By - Lawsfor

AmalgamatedLocal Unions

®

Printed in the U.S.A.

UNITED STEELWORKERS60 Boulevard of the Allies

Pittsburgh, PA 15222December, 2017

155 7/18

By-Laws for Amalgamated Local UnionsDecember, 2017

Table of Contents

Page

Officers’ Letter 3

BY-LAWS FOR AMALGAMATEDLOCAL UNIONS 8

Article I — Name 8

Article II — Objects 8

Article III — Eligibility 10

Article IV — Election of Officers andUnit Positions 11

Article V — Duties of Officers andUnit Positions 19

Article VI — Compensation for Services 30

Article VII — Meetings 31

Article VIII — Membership 32

Article IX — Discipline 34

Article X — Trials of Members andLocal Union Officers 37

Article XI — Notification to EmployersRegarding Status of Members 44

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Article XII — Finances 45

Article XIII — Delegates to InternationalConvention 48

Article XIV — Workers’ CompensationCommittee, Safety & HealthCommittee, Civil Rights Committee,Women’s Committee andOrganizing Committee 50

Article XV — Transfer Certificates 53

Article XVI — Strikes 53

Article XVII — Order of Business for LocalUnion Meetings 54

Article XVIII — Effective Date 55

Article XIX —Additions and Amendmentsto Additions 56

AppendixResolution By International Executive Board 57

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To Amalgamated Local Union Officers andMembers, United Steelworkers:

The International Executive Board has recognizedthe challenges that seriously threaten our future. OurUnion is committed to creating more powerful andeffective Local Unions with sufficient resources tosuccessfully represent our members in existingbargaining units.

In order to assure conformity with the InternationalConstitution, the policies of the International Union,and the Labor-Management Reporting and DisclosureAct of 1959 (Landrum-Griffin Act), it is imperativethat Local Union By-Laws and amendments to suchBy-Laws be approved by the International Union.

In order to make it easier for Local Unions tocomply with these various requirements and expeditethe process of approval, the International Union hasdeveloped standard By-Laws for Local Unions thathave been approved and adopted by the InternationalExecutive Board.

However, it has been recognized by theInternational Executive Board that the standard By-Laws for Local Unions are not appropriate in theirentirety for Amalgamated Local Unions. At the 1970Constitutional Convention, Article VII, Section 5 ofthe International Constitution was amendedempowering the International Executive Board to issuerules and special by-laws governing AmalgamatedLocal Unions.

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Therefore, pursuant to Section 5 of Article VII ofthe International Constitution these separate By-Lawshave been developed especially for AmalgamatedLocal Unions. For the purposes of the adoption byAmalgamated Local Unions of these By-Laws, an“Amalgamated Local Union” is defined as a LocalUnion whose members are employed by the same ordifferent employers in more than one bargaining unitwithin a single District of the International Union or,with the approval of the International Executive Board,in more than one District. Each such bargaining unitis hereinafter referred to as a “Unit”.

The starting point in administering the By-Laws ofany Amalgamated Local Union is the InternationalConstitution which provides in Article I that it shallalso be the Constitution of each Local Union.

These standard By-Laws include the basicrequirements of the International Constitution withrespect to the operation of Amalgamated LocalUnions. They also include provisions which meet therequirements of the 1959 Landrum-Griffin Act.

The provisions set forth in these standard By-Lawsare those which have uniform application to and can beuniformly worded for all Amalgamated Local Unions.

Where an Amalgamated Local Union does nothave separate By-Laws, Article VII, Section 5, of theInternational Constitution provides that these standardBy-Laws shall be the By-Laws of such AmalgamatedLocal Union. For those Amalgamated Local Unionswhich have separate By-Laws, the standard By-Laws

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in this booklet must be and are deemed to beincorporated in the By-Laws of such AmalgamatedLocal Unions. Due to agreements that were madeduring various mergers with other Unions some of theprovisions contained in these By-Laws may not applyto Local Unions who came to the USW by way of amerger.

Where necessary, Amalgamated Local Unions maysupplement these standard By-Laws by addition ofnew Subsections, new Sections or new Articlesconsistent with the International Constitution,International Union Manuals and policies, thesestandard By-Laws, or applicable law. However, anyprovisions in an Amalgamated Local Union’s By-Lawsinconsistent with these standard By-Laws or the LocalUnion Elections Manual adopted by the InternationalUnion, even though previously approved by theInternational Union, are hereby suspended and maynot be enforced.

AMAGAMATED LOCAL UNIONS SHOULDSEND TO THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FORAPPROVAL ONLY THOSE SUBSECTIONS,SECTIONS OR ARTICLES OF THEIR BY-LAWSWHICH ARE ADDITIONALTO THE STANDARDBY-LAWS AND HAVE NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLYAPPROVED BY THE INTERNATIONAL UNION.FOR EXAMPLE: AMALGAMATED LOCALUNIONS MAY WISH TO ASSIGN DUTIES TOOFFICERS BEYOND THOSE SET FORTHUNDER ARTICLE V OF THE STANDARD BY-

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LAWS. IN SUCH A CASE, ONLY THESUBSECTIONS SETTING FORTH THEADDITIONAL DUTIES SHOULD BE SENT TOTHE INTERNATIONAL UNION FORAPPROVAL; THE REMAINDER OF ARTICLE VSHOULD BE AS SET FORTH IN THE STANDARDBY-LAWS AND, THEREFORE, WOULD NOTREQUIRE FURTHER REVIEW OR APPROVAL.

Through this procedure, and with your cooperationin carrying it out, we anticipate that it will be possibleto give early review to additional portions ofAmalgamated Local Union By-Laws that will requireapproval by the International Union.

In the event any clause or provision of these By-Laws is declared unlawful or unenforceable by aUnited States or Canadian Court, such clause orprovision shall, in the jurisdiction in which it isunlawful or unenforceable, be considered severablefrom all other clauses and provisions of these By-Laws, subject to International Executive Board action.

In solidarity,

Leo W. GerardInternational President

Stanley W. JohnsonInternational Secretary-Treasurer

Thomas ConwayInternational Vice President(Administration)

Fred RedmondInternational Vice President(Human Affairs)

Kenneth Neumann National Director of Canada

Approved and Adopted by International ExecutiveBoard, United Steelworkers, December, 2017.

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BY-LAWS FOR AMALGAMATEDLOCAL UNIONS

ARTICLE IName

This organization shall be known as United Steel,Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy,Allied Industrial and Service Workers InternationalUnion (to be known in short as the “UnitedSteelworkers” and by the acronym “USW”)Amalgamated Local Union ____1(hereinafter alsoreferred to as “this Amalgamated Local Union,” or“the Amalgamated Local Union”.2

ARTICLE IIObjects

First. To unite in this Local Union all working menand working women who are members of the UnitedSteelworkers (hereinafter referred to as the“International Union”) and who are within thejurisdiction of this Local Union.

