Local Union Elections Manual

Local Union

Elections Manual(Including supplementary provisions for

Amalgamated Local Unions)

UNITED STEELWORKERSFive Gateway CenterPittsburgh, PA 15222

December, 2008

87578 USW Election:87578 USW Election 1/21/09 9:57 AM Page 1


TTAABBLLEE OOFF CCOONNTTEENNTTSSPage

Officers’ Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5I. Provisions of International Constitution

Governing Local Union Elections . . . . . . . . . .8ARTICLE III Eligibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8ARTICLE VI Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . .9ARTICLE VII Local Unions . . . . . . . . . . .10ARTICLE VIII Duties of Local Union

Officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13ARTICLE XI Membership . . . . . . . . . . . .14

II. Explanation and Interpretation ofProvisions of International Constitutionand Requirements of Landrum-Griffin ActGoverning Local Union Elections . . . . . . . . .15

Basic Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Nominations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Eligibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Article III, Section 3, SubversiveMembership and CriminalConvictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Article VII, Section 9, GoodStanding and Employmentwithin the Jurisdiction of theLocal Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Article VII, Section 10, MeetingAttendance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Election Committee (Tellers) . . . . . . . . . . . . .33Duties of Election Committee(Tellers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34Ballots and Election Records . . . . . . . .37Absentee Ballots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

3


Polling Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41Mail Ballots and Voting Machines . . . . . .43Secret Ballot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Reports, Protests and Appeals . . . . . . . . .45Installation of New Officers . . . . . . . . . . .46Vacancies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Other Important Requirements . . . . . . . . .49

III. International Convention Delegates . . . . . . .50

IV. Supplementary Provisions forAmalgamated Local Unions . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Unit Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Notices and Nominations . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Eligibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Election Committee (Tellers) . . . . . . . . . .58Installation of Unit Officials . . . . . . . . . . .59Vacancies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59Other Important Requirements . . . . . . . . .59Int’l Convention Delegates . . . . . . . . . . . .60

V. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

I. Rules Regarding the Effect of Layoffs andShutdowns on Eligibility to Vote and be aCandidate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

II. Pertinent Provisions of Recent Merger Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Sample Letter of Ineligibility from Election Committee toMembers Nominated for Local Union Office . . . .69

Sample Letter of Ineligibility from Election Committee toMembers of Amalgamated Local UnionsNominated for Unit Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

4


TTOO:: OOffffiicceerrss aanndd MMeemmbbeerrss ooff AAllll LLooccaall UUnniioonnssooff tthhee UUnniitteedd SStteeeellwwoorrkkeerrss

The attached Local Union Elections Manual hasbeen approved and adopted by the InternationalExecutive Board of the United Steelworkers in accor-dance with its powers under the InternationalConstitution and contains provisions designed to pro-mote the free and democratic processes of our unionand compliance with the requirements of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959[Landrum Griffin Act] and other pertinent legislationin the United States and Canada.

The Constitution of the United Steelworkers pro-vides that all Local Union Officers and GrievanceCommittee Members shall be elected in April 2009 fora term of three (3) years.

The conduct of these elections is governed by theapplicable provisions of the International Constitutionand those Local Union By-Laws which have beenapproved by the International Union and are consis-tent with this Manual.

We are setting forth in this Manual the provisionsof the International Constitution which control theelection of Local Union Officers and GrievanceCommittee Members. This Manual also contains asection explaining and interpreting these provisions ofthe Constitution and setting forth appropriate proce-dures where the Constitution is silent.

Parts I, II, III and V of this Manual apply to allLocal Unions including Amalgamated Local Unions.

5


Part IV contains supplementary provisions which areapplicable to Amalgamated Local Unions only. Part IIof the Appendix contains pertinent provisions of vari-ous Merger Agreements that have applicability to for-mer URW, IWA and PACE Locals.

It is the policy of the International Union, asdeclared by the International Executive Board, thatLocal Union elections must be conducted in accor-dance with the provisions of the Constitution and thenotes, interpretations, rules and procedures set forth inthis Manual. Any Local Union By-Laws or rulesinconsistent with the provisions of this Manual arehereby superseded and shall not be enforced, even ifthey have previously been approved by theInternational Union. Local Union By-Laws and rulesthat have been approved by the International Unionand that are consistent with the provisions of thisManual shall continue to be applicable to the conductof Local Union elections.

The rules and procedures stated in this Manual donot cover every last detail involved in Local Unionelections. However, they do cover the main pointsfully and are based on the practical experiences of ourLocal Unions in the holding of Local Union elections.These rules and procedures, as well as those By-Lawsand rules already approved by the International Unionwhich are consistent with this Manual, give recogni-tion to the varying needs of our Local Unions onaccount of differences in size of membership, workschedules, and workplace locations.

6


The primary objective in all cases is to assure ourmembership of the enforcement of their democraticrights by fair and impartial elections.

In the event any clause or provision of this LocalUnion Elections Manual is declared unlawful or unen-forceable, by a United States or Canadian Court, suchclause or provision shall, in the jurisdiction in which itis unlawful or unenforceable, be considered severablefrom all other clauses and provisions of this LocalUnion Elections Manual, subject to InternationalExecutive Board action.

In solidarity,

LLeeoo WW.. GGeerraarrdd JJaammeess DD.. EEnngglliisshhInternational International

President Secretary-Treasurer

TThhoommaass CCoonnwwaayy FFrreedd RReeddmmoonnddInternational International

Vice President Vice President(Administration) (Human Affairs)

KKeennnneetthh NNeeuummaannnnNational Director of Canada

Approved and adopted by International Executive Board, UnitedSteelworkers, DDeecceemmbbeerr,, 22000088.

7


II.. PPrroovviissiioonnss ooff IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaallCCoonnssttiittuuttiioonn GGoovveerrnniinngg LLooccaall UUnniioonn

EElleeccttiioonnss

The following are the provisions of theInternational Constitution which relate to the varioustypes of Local Union elections. These provisions areset forth in the order in which they appear in theInternational Constitution.

AARRTTIICCLLEE IIIIII——EElliiggiibbiilliittyySection 3. No person shall be eligible for member-

ship, or for nomination or election or appointment to,or to hold any office, or position, or to serve on anyCommittee in the International Union or a LocalUnion or to serve as a delegate who is a consistentsupporter of, or who actively participates in, the activ-ities of any hate based-racist, terrorist, or other organ-ization which advocates violence to affect governmentpolicy or to oppose the democratic principles to whichthe United States and Canada and our Union are ded-icated.

This eligibility requirement shall be in addition toany other eligibility requirement imposed by any otherArticle or Section of this Constitution.

8


AARRTTIICCLLEE VVII——CCoonnvveennttiioonnssSection 7. No member shall be eligible to be a del-

egate to an International Convention unless the mem-ber (a) is employed in an enterprise, public or private,or any other place within the jurisdiction of the Inter-national Union or is one of the staff representatives ofthe International Union. The International Officers andthe members of the International Executive Board shallbe ex officio delegates to all International Conventions;(b) shall have been in continuous good standing for aperiod of twenty-four (24) months immediately preced-ing the International Convention; or if the member’sLocal Union has been in existence for less than twenty-four (24) months prior to the International Convention,the member must have been in continuous good stand-ing from the time that said member joined such LocalUnion; and (c) has attended at least one-third (1/3) of theregular meetings held by the member’s Local Union dur-ing the twenty-four (24) month period immediately pre-ceding the month in which the delegate election is to beheld. Meetings which a member was prevented fromattending because of such member’s Union activities,working hours, service in the armed forces of the UnitedStates or Canada, sickness which confines, death in theimmediate family, or jury duty, shall not be counted asmeetings held in determining such member’s eligibilityunder this Section 7(c); provided, that the member shallhave the burden of proving inability to attend for one ofthe prescribed reasons, in accordance with proceduresto be specified in the Local Union Elections Manual.

9


Section 10. Delegates to the InternationalConvention must be elected at an official meeting of aLocal Union or by referendum ballot election, afterthe Call for the International Convention is receivedand has been read to the Local Union. The RecordingSecretary shall issue a Notice, signed by theRecording Secretary and the Local Union President, atleast one (1) week prior to such meeting or election,stating that delegates are to be elected on a certain day.Delegates must receive a plurality vote of the mem-bers voting.

Section 11. When any delegate’s credentials are tobe contested, notice of such contest shall be sent to theInternational Secretary-Treasurer not later than five(5) days prior to the date for convening theInternational Convention. Any delegate whose creden-tials are contested may be unseated at any time duringthe International Convention.

AARRTTIICCLLEE VVIIII——LLooccaall UUnniioonnssSection 8. All Local Union Officers and Grievance

Committee Members shall be elected for a term ofthree (3) years at the last meeting in April, 2009 (orduring such other hours or day in April designated bythe membership) by a plurality vote of the membersparticipating in a referendum vote, and shall serveuntil their successors are elected and qualified, atwhich time all money, official records and documents,and all property belonging to the Local Union shall beturned over to such successors. The International

10


Executive Board shall establish procedures which per-mit members who are prevented from appearing at thepolls because of service in the armed forces or vaca-tion to vote by absentee ballot.

An officer who retires from an enterprise servicedby the Local Union shall not be permitted to continuein office.

The date of Local Union elections for Local UnionOfficers and Grievance Committee Members must beadvertised among members at least fifteen (15) daysprevious to the date of the election by mailing noticeof the date, place and hours of the election to eachmember in good standing at the member’s last knownhome address. The notice must also specify the LocalUnion offices to be filled. Nominations shall be madeat the immediately preceding meeting. However,where a Local Union holds two meetings in eachmonth, nominations may be made at the last meetingin the month preceding the month in which the elec-tion is held. Notice of the nominations meeting shallbe given to the membership at least one (1) week inadvance of the meeting.

