Governance Subcommittee Policy Procedures for Policy Committee Elections
· Terms will not be staggered within a bargaining unit
· There will be no term limits
· Terms will expire 1 year before the current contract expires*
· Terms will be 3 years
· Three months prior to an election a “Census” will be taken to determine membership and appropriate representation for each work section
· Positions may be shared, with only one vote per position
· Prior to an election, there will be concerted efforts to solicit candidates
Interest Arbitration Bargaining Unit Only
· In the Interest Arbitration group, there will be one member per 20 employees in a work section with membership being rounded to the nearest 20th increment, provided that each section will have at least one member (i.e. 1-29 members in a section equals 1 representative. 30 to 49 members equals 2 representatives, etc.)
· There will be 2 at large positions in the Interest Arbitration group
Non-Interest Arbitration Bargaining Units Only
· The Non-Interest Arbitration bargaining units will have 3 at large members**
* For the Interest Arb. bargaining unit, current terms will expire on 12/31/03. For the Non-Interest Arb. bargaining units (Plan/Prof. & Prof/Tech.) current terms will expire on 12/31/04.
** This will apply to all bargaining units that join the Policy Committee and have less than 70 members.
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Policy Committee Operating Procedures
1. The Policy Committee will operate as a single entity, combining representation of the Interest Arbitration bargaining unit and Non-Interest bargaining units.
2. Proportionate representation from the various work units.
3. Voting rules are as follows:
- A quorum of half of all voting policy committee members is required
- Strive for consensus
- Votes on all policy questions requires a 2/3 supermajority of voting policy committee members present
- No proxy voting
4. Shared positions will have one vote in all votes taken by the Policy Committee and in breakout sessions. When two members sharing a position differ on how to vote, they will cancel each other out and count as an abstention. When determining the number of votes needed to pass a motion, the percentage will be based on the total number of Policy Committee positions represented.
5. Being a (Shop) Steward - In many Unions the (Shop) Steward is the primary conduit between Union leadership and Union members. However, in the KCDOT L-17 P&T units elected Policy Committee members perform the function of keeping members informed about Union activities. Stewards perform the role of helping individual members or a group of members in dealing with specific contract issues or conflicts with management. Policy Committee members are encouraged to become Stewards, but any member can get training to be a Steward and perform this role. If a non Policy Committee member becomes a Steward, he or she must agree to report their activities to both the Steward Committee chair and the Local 17 Rep. Stewards are appointed by the Local 17 representative. For a list of current Shop Stewards click here".
6. Seniority Dispute Process If a member or members have a seniority dispute, (1) the Policy Committee may assign a special sub-committee (2) to investigate and make recommendation to the Seniority Committee. (3)The Seniority Committee then makes a decision and (4) informs those with the seniority dispute in writing. In turn, (5) this decision can be appealed, within a reasonable amount of time, to the affected bargaining unit's Policy Committee members. (6) If deemed necessary and appropriate, those Policy Committee members can amend seniority calculations for the affected parties by a supermajority (two-thirds) vote, consistent with policy level decisions.
Breakout Voting
Breakout process may be used when there is a need for the bargaining units to vote separately on an issue while still remaining a single Policy Committee.
The breakout process works as follows:
· Seek to reach consensus on the issue at the Policy Committee level
· Any member of the Policy Committee can request a breakout vote that then must be seconded by a another voting Policy Committee member of the same bargaining unit, before a breakout vote can take place.
· The member who requested the breakout vote must give reason to his/her bargaining unit why a breakout vote is needed.
· The bargaining unit whose member requested the breakout vote then votes to either take a separate vote or not (requires 2/3 supermajority of that bargaining unit).
· If the bargaining unit votes for a breakout vote, the Policy Committee will then reconvene and vote on the issue, with the votes being tallied separately for the bargaining unit using the breakout vote.
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