Second. To establish through collective bargainingadequate wage standards, shorter hours of work andimprovements in the conditions of employment for

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1 Insert here the number of the Local Union.2 The term “Local Union” shall be interpreted to mean “AmalgamatedLocal Union” for the purposes of these By-Laws.

workers in industry.Third. To engage in educational, legislative,

political, civic, social, welfare, community and otheractivities; to advance and safeguard the economicsecurity and social welfare of workers in industry, theInternational Union, its Local Unions and the freelabor movements of the United States, Canada and theworld; to seek to eliminate all forms of discrimination;to protect and extend our democratic institutions andcivil rights and liberties; and to perpetuate and extendthe cherished traditions of democracy and social andeconomic justice in the United States, Canada and theworld community.

Fourth. To encourage the organization andaffiliation of unorganized workers who, subject to theprovisions of Article VII, Section 1 of the InternationalConstitution, may be placed within the jurisdiction ofthis Local Union.

Fifth. To take all steps and actions consistent withthe Constitution and policies of the InternationalUnion, and these By-Laws, to implement and carry outthe objects, rights, activities and responsibilities of thisorganization and the International Union.

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ARTICLE IIIEligibility

Section 1. All members in good standing of theInternational Union who are within the jurisdiction ofthis Local Union shall by virtue of such membership inthe International Union, constitute the membership ofthis Local Union.

Section 2. Persons having supervisory power shallbe eligible for membership subject to the termsestablished by the International Executive Board.

Section 3. No person shall be eligible formembership, or for nomination or election orappointment to, or to hold any office, or position, or toserve on any Committee in the International Union orin this Local Union or to serve as a delegate who is aconsistent supporter of, or who actively participates in,the activities of any hate based-racist, terrorist, or otherorganization which advocates violence to affectgovernment policy or to oppose the democraticprinciples to which the United States and Canada andour Union are dedicated.

This eligibility requirement shall be in addition toany other eligibility requirement imposed by any otherArticle or Section of the International Constitution orof these By-Laws.

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ARTICLE IVElection of Officers and Unit Positions

Section 1(a). The Officers of this AmalgamatedLocal Union shall be: President, Vice President,Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, Treasurer,Guide, two (2) Guards, and three (3) Trustees.3 4

Note: Prior to the promulgation of these By-Laws,some Amalgamated Local Unions have hadrepresentatives, either elected or appointed, inaddition to the eleven Officers specified in Article IV,Section 1. Such representatives have been referred to,for example, as Business Agent, BusinessRepresentative, Chief Grievance Committee Person,Local Union Representative or other title approved by

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3 As an alternative to the 11 Officers set forth in Article IV, Section 1,Amalgamated Local Unions with a membership of one hundred (100)or less may adopt a By-Law provision providing only for the offices ofPresident, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretaryand Treasurer, and the By-Laws shall provide how the duties of theoffices of Guide, Guard and Trustee are to be allocated among thesefive (5) offices. In the alternative, an Amalgamated Local Unionwhich has a membership of one hundred (100) or less may adopt a By-Law provision which, in addition to providing for the five (5) officesmentioned above, combines the office of Guide and/or Guard with theoffice of Trustee.4 While the International Constitution makes no provision for a LocalUnion Executive Board, an Amalgamated Local Union may establish anExecutive Board so long as such Executive Board is provided for in itsBy-Laws. The members of such an Executive Board must be personselected to office or position in the Local Union or Unit in accordancewith the provisions of the Local Union Elections Manual.

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the Local Union, District Director and InternationalPresident. This representative shall be referred to inthese By-Laws as the Local Union Representative.5 Itis the policy of the International Executive Board thatthe appointed position of Local Union Representativeshould be limited to those circumstances that clearlyand demonstrably warrant the continuation or creationof such positions. However, those Amalgamated LocalUnions that have had such representatives maycontinue those positions, subject to the approval oftheir District Director and of the InternationalPresident; and Amalgamated Local Unions that havenot had such representatives may create suchpositions, subject to the approval of their DistrictDirector and of the International President. All newlycreated Local Union Representative positions shall beappointed by a majority of the Local Union Officers,subject to the approval of their District Director and ofthe International President. In those cases where theLocal Union Representative is appointed, thefollowing provision shall be added to Section 1(a) ofthis Article: “In addition to these eleven Officers, thereshall also be (a) position(s) in this Amalgamated LocalUnion known as the Local Union Representative. TheLocal Union Representative shall be an employee ofthe Amalgamated Local Union and all appointmentsshall be reviewed on an annual basis. The Local

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5 A November 17, 2002 resolution adopted by the InternationalExecutive Board sets out those circumstances under which LocalUnion Representatives may continue to be elected.

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Union Representative shall not by virtue of thatposition be an Officer and shall not be responsible forsetting policy for the Local Union in the capacity ofLocal Union Representative. However, a duly electedOfficer of the Local Union may serve as the LocalUnion Representative. It shall be the duty of the LocalUnion Representative to assist the Units in thehandling of complaints and grievances; wherecontractually appropriate, to conduct an appeal step inthe grievance procedure to assist the StaffRepresentative and other representatives of theInternational Union in the handling of grievances andthe preparation of arbitration cases; to assist in thenegotiation of collective bargaining agreements: toengage in organizing activity in accordance with theseBy-Laws; and to perform such other duties as theDistrict Director may assign, and, where consistentwith these By-Laws, the Constitution, the policies ofthe International Union or any assignments by theDistrict Director, such other duties as the Local Unionmay assign.” In the alternative, the Local Union mayassign these duties to the Local Union President.

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(b) In addition to the Local Union Officersidentified in Section 1(a) of this Article, there shall bethe following Unit positions: one (1) Unit President,one (1) Unit Secretary, and no less than one (1) UnitGriever.6 A member may hold more than one of thepositions referred to in this Section l(b). 7

Section 2. No member shall at the same time be acandidate for or hold more than one of the officesnamed in Section 1(a) of this Article.3

Section 3(a). Local Union Officers and UnitOfficials shall be elected for a term of three years at thelast meeting in April 2018 or on such day and/or atsuch other hours in April 2018 as the membership shalldetermine and which will enable all members who so

6 As explained on page 57 of the Local Union Elections Manual,Amalgamated Local Unions do not have a position of Local UnionGrievance Committee Member. Instead there are Unit Grievers. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article IV, Section 1(b),Amalgamated Local Unions which have different practices withrespect to Unit positions may continue such practices unlessdisapproved by the International Secretary-Treasurer. AmalgamatedLocal Unions, which in the future wish to deviate from the Unitpositions set forth in Article IV, Section 1(b) may do so if approval isobtained from the International Secretary-Treasurer.7 Amalgamated Local Unions may adopt a By-Law provision whichmakes the person elected President of the Local Union automaticallyby virtue of that office the Unit President of his/her Unit with theperson elected Unit President of that Unit automatically considered theUnit Vice President with duties similar for the Unit to the duties of theVice President in the Local.

