I. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Collective Bargaining Congress of the American Association of University Professors.
II. Purpose
The purpose of the Congress shall be to develop and disseminate information and resources in support of the collective bargaining activities of the AAUP and its local chapters and conferences and to carry out other activities in support of the association's collective bargaining programs.
III. Membership
A. Status as a member unit of the Congress shall be open to:
- Each AAUP chapter or group of AAUP chapters, that, in its own right or as part of an association-approved merger or joint affiliation has been recognized or certified as faculty bargaining agent at its institution.
- Any certified collective bargaining representative that has an affiliation agreement or approved dues arrangement with the national AAUP, provided such agreement is current and in full force.
- Any AAUP chapter or group of AAUP chapters that the Executive Committee of the Congress has deemed to act as a collective bargaining agent.
B. At institutions where there is more than one bargaining unit represented by an AAUP chapter or AAUP-affiliated certified bargaining agent, each separate bargaining unit shall be deemed eligible to become a member unit, even if (a) the bargaining unit contains more than one AAUP chapter, or encompasses more than one campus, and even if (b) the certifications for different bargaining units are held by a single AAUP chapter, Council of Chapters, or AAUP-affiliated certified bargaining agent.
C. An AAUP chapter or group of chapters that is attempting to become a faculty bargaining unit shall be invited to send representatives to Congress meetings. Such a unit may be designated a provisional member unit by action of the Executive Committee of the Congress. Provisional member units shall have neither a dues obligation nor the right to vote.
D. Membership in good standing shall require that member units remit the dues established by the Congress.
E. Voting rights shall be limited to member units in good standing with the AAUP as well as with the Congress and shall be exercised in accordance with the formula specified in Article VII.
IV. Officers
A. The officers of the Congress shall be a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. The duties of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson shall be the duties normally associated with the offices of President and Vice-President respectively. The duties of the Secretary and Treasurer shall be the duties normally associated with those offices.
B. Officers shall be elected for two-year terms and may serve no more than two full consecutive terms in a given office. Terms of office shall end after the last session of the Congress meeting at which elections for those offices are conducted.
C. Any officer may be recalled by a two-thirds vote of the official member unit delegates present and voting at an officially called meeting of the Congress.
D. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson shall assume the office until the next regularly scheduled election. In the event of a vacancy in any other office, the Executive Committee shall elect a replacement from its membership to serve until the next regularly scheduled election. An at-large vacancy shall not be filled until the next regularly scheduled election.
E. Officers shall have the right to vote at all meetings of the CBC on all matters except that only those elected as delegates by secret ballot by their respective chapters or serving as delegates by virtue of the office to which they were elected by secret ballot may vote on election of officers and proposed increases in dues.
V. Committees
A. There shall be an Executive Committee of the Congress which shall be empowered to act on behalf of the Congress between meetings and enlist the aid of Congress members (either individuals or member units) to carry out the work of the Congress. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Congress, the immediate past Chair, and six at-large members elected for two-year terms from Congress member units. The Executive Committee shall participate in any search for AAUP collective bargaining professional staff positions and shall make recommendations to the General Secretary and to the Executive Committee of the Association. An at-large member of the Executive Committee may be recalled by a two-thirds vote of the official member-unit delegates present and voting at an officially called meeting of the Congress.
B. The Congress Chairperson shall appoint a nominating committee on or before February 1st. The nominating committee shall consist of two members of the CBC Executive Committee and three individuals from member units not represented on the Executive Committee. The nominating committee, recognizing that the Congress is an organization of chapters as member units and not composed of individuals as members, shall make every effort to present to the membership nominees who reflect the diversity of the various units and their members.
On or before February 15, the Secretary shall convene the nominating committee. The nominating committee shall select its own chair. The nominating committee shall contact each of the member units in order to solicit nominations for the positions to be filled. Each nomination shall be in writing and shall include a signed consent from the nominee as well as a signed confirmation from the president of the nominee’s unit stating that, if elected, the unit will provide financial support to the nominee for the duration of his or her term of office. The nominating committee shall deliberate and select candidates from among the submitted names. There shall be at least one candidate for each open position. No member of the nominating committee may be a nominee or candidate for election to a position on the CBC Executive Committee in the year the individual is serving on the nominating committee.