The requirements regarding method of election andnotices may be modified for Local Unions in Canadaby the International Executive Board.

No member shall at the same time be a candidatefor or hold more than one of the following offices:President, Vice President, Recording Secretary,Financial Secretary, Treasurer, Guide, Guard, andTrustee.

11


A Local Union which has a membership of onehundred (100) or less may adopt a By Law provisionproviding only for the offices of President, VicePresident, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretaryand Treasurer, and the By-Laws shall provide how theduties of the offices of Guide, Guard and Trustee areto be allocated among these five (5) offices. In thealternative, a Local Union which has a membership ofone hundred (100) or less may adopt a By-Law provi-sion which, in addition to providing for the five (5)offices mentioned above, combines the office ofGuide and/or Guard with the office of Trustee.

Section 9. No member shall be eligible for electionas a Local Union Officer or Grievance CommitteeMember unless:

(a) The member shall have been in continuous goodstanding for a period of twenty-four (24) monthsimmediately preceding the month in which the elec-tion is held, or if the member’s Local Union has beenin existence for a lesser period prior to the election,the member must have been in continuous good stand-ing from the time that the member joined such LocalUnion; and

(b) The member is employed in an enterprise, pub-lic or private, or other place within the jurisdiction ofthe Local Union.

Section 10. In order to be eligible for election as aLocal Union Officer or Grievance CommitteeMember in any regular election or election to fill avacancy a member shall have attended at least one-

12


third (1/3) of the regular meetings held by the mem-ber’s Local Union during the twenty-four (24) monthperiod immediately preceding the month in which theelection is to be held.

Meetings which a member was prevented fromattending because of such member’s Union activities,working hours, service in the armed forces of theUnited States or Canada, sickness which confines,death in the immediate family, or jury duty, shall notbe counted as meetings held in determining suchmember’s eligibility under this Section 10; provided,that the member shall have the burden of provinginability to attend for one of the prescribed reasons, inaccordance with procedures to be specified in theLocal Union Elections Manual.

In the event none of the members nominated for aparticular office is eligible, then both Section 9(a) andthis Section 10 will be considered waived automati-cally for that office and the election for that office willbe conducted among those members nominated whomeet the requirements of Section 9(b) of this Article.

AARRTTIICCLLEE VVIIIIII——DDuuttiieess ooff LLooccaall UUnniioonn OOffffiicceerrss(Vacancy Provisions)

Section 1. (Paragraph 2) In the event that a vacan-cy occurs in the office of Vice President, RecordingSecretary, Financial Secretary, Treasurer, Guide,Guard or Trustee or in the position of GrievanceCommittee Member at any time during the term ofoffice, the remaining Local Union Officers shall, bymajority vote, select a successor to serve for the

13


remainder of the term.Section 2. Duties of Vice President. The Vice

President shall assist the President in the discharge ofthe President’s duties and during the President’sabsence shall perform the duties of the President. Inthe event that a vacancy occurs in the office ofPresident, the Vice President shall act as President forthe unexpired term.

AARRTTIICCLLEE XXII——MMeemmbbeerrsshhiippSection 1. No applicant for membership shall be

regarded as being a member in good standing until thefull amount of the initiation fee has been paid.

Section 6. A member not in good standing shall notbe permitted to vote, nominate for office, hold office,or be a candidate for office.______________________________________

In addition to the foregoing provisions of theInternational Constitution, note shall also be taken ofthe special provision for electing Local UnionPresidents as Convention delegates set forth in ArticleXIII, Section 3 of the Standard By-Laws for LocalUnions and Amalgamated Local Unions, which pro-vides:

“The Local Union may choose to have the LocalUnion President, if nominated at the official meeting,elected separately as a delegate by acclamation. Insuch event, the President shall be a delegate ifapproved by a majority of the members voting.Otherwise, the delegates to be selected from amongthe nominees must receive a plurality vote of themembers voting.”

14


IIII.. EExxppllaannaattiioonn aanndd IInntteerrpprreettaattiioonn ooffPPrroovviissiioonnss ooff IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonnaanndd RReeqquuiirreemmeennttss ooff LLaannddrruumm--GGrriiffffiinnAAcctt GGoovveerrnniinngg LLooccaall UUnniioonn EElleeccttiioonnss

BBaassiicc PPrriinncciipplleessLocal Union elections must be conducted in accor-

dance with the foregoing provisions of theConstitution, and the notes, interpretations, rules andprocedures set forth in this Manual. Any Local UnionBy-Laws or rules inconsistent with the provisions ofthis Manual are hereby superseded and shall not beenforced, even if they have previously been approvedby the International Union. Local Union By-Laws andrules that have been approved by the InternationalUnion and that are consistent with the provisions ofthis Manual shall continue to be applicable to the con-duct of Local Union elections.

Election of all Local Union Officers and GrievanceCommittee Members shall take place at the last LocalUnion meeting in April, or during such other hours orday in April designated by the membership which willpermit all members who so desire to vote.

The date of the election should be set sufficientlyin advance so that the members can be informed of thedate, hours and place of the election in the mannerspecified beginning on Page 18 under “Notices.”

Election shall be by plurality vote of the membersin good standing participating in a secret ballot vote.

Only members in good standing are permitted to

15


vote. Where the election is for a Department or ZoneGrievance Committeeperson, only members in goodstanding in the Department or Zone may vote unlessthe practice in the Local has been for all of the Localmembers to vote. (Downturns in operations cause fre-quent movement of members from one Department orZone to another and even from one Local to another.For the rules for determining a person’s Local,Department or Zone, see “Local Union Elections—The Effect of Layoffs and Shutdowns on Eligibility toVote and be a Candidate” which is printed in the backof this Manual at page 61.)

A person who has been recently hired by theCompany that the Local Union services and who hassigned and delivered to the Company and the LocalUnion a dues check-off and membership applicationcard is considered to have satisfied the dues paymentrequirement for membership even though the mem-ber’s first dues payment has not yet been deducted bythe Company.

In any case in which only one eligible member hasbeen nominated for an office, and that member hasindicated acceptance of the nomination within thetime limits and in the manner prescribed by theapproved By-Laws or rules of the Local Union, noelection need be held for that office, and the memberwho has been so nominated shall be deemed elected.

In the event none of the members nominated for aparticular office is eligible, then both Section 9(a) andSection 10 of Article VII of the International

16


Constitution will be considered waived automaticallyfor that office and the election for that office will beconducted among those members nominated whomeet the requirements of Section 9(b) of Article VII ofthe International Constitution.

Elected Officers and Grievance CommitteeMembers shall serve until their successors are electedand qualified.

No member shall at the same time be a candidatefor or hold more than one of the following offices:

President Recording Secretary

Vice President Financial Secretary

Treasurer

GuideGuardTrustee

A Grievance Committee Member is not considereda Local Union Officer although the GrievanceCommittee Member must be elected at the same time,in the same manner, and for the same term of office,as well as meet the same qualifications as a Local

17

{As an alternative to the 11 offices herein listed, LocalUnions with a membership of one hundred (100) orless may adopt a By-Law provision providing only forthe offices of President, Vice President, RecordingSecretary, Financial Secretary and Treasurer, and theBy-Laws shall provide how the duties of the offices ofGuide, Guard and Trustee are to be allocated amongthese five (5) offices. In the alternative, a Local Unionwhich has a membership of one hundred (100) or lessmay adopt a By-Law provision which, in addition toproviding for the five (5) offices mentioned above,combines the office of Guide and/or Guard with theoffice of Trustee.


18

Union Officer. A member, therefore, may run for oneof the above offices and for the position of GrievanceCommittee Member at the same time.

Note: While the International Constitution makesno provision for a Local Union Executive Board,a Local Union may establish an Executive Boardso long as such Executive Board is provided for inits By-Laws. The members of such an ExecutiveBoard must be persons elected to office or posi-tion in the Local Union in accordance with theprovisions of this Manual.

NNoottiicceessNNoommiinnaattiioonn MMeeeettiinngg NNoottiiccee.. Prior to the nomina-

tion meeting, reasonable and adequate notice must begiven of the offices to be filled, of the time and placeof the nomination meeting, and of the fact that candi-dates shall be nominated from the floor at such meet-ing. As the Landrum-Griffin Act has been interpretedby the Secretary of Labor, the manner of giving thisnotice must be reasonably calculated to inform allmembers of the nomination meeting.

It is suggested that an announcement of the aboveinformation as to the nomination meeting be made atthe meeting preceding the nomination meeting.

The actual notice must be given to the membershipat least one (1) week prior to the nomination meetingby any one or more of the following methods as arereasonably calculated, under the particular circum-stances in each Local Union, to inform all members:


(a) Posting on the official Local Union bulletin board in the office or regular meeting place of the Local Union, and on bulletin boards throughout the workplace;

(b) Prominent publication in the Local Union paper;

(c) Prominent publication in the newspaper in the town in which the Local Union is located;

(d) Mailing to the last known address of each member; or

(e) Any other method which will meet the above requirements of the Act.

EElleeccttiioonn NNoottiiccee.. At least fifteen (15) days prior tothe election, notice of the date, place and hours ofLocal Union elections must be mailed to each memberin good standing to each member’s last known homeaddress. The notice must also specify the Local Unionoffices to be filled and advise that absentee ballots areavailable to any member whose work will require themember to be more than fifty (50) miles (eighty [80]kilometers) away from a designated polling place dur-ing the time of the election. Any member who is pre-vented from appearing at the polls because of servicein the armed forces or vacation may cast an absenteeballot.

A postcard or other notice mailed to each member’shome will satisfy this mailing requirement of theLandrum-Griffin Act. For a Local Union which has aLocal Union paper, the mailing requirement may be

19


met by incorporating the foregoing data in a promi-nent place in the paper and mailing a copy of the paperto each member’s last known address at least fifteen(15) days prior to the election. In addition, it is rec-ommended that the notice be posted on the officialLocal Union bulletin board and on bulletin boardsthroughout the workplace.