Amalgamated Local Unions may adopt a By-Law provision thatallows individual Units to combine the position of Unit President withthe position of Unit Griever.

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desire to vote. Election shall be by a plurality vote ofthe members in good standing participating in a secretballot vote. Those elected in April 2018 shall beinstalled at the first regular meeting in May 2018 andshall serve until their successors are elected andqualified, at which time all money, official records, anddocuments, and all property belonging to the LocalUnion shall be turned over to such successors.

3(b). Persons occupying Unit positions shall beelected by a plurality vote of the members in theirrespective Units, who are in good standing,participating in a secret ballot vote.

In any case in which only one eligible member hasbeen nominated for a Local Union office or Unitposition and that member has indicated acceptance ofthe nomination within the time limits and in themanner prescribed by the approved By-Laws or rulesof the Local Union, no election need be held for thatoffice or Unit position, and the member who has beenso nominated shall be deemed elected. An Officer orUnit Official who retires from an enterprise servicedby the Local Union shall not be permitted to continuein office.

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Section 4. The date of the Local Union elections forLocal Union Officers and Unit positions must beadvertised among members at least fifteen (15) daysprevious to the date of the election by mailing notice ofthe date, place and hours of the election to eachmember in good standing at the member’s last knownhome address. The notice must also specify the LocalUnion offices and Unit positions to be filled.8

Nominations for Local Union offices shall be made atthe immediately preceding Local Union meeting.However, where an Amalgamated Local Union holdstwo meetings in each month, nominations may bemade at the last meeting in the month preceding themonth in which the election is held. Nominations forthe Unit positions named in Section 1 (b) of thisArticle shall be made at the immediately precedingmeeting of each Unit unless some other date, time andplace is selected by the Local Union Officers inconsultation with the Unit officials. Notice of thenominations meeting for Local Union and Unit officesshall be given to the membership at least one (1) weekin advance of the meeting.

Section 5. No member shall be eligible for electionas a Local Union Officer in any regular election orelection to fill a vacancy unless:

8 The requirement of a 15-day mail notice of the election need not beapplied in Canada provided other suitable notice of the election isgiven to the membership at least one week previous to the date of theelection.

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(a) The member shall have been in continuous goodstanding for a period of twenty-four (24) monthsimmediately preceding the month in which theelection is held9; and

(b) The member is employed in an enterprise,public or private, or other place within the jurisdictionof the Local Union; and

(c) The member shall have attended at least one-third (1/3) of the regular meetings held by themember’s Local Union during the twenty-four (24)month period immediately preceding the month inwhich the election is to be held.

Meetings which a member was prevented fromattending because of such member’s Union activities,working hours, service in the armed forces of theUnited States or Canada, sickness which confines,death in the immediate family, or jury duty, shall not becounted as meetings held in determining suchmember’s eligibility under this Section; provided, thatthe member shall have the burden of proving inabilityto attend for one of the prescribed reasons, in

9 If the member’s Local Union or Unit has been in existence for a lesserperiod prior to the election, the member must have been in continuousgood standing from the time the member joined such Local Union orUnit.

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accordance with procedures specified in the LocalUnion Elections Manual.10

Section 6. No member shall be eligible for electionto a Unit position in any regular election or election tofill a vacancy unless:

(a) The member shall have been in continuous goodstanding for a period of twenty-four (24) monthsimmediately preceding the month in which theelection is held;9 and

(b) The member is employed in an enterprise,public or private, or other place within the jurisdictionof the Local Union; and

(c) The member has satisfied the Local Unionmeeting attendance requirements of Article VII,Section 10 of the International Constitution or, ifunable to satisfy such Local Union meeting attendancerequirements, must satisfy the Unit meetingattendance requirements by having attended at leastone-third (1/3) of the regular meetings held by themember’s Unit, if the member’s Unit has regularlyscheduled meetings, during the twenty-four (24)

10 Because of the difficulty many months after the fact of verifying thevalidity of a claim that an individual missed a meeting because of“sickness which confines” the Local Union may wish to adopt thefollowing additional provision:“Any member who claims inability to attend a Local Union meetingbecause of a ‘sickness which confines’ must notify the RecordingSecretary of the Local Union within one month of such meeting;otherwise the meeting will be counted as a meeting held indetermining such member’s eligibility under this section.”

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month period immediately preceding the month inwhich the election is held.

Meetings which a member was prevented fromattending because of such member’s Union activities,working hours, service in the armed forces of theUnited States or Canada, sickness which confines,death in the immediate family, or jury duty, shall not becounted as meetings held in determining suchmember’s eligibility under this Section; provided, thatthe member shall have the burden of proving inabilityto attend for one of the prescribed reasons, inaccordance with procedures specified in the LocalUnion Elections Manual.10

Section 7. Local Union and Unit elections shall beconducted in accordance with the provisions of theLocal Union Elections Manual adopted by theInternational Union.

ARTICLE VDuties of Officers and Unit Positions

Section 1. Duties of President.(a) The President shall preside at all meetings of the

Local Union and preserve order, and shall decide allquestions of order, subject to an appeal to the LocalUnion. The President shall have the right to vote at allelections of Officers, and when the members areequally divided on other questions, shall have the

deciding vote.(b) The President shall call special meetings by

request of ten (10) members in good standing of theLocal Union. This request shall be in writing, shallstate clearly the purpose of the meeting and shall besigned by those making such request. Notice of allspecial meetings must be given to the members of theLocal Union by bulletin board posting or otherreasonable means. The business of the special meetingshall be confined to the subject for which that meetingwas called, and the meeting shall be conducted inaccordance with the same procedures as governregular meetings. The above provision concerning theholding of a special meeting does not require the Chairat such meeting to entertain a motion to vote on amatter which was acted upon after notice at a previousmeeting. In the absence of a provision of theInternational Constitution or the Amalgamated LocalUnion By-Laws specifying the method of voting atsuch meeting the membership in attendance at suchmeeting shall determine the method of voting.

(c) The President shall enforce the provisions of theInternational Constitution and of these By-Laws andthe policies and Manuals of the International Union,and shall appoint all committees not otherwiseprovided for and be ex officio member of allcommittees. The President shall perform such otherduties as the Local Union may assign.

