Union Handbook (job duties)

DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

(Sections 1-12)

All elected and appointed officers shall:

  • Attend monthly meetings of the local
  • Write articles for publication in the Advocate.  The president shall write a column for every issue.  Negotiators shall write articles updating the membership on the status of negotiations.
  • Attend one Board of Trustees meeting per year, ensuring coverage of the maximum number of meetings.  Report on BOT meetings as necessary.

Section 1. Duties of the PRESIDENT

The President shall:

  • Act as the chief executive officer of the Local
  • Establish effective procedures to track grievances and contract timetables
  • Oversee the treasury and the budget
  • Supervise staff
  • Act within the confines of the Constitution and the policies established by the membership and the Executive Committee
  • Ensure vigorous defense of any member whose civil liberties or job rights have been threatened
  • Supervise implementation of Executive Committee decisions
  • Supervise day-to-day implementation of union policy and programs
  • Represent the Local before bodies of the employer, community organizations, legislative officials, news media
  • Be, by office, a delegate to the convention of the American Federation of Teachers and to meetings or conventions of its affiliated bodies
  • Act as liaison with the CCC and the CFT
  • Oversee the negotiation and enforcement of the collective bargaining agreement
  • Oversee the development and implementation of a program to help all bargaining unit members strengthen their professional knowledge and practices and mentor and support less experienced colleagues
  • Oversee an effective structure of worksite representatives
  • Oversee effective communications programs
  • Oversee a New Member program
  • Serve as a liaison with the District Academic Senate and report to the Executive Committee on its activities
  • Appoint, with the approval of the Executive Committee, union representatives to committees
  • Be able to delegate the responsibilities of the office except where otherwise specified byt the Constitution

 

Section 2. Duties of the VICE-PRESIDENT

The Vice-President shall:

  • Temporarily assume the duties of the President in the event of resignation or absence of the President, until a new President is appointed by the Executive Committee, or for the remainder of the term if regularly scheduled elections will be held by the end of the semester
  • Carry out all responsibilities delegated by the President of assigned by the Executive Committee
  • Advice and support chapter chairs in membership building strategies and the development of their chapters
  • Represent the Local at the District Shared Governance Council
  • Assist Grievance Officers as necessary

 

Section 3.  Duties of the SECRETARY

The Secretary shall:

  • Record and keep accurate minutes of all memebership and Executive Committee meetings, including date of meeting, date minutes were adopted, members present, decisions and votes taken
  • Oversee the work of, and receive and certify the reports of, the Elections Committee

 

Section 4.  Duties of the TREASURER

Note:  Duties of the Treasurer, except those marked with *, may be assigned to the Local’s staff if the elected Treasurer does not possess the necessary skills for the required day-to-day duties of the office.

The Treasurer shall:

  • *Oversee the fiscal affairs of the Local and report periodically to the membership and the Executive Committee on the financial state of the Local
  • *Act as a signator, with the Executive Secretary, on financial instruments
  • Receive and deposit all dues monies and other income of the Local
  • Disemburse funds as required for the payment of per capitas, salaries and stipends, expense reimbursements, purchases or other expenses of the Local, according to the Local’s budget
  • Maintain all financial records of the Local
  • Assist in the preparation of the budget
  • Prepare financial statements and transmit per capita dues and special assessments to the American Federation of Teachers, the California Federation of Teachers and to other bodies with which the Local is affiliated, as required by the Local’s Constitution and the procedures of other bodies
  • Prepare financial statements and submission of reports for all external needs, including the Internal Revenue Service
  • Oversee an annual independent financial audit of the Local’s finances, and make audit report available to the Executive Committee and the membership

 

Section 5.  Duties of the CHIEF NEGOTIATOR

The Chief Negotiator shall:

  • Represent the Local in collective bargaining matters with the District
  • During negotiations, inform and seek advice from the Executive Committee about negotiations status, progress and strategies

 

Section 6.  Duties of the GRIEVANCE OFFICER

The Grievance Officer shall:

  • Work with parties involved in a dispute to try to resolve it at the lowest level possible
  • Represent faculty members in grievances against management in the District
  • Advise the Executive Committee on decisions such as whether to pursue grievances or other problems to arbitration and/or court
  • Act as grievance training mentor for local representatives and chapter chairs
  • Act as chief consultant on all grievance matters in the Local
  • Maintain records of complaints and grievances, and their disposition
  • Enforce the contract and educate faculty of their rights, including conducting Evaluation Trainings on each campus at least annually

 

Section 7.  Duties of the EDITOR

The Editor shall:

  • Produce the Advocate newsletter on a regular basis (three issues in the fall, three issues in the spring)
  • Produce and send AFT E-News as needed
  • Advise the Executive Committee on communications strategy and tactics

 

Section 8.  Duties of the CHAPTER CHAIRPERSON

The Chapter Chairperson shall:

  • Serve as a resource and support to faculty on union issues
  • Take advantage of leadership/training opportunities, such as statewide meetings, conferences, institutes and conventions
  • Function as a worksite leader:
    • Act as the executive officer of the chapter
    • Supervise and coordinate the work of the chapter
    • Be a visible representative of the union
  • Function as a communicator:
    • Maintain bulletin boards in the Division offices
    • Distribute newsletters and flyers
    • Welcome new faculty and distribute welcome packet
    • Relay information to faculty (via email and/or meetings)
    • Discuss important issues and inform members of policy decisions
    • Organize campus meeting at least once per semester
    • Inform members of AFT membership benefits
  • Function as a problem-solver:
    • Answer questions, concerns and complaints and make referrals as appropriate
    • Identify worksite problems
    • Assist Grievance Officer in the early stage of grievances with data collection
  • Function as union builder:
    • Recruit union members to serve on committees
    • Identify new/potential union activists and get them involved in union work
    • Organize social events
    • Recruit volunteers for political campaigns and legislative action
  • Attend the college’s Academic Senate meetings
  • Attend the college’s Budget Committee meetings
  • Attend division meetings as necessary

 

Section 9.  Duties of the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVE

The Executive Committee Representative shall:

  • Represent the interests of their Chapter on the Executive Committee
  • Assist and support Chapter Chairs as requested
  • Serve as a resource and make referrals for faculty on union-related issues

 

Section 10.  Duties of the PART-TIME REPRESENTATIVE

The Part-Time Representative shall:

  • Represent the interests of part-time faculty on the Executive Committee
  • Assist and support Chapter Chairs as requested on matters related to part-time faculty
  • Serve as a resource and make referrals for part-time faculty on union-related issues

 

Section 11.  Duties of the PAST PRESIDENT

The Past President shall:

  • Advise the President and the Executive Committee as necessary
  • Serve as directed by the President

 

Section 12.  Duties of the DART PRESIDENT

The DART (District Association of Retired Teachers) President shall:

  • Represent retired faculty interests by providing to the Executive Committee reports and information concerning retirees when needed

 

DUTIES OF THE STAFF

(Sections 13-14)

 

Section 13.  Duties of the EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

The Executive Secretary shall:

  • Take direction from and assist the President
  • Assist in gathering data for collective bargaining negotiations as requested by Chief Negotiator
  • Answer questions, concerns and complaints from faculty and make referrals as appropriate
  • Assist Grievance Officer in the early stage of complaints/grievances (up to Dean level) Help with data collection.  Assist in later stages of complaints/grievances only as requested.
  • Assist and support chapter chairs in the organization and development of each chapter
  • Assist Executive Committee members who conduct orientations for new AFT members
  • Solicit, schedule and direct volunteers for union activities
  • Remain current with all appropriate state laws and administrative rules and regulations that impact on the Local’s responsibilities as the collective bargaining agent (PERB, IRS, etc)
  • Maintain current database of unit members
  • Prepare and produce the Agency Fee Packet each semester and distribute to Agency Fee Payers
  • Help the Local develop and maintain positive working relationships with the media
  • Attend meetings of the SMCCCD Board of Trustees and San Mateo Central Labor Council
  • Maintain and develop communication with key community and labor contacts
  • Handle routine correspondence of the Local, including responding, filing and routing to appropriate person
  • Distribute external communications (from AFT, CFT, CCC, CPFA)
  • Order and purchase supplies for the AFT office
  • Provide meeting support:  scheduling, room reservations, materials, refreshments
  • Coordinate the production of Local’s publications (the Advocate, E-news, flyers)
  • Advertise conferences and training opportunities for elected and appointed officers of the Local in a timely manner
  • Perform other duties as needed when requested by elected or appointed officers of the Local

 

Section 14.  Duties of the OFFICE MANAGER

The Office Manager shall:

  • Work under the supervision of the Executive Secretary and the Treasurer
  • Perform bookkeeping duties as delegated by the Treasurer, which may include:
    • Pay bills (after reviewing for accuracy), including payroll, payroll taxes, workers’ benefits, per capitas, legal expenses, occupational liability insurance, office and conference expenses, reimbursements to faculty and staff for expenses related to their AFT duties, etc
    • Prepare monthly payroll tax forms, AFT per capita forms, workers’ compensation forms
    • Prepare quarterly tax returns (federal and state), annual W-2 and W-3 forms, annual 1099 and 1096 forms, annual federal 940-EZ tax return and state annual reconciliation statement
    • Prepare checks for deposit and post in deposit ledger
    • Transfer funds as needed between checking account and savings account (signature?)
    • Review and reconcile monthly bank statements
    • Research annual Agency Fee payments received by AFT 1493, calculate the annual rebate due to fee payers, write and send rebate checks, produce records for AFT and CFT
    • Calculate the portion of rebate payments for which the Local is due reimbursements from AFT and CFT, compute those reimbursement figures into the next per capita report to be submitted
    • Prepare quarterly reports and financial balance sheets
    • Meet annually with Auditor to review ledger for Agency Fee Audit
  • Maintain computer database of unit members as delegated by the Executive Secretary, including:
    • Maintain database of current and past members of the bargaining unit
    • Update database for new full-time hires and new retirees by processing Closed Session Board Reports
    • Submit reports to AFT on a regular basis with current membership of the bargaining unit
  • Perform clerical duties, including:
    • Prepare packets for new members, new full-time hires and new retirees
    • Purchase office supplies as needed
    • File documents