The Recording Secretary, in conjunction with theFinancial Secretary, shall be responsible for giving thenomination meeting and election notices.

Note: Where possible, the Local Union maydecide to mail a combined nomination and electionnotice to each member to the member’s last knownaddress, advising the date, time, and place of thenomination meeting at which candidates shall benominated from the floor, and the date, time, andplace of the election. This combined notice mustalso list the offices for which nominations and theelection are to be held. If this procedure is fol-lowed, the notice must be mailed in sufficient timethat it should reach the membership at least one (1)week prior to the nomination meeting.

NNoommiinnaattiioonnssNominations and elections must not take place at

the same meeting.Nominations shall take place from the floor at the

meeting immediately preceding the date on which theLocal Union election is to be held. However, the

20


International Constitution provides that where a LocalUnion holds two meetings in each month, nominationsmay be made at the last meeting in the month preced-ing the months in which the election is held. Thus, ifsuch a Local Union plans to hold its regular 2009Local Union elections at its second meeting in April,it may hold its nomination meeting at its last meetingin March. It is suggested that, wherever possible, thisoption be utilized since it will afford the ElectionTellers more time to perform their duties.

Only members in good standing may nominate foroffice. However, the ineligibility of a person to makea particular nomination must, in order to be effective,be raised in timely fashion at the nomination meeting.The names of members nominated for office or posi-tion by action of the membership shall be recorded inthe Local Union Minute Book.

No member shall at the same time be a candidatefor or hold more than one Local Union office.However, a member may be a candidate for and holdthe position of Grievance Committee Member in addi-tion to one of the enumerated Local Union offices.

Nominees must indicate their acceptance or rejec-tion of their nomination within the time limits and inthe manner prescribed by the approved By-Laws orrules of the Local Union.

21


EElliiggiibbiilliittyyAArrttiiccllee IIIIII,, SSeeccttiioonn 33,, SSuubbvveerrssiivvee MMeemmbbeerrsshhiipp aanndd

CCrriimmiinnaall CCoonnvviiccttiioonnssUnder Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution, no

person shall be eligible for membership, or for nomi-nation or election or appointment to, or to hold anyoffice, or position, or to serve on any Committee inthe International Union or a Local Union or to serveas a delegate who is a consistent supporter of, or whoactively participates in, the activities of any hatebased-racist, terrorist, or other organization whichadvocates violence to affect government policy or tooppose the democratic principles to which the UnitedStates and Canada and our Union are dedicated.

This eligibility requirement shall be in addition toany other eligibility requirement imposed by any otherArticle or Section of the Constitution.

In order to declare a member ineligible for LocalUnion office or position under this provision, it is nec-essary for charges to be processed against the memberin accordance with Articles XII and XIII of theConstitution. If these charges are finally upheld, themember must be barred from membership as well asfrom Local Union office. Recent legislative develop-ments suggest that it may be unlawful to enforce thisprovision of our Constitution in Canada and perhapsparts of the United States. If the legality of this provi-sion is raised, your Local Union should contact theDistrict Director who will seek legal advice.

Under the Landrum-Griffin Act, persons who have

22


been convicted or imprisoned for certain specifiedcrimes, are ineligible to hold a Local Union office orposition for 13 years after such conviction or end ofimprisonment whichever is later unless the Trial CourtJudge sets a lesser period of at least three years. Notonly is it illegal for any such person to hold LocalUnion office or position, but it is illegal for a labororganization or its Officers knowingly to permit anysuch person to assume or hold any Local Union officeor position. Any person who willfully violates theseprovisions is subject to a fine of $ 10,000, or impris-onment for five years, or both.

The crimes specified in the Act are: robbery,bribery, extortion, embezzlement, grand larceny, bur-glary, arson, violation of narcotics laws, murder, rape,assault with intent to kill, assault which inflicts griev-ous bodily injury, or any felony involving abuse ormisuse of a position or employment in a labor organi-zation, or conspiracy to commit such crimes.

A person is deemed to have been “convicted” as ofthe date of the trial court judgment, regardless ofwhether the conviction is appealed. This restrictionwith respect to persons convicted of any of thesecrimes is inapplicable to persons whose citizenshiprights, having been revoked as a result of the convic-tion, have been fully restored, or who have been deter-mined by the Board of Parole after a hearing to beexcused from this restriction in the Act.

If a member is alleged to be ineligible under thepreceding three (3) paragraphs, such member shall be

23


apprised of such allegations by the Local UnionTellers. If the member disputes such allegations, it isnecessary for charges to be processed against suchmember in accordance with Articles XII and XIII ofthe International Constitution in order to bar suchmember from Local Union office. If the allegationsare not disputed by such member and the Local UnionTellers have knowledge that the member is disquali-fied under the Act, they shall declare such memberineligible to run for Local Union office or position.

AArrttiiccllee VVIIII,, SSeeccttiioonn 99,, GGoooodd SSttaannddiinngg aanndd EEmmppllooyymmeennttwwiitthhiinn tthhee jjuurriissddiiccttiioonn ooff tthhee LLooccaall UUnniioonn

In order to be eligible for nomination, election orappointment to, or to hold any office or position in aLocal Union, the person must be a member in goodstanding in the Local Union (and, in the case of aDepartment or Zone Grievance Committeeperson, bea member in the Department or Zone in which he orshe seeks to run). For further detail in determining aperson’s Local, Department or Zone, see “LocalUnion Elections—The Effect of Layoffs andShutdowns on Eligibility to Vote and be a Candidate”which is printed at the back of this Manual at Page 61.

In addition to the requirements set forth in this andthe preceding portion(s) of this Manual, a membermust satisfy the following requirements of Article VII,Section 9 of the International Constitution to be eligi-ble to run for Local Union office or GrievanceCommittee Member:

24


(a) The member shall have been in continuous goodstanding for twenty-four (24) months immediatelypreceding the month in which the election is held, orif the member’s Local Union has been in existence fora lesser period prior to the election, the member musthave been in continuous good standing from the timethat the member joined such Local Union.

A member who has transferred from one LocalUnion to another Local Union within the twenty-four(24) months prior to the election is permitted to countcontinuous good standing in the old Local Union forpurposes of this requirement. The member would thussatisfy this requirement by showing combined, contin-uous good standing in the former and present LocalUnion during the twenty-four (24) months immediate-ly preceding the election.

(b) The member is employed in an enterprise, pub-lic or private, or other place within the jurisdiction ofthe Local Union.

AArrttiiccllee VVIIII,, SSeeccttiioonn 1100——MMeeeettiinngg AAtttteennddaanncceeThe meeting attendance rules adopted by the 1978

International Convention are quoted at pages 12-13 ofthis Manual and are more fully described immediate-ly below:

A member, to be eligible, must have attended atleast one-third (1/3) of the regular meetings held bythe Local Union during the twenty-four (24) monthperiod immediately preceding the month in which theelection is to be held, provided that meetings which a

25


member was prevented from attending because of anyof the following six specific reasons shall not becounted in determining that member’s eligibility. Thesix current excuses are as follows:

(1) Union activities;(2) Working hours;(3) Service in the armed forces of the United

States or Canada;(4) Sickness which confines;(5) Death in the immediate family; and(6) Jury duty.Instead of being treated as though it was attended,

the excused meeting will simply not be counted forpurposes of determining the number of meetings theindividual member is required to attend. In otherwords, meetings which the member is prevented fromattending because of one of the six excuses will not becounted in determining the number of meetings themember must have attended in order to be eligible.

This approach must be carefully administeredbecause all members will not be required to haveattended the same number of meetings.

AAddmmiinniissttrraattiioonn ooff EExxccuussee PPrroovviissiioonnss

The meeting attendance rules make it clear that theburden of proving that a member was prevented fromattending a meeting because of one of the six pre-scribed excuses is the responsibility of the memberclaiming the excuse. The International Constitutionalso provides that the procedures for administering the

26


excuse provisions are to be specified in this Manual.The member may prove the excuse in various ways.

The following are examples of the types of proof thata member might produce to establish the excuses. Itshould be understood, of course, that other forms ofproof may be acceptable.

UUnniioonn aaccttiivviittiieess aanndd wwoorrkkiinngg hhoouurrss—a check ofthe Union’s records and the employer’s records shouldlead to a determination of how many meetings themember may have been prevented from attendingbecause of Union activities or working hours. TheUSW has fought hard to obtain collective bargainingprovisions that enable our members to upgrade theireducation and training and that make the Union anequal partner with the Company in the development ofthose programs. Accordingly, where a member is pre-vented from attending a Local Union meeting becauseof attendance at an education or training session heldpursuant to a collective bargaining provision whichestablishes an education or training program jointlyadministered by the USW and management, suchattendance will be deemed excused under the “unionactivity provision.”

AArrmmeedd ffoorrcceess——a note or letter from the member’ssuperior stating that the member was serving at thetime of the meeting or at a time which would have pre-vented the member from reaching the meeting.

Article III, Section I of the InternationalConstitution recognizes the Union’s jurisdiction asextending to any country in the Western Hemisphere.

27


Consistent with the spirit of this language, service inthe armed forces of any country where a USW bar-gaining unit is located should be recognized as anexcuse from the meeting attendance rule in the Localin that country.

