Agenda Item #3
SUBJECT: Direct Membership Election of Master Executive Council Officers (Article VIII.B.1. & 2.)
STATEMENT OF QUESTION:
Should the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws (Article VIII.B.) be amended to provide for Direct Membership Election of Master Executive Council Officers by the membership of each AFA-CWA airline?
SOURCE AND DATE SUBMITTED: CAL 60, 63, 64, 36, 37 – March 17, 2016
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
For years, the subsidiary Continental membership have strongly expressed the desire to have the ability to elect their representatives at all levels of their union. For all elected Officers to be accountable to the rank and file membership. This process provides Flight Attendants with the ability and greater motivation to be directly involved and engaged in the selection of their leaders.
As additional information to consider, please see the notes that follow.
Notes:
- In this age of social media, YouTube, campaign websites, the previous concerns regarding the cost of campaigning within a carrier for MEC Officer positions is greatly diminished.
- MEC Officers being directly accountable to the membership promotes transparency as well as active membership participation and membership trust.
- The role of the Local President would continue to be the spokesperson of their respective Local Council at MEC meetings. The MEC Officers would be accountable to the membership of the carrier, including the LECP’s.
PROPOSED RESOLUTION:
WHEREAS, achieving a more inclusive and democratic union serves the interest of all members of AFA-CWA, and
WHEREAS, direct membership election of union officers not only provides for a more inclusive and democratic union, it encourages greater membership involvement and engagement in the union and in the selection of their leaders,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws Article VIII, Section B, paragraphs 1 – 2 be amended and replaced with the following:
- Nomination Procedures
a. No later than one hundred and fifty (150) days before the start of the term of office, the International Secretary-Treasurer of the Union shall cause nominating ballots, commitment to serve statements and cover letters to be mailed to all active members of all Local Councils within that MEC. For all Local Councils located outside of the United States the time frame shall be two hundred and ten (210) days before the start of the term of office. For newly organized carriers, the nominating ballots, commitment to serve statements and cover letters shall be mailed to all active members of Local Councils no later than sixty (60) days following the appointment of Temporary Master Executive Council Officers.
b. Nomination procedures shall be conducted by secret ballot.
c. Each active member in good standing may nominate one (1) candidate for the office of President, Vice President and Secretary.
d. Nominating ballots, executed by active members in good standing, shall be sent to the International Secretary-Treasurer of the Union prior to the count date specified on said nominating ballot.
e. Nominating ballots of active members in good standing shall be certified and tallied under the supervision of the Ballot Certification Committee at the International Office.
f. (1) The Ballot Certification Committee shall determine a candidate’s commitment to serve as an elected Officer by any one (1) of the following:
- Receipt of a commitment to serve card with the nomination ballot.
- Written notification prior to the count date.
- Checking the indicated block on the transmittal envelope.
(2) If a commitment to serve has not been indicated as outlined in C.1.f. (1) above, the AFA Membership Services Department will contact the nominee through email, phone calls(s), and regular mail letter requesting a commitment to serve statement, with the exception that no email, phone calls(s), and regular mail letter will be sent to a candidate with less than two (2) nomination votes. Verbal confirmation upon receipt of email, phone calls(s), and regular mail letter, confirmed in writing, may also serve as notification of a candidate’s commitment to serve.
(3) The International Secretary-Treasurer of the Union shall cause the names of all nominees who received at least two (2) nomination ballots and who have indicated their commitment to serve to be placed on the official Master Executive Council Officers election ballot.
- Election Procedures
a. (1) No later than ninety (90) days before the start of the term of office, the International Secretary-Treasurer of the Union shall cause election ballots to be mailed to all active members of those Local Councils within the United States scheduled for Master Executive Council Officer elections as provided in Section 3. below. For all Local Councils located outside of the United States, ballots will be mailed one hundred and twenty (120) days before the start of the term of office. The election ballot shall list the names of the nominees for each Master Executive Council office in alphabetical order. Each active member in good standing may vote for one (1) candidate for each Master Executive Council office. Nothing in this Constitution and Bylaws shall prohibit the write-in and election of an eligible member for Master Executive Council office. Such election shall be conducted by secret ballot.
(2) Master Executive Council Officer election ballots executed by the active members in good standing of each Local Council shall be returned to the International Office no later than sixty (60) days before the start of a term of office, or before a date established by the International Secretary-Treasurer of the Union. Ballots shall be validated and tallied under the supervision of the Ballot Certification Committee. It shall certify the election results and notify the International Secretary-Treasurer of the Union, who shall promptly mail a copy of such certification to the successful candidates and to all the respective Local Council members. All nomination and election ballots and the transmittal envelopes in which they were received, shall be retained at the International Office for at least the duration of the terms of office for which the balloting was conducted.
(3) In cases where ties develop in the election process, the two (2) or more candidates who are tied shall participate in a runoff election by mail ballot that will be held as soon as practicable after the initial balloting is completed.
