CSEA Chapter 323 By Laws
CSU California Maritime Academy

Article I
Administration

Section 1. Authority
Subject to the rights of the members to set the broad goals and general policies of the Chapter, the affairs of the Chapter are administered by the Executive Committee.

Section 2. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, a Unit Representative for each of the bargaining units represented by CSEA, the Chief Steward, and the Organizing Committee Chairperson. If the offices of Secretary and Treasurer are combined as Secretary/Treasurer, the Secretary/Treasurer shall be a member of the Executive Committee.

Section 3. Officers and Duties
The officers of the Chapter are the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer or Secretary/Treasurer, a Unit Representative for each of the bargaining units represented by CSEA, and Organizing Committee Chair.

A. President/General Council Delegate:
The President/General Council Delegate shall preside at all meetings of the Chapter and of the Executive Committee, and shall exercise general supervision over the activities of the Chapter. He/She shall appoint and remove all members of committees, subject to the rights of the Executive Committee to disaffirm such appointment or removal, and shall be an Ex Officio member of each Chapter Committee.

B. Vice-President:
The Vice-President shall act for, and in the place of, the President at the latter's request, or during his/her absence or disability, and shall perform such other duties as assigned by the President. In the absence of an elected chief steward, the Vice President shall serve in this capacity.

C. Treasurer:
The Treasurer shall manage the funds of the Chapter as directed by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall pay all bills authorized by the Executive Committee, keep the Chapter financial records, render a written financial report at each Chapter and Executive Board meeting, render such financial reports to the Association's Secretary/Treasurer as required by Association policy, and perform such other duties as assigned by the President.

D. Secretary
The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of all chapter and executive committee meetings, conduct the correspondence of the chapter, have custody of the records of the chapter, insure that a copy of the Chapter Bylaws, Division Bylaws and Association Constitution and Bylaws are available at all meetings. The Secretary shall transmit copies of all amendments thereto the Association's Secretary/Treasurer. The Secretary shall perform such other duties as assigned by the President. The Secretary is responsible for disseminating minutes of chapter meetings to all members.

E. Secretary/Treasurer:
The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be combined in one person, who shall be the Secretary/Treasurer. The Secretary/Treasurer shall have the duties described elsewhere in these bylaws for the offices of Secretary and Treasurer.

F. Bargaining Unit Representatives:
The Bargaining Unit Representatives represent the employees in their respective jurisdiction at chapter and executive committee meetings, and transmit the views of their constituents to their respective unit councils either in writing, or when authorized, in person at meetings of the unit council.

G. Immediate Past President:
The Immediate Past President will sit on the Executive Committee as an ex officio member.

H. Organizing Committee Chair:
The Organizing Committee Chair shall call and chair meetings of the Organizing Committee, carry out through the committee the Division Organizing Plan, and report to the Executive Committee on organizing plans and the status of recruitment.

Section 4.  Delegates:
To the extent that the Chapter is allotted delegates to general council by the Association, Article X Section 2 of the Association Policy File: The Chapter president shall be the delegate to General Council. All other delegates shall be elected at large, and when vacancies occur, shall be appointed from the list of alternates in the order of votes received. Members running for other offices may also run for chapter delegate.

Article II
Elections

Section 1: Election of Officers
The election of chapter officers shall be in accordance with CSU Division policy.

Section 2: Term of Office
The term of office of all chapter officers and bargaining unit representatives shall be as determined at the beginning of the election cycle.

Section 3: Time of Elections
Beginning in 2003, chapter elections shall be in odd-numbered years. The election process shall be concluded by March 30.

Section 4: Nominating Committee
The Chapter President shall activate a Chapter Nominating Committee as provided for in the CSEA Policy File.

Section 5: Electorate
A. The Chapter President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer or Secretary/Treasurer is elected by the active members of Chapter 304.
B. The Chapter Bargaining Unit Representatives are elected by the active members in their respective units of Chapter 304.
C. The Chief Steward is elected by the certified stewards in Chapter 304.

