CONSTITUTION OF THE
AFT GUILD, LOCAL 1931
SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Amended May, 2016
ARTICLE I - NAME
1.1The name of this organization shall be: American Federation of Teachers Guild, Local 1931, San Diego and Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community Colleges.
ARTICLE II - JURISDICTION
2.1This organization, hereinafter called the “Guild,” shall exercise jurisdiction for the American Federation of Teachers on all campuses and within all facilities on behalf of all faculty and staff for which the Guild is the exclusive representative.
ARTICLE III - PURPOSES
3.1Generally, the Guild seeks to promote excellence ofineducation for students and excellence ofin academic and professional environmentworking conditions for faculty and staff.
3.2Specifically, the Guild endeavors to:
(1)Establish and maintain a collegiate environment within which students can aspire to and achieve the highest intellectual, vocational and social aims; and
(2)EndowProvide students with the specialized information and technical skills needed to succeed.
3.3The assumptions of the Guild’s membership which underlie its commitment to these high purposesstandards include the following:
(1)Faculty and staffmembers are professionals, and their professional judgment, individually and collectively, about matters academic andinstructionalprofessional matters, is therefore to be accorded the greatest regard;
(2)Faculty and staff members must be assured a professional level of compensation commensurate with their academic and professional accomplishments;
(3)Faculty members must not be subject to arbitrary and capriciousany restriction of their academic freedom; and
(4)Students must have the widest possible access to learningeducational and career advancement opportunities and related support services;
(5)A recognition that faculty and staff working conditions are affected by the social, economic, and environmental conditions of students and that providing the best educational opportunities for students also requires addressing these other factors that impact student success.
ARTICLE IV - AFFILIATIONS
4.1The Guild shall affiliate with the American Federation of Teachers and the California Federation of Teachers. It shall also affiliate with the San Diego/Imperial Counties Labor Council, San Diego/Imperial Counties Labor Council's Committee of Political Education, “COPE,” and the California Federation of Labor and its COPE, and the Labor Party (subject to annual renewal). The Guild may also affiliate with other San Diego County AFT locals according to agreements determined by participating locals and may have working arrangements with other organizations whose goals are deemed by the Guild Executive Council to be consonant with those adumbrated in the present Constitution, subject to conditions mentioned in the By-Laws of the Guild.
ARTICLE V - MEMBERSHIP
5.1Membership in the Guild shall be open to all faculty and staff for whom the Guild is the exclusive representative. Membership in the Guild is of three kinds:
(1)Regular Membership In Good Standing: which shall be open to all employees who have completed a Guild membership applicationtenured, tenure-track, and adjunct faculty, and all classified and hourly staff, per the requirement of 5.1, supra, who holdhave held an active assignment at any time during the previous twelve (12) months in one of the bargaining units for which the Guild is the exclusive representative, and whose dues are paid in full according to the dues provisions set forth in the By-Laws. Members who have left the Guild’s bargaining unit for reasons of promotion, resignation, retirement, or termination shall lose these membership rights as of the date of separation from that bargaining unit.
(2)Honorary Membership, which shall consist of certain persons who, by their efforts in the field of higher education, have made significant contributions to the high goals of the Guild. This membership shall be granted upon a majority vote of those Guild members present and voting at a general meeting, and after a presentment of a written petition by a committee of the Guild established for that purpose. Dues shall not be made a requirement for this kind of membership, nor shall voting rights or eligibility for office in the Guild be obtained thereby.
(2)Associate Membership: shall consist of workers who, upon approval by the Guild’s Executive Council, support the goals and principles of the Guild. Monthly dues must be paid in full at the current minimum dues rate in place for Guild members in good standing. Associate Members shall have access to those national benefits available to Guild members in good standing, and shall be allowed to attend and have voice but not vote in Guild membership meetings, but shall have no other rights and privileges of Guild membership.
(3)Retiree Membership: which shall consist of all retirees who retired from active status (no current bargaining unit assignment) as a regular Guild member in good standing, who are current dues paying members in good standing of the Guild’s Retiree Chapter, 1931R, and have been approved by the Guild’s Executive Council. as defined in (1) above. Retirees shall not pay dues, vote on official Guild business, nor hold any Guild office, but shall maintain all other benefits of membership.
ARTICLE VI - OFFICERS
6.1Elected Officers of the Guild shall be as follows:
President
Secretary
Treasurer
Chapter Vice-Presidents
Political Action Vice-Presidents
At-Large Vice-Presidents
Communications Vice-Presidents
Membership Vice-Presidents
Public Relations Vice-Presidents
Bargaining Unit Conciliator/Grievance Chair
All candidates for elected office must be regular Guild members in good standing.
The President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected at-large from among all regular Guild members in good standing.