CCoonnffiinniinngg SSiicckknneessss—in a case where a memberstates that a sickness prevented attendance at a LocalUnion meeting, a letter from the treating doctor indi-cating that the member was unable to attend the meet-ing because of sickness. In the alternative, where com-pany records show that the member did not work theday of the meeting because of a sickness and wherethe member states that the sickness also preventedattendance at the Local Union meeting, the ElectionCommittee should, absent convincing evidence to thecontrary, accept the excuse. Because of the difficultymany months after the fact of verifying the validity ofa claim that an individual missed a meeting because of“sickness which confines” the Local Union may adoptthe following additional provision in its By-Laws:

“Any member who claims inability to attend aLocal Union meeting because of a ‘sicknesswhich confines’ must notify the RecordingSecretary of the Local Union within one monthof such meeting; otherwise such meeting will becounted as a meeting held in determining suchmember’s eligibility under this Section.”

DDeeaatthh iinn tthhee iimmmmeeddiiaattee ffaammiillyy—a statementfrom the member indicating the relationship to thedeceased and the nature of the responsibilities associ-

28


ated with the death which prevented attendance at themeeting.

NNoottee:: “Immediate family” shall include themember’s parents, spouse, children, spouse’sparents and other relatives whom the Local des-ignates in its Local Union By-Laws.

JJuurryy dduuttyy—a statement from the clerk of the courtasserting that the member was serving on the jury atthe time of the meeting or at a time that would haveprevented the member from attending the meeting.

Should there be any doubt about the proof submit-ted by a member or should other questions or disputesarise, the Election Committee should cooperate withthe member or parties involved in obtaining the factsand promptly resolving the issues. Of course, theElection Committee should treat all candidates fairlyand equally and should not accept one type of proof ofexcuse from one candidate while rejecting such proofin similar circumstances from another.

As an aid to Local Unions, the following sampleprocedure is recommended:

1. Immediately following the nomination meet-ing the Election Committee should assembleand determine which nominees have notattended one-third (1/3) of the regular meet-ings actually held by the Local Union duringthe period in question.

2. The Election Committee should immediatelycheck the Union’s records and the employer’srecords to determine how many meetings

29


those who have not attended sufficient meet-ings may have been prevented from attendingbecause of Union activities or working hours.(It is essential that this be done very quicklynow because of the need to leave time for theremaining steps.)

3. Those nominees who are not eligible on thebasis of attendance records and the UnionActivities and working hours excuses shouldbe sent a letter advising:

(a) The number of meetings actually held, thenumber of meetings the nominee is creditedwith having actually attended, and the numberof meetings for which the nominee satisfiedthe Union activities and working hours excus-es.

(b) As a result, the nominee has not attended a suf-ficient number of meetings.

(c) The Election Committee should be suppliedwith the dates and written proof of any meet-ings the nominee was prevented from attend-ing because of service in the armed forces,sickness which confines, death in the immedi-ate family and jury duty.

NNoottee:: Two sample form letters that coverthe foregoing points are enclosed at the endof this Manual. At pages 69 to 72.

In order to clarify the operation of these rules, weset forth a few examples, geared to the April 2009Local Union elections.

30


EExxaammppllee ##11—Your Local Union holds twenty-four(24) regular meetings in the period between April 1,2007 and March 31, 2009. In order to be eligible foroffice a member must have attended at least eight ofthese twenty-four meetings unless the number ofmeetings the member is required to attend is reducedbecause of the operation of one of the excusesdescribed previously.

EExxaammppllee ##22—Your Local Union holds twenty-four(24) regular meetings in the period between April 1,2007 and March 31, 2009. The nominee was workingduring one of the Local Union meetings. This one (1)excused meeting will not be considered as a meetingheld for this nominee. Thus, this nominee’s eligibilitywill be based on twenty-three (23) meetings. One-third of twenty-three is seven and two-thirds (7 2/3),but since we round all fractions to the next highestnumber, the nominee in this example will be requiredto have attended eight of the meetings to be eligible torun for office.

EExxaammppllee ##33—Your Local Union holds twenty-four(24) regular meetings in the period between April 1,2007 and March 31, 2009. The nominee was prevent-ed from attending five of the twenty-four meetingsbecause of being hospitalized. If the nominee suppliesthe Election Committee with proof of hospitalizationduring the five meeting days, the nominee’s eligibilitywill be determined on the basis of the remaining nineteen (19) meetings. Accordingly, the nomineewould be required to have attended seven meetings

31


(one-third of 19 rounded to the next highest number)in order to be eligible to run for office.

EExxaammppllee ##44—Your Local Union holds twenty-four(24) regular meetings in the period between April 1,2007 and March 31, 2009. The nominee served onjury duty on three days on which meetings were held.However, jury service did not require the nominee’spresence on the evenings on which the meetings wereheld. Since jury duty did not prevent attendance at anymeetings, the nominee would be required to haveattended eight of the twenty-four meetings in order tobe eligible to run for office.

EExxaammppllee ##55—Your Local Union would normallyhold twenty-four (24) regular meetings in the periodbetween April 1, 2007 and March 31, 2009 but can-celled the December meeting in 2007 and 2008because of the Christmas holidays. The member washospitalized during the January 2008 meeting. Sinceonly twenty-two (22) meetings were held and themember was excused from attendance at one of theother meetings, the member would be required to haveattended seven of the remaining meetings (one-thirdof 21) in order to be eligible to run for office.

The eligibility of each candidate for election underArticle VII, Section 10, shall be determined by theLocal Union Tellers who constitute the ElectionCommittee, with the assistance of those Officers orcommittee members who have the necessary recordsand information.

There are two additional factors used in determin-

32


ing whether or not a meeting attendance rule is beingproperly applied. First, the time and place of themeetings involved must not occasion great inconven-ience to a substantial number of members of the LocalUnion. Second, the Local Union must maintain ade-quate attendance records. These are therefore precon-ditions to imposing the meeting attendance rule.

EElleeccttiioonn CCoommmmiitttteeee((TTeelllleerrss))

The Election Committee (Tellers) may be appoint-ed by the President or the Executive Board of theLocal Union (subject to approval and change by themembership), or it may be elected by the membership.

The Election Committee shall have at least three(3) members.

The Election Committee shall be selected follow-ing the completion of nominations and during thesame meeting. The names of Election CommitteeMembers shall be recorded in the Local Union min-utes.

No Officer, no candidate, or acclaimed candidatefor Local Union office or Grievance CommitteeMember shall serve as a member of the ElectionCommittee.

A separate Election Committee shall be selectedfor each election and serve for that particular electiononly. Thus, the members of an Election Committeeselected by the Local Union to conduct the April, 2009regular Local Union election may not automatically

33


serve as the Election Committee if a vacancy electionis held a few months later. The Election Committee forsuch a vacancy election must be selected by the mem-bership at the meeting preceding the vacancy electionwhen nominations for the vacancy are made.

Each Election Committee shall select aChairperson in the event that the Local UnionPresident has not designated a Chairperson of thecommittee.

Local Unions are encouraged to select as membersof the Election Committee persons who will be dili-gent in the performance of their duties and who, to thegreatest extent possible, are acceptable to all candi-dates.

DDuuttiieess ooff EElleeccttiioonn CCoommmmiitttteeee((TTeelllleerrss))

1. The Recording Secretary shall provide theElection Committee with the list of nominees asrecorded in the Local Union minutes.

2. The Election Committee shall check to see thatacceptances or rejections of nominations by the nom-inees are obtained in accordance with the By-Laws ofthe Local Union and within the stated time limit.

3. Eligibility of nominees shall be verified throughthe records of the Financial Secretary insofar as con-tinuous good standing as well as workplace employ-ment are concerned. Meeting attendance shall bechecked with attendance records maintained by theLocal Union and, if necessary, with employer’s workrecords.

34


4. Ineligible nominees shall be notified in writingof the reason for their failure to meet eligibilityrequirements.

5. The decision of the Election Committee on eligi-bility questions shall remain in force unless overruledby the membership at the regular meeting when duly-filed protests shall be heard.

6. As soon as possible following the nominationmeeting, a list of eligible candidates, date, pollingplace or places, and hours of election shall be postedat suitable spots or suitably advertised among themembership. (This shall be in addition to the require-ments set forth under the previous “Notices” section.)

7. The Election Committee shall then have ballotsprepared properly and in readiness for the day of elec-tion. The Election Committee shall also provideabsentee ballots to members who are entitled to thempursuant to the Absentee Ballot procedure that is out-lined beginning at page 38 of this Manual.

8. The Election Committee shall supervise the vot-ing and maintain strict order at the polling place orplaces and shall instruct each voter on the propermethod for casting a secret ballot vote as set forth atpages 43 to 45 of this Manual.

9. The necessary Financial Secretary’s records shallbe available at each polling place to enable checkingthe good standing of members voting. A person whohas been recently hired by the Company that the LocalUnion services and who has signed and delivered tothe Company and the Local Union a dues check-offand membership application card is considered to

35


have satisfied the dues payment requirement for mem-bership even though the member’s first dues paymenthas not yet been deducted by the Company. A list ofthose voting shall be recorded and become part of theLocal Union records.

10. The Election Committee shall assist voters onlywhen personally requested by the voter.

11. The Local Union shall designate the placewhere the tabulation of the votes shall take place andthe Election Committee shall be responsible for hav-ing all ballots arrive at such designated place, imme-diately tabulating the votes cast for the respectiveoffices, and making suitable records thereof.

Where it is impossible to determine from the ballotthe voter’s choice for a particular position (for exam-ple, where check marks appear in the boxes of twopersons running for the same position), the Tellersshould invalidate only that portion of the ballot wherethe choice cannot be determined. That portion of theballot where the voter’s choice is clear should becounted.

A “Sticker” or “Write-in” candidate is not permit-ted and shall not be considered.

No absentee ballots shall be permitted in LocalUnion elections except under the limited conditionsand procedure set forth in the Absentee Ballots sectionbeginning at page 38 of this Manual. No votes byproxy shall be permitted.

12. The Election Committee shall seal the ballots atthe conclusion of the tabulating procedure and shall

36


store such sealed ballots in a safe place designated bythe membership for safekeeping.

