Union Nominations and Elections

Class Description: We’ll cover the basics of union nominations and elections and what your union needs to be in legal compliance. This workshop will help you assess your union’s process to assure you meet all minimum standards, and provide you with tools like a checklist of considerations and requirements and sample bylaw language, policies, nomination/election notices and ballots.

Instructor Bio: Patti Legault-Frank has been a consulting Parliamentarian and Governance Specialist and an instructor at The Labor Guild since 1981. In addition to local, state, and international labor unions, she has also consulted to credit unions; school committees; professional and social organizations. Her Labor Guild courses have been on Union Meetings with Robert’s Rules of Order; Reviewing and Amending Union Bylaws; and, on Union Elections. Her union consulting on organizational governance has included reviewing and refining governance documents (bylaws and rules, policies, and procedures); Officer, Executive Board, and member training; rendering formal parliamentary opinions when internal governance documents are silent or ambiguous; and, serving as parliamentarian at membership meetings and annual conventions.

As a prelude to consulting, Legault-Frank was with the Massachusetts Teachers Association from 1976 to 1986, where she was both the Governance Specialist and also represented eight local affiliates in contract negotiations and enforcement. While at MTA, Legault-Frank also served as President and Negotiations Chair of MTASO (MTA Staff Organization), the independent union comprised of her fellow staffers.