WEASO

ARTICLE I: NAME AND INCORPORATION

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Washington Education Association Staff Organization, hereinafter referred to as WEASO.

Section 2. WEASO shall be incorporated as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the state of Washington.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

The purpose of WEASO shall be to represent WEA and LOUP employees in all matters relating to terms and conditions of employment with the Washington Education Association and local option councils.

ARTICLE III: AFFILIATION

WEASO shall affiliate with the National Staff Organization (NSO).

ARTICLE IV: DISSOLUTION

The assets of WEASO shall be donated to the NSO Charlie Love Crisis Fund upon dissolution.

ARTICLE V: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership in WEASO shall be open to all staff members employed by the Washington Education Association and covered by the WEASO/WEA Board comprehensive Agreement, along with staff from Local Option UniServ Programs (LOUP), and local education association support staff who wish to join WEASO.

Section 2. All members of WEASO shall also be members of NSO.

Section 3. All members of WEASO shall have equal rights and privileges within the organization. Such rights shall include but not be limited to the right:

a. to nominate candidates;

b. to vote in elections or on referenda of the organization;

c. to hold office;

d. to participate in the deliberations and voting upon the business of the organization, except that in voting on contract ratification only members in the respective bargaining unit(s) shall have the right to vote;

e. to attend membership meetings;

f. to meet and assemble fully with other members;

g. to express any views, arguments or opinions;

h. to express their views at meetings, upon candidates in an election of the organization or upon any business properly brought before the meeting.

Section 4. No member shall be fined, suspended, expelled or otherwise disciplined without due process. Due process shall include being served with specific written charges and being given a reasonable time in which to prepare a defense which may be asserted at a full and fair hearing.

ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS

Section 1. The officers of WEASO shall consist of president, vice-president for advocacy and vice-president for programs, secretary and treasurer.

Section 2. a. Officers shall be elected bi-annually in even years during a time-frame between March 1 and May 1. Election shall be by an all-member secret ballot.

b. Nominations will be open for a period of no less than twenty (20) calendar days. Notice of the offices to be filled, the closing date of the election, and all specific and relevant arrangements for the election will be mailed to each member’s home address or designated polling place.

c. Not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the election, specific notice of the date, time, and place of the final ballot counting, the offices to be filled, and the candidates for each office, along with a secret ballot, shall be delivered to every member.

Section 3. The term of office for officers shall be for two (2) years beginning September 1, except that in the event that a successor contract has not been ratified by September 1, the term of office will begin on the date the successor contract is ratified by WEASO, with the term of office shortened accordingly.

Section 4. The duties of officers shall be as provided in the Bylaws.

Section 5. Except to the extent specified in the NSO Constitution, no officer of WEASO shall have the power to act as agent for or otherwise bind the NSO in any way whatsoever. No member or group of members or other person or persons shall have the power to act on behalf of or otherwise bind WEASO except to the extent specifically authorized by the president of WEASO or by the Executive Committee of WEASO.

ARTICLE VII: EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. The Executive Board of WEASO shall be comprised of the officers, twelve (12) regional representatives, and at-large representatives as outlined in the bylaws.

Section 2. Executive Board representatives shall be elected every two (2) years from and by the WEASO regions and at-large as outlined in the Bylaws.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall be responsible for the general administrative and executive functions of WEASO.

Section 4. The specific duties of the representatives and of the Executive Board shall be as provided in the Bylaws.

Section 5. The Executive Board shall have the power to implement disciplinary procedures for the members consistent with the Constitution and Bylaws.

Section 6. The Bylaws shall guarantee and set forth procedures for ethnic minority representation on the Executive Board proportionate to ethnic minority membership.

ARTICLE VIII: RECALL OF OFFICERS OR EXECUTIVE BOARD REPRESENTATIVES

Section 1. Members of the Executive Board shall serve their terms so long as they satisfactorily perform the duties of their office. Where an officer or representative is guilty of misconduct or neglect of office, such officer or representative may be removed only by a majority vote of the membership.

a. The recall procedure for an officer or representative of the Executive Board shall begin with the submission to the Executive Board of a petition containing the specific charge(s) and the signatures of thirty percent (30%) of the WEASO membership.

b. The Executive Board shall provide a full copy within fifteen (15) working days of the receipt of the petition described in Article VIII, Section 1.a. above to any officer or representative who has been recommended for recall.

c. The charged officer or representative may appeal to the Executive Board within ten (10) working days of the request.

d. The charged officer or representative shall have ten (10) working days from the receipt of the petition as set forth in Article VIII, Section 1.b. above to refute the charge(s).

e. Recall shall be determined by a majority secret ballot vote of the membership. Such voting shall take place within forty-five (45) days of the receipt of the recall petitions.