13. The results of the election shall be postedpromptly by the Election Committee at the LocalUnion headquarters and any other place designated bythe By-Laws or the membership.

14. The Chairperson of the Election Committeeshall submit the committee report to, and for accept-ance by, the membership at the next regular meetingfollowing the election.

15. The list of new Officers on the form providedby the International Headquarters must be signed bythe Election Committee, the retiring President andretiring Recording Secretary, and mailed by the retir-ing Recording Secretary to their District Director.

16. The Election Committee should pay specialattention to the Secret Ballot section begining on page43 of this Manual.

BBaalllloottss aanndd EElleeccttiioonn RReeccoorrddssThe Election Committee shall see that ballots are

prepared and available by the date of the election.Names of candidates for each office or position shallbe placed on the ballot either in the order in whichnominated or in the order resulting from a drawing.

Ballots may be numbered but the number must beremoved before the ballot is dropped in the ballot boxand the number of the ballot shall not be recorded nextto the name of the voter receiving said ballot.

37


The Election Committee shall seal the ballots uponcompletion of the tabulation and turn over such sealedballots and all other records pertaining to the electionin its possession to the Recording Secretary at the con-clusion of the committee’s report to the Local Union.

Pursuant to Section 401(e) of the Landrum-GriffinAct, the sealed ballots and all other records pertainingto the election shall be retained by the RecordingSecretary and Financial Secretary for at least one (1)year.

AAbbsseenntteeee BBaalllloottssAs a general rule, absentee ballots are not permit-

ted in Local Union elections or International Unionelections. There are however, three exceptions. Anymember whose work will require the member to bemore than fifty (50) miles (eighty [80] kilometers)away from a designated polling place during the timeof the election and any member who is prevented fromappearing at the polls because of service in the armedforces or vacation may cast an absentee ballot.

The most common situations involve individualswho, because of work, are unable to reach a pollingplace on the day of the election. This has especiallybeen a problem with respect to over-the-road truckdrivers and employees who are sent long distances toperform demonstration, installation or repair work atother locations.

Accordingly, the following absentee ballot proce-dure has been developed for those situations.Henceforth, employees whose work (including offi-

38


cial Union business) will require them to be more than50 miles (80 kilometers) away from a designatedpolling place during the time of the election may castabsentee ballots if they meet the requirements speci-fied in the next paragraph. (Of course, if there are twoor more polling places where a particular member mayvote and that member’s work does not require thatsuch member be more than 50 miles (80 kilometers)from one of them, that member is not entitled to voteby absentee ballot.) Since the arrangements involvedin setting up an absentee ballot procedure are some-what complicated, Local Unions are encouraged toavoid the necessity of having to use such absentee bal-lot procedure wherever possible by setting up addi-tional polling places and extending the hours ofpolling wherever practical.

In the event that a member claims that work willrequire the member to be more than 50 miles (80 kilo-meters) away from a designated polling place duringthe time of the election, or where the member claimsthat vacation or service in the armed forces, includingreserve duty and service in the National Guard, willprevent that member from appearing at the polls, suchmember may request an absentee ballot. The requestfor such absentee ballot must be made in writing to theChairperson of the Election Committee, must indicatewith specificity the work assignment that will requiresuch member to be more than 50 miles (80 kilometers)from a designated polling place, the vacation or themilitary service that will prevent the member fromappearing at the polls, and must be received by the

39


Chairperson of the Election Committee seven (7) ormore days in advance of the date of the Local Unionelection. (The name and address of the Chairperson ofthe Election Committee should be posted on bulletinboards throughout the workplace immediately afterthe nomination meeting or included in the mailednotice of the election if the Chairperson’s identity isknown when the mailing is made.) Requests forabsentee ballots which are received six (6) or fewerdays in advance of the election should not be honored.Upon receipt of a timely request for an absentee bal-lot, the Chairperson of the Election Committee shalldetermine the factual validity of such request. In theevent that such member is entitled to an absentee bal-lot, the Election Committee shall immediately mailsuch member an absentee ballot by registered or certi-fied mail. In addition to the absentee ballot, theElection Committee shall enclose two returnenvelopes of different sizes. The larger envelopeshould be addressed to the Chairperson of the ElectionCommittee and should contain a space in the upperleft-hand corner for the member’s signature and iden-tifying information such as a badge number. Thesmaller envelope should be labeled simply “AbsenteeBallot.” The Election Committee should advise themember involved to mark the ballot and place it in thesmaller envelope, seal the smaller envelope and placeit in the larger envelope and mail it to the Chairpersonof the Election Committee. In order to be counted, anabsentee ballot must be received by the ElectionCommittee prior to the close of the polls. The Election

40


Committee should also take such precautions as arenecessary to insure that the member voting an absen-tee ballot does not also vote at the polling place.

At the close of the voting, the Election Committeeshould check the larger envelope to verify the identi-fying information, determine whether the individualwhose signature appears on the envelope is entitled tovote and determine that the member has not also votedat the polling place. The committee shall then open theouter envelope and place the sealed and unopenedenvelope marked “Absentee Ballot” in the ballot boxfor counting.

Observers who request it are entitled to be presentwhen the Election Committee prepares and mails theabsentee ballot materials to the member and are alsoentitled to be present when the returned absentee bal-lot is checked for verification, placed in the ballot boxand later counted.

PPoolllliinngg PPllaacceessThe Election Committee shall be responsible for

the fair and impartial conduct of the election, and thestrict enforcement of election rules at the pollingplace.

The election should take place at such polling placeor places and during hours and under such conditionsthat enable all members to vote by secret ballot. Inorder to accomplish this, it may be necessary toarrange for multiple polling locations so that no member must have to travel more than 50 miles (80kilometers) from their normal place of work to get to

41


a polling place.No candidate for office shall be allowed at the

polling place at any time except for the purpose ofcasting a vote.

Any candidate shall have the right, at the candi-date’s own expense, to have an observer or observersat the polls and at the counting of the ballots. Thenumber of observers allowed each candidate shall be anumber sufficient to observe each phase of the pollingand counting procedure. Any observer must be amember in good standing of the Local Union.

(Note: Members designated by candidates to actas observers shall identify themselves and report tothe Tellers in sufficient time prior to the election toenable the Tellers to check their identity and mem-bership status.

The Tellers shall afford observers a reasonableopportunity to observe the conduct of the electionon election day, including observation of: the ballotbox before voting commences, the opening of theballots, the opening of the polls, the voting at thepolling places, the check made by the Tellersagainst the Local Union membership list of the eli-gibility of members desiring to vote, the handlingof members whose eligibility to vote is challenged,the ballots and tally sheets during the tabulationconducted by the Tellers, and the sealing of the bal-lot boxes by the Tellers.

Observers shall not interfere with the Tellers’performance of their duties, and shall not interferewith or seek to influence voters, or electioneer in

42


any way.Observers are not to wear campaign buttons,

stickers, or other campaign apparel; distribute liter-ature; or engage in any campaign activities inside apolling area. Observers must however wear appro-priate identification identifying them as an observ-er when in the polling or ballot counting areas.

Any comments the observers may have regard-ing the conduct of the election or tabulation shallbe made directly to the Tellers.)

No one shall be permitted to loiter at the polls.

MMaaiill BBaalllloottss aanndd VVoottiinngg MMaacchhiinneessThe International Union permits Local Unions

which demonstrate special circumstances to conducttheir balloting by mail. The International also permitsLocal Unions which so desire to use voting machinesrather than using paper ballots or tabulating by hand.To obtain permission to utilize either mail balloting orvoting machines, the Local shall write theInternational Secretary-Treasurer specifying the rea-son(s) for the request and the procedures to be uti-lized.

SSeeccrreett BBaalllloottAll Local Unions must conduct their elections of

Local Union Officers and Grievance CommitteeMembers by secret ballot.

Some Court cases have held that the law’s require-ment of a “secret ballot” election requires the Union tofurnish clearly defined voting areas which are set up

43


to assure privacy. Accordingly, each Local Union shallprovide such designated voting areas. This can beaccomplished in numerous ways, but it is sufficientthat cardboard dividers be arranged on a table (such asempty cardboard boxes taped to the table with theopen side facing the voter) in such a manner that noone can see how any member at the table is voting.

Court cases have also held that it is not sufficientmerely to provide physical arrangements (for exam-ple, cardboard dividers) that enable members to casttheir ballots in secret; it is also necessary, according tosuch cases, to take all reasonable steps to ensure that:(1) the cardboard dividers or other physical arrange-ments providing secrecy are actually used by all vot-ers; and (2) the number of voters admitted to the bal-loting area at any time does not exceed the number ofvoting places provided.

Accordingly, to ensure that the Local elections arenot subject to court challenge, the Election Committeeshall take the following additional steps: (1) Noticesstating “THE LOCAL UNION HAS PROVIDEDPHYSICAL ARRANGEMENTS TO ENABLE YOUTO CAST A SECRET BALLOT; YOU MUST USETHEM” shall be prominently displayed on the wallssurrounding the voting area and/or at the table(s)where the members obtain their ballots; (2) Politelyinstruct any members who are observed not using thecardboard dividers or other physical arrangementsdesigned for the casting of ballots in secret (for exam-ple, if members are observed sitting on tables and/orstanding against a wall preparing to cast their ballots)

44


that they are required to use the cardboard dividers orother physical arrangements; and (3) Control the flowof voters into the balloting area so that at no time doesthe number of voters exceed the number of availablevoting places.

RReeppoorrttss,, PPrrootteessttss aanndd AAppppeeaallssThe Election Committee shall submit a report of its

activities, decisions, and election results to the mem-bership at the next regular meeting following the elec-tion.

All protests of nominees who have been declaredineligible by the Election Committee, of defeated can-didates, and of other members of the Local Union,must be filed in writing with the Local Union prior toor at the membership meeting at which the report ofthe Election Committee is read.

