Name The name of
the organization shall be the Association of Labor Relations Agencies.
Article II
Objectives The objectives
of this Association shall be:
l. To encourage cooperation among:
a. Association members,
b. Officials of impartial government in
the United States or Canada responsible for administering labor-management relations laws
or services including, but not limited to, mediation, conciliation, fact-finding,
arbitration and adjudication, and
c. Persons and agencies providing such services.
[Article II, Section 1(b), amended August 2001.]
2. To encourage and promote high professional standards in the
provision of such services.
3. To provide a forum for the discussion of labor relations problems
and their solution.
4. To provide a medium for the exchange of information related to the
aims, objectives, procedures and administration of mediation, conciliation, fact-finding,
arbitration and adjudication services.
5. To assist its members in rendering improved services.
6. To promote improved employer-employee relationships in both the
public and private sectors, and the peaceful resolution of employer-employee and labor
management disputes.
7. To develop the public's interest in labor relations, and to aid
labor, management, and the public in obtaining a better understanding of their respective
responsibilities in the private and public sectors.
8. To do all things necessary and advisable for the accomplishment of
the foregoing purposes.
Article III
Membership Association membership shall be divided in the following
classes:
1. Agency members:
Any impartial government agency in the United States or Canada
responsible for administering labor-management relations laws or services including, but
not limited to, mediation, conciliation, fact-finding, arbitration and adjudication.
Agency membership shall be subject to the approval of the Executive Board following
receipt of an application from the agency and payment of the appropriate dues. The
American Arbitration Association shall be permitted to maintain its current ALRA
membership. [Article III, Section 1, amended July 1998.]
2. Honorary Individual Member: Honorary membership may be granted by
unanimous vote of the Executive Board to a person not affiliated with a member agency who
subscribes to the objectives of the Association and (a) who has made an outstanding
contribution to the Association, or (b) who has gained prestige and brought to the
profession distinction and recognition. Past presidents of
ALRA are granted honorary membership automatically. An honorary member shall have the privilege of the
floor, but shall not be eligible to serve as an officer of the Association. [Article
III, Section 2, amended July 1998 and July 2002.]
Article IV
Amendments Proposed
amendments must be submitted to the President or President-Elect in writing,
at least sixty (60) days prior to the annual meeting. This Constitution may be amended by
a two-third (2/3) vote of the agency members of the Association present and voting at the
annual meeting provided a quorum is present and notice of the meeting and proposed changes
including Executive Board recommendations, if any, have been given to all members at least
thirty (30) days prior to the meeting by the President-Elect. [Article
IV, amended August 2001.]
Article V
Effective Date The
Constitution, as amended, shall become effective July, 1989, and shall supersede all
previous Constitutions and By Laws.
Article VI
Officers, Executive Board, and
Elections
Section 1. Officers and Executive Board Membership.
The Officers of this Association shall be a President, a President Elect, the
Immediate Past President, a Vice President-Administration, a Vice
President-Finance, and a Vice President-Professional Development. These six
officers and six Board Members elected at large shall constitute the Executive
Board. [Article VI, Section 1, amended July 1994,
July 1998, and July 2002.]
Section 2. Eligibility and Term of Office. The President,
President Elect, and Immediate Past President shall serve one year terms. The Vice
Presidents shall serve staggered two-year terms. Board members shall be elected to
staggered two-year terms of office, with at least three Board Member seats being open for
election each year. All Officers and Board Members except the Immediate Past President,
the President, and the President Elect may succeed themselves in office. In the event any
officer or Board Member shall no longer be employed by or appointed to a member agency,
the office being held by that person shall be declared vacant effective with the date the
individual leaves the member agency. [Article VI, Section 2, amended July 1998.]
Section 3. Filling of Vacancies. In the event the
office of President becomes vacant, the President-Elect shall become President and shall
remain in office for the balance of the existing term and until the close of the following
term. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Immediate Past President, the office
shall remain vacant for the balance of its unexpired term. In the event of a vacancy
in the office of the President Elect, the office shall remain vacant until the next Annual
Meeting. In the event of a vacancy in any other office, the vacancy may be filled by vote
of the Executive Board at its next regular or special meeting. Such appointment shall
terminate at the next Annual Meeting. [Article VI, Section 3, amended July 1992
and July 1998.]