(4) In the event no eligible member is elected as Master Executive Council President, Vice President or Secretary, the International Secretary-Treasurer of the Union shall immediately arrange for additional balloting for such office.
b. The election of Master Executive Council Officers shall be completed and the successful candidates notified of their election by the International Secretary-Treasurer of the Union no later than the first day of the month preceding the term of office. These amendments shall take effect for all elections commencing voting on or after June 1, 2016.
Agenda Item #2
Electronic Balloting (Sections IX.H. & IX.M.)
SUBJECT: Electronic Balloting (Sections IX.H. & IX.M.)
STATEMENT OF QUESTION:
Should the AFA-CWA process for conducting Local Officer elections be modified to comply with a recent election process decision pertaining to electronic balloting?
SOURCE AN DATE SUBMITTED: International President – April 15, 2016
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In April 2014, the Allied Pilots Association (APA) conducted an election of Local Officers that was successfully challenged.
In November 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a Stipulation of Settlement that deemed the electronic balloting procedures used in that election could potentially cause the secrecy of the vote to be compromised.
The findings and rationale for their decision stems from the balloting process in that the electronic balloting software “held” the electronic votes with the identity of the voter until the time to count the votes. The software kept these together so a credentials/eligibility update on the Count Date could determine if anyone became ineligible, e.g., fell into Bad Standing, transferred out, etc.
Procedures currently used at AFA mirror those that were successfully challenged, and the changes included in the Proposed Resolution provide the necessary update.
The resolution within the DOL Stipulation of Settlement was that a vote must be counted at the time it is cast so that the Voter ID and vote are not “held” at all. Because of this, there is no subsequent credentials/eligibility check, so all on the initial eligibility list remain eligible for the duration of the election. Because of this, no vote that is cast by a voter who is eligible or becomes eligible will ever be deemed void.
A second aspect, which will be noticed by members, is that one will not be able to re-vote. Since the vote is counted at the time that it is cast and the voter ID is separated from the vote, there will be no way to over-write the previous cast vote.
PROPOSED RESOLUTION:
WHEREAS, electronic balloting has become the standard that members expect when voting in Local Officer elections, resulting in greater member satisfaction and higher member participation; and,
WHEREAS, a recent Department of Labor (DOL) Stipulation of Settlement has further defined the DOL position with respect to acceptable procedures to follow; and,
WHEREAS, AFA-CWA is committed to updating internal procedures to ensure compliance with both constitutional provisions and DOL regulations;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Section IX.M.3., M.5., M.7., M.12., and M.13. be amended as follows, with all other paragraphs with in Section IX.M. remaining the same:
M. Electronic Balloting Procedures
- The database shall be updated for verification of membership status, standing, and eligibility to vote with the most recent information available to generate the voting notice to be sent to the membership. Any member attaining eligibility status subsequent to the initial polling date shall be granted access to an electronic ballot upon request. No one on the initial verified eligibility list that has voted will have her or his vote deemed to be void.
- Members may vote or change their vote as often as they choose during the balloting period. Only the last vote as of the close of the polling period shall be counted not change their vote.
- Ballot Count – The count will take place after the close of the polling period. but prior to the final tally of all votes received, the database shall be updated for verification of membership status, standing, and eligibility to vote with the most recent information available.
- Ballots will not be voided for the following any reasons:.
- Ineligible to vote ( bad standing )
- Ineligible to vote ( other than bad standing )
- Any remarks or notations identifying the voter
- Tally and Certification Report shall show:
- Number of eligible voters
- Dates and times of the polling period
- Number of ballots cast
- Number of ballots voided Not used.
- Results of tally
- Signatures of Committee members certifying the vote.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Section IX.H. be amended to add this paragraph in compliance with DOL procedures on electronic balloting for officer elections:
H. Additional Procedures for Local Council Elections
- Electronic balloting will be used to conduct Local Officer Elections.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, the International Secretary-Treasurer shall make other necessary changes to Section IX. and elsewhere as needed to ensure consistency with the changes described above.
Agenda Item #1
SUBJECT: AFA-CWA Proposed Annual Budget
STATEMENT OF QUESTION:
Should the 2016 – 2017 AFA-CWA Annual Budget be adopted as proposed?
SOURCE AND DATE SUBMITTED: International President – April 15, 2016
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
See attached Memo from the International Secretary-Treasurer and the 42-page budget.
PROPOSED RESOLUTION:
WHEREAS the AFA-CWA Board of Directors sets and reaffirms our priorities each year the Annual Board of Directors Meeting; and,
WHEREAS, together we build our annual budget to support our priorities based upon available resources, including our income; and,
WHEREAS, the Budget Committee has met and submitted a balanced budget recommendation to the Board of Directors,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the CWA Dues Average of $50 was used in the construction of the 2016-2017 AFA-CWA Budget for the fiscal year beginning June 1, 2016 to May 31, 2017; and,
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors in session on May 23-24, 2016 for the purpose of passing a balanced budget, waive the provisions delineated in Section IV.C.1. and Section IV.G.2. for this upcoming fiscal year. Further action includes: the 2017 Board of Directors meeting will be scheduled such that the bulk of the cost of the meeting will fall on or after June 1, 2017; and, the MEC and LEC budgets will be maintained comparable to the 2015-2016 budget allocation amounts.