At this same meeting, the Local Union membershipshall consider and act upon the Election Committeereport and the protests.

Immediately following the meeting the RecordingSecretary shall send a copy of any protest togetherwith a description of the action of the Local Union onthe protest to the International Secretary-Treasurer.

The decision of the membership regarding a protestmay be appealed by interested members of the LocalUnion within ten (10) days of Local Union action tothe International Secretary-Treasurer for considera-tion by the International Executive Board.

The International Executive Board may affirm, setaside or modify the action of the Local Union.

45


The Local Union action shall remain in effectunless stayed, set aside or modified by action of theInternational Executive Board.

The action of the International Executive Boardmay be appealed to the International Convention ifsuch person files the appeal with the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer within thirty (30) days afternotice of the decision of the International ExecutiveBoard from which the appeal is taken.

Unless it stays execution of its decision, the actionof the International Executive Board shall remain ineffect until set aside or modified by the InternationalConvention.

In the event that the election for any Local Unionoffice or position of Grievance Committee Member isinvalidated as a result of an election protest, the officeor position shall be filled by the pre-election incum-bent until a new election is held and a successor iselected and qualified. The new election shall be heldpromptly in accordance with the procedures outlinedin this Manual.

IInnssttaallllaattiioonn ooff NNeeww OOffffiicceerrssOfficers shall be installed and the oath of office

administered at the first regular meeting in May, 2009for the April, 2009 election. At that time all money,official records and documents, and all propertybelonging to the Local Union shall be turned over tothe new Officers.

The oath of office, is as follows:

46


I, ________________________do hereby sincere-ly pledge my honor to perform the duties of my officeas prescribed by the Laws of the organization, and tobear true allegiance to the United Steelworkers. I willdeliver to my successor in office all books and otherproperty of this Union that may be in my possession atthe close of my official term. All of this I solemnlypromise with full knowledge that to violate this pledgeis to stamp me as a person devoid of principle and des-titute of honor.

VVaaccaanncciieessVacancies in Local Union offices or positions of

Grievance Committee Member may occur by death,by termination of employee relationship, by loss ofgood standing, by suspension, by expulsion, or by resignation. Article VIII, Sections 1 and 2 of theInternational Constitution sets forth the rules for filling such vacancies.

(a) In the event that a permanent vacancy occurs inthe office of President, the Vice President shall act forthe unexpired term.

(b) In the event that a vacancy occurs in the officeof Vice President, Recording Secretary, FinancialSecretary, Treasurer, Guide, Guard or Trustee or in theposition of Grievance Committee Member at any timeduring the term of office, the remaining Local UnionOfficers shall, by majority vote, select a successor toserve for the remainder of the term. This provision ofthe Constitution has been interpreted to permit the

47


remaining Local Union Officers to decide to fill avacancy by election. When this option is used, thePresident shall appoint a member of the Local Unionto fill the vacancy until a successor has been elected.The President shall call for a special election aspromptly as possible but such election shall not beheld, later than two (2) months following the occur-rence of the vacancy. The date of the special electionshall be advertised among the members at least one(1) week prior to that date. Nominations shall be madeat the immediately preceding meeting, the date ofwhich shall also be advertised in advance among themembers at least one (1) week prior to that date. Theadvertising shall be by any one or more of the meth-ods specified under the previous “Notices”section asmay be reasonable to inform the members.

(c)(1) Whenever a Local Union Officer orGrievance Committee Member, because of receipt ofan extended vacation benefit or otherwise, will beunable to serve during an extended temporary period,a temporary replacement will be designated in accor-dance with the following procedures, and the tempo-rary replacement shall carry out all the duties of theoffice or post during such temporary period.

(c)(2) Where the temporary vacancy is in the officeof Local Union President, the Vice President shallassume the duties of the President including theauthority to be one of the signatories to checks, andshall be known as “Temporary Acting President.”When the temporary period has ended, the“Temporary Acting President” shall revert to the posi-

48


tion of Vice President.(c)(3) Where the temporary vacancy is in another

Local Union Office or in a Grievance Committee postthe Local Union Officers shall, by majority vote, selecta “Temporary Acting” replacement. Temporary ActingTreasurers and Financial Secretaries shall be author-ized, during the temporary period of their service, tobe signatories to checks. A replacement shall serveonly until the temporary period is ended. See page 46for vacancies resulting from election protests.

OOtthheerr IImmppoorrttaanntt RReeqquuiirreemmeennttssLocal Unions must comply with all reasonable

requests of any candidate to distribute, by mail or oth-erwise, at the candidate’s own expense, campaign lit-erature in aid of such person’s candidacy to all mem-bers in good standing.

Local Unions must not discriminate in favor of oragainst any candidate with respect to the use of lists ofmembers. Strict adherence to the International Unionpolicy against the copying or dissemination of suchlists, and against the distribution, at the Local Union’sexpense, of campaign literature on behalf of any can-didate or of the Local Union itself will assure compli-ance with this requirement of the Act.

Every bona fide candidate shall have the right,once within thirty (30) days prior to the election, toinspect (but not to copy) a list containing the namesand last known addresses of all members of the LocalUnion who are subject to a collective bargaining

49


agreement requiring membership in the Union as acondition of employment. This list shall be maintainedand kept at the principal office of the Local Union bythe Financial Secretary.

Every member in good standing shall have the rightto vote for or otherwise support the candidate of thatmember’s choice without being subject to penalty, dis-cipline, or improper interference or reprisal of anykind.

No moneys of any Local Union and no moneys ofan employer shall be contributed or applied to pro-mote the candidacy of any person. Moneys of theLocal Union may be utilized for notices, factual state-ments of issues not involving candidates, and otherexpenses necessary for the holding of an election.

It is a crime, under Section 610 of the Landrum-Griffin Act, for any person to use or threaten force orviolence for the purpose of interfering with or pre-venting the exercise by any member of a labor organ-ization of any rights (including rights relating to elec-tion of officers) protected under the Act. Any person,who willfully violates this Section, shall be fined notmore than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than oneyear, or both.

IIIIII.. IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall CCoonnvveennttiioonnDDeelleeggaatteess

The rules for election of Local Union delegates toan International Convention are set forth in Article III,Section 3 and Article VI, Sections 2, 7 and 10 of theInternational Constitution.

50


Article III, Section 3 bars a member, consistentsupporter or active participant in the activities of asubversive organization from serving as a delegate.

Article VI, Section 2 provides:“Each Local Union shall be entitled to the number

of delegates to the International Convention as follows:1-200 members 1 delegate

201-350 members 2 delegates351-700 members 3 delegates701 and over 3 plus 1 additional delegate

for each additional 500 members or majority fractionthereof

Each delegate to the International Convention shallhave one (1) vote for the first 100 members or less inthe Local Union which the delegate represents and one(1) additional vote for each additional 100 members ormajority fraction thereof, but no delegate shall havemore than ten (10) votes.

Amalgamated Local Unions may elect delegatesthrough the alternative method below:

Amalgamated Locals may elect delegates by Unit.Each Unit with two hundred (200) members or moremay elect their own delegate to the InternationalConvention and those with less than two hundred(200), may be grouped together to reach the minimumof two hundred (200) members and vote as a miscel-laneous group.

If election of delegates by Unit is selected, each

51


Unit of two hundred (200) members or more shall beallowed election of their own delegate and all othersshall be combined to allow the maximum number ofdelegates. It shall be the responsibility of the LocalUnion to notify the International Secretary-Treasurerof its intent to select delegates by the amalgamatedoptions method, stipulating the designated Units andany and all combining of Units.

In no event shall the total number of delegateselected using the alternative method allow more thanone and one-half times the delegates allowed under thestandard method.”

Article VI, Section 7 provides:“No member shall be eligible to be a delegate to

an International Convention unless the member (a)is employed in an enterprise, public or private, orany other place within the jurisdiction of theInternational Union or is one of the staff represen-tatives of the International Union. TheInternational Officers and the members of theInternational Executive Board shall be ex officiodelegates to all International Conventions; (b) shallhave been in continuous good standing for a periodof twenty-four (24) months immediately precedingthe International Convention; or if the member’sLocal Union has been in existence for less thantwenty-four (24) months prior to the InternationalConvention, the member must have been in contin-uous good standing from the time that said memberjoined such Local Union; and (c) has attended at

52


least one-third (1/3) of the regular meetings held bythe member’s Local Union during the twenty-four(24) month period immediately preceding themonth in which the delegate election is to be held.Meetings which a member was prevented fromattending because of such member’s Union activi-ties, working hours, service in the armed forces ofthe United States or Canada, sickness which con-fines, death in the immediate family, or jury duty,shall not be counted as meetings held in determin-ing such member’s eligibility under this Section7(c); provided, that the member shall have the bur-den of proving inability to attend for one of the pre-scribed reasons, in accordance with procedures tobe specified in the Local Union Elections Manual.”

The interpretations of the provisions which areset out beginning on page 22 under the “Eligibility”section are also applicable to election ofConvention delegates.Article VI, Section 10 provides:

“Delegates to the International Convention mustbe elected at an official meeting of a Local Unionor by referendum ballot election, after the Call forthe International Convention is received and hasbeen read to the Local Union. The RecordingSecretary shall issue a Notice, signed by theRecording Secretary and the Local UnionPresident, at least one (1) week prior to such meet-ing or election, stating that delegates are to beelected on a certain day. Delegates must receive a

53


plurality vote of the members voting.”In addition to the foregoing provisions of the

International Constitution, note shall also be taken ofArticle XIII, Section 3 of the standard By-Laws forLocal Unions and Amalgamated Local Unions, whichprovides:

“The Local Union may choose to have the LocalUnion President, if nominated at the official meeting,elected separately as a delegate by acclamation. Insuch event, the President shall be a delegate ifapproved by a majority of the members voting.Otherwise, the delegates to be selected from amongthe nominees must receive a plurality vote of themembers voting.”

