The bylaws of the Los Angeles College Faculty Guild, AFT 1521, form the bedrock of our governance structure. These bylaws are meticulously crafted through a democratic process involving our esteemed members and are subject to further refinement during our annual Membership Meeting.
The name of this organization shall be the Los Angeles College Faculty Guild, AFT Local 1521, CFT/AFT, AFL-CIO, hereafter referred to as “the Guild.”
The purpose of the Guild is to support quality education in the Los Angeles Community College District and to represent the best interests of the faculty employed by the district. Through its work and its affiliation with the broader labor movement, the Guild seeks to promote public education and support the rights of all workers.
The Guild is affiliated with the California Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, California Federation of Labor, and AFL-CIO.
Guild membership is open to all LACCD employees who are part of the faculty bargaining unit. Membership in an Emeritus Chapter may be continued for all retired faculty who have been members in good standing of the Guild prior to retirement. Every member shall pay annual dues in the following manner and amount:
SECTION 4.01 ACTIVE MEMBERS
Full-time and part-time faculty shall pay, in advance or through payroll deductions, 1.6% of gross salary. All increases in per capita payments that are required to be made to the American Federation of Teachers, California Federation of Teachers, California Labor Federation, or Los Angeles County Federation of Labor shall be paid with the dues and agency fees generated from this mechanism.
SECTION 4.02 RETIREE MEMBERS
Retired faculty who desire to be members of the Emeritus Chapter of the Guild shall pay dues in an amount to be determined by the Guild Executive Board after hearing the recommendation of the Emeritus Chapter. A member of the Emeritus Chapter who is not employed as a faculty member by the district may choose to be an active member of the local by contributing annual dues equal to 1% of his/her annual pension.
The highest decision-making body of the Guild is the membership, which can make decisions either at a membership meeting or through a mail referendum. At least one general membership meeting shall be held each academic year. The Executive Board or the Guild President may call additional membership meetings as needed. Members shall be notified at least 30 days prior to the meeting. The Membership Meeting shall act upon all matters referred to it by the president, by the Executive Board, or by petition of 100 of the Guild members. The agenda for the meeting must be published at least 15 days in advance, and only items on the published agenda shall be considered at the meeting, unless the body, by a two-thirds vote, authorizes special consideration of an unposted item. One hundred members shall constitute the quorum needed to conduct business at a membership meeting.
The Executive Board has the authority to conduct a mail referendum of the members if it deems it necessary.
The elected officers of the Guild shall consist of (1) the President, Executive Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary, elected by all active Guild members; and (2) ten Chapter Presidents elected by the Guild members who comprise each of the ten respective chapters of the Guild. The ten Chapter Presidents shall serve as Vice Presidents of the local.
SECTION 6.01 ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Officers shall be elected by a secret mail ballot of the members in April or May of even-numbered years. Only Guild members may stand as candidates. To be elected to an office, a candidate must receive a majority of valid votes cast for that office. In the event that no candidate receives a majority, a runoff election (mail ballot) will be held between the two top vote-getters. The term of office shall be two years, commencing June 1st following the election.
SECTION 6.02 RECALL
If 40% of the members eligible to vote in the election of an officer sign a petition calling for an election to recall that officer, a recall election shall be held. If 60% of the ballots cast favor the recall of that officer, the officer shall be recalled, and the position shall be considered vacant.
SECTION 6.03 VACANCIES
If the office of the President becomes vacant (as a result of death, resignation, or recall), the Executive Vice President shall become president for the remainder of the term of office. If any other districtwide office (Executive Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurer) becomes vacant with three months or more remaining in the term of office, the Executive Board shall, after proper notice and opportunity for nominations, elect a successor for the remainder of the term at an Executive Board meeting. If a Chapter Presidency becomes vacant with three months or more remaining in the term of office, a special chapter election will be held to choose a replacement. If less than three months remain to be served in the term of a vacated office – or in any case until the special election process is completed – an interim appointment shall be made consistent with the following rules:
(a) If a Chapter President position becomes vacant, the delegate to the Executive Board from that Chapter who received the highest vote total in the preceding election shall assume the position of Interim Chapter President until the chapter has elected a replacement.
(b) If the positions of Executive Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurer become vacant, the selection of interim replacements (serving less than three months) shall be done by the Executive Board within one month of the time of vacancy.
The Executive Board is the second highest decision-making body of the Guild (after the membership). It shall consist of all elected officers and delegates elected by each chapter according to the formula “one delegate for each 100 chapter members or fraction thereof.” The election of delegates to the Executive Board from each of the chapters shall be held concurrently with the officer elections in April or May of even-numbered years, and the term of office will be concurrent with the term of office for the officers. A quorum for the purpose of conducting business at an Executive Board meeting shall consist of at least fifteen members representing at least five colleges. The Executive Board shall meet at least monthly during the traditional academic year and at least once during the summer.
The Executive Board has the authority to establish standing and special committees as it deems necessary. The standing committees of the Guild shall include
SECTION 8.01 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, chaired by the President, consisting of the elected officers, and responsible to oversee the work of the Guild between Executive Board meetings
SECTION 8.02 GRIEVANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE, chaired by the Chief Grievance Officer, which has final authority to determine whether or not the Guild should proceed to arbitration on a grievance
SECTION 8.03 COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION
Education, chaired by the Political Director, which recommends to the Executive Board positions on candidates and ballot issues.
There shall be a chapter of the Guild at each college of the district as well as an Emeritus chapter for retired faculty. Chapters shall have the authority to set policy for the chapter so long as such policy is consistent with districtwide Guild policy, these bylaws, and the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. The Chapter President and elected Executive Board delegates from the chapter shall be responsible for ensuring that chapter decision-making processes are open and democratic.
The rules contained in the most current edition of The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (Sturgis) shall govern the Guild in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Guild may adopt.
These bylaws may be amended by two-thirds of those voting, either at a Membership Meeting or through a mail referendum. Proposed amendments can be initiated only by a petition of 100 of the Guild members or by a majority vote of the Executive Board. To be acted upon at a Membership Meeting, a proposed amendment must be published at least 15 days in advance of the meeting.
— Approved 06/15/01, effective date of 07/01/01
— Amended 06/06/05, effective Fall 2005 semester
— Amended 04/21/13, effective date of 07/01/13
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