ARTICLE IX: OFFICER OR EXECUTIVE BOARD VACANCIES

Section 1. In the event of a vacancy in the office of president, the Executive Board shall elect, by majority vote of a secret ballot at the next regularly scheduled Executive Board meeting, either the vice-president for advocacy or the vice-president for programs to serve as president for the remainder of the term.

Section 2. In the event the office of the vice-president becomes vacant, a special election shall be held to fill the vacancy. The Executive Board shall establish a special nominations procedure. The Executive Board shall set the date of the election not less than fifteen (15) days after the nominations have been closed. Otherwise, the election procedures shall be as in Article VI, Section 2.

Section 3. In the event of a vacancy on the Executive Board with more than six months remaining for that term, an election from members of that region will be held. If the remaining term is less than six months, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment of the Executive Board. In the event the vacancy is caused by an internal transfer, the Executive Board can decide to keep the existing representative in that position if less than six months remains on his/her term.

ARTICLE X: POLICY AUTHORITY

Section 1. A majority vote of the membership present and voting at any meeting shall determine the policies and actions of WEASO except for those elections as provided for in Article VI, Section 2, and Article XIII, Sections 1 and 2.

ARTICLE XI: NEGOTIATIONS, RATIFICATION OF AGREEMENTS AND AUTHORIZATION FOR STRIKES

Section 1. Whenever a collective bargaining agreement is about to be negotiated, modified or extended, the president shall call a meeting at which the membership shall authorize the bargaining concepts proposed by the bargaining committee.

Section 2. Ratification of agreements or amendments shall be by majority of the membership present and voting at a meeting called especially for that purpose.

Section 3. If a settlement cannot be reached in connection with the negotiations, a strike may be authorized by a majority of the members present and voting at a meeting especially called for that purpose.

ARTICLE XII: DUES AND ASSESSMENTS

Section 1. WEASO members shall pay dues in the percentage established in the Bylaws. The dues shall be paid by one of the following manners:

a. automatic payroll deduction;

b. in cash within sixty (60) days of employment for new employees;

c. in cash by March 1 for continuing employees.

Section 2. WEASO may levy special assessments as provided in the Bylaws.

Section 3. Dues shall be used only for such purposes as are specified in the Consitution and Bylaws and as may be required to transact and properly conduct its business. Under no circumstances shall any of the General Funds be used for loans to members or for political or religious purposes.

ARTICLE XIII: AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution and Bylaws may be made by a two-thirds (2/3) secret mail ballot. A notice of the election and the text and impact of the proposed amendments shall be delivered to each member at least twenty (20) calendar days in advance of the election.

Section 3. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee is authorized to make nonsubstantive housekeeping changes in the Constitution.

Amended 11/26/2003 trb

Amended 6/1/2006 trb –April 2006 Election results

WASHINGTON EDUCATION ASSOCIATIONSTAFF ORGANIZATION(WEASO)

ARTICLE I: MEETINGS

Section 1. There shall be at least four (4) Executive Board meetings per year. All Executive Board meetings shall be called by the president with at least five (5) days written notice or by a majority of the Executive Board with at least five (5) days written notice.

Section 2. There shall be at least one (1) annual meeting of the membership each year. This meeting shall be scheduled by the president or the Executive Board and shall be for the purpose of ratification of contract items or any other business deemed appropriate, except for election of officers, which shall be conducted as outlined in the Constitution, Article VI, Section 2. At meetings the time frame for actual voting on issues before the membership shall be clearly defined and announced, must follow any deliberation on the item, and must be without interruption of any other unrelated business.

Section 3. Special meetings of the membership may be called by the Executive Board or within thirty (30) days of the receipt of a petition to the president signed by twenty-five percent (25%) of the members.

Section 4. All meetings of the WEASO membership, except emergency special meetings, shall be announced by a written notice to each member at least twenty (20) days in advance of said meeting.

Section 5. The Executive Board, by a majority vote, may call an emergency special meeting at any time.

Section 6. Meetings may be conducted by means of telecommunications devices with the approval of the Executive Board or membership.

ARTICLE II: QUORUM

A quorum of the Executive Board or any committee shall consist of a majority of its members.