(d) (1) In the event that a vacancy occurs in theoffice of Vice President, Recording Secretary,

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Financial Secretary, Treasurer, Guide, Guard orTrustee at any time during the term of office, theremaining Local Union Officers shall, by majorityvote select a successor to serve for the remainder ofthat term.

(d) (2) The Local Union Officers may, at theirdiscretion, hold an election to seek the guidance of themembership before selecting a successor to fill avacancy in any of the offices described in d (1). Whenthis option is used, the President shall appoint amember of the Local Union to fill the vacancy untilsuch election can be completed and a successorappointed to fill the vacancy. The President shall callfor a special election as promptly as possible but suchelection shall not be held later than two (2) monthsfollowing the occurrence of the vacancy. The date ofthe special election shall be advertised among themembers at least one (1) week prior to that date.Nominations shall be made at the immediatelypreceding meeting, the date of which shall also beadvertised in advance among the members at least one(1) week prior to that date.

(d)(3) Wherever a Local Union Officer (exceptPresident), because of receipt of an extended vacationbenefit or otherwise, will be unable to serve during anextended temporary period, a temporary replacementwill be designated as provided in sub-paragraph (d) (5)of this section. The temporary replacement shall carryout all the duties of the office or post during suchtemporary period.

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(d)(4) Where the temporary vacancy is in the officeof the Local Union President, the Vice President shallassume the duties of the President including theauthority to be one of the signatories to checks, andshall be known as “Temporary Acting President.”When the temporary period has ended, the“Temporary Acting President” shall revert to theposition of Vice President.

(d)(5) Where the temporary vacancy is in a LocalUnion Office (other than President), the Local UnionOfficers shall, by majority vote, select a “TemporaryActing” replacement. Temporary Acting Treasurersand Financial Secretaries shall be authorized, duringthe temporary period of their service, to be signatoriesto checks. A replacement shall serve only until thetemporary period is ended.

(d)(6) In the event of a vacancy among the 11Officers, none of the remaining Officers either aloneor acting together may perform the functions of thevacant office but rather the vacancy must be filled inaccordance with the provisions set forth above.

(d)(7) In the event a vacancy (other than atemporary vacancy) occurs at any time in a Unitposition, the remaining Unit officials [not includingUnit Griever(s)] together with the Local UnionOfficers, shall, by majority vote, select a successor toserve the remainder of the term; provided, however,that the member so selected shall be from among themembers within the Unit in which the vacancy occurs.

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position, a “Temporary Acting” replacement shall beselected by majority vote of the Unit President, theUnit Secretary and the Local Union Officers.

Section 2. Duties of Vice President. The VicePresident shall assist the President in the discharge ofthe President’s duties and during the President’sabsence shall perform the duties of the President. Inthe event that a vacancy occurs in the office ofPresident, the Vice President shall act as President forthe unexpired term.

Section 3. Duties of Recording Secretary. (a) The Recording Secretary shall record the

proceedings of the Local Union in a book kept for thatpurpose, read all papers and perform such other dutiesas are required by the International Constitution, theseBy-Laws, the various Manuals and policies of theInternational Union, and the Local Union. TheRecording Secretary shall also have custody of theLocal Union Seal, and shall be responsible for anymisuse of same.

(b) The Recording Secretary shall read to the LocalUnion communications which require attention.

Section 4. Duties of Financial Secretary.(a) The Financial Secretary shall receive all money

due the Local Union and pay the same to the Treasurer,from whom the Financial Secretary shall take a receipt.The Financial Secretary shall also keep accurately the

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accounts of the Local Union with its members, andshall at all times have the books open for examinationby the Trustees, and perform such other duties as arerequired by the International Constitution, these By-Laws, the various Manuals and policies of theInternational Union, and the Local Union. TheFinancial Secretary shall make out the various reportsrequired by the International Secretary-Treasurer andforward such reports to the International Secretary-Treasurer in accordance with instructions.

(b) Should it be proved that the Financial Secretaryhas failed to report monthly the full membership of theLocal Union as provided for in the report to theInternational Secretary-Treasurer and transmit the fullamount of initiation fees and dues, the FinancialSecretary shall be suspended from all privileges andbenefits until the deficiency is made good, and shall beliable to the International Union for the full amountunpaid.

(c) The Financial Secretary shall keep a record ofall transfer request forms issued and received.

(d) The Financial Secretary’s accounts shall besubject at all times to audit by the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer.

(e) The Financial Secretary shall make a detailedfinancial report at least once each month at the LocalUnion meeting covering the receipts and expendituresof all funds of the Local Union. If the expenses of theLocal Union exceed its current income or impair itsreserves, the Financial Secretary is obliged to call this

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fact to the attention of the membership.

Section 5. Duties of Treasurer.(a) The Treasurer shall receive from the Financial

Secretary all money collected by the FinancialSecretary and shall deposit all money belonging to theLocal Union in a bank designated by it. All initiationfees and dues shall be deposited in a separate bankaccount to be designated as a trust fund for theInternational Union. The Treasurer shall cause to beissued to the Financial Secretary a receipt for allmoney turned over to the Treasurer or deposited to theTreasurer’s credit in the regular bank account. TheTreasurer shall issue a separate receipt for the amountof money turned over at any time or for such depositmade, and shall sign all checks and have themcountersigned by the President and the FinancialSecretary. At the option of the Local Union, a VicePresident, who is designated in advance, can serve asan alternative signatory.

(b) The Treasurer shall keep regular and correctaccounts of all money received and paid by theTreasurer, and report at each meeting the balance ofcash shown by the last report, the amount receivedsince, the total checks issued and authorized, and thebalance remaining. The Treasurer’s accounts shall beopen for examination by the Trustees at any time whencalled upon. The Treasurer’s books shall be subject atall times to audit by the International Secretary-Treasurer of the United Steelworkers. The Treasurer

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shall perform such other duties as are required by theInternational Constitution, these By-Laws, the variousManuals and policies of the International Union, andthe Local Union.

(c) All money paid out by the Local Union from itstreasury must be approved by the members at a LocalUnion meeting. Under no circumstances shall Officersor members pay bills without authorization by a LocalUnion meeting, nor shall the members authorizepayment of any bill or incur any obligation for whichfunds are unavailable, nor shall the members authorizethe payment of or incur a debt for any activity not inaccordance with the Constitution and policies of theInternational Union and these By-Laws. Bills chargedto the Local Union shall be submitted to the RecordingSecretary, who in turn shall submit them to the LocalUnion meeting for approval.