IIVV.. SSuupppplleemmeennttaarryy PPrroovviissiioonnss ffoorrAAmmaallggaammaatteedd LLooccaall UUnniioonnss

Amalgamated Local Unions should follow closelythe provisions of all parts of this Manual. However,the provisions in this Part IV supplement the otherparts of the Manual by providing special rules whichare applicable to Amalgamated Local Unions.

An “Amalgamated Local Union” is a Local Unionwhose members are employed by the same or differentemployers in more than one bargaining unit within asingle District of the International Union or, with theapproval of the International Executive Board, in morethan one District. Each such bargaining Unit is hereinafter referred to as a “Unit”.

54


UUnniitt PPoossiittiioonnssAs set forth in the By-Laws For Amalgamated

Local Unions, Unit positions are Unit President, UnitSecretary and Unit Griever. These Unit officials mustbe elected in the same manner, for the same term ofoffice and at elections conducted within the same timeframe as Local Union Officers.

Under the By-Laws there is no longer a position ofLocal Union Grievance Committee Member; ratherthere are Unit Griever(s) in each Unit.

There is no prohibition against a member holdingmore than one or all of the identified Unit positions. Amember may hold one or more of the Unit positions inconjunction with one of the offices of the LocalUnion.

Election of Unit officials shall be by plurality voteof the members, in their respective Units, who are ingood standing, participating in a secret ballot vote.

Where circumstances warrant it, the InternationalExecutive Board, pursuant to Article VII, Section 5 ofthe International Constitution, may vary the Officerstructure for individual Amalgamated Local Unions.

NNoottiicceess aanndd NNoommiinnaattiioonnssThe time for the holding of the nominations for

Local Union office are discussed at pages 20-21of thisManual. Nominations for each Unit’s positions shallbe made at that Unit’s meeting immediately precedingthe date on which the Local Union and Unit electionis to be held unless some other date, time and place is

55


selected by the Local Union Officers in consultationwith the Unit officials.

Each Amalgamated Local Union must be sure allits members are notified of the date, time and place ofthe nominations for Local Union office and the nomi-nations for positions in their Unit. Where workplacepostings are used, care must be taken to make sure thatno Unit is overlooked.

EElliiggiibbiilliittyyTo be eligible to run for Local Union office the

member must, in addition to the other eligibilityrequirements set forth at pages 22-26 of this Manual,have been in continuous good standing for twenty-four (24) months immediately preceding the election,or if the member’s Local Union or Unit has been inexistence for a lesser period prior to the election, themember must have been in continuous good standingfrom the time that the member joined such LocalUnion.

If the member’s Local Union or Unit has beentransferred to another Local Union within the twenty-four (24) months prior to the election, the member ispermitted to count continuous good standing in theold Local Union or Unit for purposes of this require-ment. The member would thus satisfy this requirementby showing combined, continuous good standing inthe former and present Local Unions or Units duringthe twenty-four (24) months immediately precedingthe election.

56


To be eligible for Unit position a member must sat-isfy the following requirements:

(a) The member shall have been in continuous goodstanding for a period of 24 months immediately pre-ceding the month in which the election is held (if themember’s Unit has been in existence or affiliated withthe Local Union for a lesser period prior to the elec-tion, the member must have been in continuous goodstanding from the time the member became a memberwithin such Unit); and

(b) The member is employed in a workplace withinthe jurisdiction of the Local Union; and

(c) The member must satisfy the Local Unionmeeting attendance requirements of Article VII,Section 10 of the International Constitution or, ifunable to satisfy such Local Union meeting atten-dance requirements, must satisfy the Unit meetingattendance requirements by having attended at leastone-third (1/3) of the regular meetings held by themember’s Unit during the twenty-four (24) monthperiod immediately preceding the month in which theelection is held. If the Unit does not hold meetingsthere is no meeting attendance requirement for Unitpositions. The excuse provisions described on pages26 to 33 of this Manual are, of course, applicable toAmalgamated Local Unions as well.

57


EElleeccttiioonn CCoommmmiitttteeee ((TTeelllleerrss))

If, pursuant to its By-Laws or Local Union action,an Amalgamated Local Union is to have area pollingplaces located at two or more geographic locations,and where one set of Tellers cannot personally conductthe voting at all such area polling places, suchAmalgamated Local Union shall elect a minimum ofthree Local Union Tellers for each geographic locationrequiring a separate set of Tellers. In such a case, amember shall be eligible to serve as an Election Tellerat a geographic polling place only if the ElectionTeller is eligible to vote at that geographic pollingplace.

If, pursuant to its By-Laws or Local Union action,an Amalgamated Local Union is to have polling placesat each of the Units affiliated with the AmalgamatedLocal Union, and where one set of Tellers cannot per-sonally conduct the voting at all such polling places,such Amalgamated Local Union shall elect a mini-mum of three Local Union Tellers for each such Unitrequiring a separate set of Tellers, each such group ofTellers to be elected from among the membership eli-gible to vote in the units in which such group of LocalUnion Tellers will serve.

No Officer, no candidate, or acclaimed candidatefor Local Union office or Unit position shall serve asa member of the Election Committee.

58


IInnssttaallllaattiioonn ooff UUnniitt OOffffiicciiaallssUnit officials shall be installed at the same time

and in the same manner as Local Union Officers.

VVaaccaanncciieessIn the event that a vacancy other than a temporary

vacancy occurs at any time in a Unit position, theremaining Unit official(s) of that Unit (not includingUnit Griever(s)), together with the Local UnionOfficers, shall by majority vote select a successor toserve the remainder of the term; provided, however,that the member so selected shall be from among themembers within the Unit in which the vacancy occurs.

Where a temporary vacancy occurs in a Unit posi-tion, a “Temporary Acting” replacement shall beselected by majority vote of the Unit President andUnit Secretary together with the Local UnionOfficers.

OOtthheerr IImmppoorrttaanntt RReeqquuiirreemmeennttssLocal Unions must comply with all reasonable

requests of any candidate to distribute, by mail or oth-erwise, at the candidate’s own expense, campaign lit-erature in aid of such person’s candidacy to all Unitmembers in good standing with regard to candidatesfor Unit position.

Every bona fide candidate for Unit office shallhave the right, once within thirty (30) days prior to theelection, to inspect (but not to copy) a list containingthe names and last known addresses of all members of

59


the Unit who are subject to a collective bargainingagreement requiring membership in the Union as acondition of employment. These lists shall be main-tained and kept at the principle office of the LocalUnion by the Financial Secretary.

IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall CCoonnvveennttiioonn DDeelleeggaatteessIf a Unit has been in existence for less than twenty-

four (24) months prior to the InternationalConvention, a member in such Unit must have been incontinuous good standing from the time that the mem-ber joined the Amalgamated Local Union in order tobe eligible to be a delegate under Article VI, Section7(b) of the International Constitution.

VV.. CCoonncclluussiioonn

Our Union is dedicated to perpetuation of the cher-ished traditions of our democracy and to guaranteeingto all members in good standing the fundamental dem-ocratic right to vote in open and free elections.Scrupulous conformance to the foregoing rules andprocedures for Local Union elections will assure thefulfillment of these principles and the conduct of fairand impartial elections.

60


AAPPPPEENNDDIIXX

II.. LLooccaall UUnniioonn EElleeccttiioonnss——TThhee eeffffeecctt ooff llaayyooffffss aannddsshhuuttddoowwnnss oonn eelliiggiibbiilliittyy ttoo vvoottee aanndd bbee aa ccaannddiiddaattee..The heavy layoffs and partial or complete shut-

downs of facilities have spawned numerous questionsregarding eligibility of various members to vote andrun for office in Local Union Elections. The followingrules are to be utilized in dealing with such questions.

AA.. LLaayyooffffssUnder Article XI, Section 5, a member who

retains employee status in a bargaining unit and whois laid off and does not perform at least five (5) days’work in the bargaining unit in any month is excusedfrom the payment of dues. Such member continues tobe considered a member of the Union in good stand-ing until the layoff has lasted for twenty-four (24) con-tinuous months at which point the member becomes amember not in good standing. Good standing is auto-matically restored when the member is recalled andresumes payment of dues.

Thus, members on layoff for up to twenty-four(24) continuous months are entitled to vote and runfor office, provided two conditions are met:

61


First, the individual’s Local Union continuesto exist – that is, the Local’s charter has not becancelled (in the case of Amalgamated LocalUnions, the individual’s Unit has not been can-celled); and

Second, the individual continues to have sen-iority rights which are recognized by the com-pany or which are asserted by the Union. Suchrights include the right to continue to accumu-late seniority for purposes of creeping orgrowing into a pension or the right to berecalled to work by the employer in the eventthe workplace is reopened (regardless of howremote that possibility may be).Employees who have severed their bargainingunit status, such as through the acceptance ofa pension or in many cases severance pay,cease being members of the Union whether ornot their workplace has shutdown.

A member on layoff holds membership in theLocal where he or she was a member at the time of layoff.

BB.. PPeerrmmaanneenntt TTrraannssffeerrss

Some employees, rather than being laid off or con-tinuing on layoff, obtain permanent transfers to otherDepartments in other grievance zones or in other areascovered by other Local Unions. Once such individualsare permanently transferred over to the new jobs, they

62


become members of the grievance zone or the LocalUnion which has jurisdiction over the new job. Thesemembers may be able to meet the twenty-four (24)months continuous good standing requirement to beeligible to run for office in their new grievance zoneor Local Union since a member who has transferredfrom one area to another within the twenty-four (24)months prior to the election is permitted to count con-tinuous good standing in the old area for purposes ofthis requirement.