ARTICLE III: DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1. The president shall:

a. preside at all official meetings and shall perform such duties as are customarily associated with the office;

b. prepare and submit an annual report of WEASO activities to the annual meeting during his/her term of office;

c. appoint and/or discharge all committee members with the approval of the Executive Board and shall serve as an ex-officio member of all committees;

d. represent WEASO at monthly meetings with the WEA Labor Management Team;

e. inform the vice-presidents and grievance chair of the scheduled monthly meetings with the WEA Labor Management Team.

f. attend WEA Executive Board and WEA Board of Directors meetings whenever possible.

Section 2. The vice-president for programs will assist the president and shall:

a. act in the absence of the president, in conjunction with the vice-president for advocacy;

b. If elected in accordance with Article IX Section 1 of the Constitution, may succeed the presidency in the event the office becomes vacant and assume any unmet NSO delegate responsibilities for which the president has been elected;

c. be responsible for coordination of member orientation, communications, training, and other duties to assist the president.

d. represent WEASO at monthly Labor/Management meetings, along with the president and vice-president for advocacy.

Section 3. The vice-president for advocacy shall assist the president and shall:

a. act in the absence of the president, in conjunction with the vice-president for programs;

b. If elected in accordance with Article IX Section 1 of the Constitution, may succeed the presidency in the event the office becomes vacant and assume any unmet NSO delegate responsibilities for which the president has been elected;

c. act as liaison to the grievance committee and bargaining team, be responsible for crisis organizing when necessary, and other duties to assist the president;

d. represent WEASO at monthly Labor/Management meetings along with the president and vice-president for programs.

Section 4. The secretary shall:

a. handle all correspondence for WEASO;

b. notify the appropriate members as to the time and place of the Executive Board and membership meetings within the time limits set forth in the Constitution and Bylaws;

c. keep accurate minutes of all Executive Board and membership meetings;

d. maintain the records, files, membership list and mailing labels of WEASO membership;

e. make available minutes to all members within thirty (30) days following the Executive Board and membership meetings upon request;

Section 5. The Treasurer shall:

a. collect all dues and assessments;

b. deposit all monies in a bank, in the name of WEASO;

c. notify NSO of the name of the bank in which WEASO dues are deposited;

d. hold all funds and disburse them accordingly upon the submission of vouchers approved by the president and in accordance with rules and policies established by the Executive Board;

e. sign all checks along with either the president or vice-presidents;

f. report at each Executive Board and general membership meeting;

g. prepare an annual financial report which shall be distributed once each year;

h. secure an audit of the books by a certified public accountant once each year;

i. file the appropriate federal and state forms annually with a copy to the NSO Treasurer;

j. transmit appropriate NSO dues money to NSO in accordance with NSO rules and regulations;

k. be bonded for such an amount determined by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE IV: DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. The Executive Board shall conduct, manage and control the affairs and business of WEASO, including interpretation of this Constitution and Bylaws between membership meetings.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall prepare and submit a budget for approval by a vote of the membership.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall implement motions and resolutions approved by the membership and may devise and put into operation other measures consistent with the Constitution, Bylaws and policies of WEASO. It shall fix the time and place and shall make all necessary arrangements for annual and special meetings.

Section 4. The Executive Board shall approve the appointment and discharge of all standing and special committee members, shall approve the creation of all special committees and shall review the activities of all committees.

ARTICLE V: REPRESENTATIVES

Section 1. There shall be thirteen (13) representatives elected to the Executive Board as outlined below:

POSITION REPRESENTING YEAR OF ELECTION

1 Eastern Washington Odd

2 Eastern Washington Even

3 Western Washington Even

4 Western Washington Odd

5 Western Washington Even

6 Western Washington Odd

7 Western Washington Even

8 Headquarters Even

9 Headquarters Odd

10 Headquarters Even

11 Headquarters Odd

12 Headquarters Even

13 Minority at large Odd

Section 2. The Executive Board, bi-annually, shall review the number of representative positions, the jurisdiction of the representatives and shall recommend to the membership at the annual meeting such amendments to Section 1 as needed to make it consistent with Article VII of the Constitution.

Section 3. Representatives shall:

a. at the beginning of their term of office meet with the Bargaining and Grievance Committee chairpersons to review and study the contract and the grievance procedures;

b. maintain communications between the Executive Board and their respective constituencies;

c. act as liaison between the Grievance committee and the members;

d. inform new employees in their jurisdiction of rights under the contract;

e. be called by or meet with the president for a debriefing session following each monthly meeting with the WEA Executive director.