6.2For SDCCD Faculty, officers are elected as follows:
a)Two (2) Chapter Vice-Presidents, one (1) a contract faculty member and one (1) an adjunct faculty member, from each of the three colleges, and from each of the five continuing education centers. Each of these officers, and eligible voters for these offices, shall hold the majority of theiranactive assignment during the semester of the election at the SDCCD college/center and in the same type of assignment (contract vs. adjunct) from which elected.
b)College Faculty shall also elect one (1) Communications Vice-President, one (1) Public Relations Vice-President, three (3) Membership Vice-Presidents, and three (3) Political Action Vice-Presidents from among all college faculty. Each of these officers, and eligible voters for these offices, shall hold the majority of theiranactive assignment during the semester of the electionat some combination ofany colleges within the SDCCD.
c)College Faculty shall also elect one (1) Political Action Vice-President from among all college adjunct faculty. This office, and eligible voters for this office, shall hold the majority of theiranactive assignment during the semester of the election in an adjunct capacity at some combination ofany colleges within the SDCCD.
For SDCCD Contract Classified Staff, officers are elected as follows:
a)One (1) Chapter Vice-President from each of the three colleges, one (1) Chapter Vice-President from the District office (includes DSC), and one (1) Chapter Vice-President representing all of the continuing education centers. Each of these officers, and eligible voters for these offices, shall hold the majority of theiranactive assignment during the semester of the election at the SDCCD college/center from which elected.
b)Contract Classified Staff shall also elect one (1) Communications Vice-President, one (1) Public Relations Vice-President, four (4) Membership Vice-Presidents, and four (4) Political Action Vice-Presidents from among all classified staff.
c)Contract Classified Staff shall also elect one (1) Political Action Vice-President and one (1) Membership Vice-President from among all Maintenance & Operations contract staff.
d)Contract Classified Staff shall also elect one (1) Political Action Vice-President and one (1) Membership Vice-President from among all Food Service contract staff.
For SDCCD Hourly (Non-Academic, Non-Classified) Staff, officers are elected as follows:
a)One (1) Chapter Vice-President from each of the three colleges, one (1) Chapter Vice-President representing all of the continuing education centers, and one (1) At-LargeChapter Vice-President from the District officeelected from any site. Each of these officers, and eligible voters for these offices, shall hold the majority of theiranactive assignment during the semester of the election at the SDCCD college/center from which elected, with the exception of the At-Large Vice-President.
For GCCCD Faculty, officers are elected as follows:
a)Four (4) Chapter Vice-Presidents, two (2) a contract faculty member and two (2) an adjunct faculty member, from each of the two colleges. Each of these officers, and eligible voters for these offices, shall hold the majority of theiranactive assignment during the semester of the election at the GCCCD college and in the same type of assignment (contract vs. adjunct) from which elected.
b)GCCCD Faculty shall also elect one (1) Communications Vice-President, one (1) Public Relations Vice-President, three (3) Membership Vice-Presidents, and three (3) Political Action Vice-Presidents from among all GCCCD college faculty. Each of these officers, and eligible voters for these offices, shall hold the majority of theiranactive assignment during the semester of the election at some combination of colleges within the GCCCD.
6.3Appointive Officers of the Guild shall be as follows:
(1) Any of the offices listed in section 6.1 above, for which the total number of ballots cast for that office is less than five percent (5.0%) of the total number of eligible votes to be cast for that office, or for which no candidate ran for election.
(2) A reasonable number of regular members in good standing from a newly organized bargaining unit.
The Guild President shall appoint from among the regular members in good standing, and the elected officers confirm by majority vote, these appointive officers.
ARTICLE VII - EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
7.1The elected and appointive officers defined above in Article VI shall constitute the Executive Council of the Guild. The Executive Council shall be responsible for the execution of Guild policy. The Executive Council may suggest and formulate Guild policy, subject to confirmation of the membership at a general membership meeting. All Guild business, except those items with legal, confidential negotiation, or personnel implications, may only be conducted during a general membership meeting.
7.2The Executive Council shall have discretion to interview for and hire, provision having been duly made in the annual budget of the Guild for same, appropriate staff. The responsibilities of these staff members shall be stipulated by the President, subject to approval by the Executive Council. The staff members shall be accountable to the Guild President. Staff members will not be considered to be nor be eligible to serve as an officer of the Executive Council.
7.3Unless also serving as an elected Executive Council Officer, the Collective Bargaining Chairperson will not be considered an officer of the Executive Council.
ARTICLE VIII - ELECTIONS
8.1Effective July 1, 2017, the term of office shall be two (2)four (4)years for all officers, commencing July 1st, and terminating June 30thtwofouryears hence. Elected officers shall be elected by a secret ballot election as set forth in the By-Laws of the Guild, with the exception of the Conciliator/Grievance Chair and Collective Bargaining Chairperson as stipulated in section 8.4 below. Nominations for each office,with the exception of the office of President, shall be made upon written petition of exactly ten (10) regular members in good standing. Nominations for President shall be made upon written petition of a number of regular members in good standing equal to ten percent (10%) of the total Guild membership, or one hundred (100) regular members in good standing, whichever is less. Membership in good standing for the purposes of this article shall refer to those members who meet the requirements of Article V as of January 10th of the election year.
8.2Notification of election of officers shall be mailed during the month of March in odd numberedelection years.
8.3Newly elected officers shall be installed no later than July 1st following the conclusion of the election of all officers in the manner prescribed by the By-Laws of the Guild.