Section 6: Eligibility for Office
A. Any active member of Chapter 323 shall be eligible for the offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer or Secretary/Treasurer, and Organizing Committee Chair.
B. Any active member of Chapter 323 shall be eligible for the office of Bargaining Unit Representative of his/her bargaining unit.
C. All of the above must take steward training at the next opportunity after being elected if they have not already done so.
D. Only certified stewards are eligible for Chief Steward. The Chief Steward must take the advanced steward training at the next opportunity after being elected if they have not already done so.

Section 7: Election
A. Election of chapter officers and chapter bargaining unit representatives shall be by either (a) mail ballot conducted by CSEA headquarters, or (b) open chapter meeting. All contested elections shall be conducted by secret ballot.
B. The Nominating Committee shall conduct the election and shall provide a slate of candidates to each chapter member at least 30 days prior to the meeting scheduled for elections. This announcement shall include the date, time, and location of chapter elections. It shall also include information on how to request an absentee ballot. Nominations from the floor on the day of the election shall also be accepted.
C. The Nominating Committee shall also serve as the Tellers Committee and will notify all chapter members of the results of the election. New officers will be installed at the next open chapter meeting.

Article III
Meetings

Section 1:  Chapter Meetings
Regular Chapter meetings shall be held at least once every quarter (four per year) at times and places determined by the President. Special meetings may be called at any time by the President, by a majority of the Executive Committee, or by petition signed by any 10 members. A special meeting called by the Executive Committee or by petition must be held within ten (10) days. The minutes of each Chapter Meeting will be published on the Chapter web site.

Section 2: Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall meet at a time and place determined by the President. Only members of the Executive Committee may make motions or vote, although any Chapter member may address the Executive Committee on the subject under consideration. Members who wish to address the Executive Committee on an Agenda item, or who wish to request an item be added to the Agenda, should notify the President at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the meeting date. Requests to add new items to the Agenda may be taken under consideration at the scheduled meeting or at a subsequently scheduled meeting, at the discretion of the Executive Committee.

Section 3: Notice
For business to be conducted and actions taken, the notice requirements of this section must be met. Notice of regular Chapter and Executive Committee meetings shall be given to all Chapter members at least five (5) days in advance of the meeting by (a) publication in the Chapter newsletter, (b) mailing such notice to the address of record or work address of all members, or (c) posting on the CSEA bulletin board at each work location in the Chapter's jurisdiction. Notice of special meetings shall be given to all Chapter members at least five (5) days in advance by the same means. No notice is needed for meetings of committees other than the Executive Committee.

Section 4: Quorum
For business to be conducted and actions taken, the quorum requirements of this section must be met. (a) Regular meetings: A quorum consists of the number of members present. (b) Special meetings: A quorum consists of at least ten (10) members. (c) Executive Committee meetings: A quorum consists of a majority of the committee, provided at least two (2) officers are present.

Section 5: Open Meetings
All meetings of this Chapter shall be open to all members, and any action taken at a closed meeting is null and void.

Section 6: Emergency Meetings
Not withstanding the provisions of section 4 and 5 of this article, an emergency meeting of the Executive Committee may be called by the President. Actions taken at such meetings are subject to review at the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Section 7: Minutes
Minutes of all meetings shall be posted on the chapter web site or CSEA bulletin boards prior to the next scheduled meeting.

Article IV
Order of Business

The order of business at all meetings of the chapter shall, insofar as possible, be as follows:

Call to order
Approval of Minutes
Report of President
Report of Treasurer
Report of Secretary
Report of Committees
Old Business
New Business
Adjournment

Robert's Rules of Order, latest revision, shall govern meetings of this Chapter, insofar as it does not conflict with the Association's Constitution and Bylaws, Policy File, and the Constitution and Bylaws of this Chapter.

Article V
Committees

Section 1: Special Committees
Special Committees may be authorized as needed by the Executive Committee.

Article VI
Finances

Section 1: Budget Year
The budget year for the chapter shall be January 1 through December 31.

Section 2: Income
The primary source of income for the Chapter shall be that portion of dues and fees allotted to the Chapter as determined by the Association's Constitution and Bylaws. Additional income may be obtained in the form of grants from the Association, and/or special fund-raising events.

Section 3: Budget
The Chapter shall operate under a program budget which shall guide the priorities under which the Chapter shall spend its moneys.

