welfare of teachers by obtaining full and just compensation for services rendered;

5. To obtain for teachers the right to free collective bargaining as a necessary means for achieving the substantive aims and purposes of this organization.

Article III - Membership and Dues

Section 1. Membership shall be open to all certificated full-time and part-time faculty of the San Mateo County Community College District. Membership shall also be available to retired faculty. Faculty members on extended leave may also continue their membership. Other certificated staff may be admitted for membership subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. Certain classes of classified employees of the District may be eligible for membership by approval of the Executive Committee.

Section 2. Dues shall be established by the Executive Committee and approved by a majority of the membership voting.

Section 3. Effective spring semester, 2006, and continuing thereafter, membership dues of local 1493 for both full-time and part-time certificated members shall be 1.2% of gross income.

a. In order for any other increase to occur in Local 1493's total annual membership dues, including a dues increase for the purpose of raising the amount of Local 1493's local income from dues, separate membership action and approval shall continue to be required under the provisions of Section 2 above.

Article IV - Officers, Executive Committee, and Chapters

Section 1. The elected officers of Local 1493 shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, a Chairperson for each Chapter, an Executive Committee Member for each Chapter and a Part-time member for
each Chapter. The President of the SMCCCD Association of Retired Teachers, duly elected by the retired membership, shall also serve as an officer of Local 1493 and as a member of the Executive Committee.

Section 2. The appointed officers of the Local shall be the Grievance Committee Chairperson, the Chief Negotiator, and the Newsletter Editor. The President, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the elected officers of the Local, shall appoint the persons to serve in these three offices. An elected officer may also serve as an appointed officer.

Section 3. The duties of the officers are as follows:

a. The President shall act as the executive officer of the Local, presiding at all membership meetings and Executive Committee meetings. The President shall be an ex officio member of all standing and ad hoc committees, except the audit and election committees.

b. The Vice President shall preside over meetings in the absence of the President and may be assigned additional responsibilites by the President. The Vice President shall also be responsible for maintaining membership levels in the Local.

c. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all membership meetings and Executive Committee meetings. The Secretary shall maintain and keep the ordinary non-financial records of the Local and shall also be responsible for notifying the memberhip of the Local of elections and special meetings and for internal and external correspondence to be transmitted at the direction of the President. The Secretary shall be the custodian of the seal and the charter of the Local, to be kept in the Local's offices.

d. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the fiscal affairs of the Local, keeping financial records, reporting periodically to the membership and Executive Committee on the financial state of the Local and shall be responsible for the proper receipt and disbursement of the Local's funds.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for the submission of a financial statement of the Local and the transmission of per capita dues and special assessments to the Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers at the National Office as required by the Constitution and procedures of the American Federation of Teachers.

e. The Chapter Chairpersons shall act as executive officers of their respective Chapters.

f. The Grievance Committee Chairperson shall preside over the Local's Grievance Committee and shall represent the Local in grievances against management in the District.

g. The Chief Negotiator shall represent the Local in collective bargaining matters with the District.

h. Executive Committee Members shall represent the interests of their Chapters on the Executive Committee.

i. The Newsletter Editor shall be responsible for producing a newsletter on a regular basis.

j. The President of the SMCCCD Association of Retired Teachers shall act as that chapter's executive officer, presiding at all retirees' membership meetings and shall serve on the Executive Committee of the Local.

Section 4. Vacancies in offices may be filled by appointment by the Executive Committee.

Section 5. The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected and appointed officers of the Local and the immediate past president of the Local. The Executive Committee shall establish and implement all policies of the Local. The Executive Committee shall keep the Chapters and the membership informed on its deliberations and actions. The Executive Committee may act in emergency situations wherein policy cannot be immediately set by the membership. On matters deemed by the Executive Committee or by one of the Chapters to be important, the Executive Committee shall submit its decision to ratification by the general membership.

Section 6. Chapters shall be established for each College, and if deemed appropriate, for retired employees District-wide and for classified employees District-wide. Chapter members shall include all union members employed in the jurisdiction of the Chapter. A member of the Local may act as a member of more than one Chapter. Each Chapter may establish its own officers and policies, provided that such policies do not conflict with the policies of the Local as a whole.