8.4Every regular Guild member in good standing as of January 10duringthe February payroll period of the election year shall be eligible to vote in the election for officers. All eligible Guild members shall vote for the Secretary, Treasurer, and President. Vice-Presidents shall be elected as delineated in 6.2 above. A member with an equal percentage of assignment at more than one site may declare for which site he/she wishes to vote. Voting shall be a secret ballot election via United States mail. Candidates for Conciliator/Grievance Chair and Collective Bargaining Chairperson shall be elected by the Executive Council of the Guild, upon recommendation of the President of the Guild.
8.5A majority of votes cast shall be necessary to elect. Where no majority exists, the two (2) persons with the largest number of votes will contest in a run-off election following the rules listed in 8.4 above.
ARTICLE IX - VACANCIES
9.1Vacancies in office shall be filled by appointment by the President from among the regular members in good standing subject to ratification by a majority vote of the Executive Council.
9.2In the event of the President’s death, incapacitation, or resignation, a successor President shall be appointed from among the other Executive Council Officers of the Guild by a majority vote of the Executive Council to serve the remainder of the President’s term of office. (moved from By-Laws, 1.3)
ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS
10.1Amendments to this Constitution and/or its By-Laws may be proposed for ratification by the membershipat any regular meeting of the general membership or atany regulara special meeting of the general membership called for that purpose provided the requirements for a quorum are met as delineated in Article 3.2 of the By-Laws, or by the Executive Council. Absent a meeting quorum, amendments may also be proposed upon written petition of a number of Guild members in good standing equal to five percent (5%) of the membership of the Guild as of the most recent academic year pay period.
10.2Any member in good standing is eligible to propose amendments, as is the Executive Council, subject to the requirements of 10.1 above. Ratification shall be a secret ballotelection via United States mail of all Guild members in good standing as of the most recent academic year pay period. A majority of votes cast shall be sufficient to ratify.
10.3All ratification votes for amendments to the Constitution and/or its By-Laws shall take place during the regular term fall or spring semesters and shall allow for no less than fourteen (14) calendar days for members to cast their votes.
ARTICLE XI - BY-LAWS
11.1All matters not covered in this Constitution and those matters requiring further interpretation or elaboration shall be referred to the By-Laws.
11.2Proposals for additions and amendments to, and deletions from, the By-Laws mayshall be made according to the rules pertaining to amendments of the Constitution itself.
ARTICLE XII - PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE
12.1Unless otherwise specified in the By-Laws, Robert’s Rules of Order shall apply at all Guild meetings.
12.2“Days” for the purposes of both the Constitution and By-Laws shall mean a day which is an instructional day as designated on the approved academic calendar in both the San Diego and Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College Districts.
BY-LAWS OF THE
AFT GUILD, LOCAL 1931
SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Amended May, 2016
ARTICLE I - DUTIES OF OFFICERS
1.1The PRESIDENT shall preside at all meetings of the Guild’s General Membership and of the Executive Council. He/she shall be an ex-officio member of all committees of the Guild and its campus chapters except the Audit Committee. He/she shall sign all necessary papers and documents, and he/she shall represent the Guild when and where necessary. He/she shall act as the executive officer of the Guild and shall assume all of the responsibilities commonly attendant upon such position.
1.2The CHAPTER VICE-PRESIDENTS shall serve as chairpersons of their respective site chapters as well as officers of the Guild. Each Chapter Vice-President shall:
(1)Assist in creating a structure of Guild Liaisons, one (1) such Liaison for each department or building;
(2)Employ this structure of Liaisons to increase Guild membership, facilitate membership services, including making known to Guild members benefits and services incidental to membership, and assisting members on professional matters as requested;
(3)Conduct social functions as indicated by the Chapter’s particular needs;
(4)Appoint ad-hoc committee Chairpersons, as needed;
(5)Attend Guild Executive Council meetings; and
(6)Make periodic reports to the general membership and Executive Council of the Guild, and keep regular communication with the President.
1.3In the event of the President’s death, incapacitation, or resignation, a successor President shall be appointed from among the other Executive Council Officers of the Guild by a majority vote of the Executive Council to serve the remainder of the President’s term of office. (moved toConstitution, 9.2)
1.4The POLITICAL ACTION VICE-PRESIDENTS shall have three primary areas of responsibility:
(1)To direct the Guild’s own COPE, to serve as a liaison with the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council’s COPE, the California Federation of Labor’s COPE, the California Federation of Teacher’s COPE, and the American Federation of Teacher’s COPE.
(2)To serve in a professional advocacy function including representing professional concerns to members of the Board of Trustees and other persons and institutions in the community served by the colleges.
(3)To build and maintain alliances with progressive groups both inside and outside the labor movement in the service of social justice and solidarity with the larger local, national, and international communities.
1.5The SECRETARY shall keep a permanent record of all minutes and shall be responsible for all correspondence under the direction of the President. The seal and charter of the Guild shall be charged to the care of this officer, and it shall be her/his responsibility to maintain a complete and accurate record of all policies of the Guild, together with the policy implementation decisions of the Executive Council.