Section 4:  Budget Adoption
Each year, prior to December, the Finance Committee, assisted by the President, Secretary, and Treasurer, prepares a budget based on the projected income. The proposed budget shall be presented to the February meeting of the Executive Committee, which shall make whatever changes it deems necessary before approving the proposed budget for presentation to the membership of the chapter. The proposed budget shall then be presented to the membership at the next scheduled chapter meeting in the budget year for final approval.

Section 5: Disbursements
The Treasurer shall manage the funds of the Chapter as determined by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall pay or cause to be paid the obligations of the Chapter. Disbursements in any program may not exceed the amount budgeted for that program, except that the Executive Committee is authorized to transfer budgeted funds from one program to another.

Section 6: Reserves
The Executive Committee may establish an emergency reserve fund, not to exceed six (6) month's estimated income. Withdrawal of funds from such reserve requires the consensus of the Executive Committee or, if no consensus is reached, an affirmative vote of a majority of the Executive Committee.

Section 7: Audit
The Executive Board shall cause an audit of all Chapter financial records to be conducted annually during the month of January or as provided for by CSEA Policy File.

Article VII
Communications

The Chapter shall communicate with those employees it represents by means of the chapter web site and a newsletter. The newsletter shall be published on a regular basis to be determined by the Executive Committee yearly. The newsletter shall be distributed by (a) mailing to the address of record or work address of all members, (b) posting on the CSEA bulletin board at each work location in the Chapter's jurisdiction, or (c) made available to every member electronically, except that a paper copy shall be provided to members who do not have electronic access. Additionally, information will be shared at Chapter meetings, by email, voicemail, and on CSEA bulletin boards.

Article VIII
Discipline

Section 1:  General
Members of the Executive Committee can be removed in accordance with the provisions of the Association's Constitution and Bylaws, Policy File, and this Article.

Section 2:  Suspension
The President, or the Vice-President if the charges are against the President, may, with concurrence of a majority of the members of the Executive Committee, suspend a member of the Executive Committee if, in his/her opinion, the acts of the member constitute a threat to the Association or the Chapter. If formal charges are not filed within ten (10) days, the suspension shall be lifted.

Section 3: Charges
Charges may be filed against a member of the Executive Committee by any Chapter member. Charges include, but are not limited to, those listed in the Association Policy file, the Division Policy file, and non-excused absence from two or more Chapter and/or Executive Committee meetings.

Section 4:  Hearing and Removal
A hearing on the charges shall be held in accordance with Association policy. A member of the Executive Committee may be removed from office, and the office declared vacant, only by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Executive Committee.

Section 5:  Appeal
Any member so removed has the right of appeal as specified in Association policy.

Article IX
Vacancies

In case of vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice-President becomes the President. In case of a vacancy in the office of Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Secretary/Treasurer, Bargaining Unit Representative, or delegate, the President shall appoint a replacement subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.

Article X
Amendments

Section 1:  Proposals
Amendments to the Bylaws may be proposed by the Executive Committee, or by petition signed by (a) any 10 members or (b) by 10% of the membership, whichever number is lower.

Section 2:  Publication
The proposed amendment must be (a) publicized in the Chapter Newsletter, (b) mailed to the Chapter membership, (c) posted on CSEA bulletin boards in every work location represented by the Chapter, or (d) made available to every member electronically, except that a paper copy shall be provided to members who do not have electronic access, at least ten (10) days prior to the Chapter meeting at which time the amendment is to be acted upon.

Section 3:  Adoption
The amendment is adopted by a majority vote of the members present and voting at the next regular Chapter meetings following publication.

Article XI
Adoption of New Bylaws

From time to time, it may be necessary or desirable to update several sections of the Bylaws at one time. When such an action occurs, a copy of these Bylaws shall be transmitted to the members of the Chapter at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting at which time they are to be acted upon. They shall be approved by majority vote of those voting. A copy of these Bylaws, together with a certificate of authenticity signed by the Secretary shall be transmitted to the Association's headquarters office in Sacramento within two weeks of adoption.

_____________________                                        ____________________________

President                                                                         Vice President

Charles E Constantine                                                     Patricia Kikos

 ____________________

Secretary/ Treasurer

Wayne Kryszewski

Back to top