Constitutional Amendment # 4
Associate Membership
Amend Article XIII by adding to it the following Section 12:
Section 12.
(a) A member in good standing who retires because of age or disability and who has not continued his/her good standing membership status shall be eligible to become an Associate Member in the International Union for the purpose of participating in Associated Member Organizations (see (d) below) and in the programs established for the members of such Associate Member Organizations. An Associate Member under this Section 12(a) who returns to regular employment shall be reinstated to membership without payment of fee, if such employment would otherwise make him/her eligible for membership in this Union.
(B) An individual who is not employed within a collective bargaining unit represented by the International or any of its locals and is not covered by a collective bargaining agreement to which the International or any of its locals is a party, but is within any category of employees defined by the International Administrative Committee and designated by the International Administrative Committee as appropriate for Associate membership, shall be eligible to become an Associate Member of the International Union for the purpose of participating in Associate Member Organizations and in the programs established for the members of Associate Member Organizations.
© An individual who is eligible to be an Associate Member shall become an Associate Member by joining one of the Associate Member Organizations created pursuant to (d) below. The International Administrative Committee shall assign any eligible individual who wishes to apply to become an Associate Member to the appropriate Associate Member Organization. Any eligible individual may join the appropriate Associate Member Organization by filling out an application provided by the International Secretary Treasurer or the Associate Member Organization. An eligible individual who has applied for Associate Membership may maintain that status by paying dues of $50 per year to be paid annually. The International Executive Council shall have the power to change the dues requirements for Associate Members, provided that any increase in dues for Associate Members approved by the International Executive Council shall be effective only until the next International Convention.
(d) The International Administrative Committee may issue charters for Associate Member Organizations based on a geographic, industry or any other basis, which charters shall contain such provisions as the International Administrative Committee may require. The International Administrative Committee may revoke a charter issued for an Associate Member Organization. Each Associate Member Organization shall be governed by its charter and the Organization’s By-Laws, as approved by the International Administrative Committee. The By-Laws shall provide for the election of the Associate Member Organization’s principal officers every three years by the Organization’s Associate Members. An Associate Member shall be allowed to: (a) vote in any election for any elective office in the Associate Member Organization to which he/she was assigned, (B) be nominated for and elected to any such elective office or to hold any office (if appointed) in such Associate Member Organization, and © participate in member meetings in such Associate Member Organization, subject to the provisions of the By-Laws and charter. Only Associate members who are members of an Associate Member Organization may hold office in or vote in that Organization. An Associate Member Organization shall not become or function as the collective bargaining representative of any group of Associate Members or employees, nor deal with or attempt to deal with any employer concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours or other terms of employment.
(e) Except as provided in Section 12(d), an Associate Member (1) shall have no vote in any election for any office in the International Union or any Local union, (2) shall not be eligible for nomination or election to any office in the International Union or any Local Union, nor may he/she hold any such office, and (3) shall have neither voice nor vote on any collective bargaining or other issue or any referendum of the International Union or any Local Union. An Associate Member is entitled to attend membership meetings sponsored by the International Union or held by the Local Union of which he/she was a member when he/she retired, provided that the International Administrative Committee may vote to exclude Associate Members from a membership meeting sponsored by the International Union and the Local Union Executive Board may vote to exclude Associate Members from Local Union meetings. Each Associate Member Organization shall be entitled to send one non-voting observer to the convention of the International Union.