Section 4. Nomination and Election of Officers. The
President, prior to March 1, shall appoint a Nominating Committee. Prior to
April 15, the
President shall notify each member agency of the Officer and Board Member positions which
are to be filled at the next Annual Meeting, together with a description of the duties of
each position, the requirements for eligibility to hold each position, and a list of the
incumbent Officers and/or at-large Board Members who have informed the President of their
intent to seek reelection or election to any other position to be filled at the Annual
Meeting. Incumbent Officers or Board Members must notify the President by April 1 of their
intent to seek such reelection or election. Failure of an incumbent to so notify the
President will preclude nomination of the incumbent, except from the floor of the Annual
Meeting.
An agency wishing to make a nomination or nominations shall do so in
writing to the President not later than May 15, together with a statement by the nominees
of their willingness to accept nomination. A nominee may submit in 300 words or less a
biography and statement to be included with the list to be mailed by the President to the
membership. The President will submit all nominations to the Nominating Committee.
The Nominating Committee shall ensure that there is at least one nominee for each position
to be filled at the Annual Meeting. Prior to June 15, the President shall mail to each
member agency a list of the candidates for offices to be filled at the Annual Meeting.
Additional nominations may also be made by a member agency from the floor of the Annual
Meeting. [Article VI, Section 4, amended July 1995 and July 1998.]
Section 5. Election Procedure. Elections for the offices
of President Elect, Vice President-Administration, Vice President-Finance, and Vice
President-Professional Development shall be conducted separately and in the order in which
those offices are listed here. After these officers have been elected, the election of
Executive Board positions shall be conducted at large. Each agency shall be entitled to
cast one vote for each position. No candidate may receive more than one vote from each
member agency. All elections shall be decided by plurality, with any tie votes being
decided by a toss of the coin or similar random selection device. Executive Board seats
will be filled in the order of votes received, with the candidate receiving the highest
number of votes being elected to the vacancy with the longest available term of office.
Article VII
Duties of Officers and Executive
Board
Members
Section 1. President. The President shall preside at
all meetings of the Association and of the Executive Board; preserve order during the
deliberations of the Association and the Executive Board; appoint all committees; approve
all records, vouchers and other documents in connection with the work of the Association;
countersign all cheques of a value in excess of U.S. $2500; set the agenda for the annual
meeting of the Association and for the meetings of the Executive Board; and transact
business of the Association between meetings of the Executive Board subject to the Board's
approval.
Section 2. President Elect The President Elect shall
chair the Policy and Constitution Committee and shall perform the duties of the President
in the President's absence, and shall perform such other duties as may be directed by the
President. The President Elect, in consultation with the Vice President-Finance, shall
prepare a projected financial operating plan for the year in which the President Elect
will serve as President and submit such plan for approval by the Executive Board at its
first meeting after the President Elect is installed as President.
Section 3. Vice President-Administration The Vice
President-Administration shall chair the Publications and Communications
Committee; shall keep a record of the proceedings and minutes of all
meetings of the Association and Executive Board; shall conduct correspondence pertaining
thereto; shall compile statistics and other data as may be required; shall retain all
books, papers, records and other documents pertinent to the on-going business of the
Association, and shall be responsible for the archives of the Association; shall present such
reports as appropriate at Executive Board meetings and annual meeting of the Association;
and shall perform such other duties as may be directed by the President.
[Article VII, Section 3, amended August 2001.]
Section 4. Vice President-Finance The Vice
President-Finance shall chair the Membership Committee; shall receive all revenue; shall be bonded by an amount determined by
the Executive Board; shall pay all bills after authorization by that Board; shall keep a
full and complete record of all receipts and disbursements; shall present such reports as
appropriate at Executive Board meetings and the annual meeting of the Association; and
shall perform such other duties as may be directed by the President.
[Article VII, Section 4, amended August 2001.]
Section 5. Vice President-Professional Development The Vice
President-Professional Development shall chair the Professional Development Committee and
co-ordinate the professional development activities of the Association; shall conduct
correspondence pertaining thereto; shall compile statistics and other data as may be
required; shall present such reports as appropriate at Executive Board meetings and the
annual meeting of the Association; and shall perform such other duties as may be directed
by the President.
Section 6. Immediate Past President The
Immediate Past President shall serve as a member of the Executive
Board and shall perform other duties as directed by the President.
[Article VII, Section 6, added August 2001 and amended
July 2002.]
Section 7. Executive Board The Executive Board shall be
empowered to transact the business of the Association between meetings of the membership.