(d) Recurring standard bills (fixed salaries whichhave been previously authorized, taxes – local, state,and federal – rent, light, heat, etc.) may be paid by theTreasurer on a single authorization by the Local Unionto pay such bills when due.

(e) Under no circumstances shall any of the duescollected by the Local Union be spent before beingsent to the International Secretary-Treasurer.

Section 6. Duties of Guide. It shall be the duty ofthe Guide to see that all present are entitled to remain.

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Section 7. Duties of Guards. It shall be the duty ofthe Guards to take charge of the door and see that noone enters who is not entitled to do so.

Section 8. Duties of Trustees. It shall be the duty ofthe Trustees to have charge of the hall and all propertyof the Local Union, subject to the direction of theLocal Union. They shall audit the books and financialrecords of the Local Union every three months andgive a report of such audit at the next regular LocalUnion meeting.11 They shall perform such other dutiesas the Local Union may require.

Section 9. Duties of Unit Positions(a) Unit President. It shall be the duty of the Unit

President to preside at all meetings of the Unit; todecide all questions of order, subject to appeal to theLocal Union; and, consistent with the provisions ofthese By-Laws and the Manuals, policies andConstitution of the International Union, to performsuch other duties as the Unit or the Local Union mayassign. The Unit President shall be an ex-officiomember of all committees in his/her Unit, and shallappoint all committees within the Unit not otherwiseprovided for.

(b) Unit Secretary. It shall be the duty of the Unit

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11 The Trustees should give special attention when checkingdisbursements recorded by the Financial Secretary and Treasurer thatproper authorizations for such payments have been entered by theRecording Secretary in the Minutes of the Local Union.

Secretary to record the attendance and the proceedingsof the Unit in books kept for that purpose, to read allpapers and to perform such other duties, consistentwith these By-Laws and the Manuals, policies andConstitution of the International Union, as the Unit orthe Local Union may assign.

(c) Unit Griever(s). It shall be the duty of the UnitGriever(s) to process complaints and grievances,within their respective Units and in accordance withthe appropriate collective bargaining agreement and,consistent with these By-Laws and the Manuals,policies and Constitution of the International Union toperform such other duties as the Unit or the LocalUnion may assign.

Section 10. This Local Union shall enforce theInternational Constitution, the various InternationalManuals and policies, and these By-Laws, as affectingits membership.

The funds and property of the Local Union shall bemanaged, invested, expended or otherwise used toimplement and carry out the objects, rights, activities,and responsibilities of the Local Union or theInternational Union, and to administer the affairs of theLocal Union, in accordance with the Constitution,Manuals and policies of the International Union andthese By-Laws.

Section 11. It shall be the duty of the President,Financial Secretary and Treasurer to insure that the

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funds and property of the Local Union are preserved,managed, invested and expended in accordance withthe International Constitution, Manuals and policiesand these By-Laws.

Section 12. A member who accepts an office in hisor her Local Union agrees to carry out the duties of theoffice on behalf of the Local Union’s entiremembership. In so doing, the member agrees to placethe interests of the Local Union and its membershipabove his or her own.

As part of their responsibilities of office and to themembership they serve, Local Union officials mustavoid conflicts of interest. As outlined by theInternational Union’s Executive Board, those conflictsof interest include the following:

(a) Local Union officials should not own or havea substantial business interest in any businessenterprise with which his or her Local bargainscollectively. Nor should Local Union officials have asubstantial business interest in any business enterprisewhich is in competition with any employer with whichthe official’s Local bargains collectively.

(b) Local Union officials should not own or havea substantial business interest in a business enterprisethat in a substantial way buys or sells to or otherwisedeals with an employer with which his or her Localbargains collectively.

(c) The provision of paragraphs (a) and (b) abovedo not apply in the case of an investment in the

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publicly traded securities of widely held corporationswhich investment does not constitute a substantialenough holding to affect or influence the course ofcorporate decisions.

(d) Local Union officials should not accept“kickbacks”, under-the-table payments, loans, or giftsof other than nominal value from an employer orbusiness enterprise with which his or her Localbargains collectively. Nor may a Local Union officialaccept any personal payment of any kind from such anemployer or business enterprise other than the regularpay and benefits he or she earns for work performed asan employee.

(e) The aforementioned principles set forth inthis section apply not only where investments are madeby Local Union officials but also where third personsare used as blinds or covers to conceal the financialinterests of Local Union officials.

ARTICLE VICompensation for Services

Section 1. Salaries and expenses for Officers and

employees of this Amalgamated Local Union shall beas follows.12

Section 2. All tax requirements in connection withthe above payments shall be complied with.

Section 3. Pursuant to voluntary authorization ofdues deductions, the Financial Secretary shall beresponsible for establishing a procedure to deduct fromthe Union pay of Local Union Officers, Unit Officials,and/or representatives monthly dues which are notdeducted by the company in any given month.

ARTICLE VIIMeetings

Section 1. The Local Union shall hold a generalmembership meeting at least once every month, exceptthat a Local Union may, with the approval of themembership and the District Director, hold meetings,

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12 Insert in this section the amount of salaries and expenses. EachLocal Union is permitted to reimburse for expenses in accordance withits approved By-Laws but in no event in excess of the standardsutilized by the International Union for reimbursement of itsemployees.Any Amalgamated Local Union By-Law which has been approved bythe International Union but which reimburses in amounts in excess ofthose allowed by the International for its employees will be permittedto continue provided that such payments are lawful and providedfurther that no changes increasing such amounts will be approvedwhile the By-Laws are in excess of the International reimbursementpolicy.

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less often, but in no event less than quarterly.

Section 2.13

Section 3. Each Unit of this Amalgamated LocalUnion may hold regularly scheduled membershipmeetings.

Section 4. Any Officer of this Local Union and anyOfficer or authorized representative of theInternational Union may attend to report to any Unitmeeting.

ARTICLE VIIIMembership

Section 1. No applicant for membership shall beregarded as being a member in good standing until thefull amount of initiation fee has been paid.14

Section 2. A member shall pay dues promptlycommencing with the month during which themember shall have been admitted, and shall continue

13 Insert in this Section the time of the regular monthly meeting (ormeetings) of the Local Union and Unit(s).14 Please note the provision in the Local Union Elections Manual whichspecifies that a recently hired employee who has signed and deliveredto the company and/or Local Union a dues check-off and membershipapplication card is considered to have satisfied the dues paymentrequirement for membership even though the member’s first duespayment has not yet been deducted by the Company.

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to pay all dues, assessments and fines or otherobligations promptly when due in order to be andremain in good standing.14

Section 3. A member who has not lost goodstanding under other provisions of the InternationalConstitution shall be in good standing if not more thanthree (3) months in arrears in any constitutionalobligations, except in respect to assessments on whichthe member shall be not more than one (1) month inarrears.