On or before April 1, the nominating committee shall distribute the list of candidates to the member units. Additional candidates may be nominated by petition. The nomination petition shall clearly state the name of the individual being nominated, and the nominee’s unit affiliation. Each nomination shall be in writing and shall include a signed consent from the nominee as well as a signed confirmation from the president of the nominee’s unit stating that, if elected, the unit will provide financial support to the nominee for the duration of his or her term of office. For the name of the nominee to be included on the printed candidate ballot to be distributed to the member units prior to the meeting at which the election will occur, the nominating petition and statements must be received by the chairperson of the nominating committee by May 1.
Nominations may also be received from the floor. The nomination must be received by the CBC Secretary at least one (1) hour prior to the session at which the election will be held and must include the nominee’s name, signature, unit affiliation, and a written, signed statement of financial support from the individual’s unit president. The Secretary shall prepare the official ballot to be presented to the meeting delegates. This ballot shall include the candidates for the officers and at-large positions.
C. Other temporary or permanent committees may be established by the Executive Committee. Permanent committees shall require consent of Congress at the next Congress meeting. The membership and responsibilities of any additional committee shall be determined by the Executive Committee unless otherwise specified by action of the Congress.
VI. Elections
A. The Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and three of the at-large members of the Executive Committee shall be elected at the first regular meeting of the Congress in odd-numbered years. The Secretary, Treasurer, and the remaining three at-large members of the Executive Committee shall be elected at the first regular meeting of the Congress in even-numbered years.
B. Elections shall be by secret ballot only. Official chapter delegates of member units in good standing shall be entitled to vote; to be a member in good standing for purposes of voting in an election, CBC dues must have been paid prior to the distribution of ballots. Election ballots shall be counted outside of the meeting room and, once the counting has begun, no additional ballots shall be accepted. Election shall be by plurality. In case of a tied vote, there shall be a run-off election. At the conclusion of the election and subsequent to the recount requested at the time the results are announced, ballots shall be sealed and secured in the national office for twelve (12) months along with all other records pertaining to the election in the AAUP national office in Washington D.C. Should there be any reason for subsequent examination of the ballots, two members of the CBC Executive Committee who were not candidates in the election must be present at the opening of the seal; all candidates in a race being questioned must be given the option of being present at the opening or sending a representative.
The Chairperson shall appoint three tellers to count the ballots. The date and time of the distribution of ballots shall be announced prior to the day on which the count is to occur.
VII. Meetings
A. The major business of the Congress shall be conducted at a meeting held annually in conjunction with the AAUP Annual Meeting. This shall include any elections, review of the financial report, setting dues for member units, and consideration of policy recommendations to the Council or Executive Committee of the Association. An agenda of business shall be distributed to member units by the Executive Committee at least thirty days (30) in advance. In addition, the Congress shall hold at least one other non-business meeting each year, which shall include reports on matters of concern to collective bargaining chapters and workshops.
B. Special meetings may be called by two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee. In addition, a special meeting shall be called by the Chairperson within sixty days of receipt of a petition for such a meeting from twenty (20) percent of member units in good standing.
C. Each member unit in good standing shall be entitled to one voting delegate for each 250 (or fraction thereof) bargaining unit members from whom dues or agency fees have been received and for whom CBC dues are paid. The total number of voting cards for each member unit will be given to the president of the unit unless the president of the unit has designated another person to receive the unit's voting cards; any such designee must be either a member of the unit, a member of another unit at the same institution, or an employee of the unit. It is the responsibility of the president or his/her designee to verify the number of voting cards upon receipt.
D. Delegates shall be active members of the Association elected by secret ballot vote of their respective member units or serving as delegates by virtue of the office to which they were elected.
E. The Chairperson shall appoint a parliamentarian for each meeting. Unless otherwise specified by these bylaws, meetings shall be conducted in accord with the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order.
VIII. Amendments
These bylaws may be amended at a Congress meeting by a two-thirds vote of those present and voting. An amendment may only be voted on if it has been proposed by the Executive Committee or by two or more member units and has been distributed to all member units at least thirty (30) days prior to the vote.
(revised June 2009)