Article V - Elections

Section 1. Nominations for elected officers shall be made at a membership meeting to take place during the Spring Semester. Notice shall be provided to each member at least two weeks prior to the meeting that nominations are in order. Nominations may be submitted by campus mail to the Chapter Chairperson or to the Secretary of the Local, or at the Spring Semester membership meeting itself.

Section 2. Officers shall be elected in even numbered years during the month of April, for a term of two years. Chapter Chairpersons and Executive Committee Members shall be elected by their respective Chapters by mailed secret ballot. The President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected by mailed secret ballot of the general membership. In the event that no nominee for office has received a majority of the votes cast, the two nominees with the highest number of votes shall be in a run-off election to take place within two weeks of the original canvass.

Section 3. The elected officers of the Local shall take office on May 15th of even numbered years, unless otherwise specified in the By-Laws of this organization. The appointed officers shall take office upon concurrence with their appointment by the President.

Section 4. Officers may be recalled by a two-thirds majority of the general membership in a special election. Upon receipt of a petition signed by twenty-five percent of the general membership, the Executive Committee must call a special election within two weeks for the recall of an officer. The recall ballot must state the reasons for the recall and give the response of the officer in question, and must include a nominee for the office whose holder is the object of the recall. If the election results in the successful recall of an officer, then the nominee for that office receiving a majority of votes assumes the office. Should no nominee receive a majority, then the provisions in Section 2 of this Article are to be followed.

Article VI - Meetings

Section 1. The general membership shall meet at least once in an academic year, usually during the Spring Semester. A quorum shall consist of one tenth of the general membership or eighteen members, whichever figure is lower.

Section 2. Special meetings of the general membership may be called by the Executive Committee, and at the request of any of the Chapters.

Section 3. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a month at a regular time and place during the academic year. A quorum shall consist of half the members of the Executive Committee.

Section 4. Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the President or by any four members of the Executive Committee.

Section 5. The Chapters shall establish their own meeting schedules.

Article VII - Committees

Section 1. The Grievance Committee shall consist of the Chairperson and such additional members as may be elected by the Chapters.
a. The Chapter Chairpersons may form a Chapter Grievance Committee with power to act in that Chapter.

b. The Grievance Committee shall assist the Chapter Grievance Committees, and shall, with the approval of the Executive Committee,
handle all grievances at the District level.

Section 2. For each election, regular or special, an election committee will be constituted by the Executive Committee to tally results and report such results to the general membership through the Executive Committee.

Section 3. In cases involving an inquiry into the financial state of the Local, an audit committee will be established by the Executive Committee to report to the general membership through the Executive Committee.

Section 4. No officer, appointed or elected, may serve on either the election or the audit committees.

Section 5. The President, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee, may appoint such ad hoc committees as may be deemed appropriate.

Article VIII - Affiliations

Section 1. Local 1493 shall be affiliated with the following organizations: American Federation of Teachers, California Federation of Teachers, California Labor Federation, San Mateo Central Labor Council, and the Community College Council. The Local shall pay the required dues for affiliation with these organizations and shall send delegates to their meetings and conventions.

Section 2. Delegates to the San Mateo Central Labor Council and to the convention of the California Federation of Teachers shall be elected each year. Delegates to the national convention of the American Federation of Teachers shall be elected at the same election where officers of this Local are chosen.

Section 3. The President and Secretary of Local 1493 shall certify the election of the delegates to the American Federation of Teachers convention and shall forward the credentials of all elected delegates and alternates to the National Office of the American Federation of Teachers no later than ten days prior to the convening of the National Convention.

Article IX - Amendments

Amendments to this Consititution must receive a majority vote of the Executive Committee, and must be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the membership voting in a secret ballot, mailed out two weeks before the ballots are to be counted.

Article X - By-Laws

In order to provide additional procedures, duties, or methods of operation, By-Laws for the Local may be established by a two-thirds vote of the general membership voting. Any amendment to such By-Laws, either submitted by signed petition of twenty-five percent of the general membership or by majority vote of the Executive Committee, will be submitted to the general membership for ratification by a simple majority of votes cast.

Article XI - Rules of Order

Robert's Rules of Order (revised) shall govern in all cases in which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution, By-Laws, or procedural rules adopted by the Local.

Article XII - Adoption

Section 1. This Constitution shall become effective on June 1, 1988 after approval by the membership.

Section 2. Three copies of this Constitution and all future amendments shall be submitted to the National Office of the American Federation of Teachers. Copies will also be made available to other affiliated organizations and to the membership.