Some of our master agreements contain provisionsenabling employees laid off at one workplace to obtainpermanent transfers to other workplaces. When anemployee obtains a permanent transfer of this kind,the employee will be considered a member of theLocal which has jurisdiction over the new workplace.If the employee is subsequently laid off from the newworkplace, the employee will be considered on layofffrom the new workplace, not from the old.

CC.. TTeemmppoorraarryy TTrraannssffeerrss

Many of our members who would otherwise havebeen laid off have been temporarily assigned to jobs ingrievance zones other than their home grievance zonesor even to jobs within the jurisdiction of Local Unionsother than their own Local Union. (This latter situa-tion is particularly the case at some basic steel opera-tions where more than one Local services the mem-bership at a particular workplace.) The long durationof these temporary assignments and the frequency

63


with which these employees are moved from one tem-porary assignment to another have created numerousquestions as to the correct grievance zone or Local ofthese individuals for membership purposes.

The rules below are designed to resolve these ques-tions on a uniform basis for all Local Unions. In therules below we indicate in which grievance zone andLocal the individual holds membership. Since a per-son can only hold membership in one Local and canonly run for office in one Local, the consequences ofthe rules below are that the individual is not consid-ered a member in any Zone or Local other than the onedescribed in the rules.

11.. TTeemmppoorraarryy TTrraannssffeerr——RReetteennttiioonn ooffMMeemmbbeerrsshhiipp iinn HHoommee ZZoonnee oorr LLooccaallA member who on March 1, 2009 or, for avacancy election, at the beginning of themonth in which nominations are held, is hold-ing a temporary position in a grievance zone orwithin the jurisdiction of a Local Union, otherthan the grievance zone or Local Union inwhich the member holds recall rights, shall beeligible to vote and be a candidate in the griev-ance zone or Local Union in which the mem-ber has recall rights if two conditions are met:

FFiirrsstt,, the member has not held such temporaryposition in excess of twelve (12) continuousmonths, and

64


SSeeccoonndd,, the Department or area to which themember holds recall rights has not been per-manently shutdown.

22.. TTeemmppoorraarryy TTrraannssffeerr——WWhheenn MMeemmbbeerr’’ssRRiigghhttss AArree iinn NNeeww AArreeaa

((aa)) TTeemmppoorraarryy TTrraannssffeerr ttoo aa SSiinnggllee ZZoonnee oorrLLooccaall

A member who on March 1, 2009 or, for avacancy election, at the beginning of themonth in which nominations are held, is hold-ing a temporary position in a grievance zone orwithin the jurisdiction of a Local Union, otherthan the grievance zone or Local Union inwhich the member holds recall rights, shall beeligible to vote and be a candidate in the griev-ance zone or the Local Union in which suchmember holds such temporary position ifeither one of the following two conditions aremet:

FFiirrsstt,, the member has held a temporary posi-tion in excess of twelve (12) continuousmonths in the same grievance zone (if a griev-ance position is involved) or Local Union (if aLocal Union office is involved), or

SSeeccoonndd,, the member has held a temporaryposition in the same grievance zone or LocalUnion for less than twelve (12) continuous

65


months but the area to which the member holdsrecall rights has been permanently shutdown.

((bb)) TTeemmppoorraarryy TTrraannssffeerr ttoo MMoorree tthhaann OOnneeZZoonnee oorr LLooccaallA member who on March 1, 2009 or, for avacancy election, at the beginning of themonth in which nominations are held, has heldtemporary positions in more than one griev-ance zone or within the jurisdiction of morethan one Local Union, other than the grievancezone or Local Union in which the memberholds recall rights, shall be eligible to vote andbe a candidate in the grievance zone and LocalUnion where the member performed the mostwork during the preceding month if either oneof the following two conditions are met:

FFiirrsstt, the member has held such temporarypositions for at least twelve (12) continuousmonths in grievance zones (if a grievance posi-tion is involved) or within the jurisdiction ofLocal Unions (if a Local Union office isinvolved), or

SSeeccoonndd, the member has held such temporarypositions in grievance zones or within thejurisdiction of Local Unions for less thantwelve (12) continuous months but the area towhich the member holds recall rights has beenpermanently shutdown.

66


IIII.. PPEERRTTIINNEENNTT PPRROOVVIISSIIOONNSS OOFF RREECCEENNTTMMEERRGGEERR AAGGRREEEEMMEENNTTSS

AA.. UURRWW ((RRuubbbbeerrwwoorrkkeerrss))Former URW Locals may, if they so desire,

continue their practice of electing Local UnionOfficers by majority vote rather than by plu-rality vote.

BB.. IIWWAAFormer IWA Local Unions may continue to

hold elections of Local Union Officers inaccordance with their pre-merger Local UnionBy-Laws.

CC.. PPAACCEEFormer PACE Local Unions shall be enti-

tled from the effective date of the merger toconduct elections of Local Union Officersunder the applicable provisions of either:

a. The USW Constitution; orb. Articles VII and IX of the PACE

Constitution and the pre-merger LocalUnion By-Laws of the former PACELocal Union applying to the LocalUnion Elections. PACE Local Unionschoosing this second option shall befree to adopt, at their option, the USWplurality rule for determining the win-ner of a Local Union election, but shall

67


hold elections in 2012 and thereafter onthe same three-year cycle as is observedby all other USW Local Unions and,beginning with the 2012 Local Unionelections, follow the USW eligibilityrequirement for continuous good stand-ing (24 months instead of one year).

68


SSaammppllee LLeetttteerr ttoo MMeemmbbeerrss NNoommiinnaatteedd ffoorr LLooccaallUUnniioonn OOffffiiccee bbuutt nnoott EElliiggiibbllee oonn tthhee BBaassiiss ooff LLooccaallUUnniioonn AAtttteennddaannccee RReeccoorrddss aanndd tthhee UUnniioonnAAccttiivviittiieess aanndd WWoorrkkiinngg HHoouurrss EExxccuusseess::

Dear Brother/Sister_______________________:At the meeting of our Local Union held on March

________, 2009, you were nominated for the positionof _______________. During the period betweenApril 1, 2007 and now, the Local Unionheld_______regular Local Union meetings. A checkof our meeting attendance book indicates that youattended _____ of these Local Union meetings [themeeting(s) held on the following date(s):__________________]. A check of the Union’srecords and the Company’s records indicates that yousatisfied the Union activities excuse or the workinghours excuse for the following meeting(s): _________

In order to be eligible to run for office, you musthave attended one-third (1/3) of the meetings whichyou were not prevented from attending because ofyour Union activities, working hours at the Company,service in the armed forces, sickness which confinedyou to your home or the hospital, a death in yourimmediate family, or jury duty.

As indicated above, we have already checked therecords of the Local Union and the Company to seewhether or not you are entitled to an excuse for Unionactivities or working hours. On the basis of actualattendance and your Union activities and working

69


hours, you have not satisfied this requirement.If you claim that you were prevented from attend-

ing one or more meetings because of any of the otherreasons, we would appreciate your advising us of thisfact in writing and supplying us with written prooffrom a person in authority such as your commandingofficer, physician or Clerk of Courts.

The information should be supplied to:______________________________.

Since we must complete arrangements for theprinting of the ballots it is essential that we have yourresponse in hand by __________________________.

We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

In solidarity,

70


SSaammppllee LLeetttteerr ttoo MMeemmbbeerrss ooff AAmmaallggaammaatteeddLLooccaall UUnniioonnss NNoommiinnaatteedd ffoorr UUnniitt ppoossiittiioonn bbuutt nnoottEElliiggiibbllee oonn tthhee BBaassiiss ooff LLooccaall UUnniioonn AAtttteennddaanncceeRReeccoorrddss aanndd tthhee UUnniioonn AAccttiivviittyy aanndd WWoorrkkiinnggHHoouurrss EExxccuusseess::

Dear Brother/Sister_________________________At the meeting of your Unit held on March

________, 2009, you were nominated for the Unitposition of _______________. During the periodbetween April 1, 2007 and now, the Local Union held_______ regular Local Union meetings and the Unitheld ______ regular Unit meetings. A check of ourmeeting attendance book indicates that you attended____________of the Local Union meetings [the meet-ing(s) held on the following date(s):______________,] and of the regular Unit meetings[the meeting(s) held on the following date(s):__________]. A check of the Union’s records and theCompany’s records indicates that you satisfied theUnion activities excuse or the working hours excusefor the following Local Union meeting(s):__________, and the following Unit meeting(s):____________.

In order to be eligible to run for (insert Unit posi-tion) you must have attended either one-third (1/3) ofthe meetings of the Local Union which you were notprevented from attending because of your Unionactivities, working hours at the Company, service inthe armed forces, sickness which confined you to your

71


home or the hospital, a death in your immediate fam-ily, or jury duty, or one-third (1/3) of the meetings ofyour Unit which you were not prevented from attend-ing for the same reasons.

As indicated above, we have already checked therecords of the Local Union and the Company to seewhether or not you are entitled to an excuse for Unionactivities or working hours. On the basis of actualattendance and your Union activities and workinghours, you have not satisfied this requirement.

If you claim that you were prevented from attend-ing one or more meetings because of any of the otherreasons, we would appreciate your advising us of thisfact in writing and supplying us with written prooffrom a person in authority such as your commandingofficer, physician or Clerk of Courts.

The information should be supplied to:________________________________.

Since we must complete arrangements for theprinting of the ballots it is essential that we have yourresponse in hand by ___________________________.

We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

In Solidarity,

72


73

NNOOTTEE


74

NNOOTTEE



Local Union

Elections Manual(Including supplementary provisions for

Amalgamated Local Unions)

UNITED STEELWORKERSFive Gateway CenterPittsburgh, PA 15222

December, 2008

Printed in the U.S.A.

140 12/08


Local Union Elections Manual

Documents