Section 4. Members who lose good standing shallstand automatically expelled and devoid of allmembership rights,15 and shall not be reinstated in goodstanding except upon such terms as the Local Unionand the International Executive Board may decide.

Section 5. Any member who retains employeestatus in a bargaining unit represented by theInternational Union but who because of layoff has not,for twenty-four (24) continuous months, performed at

15 Automatic expulsion for loss of good standing must be construed asbeing confined to situations wherein members have not paid their duesfixed in accordance with the International Constitution, and all theirassessments or other financial obligations which have been imposed bythe International Union. Failure to meet financial obligations whichhave not been imposed by the International Union may not result inautomatic expulsion but must be treated on the same basis as acommission of any other type of an offense by a member of the Unionas provided in Articles XII and XIII of the International Constitutionand Articles IX and X of these By-Laws.

least (5) days’ work in any month in such bargainingunit shall be deemed not in good standing (but notexpelled) and devoid of all membership rights untilsuch time as the member is recalled or obtainsemployment in a bargaining unit represented by theInternational Union and resumes payment of currentdues, at which time the member shall automatically berestored to good standing. No Local Union Officershall lose good standing under this Section for theremainder of the term in office.

Section 6. A member not in good standing shall notbe permitted to vote, nominate for office, hold office,or be a candidate for office.

Section 7. A member whose membership isterminated shall have no right or interest in anyproperty of the Local Union or of the InternationalUnion, including any dues, assessments or otherfinancial obligations paid by such member in advanceof the effective date of such termination.

ARTICLE IXDiscipline

Section 1. Any member may be penalized forcommitting any one or more of the following offenses:(a) violation of any of the provisions of the InternationalConstitution or of these By-Laws, any collectivebargaining agreement, or rule of the Local Union;

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(b) obtaining membership through fraudulent means or bymisrepresentation; (c) instituting, or urging, or advocatingthat a member of any Local Union institute action outsidethe Union against the International Union, Local Union orany of their Officers without first exhausting all remediesthrough the forms of appeal of the International Union;(d) advocating or attempting to bring about the withdrawalfrom the International Union of any Local Union or anymember or group of members; (e) publishing or circulatingamong the membership false reports ormisrepresentations;16 (f) working in the interest of oraccepting membership in any organization dual to theInternational Union; (g) slandering or willfully wronging amember of the International Union;16 (h) using abusivelanguage or disturbing the peace or harmony of anymeeting in or around any office or meeting place of theInternational Union; (i) fraudulently receiving any moneydue the organization or misappropriating the monies of theorganization; (j) using the name of the Local Union or theInternational Union for soliciting funds, advertising, etc.,of any kind without the consent of the appropriate body orOfficer of the International Union; (k) furnishing acomplete or partial list of the membership of theInternational Union or of any Local Union to any person orpersons other than those whose official position entitlesthem to have such a list; (1) deliberately interfering withany official of the International Union in the discharge of16 A resolution of the International Executive Board adopted onFebruary 11, 1976, in accordance with applicable law restrictsenforcement of this provision in the United States.

that official’s duties; (m) deliberately engaging in conductin violation of the responsibility of members toward theorganization as an institution; and (n) deliberatelyinterfering with the performance of the organization’s legalor contractual obligations.

Section 2. It is an offense under the Constitution toharass a member at a union or workplace - related locationor activity on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexualorientation, gender identity, age, disability, nationality, orother legally protected status.

Section 3. Any member convicted of any one or moreof the above offenses may be denied the right to be acandidate for or hold office or position in the Union,declared a member not in good standing, fined orotherwise appropriately disciplined.

Section 4. If any Officer of the Local Union, Unitofficial, or delegate to an International Convention, isconvicted of any one or more of the aforementionedoffenses, such person may be penalized as describedabove, and removed from office or position.

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17 An August 11, 1999 resolution of the International Executive Boardprohibits the processing of charges instituted as a means of retaliatingagainst a member for asserting rights under Civil Rights legislation inthe United States and Human Rights legislation in Canada, regardlessof whether such rights are asserted using the Union’s internalprocedures, contractual provisions or external statutory procedures.

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ARTICLE XTrials of Members and Local

Union Officers17

Section 1. Any charges against a member or Officerof the Local Union must be made in writing, signed bythe member making the charges, and must be submittedto the Local Union. Upon submission of the charges, theRecording Secretary shall send a copy by certified orregistered mail to the accused member at the member'slast known address.

The charges shall be sufficiently specific so as toenable the accused to prepare a defense. This means thatthe charges should indicate both the provision(s) of theConstitution or the Union’s other rules allegedly violatedand also a brief statement of the facts (names, dates,places) constituting that violation. If there is more thanone charging party, they must designate a person to beresponsible for receiving and filing documents related tothe charges. Where the charges fail to designate suchperson, then the first charging member named in thecharge shall be considered the representative of theothers.

Section 2. Charges must be submitted within sixty(60) days of the time the complainant becomes aware ofthe alleged offense.

Section 3. A separate Trial Committee composed of____18 members shall be ____19 for each individual trial,and shall be given the responsibility of conducting suchtrial provided that in the case of multiple related chargesthe same Trial Committee may be appointed to try allsuch charges and may consolidate them into one hearing.Neither the accuser nor the accused shall be eligible formembership on the Trial Committee.20 No one shall beeligible to serve as a member of the Trial Committee whois a witness to the facts alleged to constitute a violation orwho has personal interest in the outcome of the Trial.

The Local Union action _______21 the TrialCommittee shall take place at the first meeting after theLocal Union receives the charges unless the charges are

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18 The number of members of the Trial Committee should be 3 or 5.19 Insert here “elected” or “appointed subject to the approval of theLocal Union membership,” depending on which method the LocalUnion prefers for designating the Trial Committee.20 If the Local Union decides to have members of the Trial Committeeappointed, the following sentence should be added to this Section: “If theaccused member or the accuser is an Officer of the Local Union, suchperson shall not participate in the designation of the membership of theTrial Committee.”21 Insert here “electing” or “approving the appointment of ” depending onwhich method the Local Union prefers for designating the TrialCommittee. In the event the Local Union uses the “appointment subjectto approval” method and the appointments to the Trial Committee are notapproved, the Local Union members at the meeting shall approve alternateappointments or elect the Trial Committee.

received by the Local Union within five (5) days beforethe meeting in which event the Local Union action shalltake place at the meeting following the first meeting afterthe Local Union receives the charges.

