Since our last General Membership Meeting this September, we've updated you all on the constitutional edits we want you all to vote on!

Due to the pandemic, we'll have to have the votes occur through Zoom, but we will have the Zoom room open from 11am-6pm. Please help us make this union better for you by voting on these edits!

The Constitutional edits are as follows:

1. Article II: Affiliation
   Original text: This local union shall be affiliated with Council Number 75 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and the AFL-CIO. 

   New text: This local union shall be affiliated with the Oregon AFSCME Council 75 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, as well as Oregon AFL-CIO and the Northwest Oregon Central Labor Council.

2. Article IV, section 4: Dues
   Original text: The monthly membership dues of active members of the local shall be a percent of the member’s monthly base wages. This percentage rate shall be 1.13 times the Council 75 dues rate, rounded to the nearest hundredth of a percent. For example, the Council 75 rate at the time of this writing is 1.27%, so membership dues would be 1.44%. These amounts are subject to the minimum amounts as provided in the Council 75 Constitution.

   New text: The monthly membership dues of the local shall be 1.44% of base wages, which is currently 13% above the Council 75 minimum. These amounts are subject to the minimum amounts as provided in the Council 75 Constitution.

3. Article V, Section 2: Meeting Quorum
   Original text: For the purpose of general membership votes, quorum is defined as 25% of the total number of members in good standing. 

   New text: For the purpose of general membership votes, quorum is defined as 10% of the total number of members in good standing.

4. Article VI, section 1: Officer
   Original text: The officers of this local shall include a President, a Secretary-Treasurer, a Vice President of Organizing, a Vice President of Equity and Inclusion, a Vice President of Communications, and a Vice President of External Relations, and these six shall constitute the local union executive board. Additionally, the officers of this local shall include a Data Officer, an Events Officer, and a Steward Officer. These non-Vice President officers shall not be members of the executive board.

   New text: The officers of this local shall include a President, a Secretary-Treasurer, an Organizing Chair, an Equity and Inclusion Chair, a Communications Chair, an External Relations Chair, and a Steward Chair, and these seven shall constitute the local union executive board. Additionally, the officers of this local shall include a Data Officer, an Events Officer. These two officers shall not be members of the executive board.  In addition to the above, there shall be elected one member who shall serve as a trustee. The trustee shall be elected to one-year terms in the same June election as the executive board and officers.

   * Note: the trustee text was present in the original constitution in the union finances section, but as trustees are technically officers, we moved it here.
   

5. Appendix B: Policy for conducting audio and/or video teleconference of a subordinate body: completely new text:

• Section 1. Regular and special meetings of Local 402, including its Executive board, may be conducted through the use of audio and/or video teleconferencing (referred to as a “virtual meeting”).

• Section 2. All equipment required to conduct the virtual meeting must be regularly accessible, or made available, to all participating members.
  
  
• Section 3. The method of virtual meeting selected must provide members with the opportunity to hear and speak to each other simultaneously and shall allow for the accurate recording of meeting minutes. 
  
  
• Section 4. Notice of any meeting conducted virtually shall include instructions on how each member is to participate in the meeting.
  
  
• Section 5. All members present and participating via audio and/or video teleconferencing shall be included in determining quorum. Prior to each vote on a motion, the presiding officer shall inquire as to the continued presence of those participating through audio and/or video conferencing. If members are no longer participating for any reason, including but not limited to because of equipment malfunction or voluntary discontinuance of the electronic connection, they shall no longer be considered as present or counted as part of the quorum.
  
  
• Section 6. All members participating in virtual meetings may raise points of order, seek recognition to speak, and submit motions for consideration.
  
  
• Section 7. If the subordinate body enters into Executive Session, at the outset the presiding officer shall require each person participating through audio and/or video teleconferencing to give assurance that no other person is present or able to hear the conversation.
  
  
• Section 8. If the subordinate body wants to include additional standards, they shall be consistent with the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.