Section 4. In the election of NSO delegates to the NSO-RA, at least two delegates must be from the Level I-IV/Associate staff ranks and at least two must be from the Level V staff ranks of our organization. If the elected delegation does not appropriately reflect this proportion, the final elected delegate(s) will be the highest vote getter(s) from the under-represented group.

ARTICLE VI: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND REPRESENTATIVES

Section 1. The president, with the approval of the Executive Board, shall appoint a Nominations and Elections Committee consisting of five (5) members who shall advertise for nominees for election according to WEASO procedures. Each nominee must be a member in good standing and give his/her consent to appear on the ballot.

Section 2. The list of officers to be elected shall include the offices of president, vice-president for advocacy, vice-president for programs, secretary, treasurer, and the number of representatives designated in Article V, Section 1 of the Bylaws.

Section 3. To win, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast. In the event of a plurality or a tie, the Executive Board shall hold a run-off election within fifteen (15) days between the two candidates receiving the most votes.

Section 4. NSO delegates and alternates shall also be elected by an all-member mail ballot per WEASO and NSO procedures. The office of WEASO president shall also be stated on the ballot as the first delegate to the NSO Representative Assembly.

ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES

Section 1. Standing committees, as authorized by the Bylaws, and special committees, as established by the Executive Board, shall be appointed by the president with approval of the Executive Board. Standing committee members shall serve until August 31 of the year for which they are appointed or until discharged by the president with the approval of the Executive Board. Special committee members shall serve for two years or until their committee is dissolved by the Executive Board or until discharged by the president with the consent of the Executive Board. The president will ensure that all committees include representation from both Level I-IV/Associate Staff and Level V Staff.

The president will ensure that members of color are represented on all standing and special committees.

Section 2. Standing committees are:

a. Bargaining Committee

The charges shall include, but not be limited to the following:

1) to draft proposed bargaining concepts or revisions to the current Agreement, and present such draft to the Executive Board and following that, to at least one membership meeting for approval of said concepts or revisions;

2) to make an annual study of the WEASO/WEA Board comprehensive Agreement;

3) to inform WEASO about bargaining developments on a continuing basis;

4) to represent WEASO in bargaining amendments, extensions and successor contracts.

b. Grievance Committee

The following charges shall include, but not be limited to the following:

1) to process grievances of WEASO members and of the Organization;

2) to be the custodian of the grievance records;

3) to recommend to the WEASO Executive Board whether or not a grievance should be pursued through arbitration.

c. Nominations and Elections Committee

The charges shall include, but not be limited to the following:

1) as designated in Article VI, Section 1 of the Bylaws;

2) distribute copies of all proposed amendments to the Constitutuion and Bylaws.

d. Diversity Committee

The charges shall include, but not be limited to the following: 1) to ensure that inclusive diversity is continually a part of the WEASO culture.

Section 3. Minutes of the proceedings of each committee shall be filed with the Secretary of WEASO. All committees shall report to the membership as directed by the president.

ARTICLE VIII: MEMBERSHIP AND FISCAL YEAR

The membership and fiscal year shall be September 1 through August 31.

ARTICLE IX: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The current edition of Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure shall govern WEASO in all parliamentary situations that are not otherwise provided for in the Constitution, Bylaws or adopted rules.

ARTICLE X: DUES AND ASSESSMENTS

Section 1. The dues for WEASO members shall be one and one-fourth percent (.0125) of each member's salary.

Section 2. A special assessment may be authorized by a two-thirds (2/3) secret ballot vote of the members in an election called by the president or the Executive Committee, provided that a notice of the proposed assessment shall have been delivered to each member at least twenty (20) days in advance of the election.

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Amendments to the Bylaws may be made by a majority secret ballot vote of the members present and voting at any annual or special meeting. Notice of the meeting and the proposed amendment(s) shall be delivered to each member at least twenty (20) days in advance of the meeting.

Section 2. The Executive Board may call a special mail ballot election to amend the Bylaws. A notice of the election and proposed amendment(s) shall have been delivered to each member at least twenty (20) days in advance.

Section 3. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee is authorized to make nonsubstantive housekeeping changes in the Bylaws.

Amended 11/26/2003 trb – election results

Amended 2/25/2004 trb – Board action on diversity charge B VII 2 d 2)

Amended 6/1/2006 trb – Housekeeping from 3/14/06 Committee Report and April 2006 Election results