Section 4. Immediately after the Trial Committee hasbeen selected by the Local Union pursuant to Section 3of this Article, the Recording Secretary of the LocalUnion shall send by certified mail or registered mail tothe accused member at the member’s last known addresswritten notice of the time and place the hearing will beheld before the Trial Committee, a copy of such writtennotification of time and place shall also be sent to themember preferring the charges; and the accused membershall appear before the Trial Committee on said charges.A copy of the charge and notice of hearing shall also besent to the International Secretary-Treasurer of theInternational Union by the Recording Secretary.

Section 5. The hearing shall be held no sooner thantwo (2) weeks and no later than four (4) weeks from thedate of the mailing of the notice and the charges to theaccused member.

Section 6. Every effort shall be made to schedule theTrial so that it does not conflict with the workingschedules of the parties. The hearing shall be conductedby the Trial Committee in an orderly manner and shallassure the full presentation to the Committee of all thefacts. The accused shall be entitled to be present at all

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times during the hearing, investigation or argument of thecase and shall be entitled to question all witnessesappearing in the matter so long as the questioning doesnot become insulting, unduly argumentative orrepetitious. In the event that the accused fails to appearat the hearing at the time and place provided in the noticeand presents no reasonable excuse for absence, thehearing shall proceed with the same force and effect as ifthe accused were present.

Section 7. At any time during the processing ofcharges alleging a serious violation by a Local UnionOfficial of Section 2 of Article IX, the InternationalPresident may, upon written request (sent by certifiedmail, overnight courier or other means providing proof ofreceipt), and where supported by preliminaryinvestigation conducted on behalf of the InternationalPresident, summarily remove such Local Union Officialfrom office during all or a portion of the time necessaryto process the charge.

Section 8. The Trial Committee shall record minutesof its meetings and proceedings, and these minutes,together with any documents submitted, shall constitutethe official record of the Trial Committee.

Section 9. A member placed on trial shall bepermitted representation by a representative of themember’s own choice, who shall be a member of theInternational Union; such representative, however, shall

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be required to abide by the trial procedure as establishedby the Trial Committee and as provided in these By-Laws. The same procedure shall be available to theperson filing the charges.

Section 10. The Trial Committee, upon completion ofthe hearing upon the evidence and argument, shall gointo closed session to determine the verdict and penalty.The Trial Committee shall prepare a report in writing,stating the facts briefly as it found them, and itsconclusions and recommendations. A majority vote ofthe members of the Trial Committee shall be required tofind the accused guilty.

Section 11. In case the accused is found guilty, theTrial Committee may recommend that the accused bereprimanded; assessed a fine; assessed a fine withautomatic suspension and removal from office orposition or expulsion in the event of the failure of theaccused to pay the fine within a specified time;suspended or removed from office or position in theLocal Union; or suspended or expelled frommembership in the International Union; or otherwiseappropriately disciplined.

Section 12. The Trial Committee shall submit itswritten report to the Local Union within two (2) weeksfollowing completion of the hearing. At the same time acopy of the report shall be mailed to the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer of the International Union and to the

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accuser and the accused by the Trial Committee.

Section 13. The Local Union Officers may convene aspecial meeting of the membership to consider the reportof the Trial Committee. In such event the notice of themembership meeting shall inform the members that thereport of the Trial Committee will be presented at suchspecial meeting. Notice of such special meeting mustalso be given to the accused member(s) and accuser(s).

Section 14. In the event the report of the TrialCommittee is to be presented to the next regular meetingof the Local Union, the membership must be advised byspecial notice that the report of the Trial Committee willbe considered at such regular meeting.

Section 15. The meeting at which the report of theTrial Committee shall be considered shall not be heldearlier than one week or later than four weeks followingthe submission of the report of the Trial Committee to theLocal Union.

Section 16. At the meeting of the Local Union, theTrial Committee shall present its written report. Thereport of the Trial Committee shall become effective onlyupon approval by a majority vote of the members presentat the Local Union meeting. The Local Union meetingmay approve or reject the report of the Trial Committee,modify the report in any respect, or order a new trial.

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Section 17. The accused member shall be affordedfull opportunity to present to the Local Union meetingthe accused member’s position on all matters bearingupon the trial and the report of the Trial Committee.

Section 18. A report of the Local Union’s decisionshall be forwarded immediately to the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer of the International Union by theRecording Secretary.

Section 19. A copy of the decision of the Local Unionshall be forwarded by the Recording Secretary usingcertified or registered mail to the accused member and tothe person who originally filed the charges. The accusedor the accuser may appeal from the decision of the LocalUnion to the International Executive Board andthereafter to the next regular International Convention,provided that such person files notice of appeal with theInternational Secretary-Treasurer within thirty days afterthe mailing of the notice of the decision of the LocalUnion or the International Executive Board from whichthe appeal is taken. On appeals, the InternationalExecutive Board or such body as it designates - eitheritself or through a Commission or other mechanism -affords all parties the opportunity to present allarguments and facts whether or not presented in theproceedings at the Local Union level. Decisions on suchappeals are based on the evidence presented in theappeal. The International Executive Board shall not, inmaking its decision, be limited to the arguments or

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testimony presented at the earlier stages in theproceedings and shall be permitted to cure by its appealproceedings procedural defects which may haveoccurred at earlier stages in the proceedings.

Section 20. The decisions of the Local Union and ofthe International Executive Board shall be given fullforce and effect unless a stay thereof is obtained from theInternational Executive Board.

Section 21. It shall be the duty of a member toexhaust all internal remedies and appeals provided underthe Constitution and policies of the International Unionand these By-Laws.

ARTICLE XINotification to Employers Regarding

Status of Members

Section 1. Whenever a member has lost goodstanding by virtue of having become in arrears in thepayment of dues or initiation fees, and the Local Uniondesires to have such person discharged fromemployment in accordance with the provisions of theoutstanding collective bargaining agreement with theemployer, the Local Union shall communicate with theInternational Secretary-Treasurer, setting forth thefacts.

Section 2. The International Secretary-Treasurer44 L

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will determine whether the employer should benotified that in accordance with the provisions of thecontract the particular person must be discharged. TheLocal Union shall refrain from communicating withthe employer until advised by the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer as to the procedure to be followedon requesting the discharge.

ARTICLE XIIFinances

Section 1. Except for newly organized units, whereinitiation fees are waived pursuant to Article XIVSection 2, of the International Constitution, theinitiation fees shall be ten dollars ($l0.00).22

Section 2. Monthly dues for a member shall be setin accordance with Article XIV of the InternationalConstitution.23

Section 3. The full amount of all dues and initiationfees and assessments collected by the Local Union

22 Local Unions which had a higher level of initiation fees at the time ofthe adoption of the International Constitution should insert theappropriate figures in this Section.23 Local Unions whose dues at the time of the adoption of theInternational Constitution exceeded the amount provided for in ArticleXIV of the International Constitution, may maintain such differential.In such cases, the dues shall be computed by adding such differential tothe amount required by the applicable provisions of Article XIV of theInternational Constitution. The amount of this differential should belisted in this Section.

