Understanding, Reviewing, and Amending Bylaws with Patti Legault-Frank

Your Union Bylaws – Do you understand what they say?  Do they say what they should?  Are they thorough on local elections, trials and charges, and other governance issues?   The bylaws, which  are each member’s Bill of Rights or contract with the union, define the primary characteristics of the union, as well as the rights and duties of officers and members.  This workshop will teach you to review, evaluate and amend your bylaws (if needed) with confidence and ease.  The materials provided will be invaluable reference tools for anyone serving in a leadership role for their organization and are, responsible for meeting governance and legal requirements.

If you can’t answer these questions now, By the end of the class, you will be able to.  If you cannot answer them now – YOU NEED THIS COURSE!!!

1. If there is an uncontested candidate for office, do the members still have to be allowed to vote?
2. If a member submits a bylaw amendment that the Bylaws Committee does not like, do they have to forward it to the members for voting?
3. The chairperson refuses to run the meeting by “the rules.”  What are the possible consequences?
4. Do officers continue to serve if, at the end of their regular term, successors have not been elected?
5. Who is the ultimate authority in your union?  — the members, the officers,  or the executive board?
6. Who gets to interpret the bylaws?  Are there guardrails for interpreting them?
7. If bylaws assign a duty or obligation to one party, can that party delegate it to someone else?
8. Can a board, committee, or membership meeting just decide to meet on a conference call or zoom instead of in-person?
9. What if the bylaws are silent on charges and trials?  For officers?  For members?  How do you hold one?
10. When the bylaws are silent on elections, what rules are mandatory (labor law and Robert’s Rules)?  /  majority of plurality vote  /  uncontested elections  /  running for more than one office  /  holding more than one office  /  executive board members, trustees, sergeants-at-arms – are they officers?

Instructor: Patti Legault-Frank, Parliamentarian and Governance Specialist