Article VIII
Committees and Duties
Section 1. Standing Committees
The Standing Committees shall be:
(a) Policy and Constitution; (b) Audit; (c) Professional
Development; (d) Membership; (e) Program; (f) Arrangements; (g)
Publications and Communications;
(h) Site; (i) Nominating, and (j) Technology. [Article
VIII, Section 1, amended August 2001.]
a. The Policy and Constitution Committee shall make
long range plans for implementing the objectives of the Association, and prepare draft
amendments to the Constitution.
b. The Audit Committee shall audit the books annually.
c. The Professional Development Committee shall work
to promote the professional development of members and staff of member agencies through
the promotion of workshops; the ALRAcademy; sponsorship of newly appointed agency members
or staff at the Annual Conference, and by responding to the needs of member agencies as
identified from time to time.
d. The Membership Committee shall work to maintain and
increase the membership of the organization.
e. The Program Committee shall make program
arrangements for the annual meeting.
f. The Arrangements Committee shall make physical
arrangements for the annual meeting.
g. The Publications and Communications Committee shall prepare or arrange
for distribution of such materials as the Committee deems necessary and useful to the
Association. [Article VIII, Section 1(g), amended August 2001.]
h. The Site Committee shall solicit and receive
proposals for the location of the annual meetings and make recommendations at the annual
meeting for the site of subsequent annual meetings.
i. The Nominating Committee shall consist of no fewer
than five (5) persons and shall nominate persons for offices and members-at-large of the
Executive Board; prepare the official ballot to be used for the election of officers at
the annual meeting; tally the ballots cast by the member agencies; and report on the
results of the election to the membership.
j. The Technology Committee shall maintain and
update the Association's web page; provide technical training at the annual
conference and ALRAcademy; and provide technical assistance and advice to the
Association. [Article VIII, Section 1(j), added August 2001.]
Section 2. Committee Appointment Members of all committees
shall be appointed by the President. The chairperson(s) of each committee, other than
Publications and Communications, Professional Development, Membership, and
Policy and Constitution, shall be designated by the President at the
time of appointment, and each committee shall consist of the number of members designated
by the President. [Article VIII, Section 2, amended August 2001.]
Section 3. Special Committees Special or ad hoc committees
may be established by the membership or the Executive Board; appointments to be made by
the President.
Section 4. Committee Reports All committee reports shall be
presented for action at the annual meeting.
Article IX
Dues and Fees
Section 1. Annual dues The annual dues for the agency
members shall be established by the Executive Board.
Section 2. Honorary Members Honorary members shall not be
required to pay annual dues.
Section 3. Fees or Charges All fees or charges related to
meetings, functions, publications, or services of the Association shall be established by
the Executive Board; such fees or charges may be established separately for members and
non-members of the Association.
Article X
Fiscal Year The
fiscal year shall be June 1st through the following May 31st.
Article XI
Meetings
Section 1. Annual Meeting The annual meeting shall be
held within three (3) months of the commencement of the fiscal year unless otherwise
determined by the Executive Board. The place and date of the next annual meeting shall be
determined by the membership at its annual meeting or by the Executive Board.
Section 2. Special meetings Special meetings may be called
upon the written request of ten (10) agency members. Such requests must set forth the
purpose of the request, and must be submitted to the Vice President-Administration. Upon
approval of the Executive Board, the Vice President-Administration shall make arrangements
for a meeting to be held as soon as practicable and shall notify all members of the time,
place and purpose of the meeting.
Section 3. Proxy or Absentee Ballots There shall be no
voting by proxy nor absentee ballot at any meetings of the Association or the Executive
Board.
Section 4. Voter Qualifications Agency members in good
standing shall be entitled to vote at all meetings of the Association; each such agency
member shall be entitled to one (1) vote. Questions of "good standing" shall be
determined by the Executive Board.
Section 5. Rules of Order All meetings of the Association
shall be conducted pursuant to Robert's Rules of Order, Revised; the presiding
officer at each meeting may designate a person to serve as parliamentarian to rule on any
procedural questions which may arise.
Article XII
Quorums The
quorum for all membership meetings shall be voting delegates from twenty (20) member
agencies. The quorum for all Executive Board meetings shall be seven (7) members.
Article XIII
Fraternal Relationships
The Association will maintain fraternal relations with other
associations with similar interests and may accept invitations to send delegates to the
meetings of such associations. The President shall name the delegates who shall represent
this Association. The Association may admit to its annual meetings official delegates from
such other associations provided the Executive Board approves their attendance and the
President issues the invitations.
Article XIV
Dissolution
Upon the dissolution of the Association or the termination
of its affairs, the assets of the Association remaining after the payment of all its debts
shall be distributed exclusively to one or more organizations qualifying for tax exemption
under the provision of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1974, as amended,
as selected by the Executive Board.
Adopted July 1989; Amended July 1992, July 1994, July 1995, July 1998, August 2001,
and July 2002.
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