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shall be deposited by the appropriate Officers of theLocal Union in a bank account designated as a trustfund held for the International Union. The Officers ofthe Local Union shall forward to the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer, within fifteen days after the closeof any month, the full amount of the dues and initiationfees and assessments collected by the Local Union.

Section 4. Compulsory assessments may not beimposed by the Local Union unless approval has firstbeen secured from the International Union and unlessagreed to by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of themembership of the Local Union, voting by secretballot after prior notice to the membership.

In addition, a Local Union which has removed thecap referred to in Article XIV of the InternationalConstitution may, with the approval of theInternational Secretary-Treasurer, establish asupplemental local strike and defense fund to befinanced by an increase in dues adopted by the LocalUnion by secret ballot vote, which increase shall notexceed $3.50 per member per month. Distributionsfrom the local supplemental strike and defense fundshall be in accordance with the rules of theInternational Strike and Defense Fund and suchadditional rules as may be established by theInternational Secretary-Treasurer.

Section 5. An individual member shall be entitledto exoneration from the payment of dues for any

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month for which the member has not become entitledto five (5) days’ pay or its equivalent in wages andbenefits in lieu of wages. The International ExecutiveBoard shall adopt rules and regulations governing theimplementation, application and administration of thisSection.

Section 6. In all cases, other than the one providedin Section 5 of this Article, where the Local Uniondesires exoneration from the payment of dues orinitiation fees for certain of its members, the requestfor exoneration must be signed by the Local UnionPresident, the Local Union Financial Secretary and theLocal Union Recording Secretary, and approved by theDistrict Director and the International Secretary-Treasurer.

Section 7. When exoneration is granted, the requeston the required report must be renewed each month.

Section 8. Local Union Presidents, Vice Presidents,Financial Secretaries and Treasurers shall be bonded inamounts to be determined by the InternationalExecutive Board. Such bonds shall be obtained by theInternational Secretary-Treasurer. Clerks employed bythe Local Union and handling finances in any waymust be bonded by the Local Union througharrangement with the International Secretary-Treasurer.

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Section 9. Effective January 1, 1999, anOrganizing Fund has been created that will be fundedand administered as outlined in Article XIV, Section 16of the International Constitution.

ARTICLE XIIIDelegates to International Convention

Section 1. No member shall be eligible to be adelegate to an International Convention unless themember:

(a) is employed in an enterprise, public or private, orany other place within the jurisdiction of theInternational Union or is one of the staff representativesof the International Union;

(b) shall have been in continuous good standing fora period of twenty-four (24) months immediatelypreceding the International Convention;24 and

(c) has attended at least one-third (1/3) of the regularmeetings held by the member’s Local Union during thetwenty-four (24) month period immediately precedingthe month in which the delegate election is to be held.Meetings which a member was prevented fromattending because of such member’s Union activities,working hours, service in the armed forces of the UnitedStates or Canada, sickness which confines, death in the

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24 If the Local Union or Unit has been in existence for less than 24months prior to the International Convention, the member must havebeen in continuous good standing from the time that the member joinedthe Local Union.

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immediate family, or jury duty, shall not be counted asmeetings held in determining such member’s eligibilityunder this Section; provided, that the member shall havethe burden of proving inability to attend for one of theprescribed reasons, in accordance with proceduresspecified in the Local Union Elections Manual.25

Section 2. Delegates to the International Conventionmust be elected at an official meeting of the LocalUnion or by referendum ballot election, after the Call forthe International Convention is received and has beenread to the Local Union. The Recording Secretary shallissue a Notice, signed by both the Recording Secretaryand the Local Union President, at least one week priorto such meeting or election, stating that delegates are tobe elected on a certain day.

Section 3. The Local Union may choose to have theLocal Union President, if nominated at the officialmeeting, elected separately as a delegate byacclamation. In such event, the President shall be adelegate if approved by a majority of the members

25 Because of the difficulty many months after the fact of verifying thevalidity of a claim that an individual missed a meeting because of“sickness which confines”, the Local Union may wish to adopt thefollowing additional provision:“Any member who claims inability to attend a Local Union meetingbecause of a ‘sickness which confines’, must notify the RecordingSecretary of the Local Union within one month of such meeting,otherwise the meeting will be counted as a meeting held indetermining such member’s eligibility under this section.”

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voting. Otherwise, the delegates to be selected fromamong the nominees must receive a plurality vote of themembers voting.

ARTICLE XIVWorkers’ Compensation Committee,

Safety & Health Committee,Civil Rights Committee, Women’s Committee

and Organizing Committee

Section 1. A Workers’ Compensation Committee anda Safety & Health Committee, under the direction of theInternational Union or its designated representative, shallbe established in the Local Union.

Section 2. A Civil Rights Committee, (which mayalso be known as a Human Rights Committee), under thedirection of the International Union or its designatedrepresentative, shall be established in the Local Union toimplement our Union’s commitment to the protectionand extension of civil and human rights and liberties.

With respect to an Amalgamated Local Union, theLocal Union President shall for each Unit either appointa Unit Representative to the Committee or cooperatewith the Unit Chair to establish a Unit-based Committee.

Section 3. To further our commitment to encourageactivism, leadership development and greaterunderstanding of gender issues in our Local Unions withfemale membership, a Women’s Committee, under the

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direction of the International Union or its designatedrepresentative, shall be established by such LocalUnions.

Section 4. An Organizing Committee under thedirection of the International Union or its designatedrepresentatives shall be established in the Local Union toassist in organizing unorganized workers in thegeographic area in which the Local Union is situated.26

In order to encourage the organization and affiliationof unorganized workers who may be placed within thejurisdiction of this Amalgamated Local Union, thisAmalgamated Local Union may engage in organizingactivity upon the express authorization of the Director ofthe District in which this Local Union is situated andsubject to such terms and conditions as the DistrictDirector and the International President may impose.

(Note: The Local Union may amend its By-Laws byadding the following language:

“Subject to the approval of the District Director andthe International President, a majority of the LocalUnion Officers may appoint a person to a position in theLocal Union known as Organizing Representative. TheOrganizing Representative shall be an employee of the

26 Broad participation by members from all segments of the LocalUnion should be sought for the committees established pursuant toArticle XIV. The Resolution on Organizing Committees in Canada onPages 57 and 58 of these By-Laws shall continue in effect whereapplicable.

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Amalgamated Local Union and shall be responsible fororganizing new Units into the Amalgamated LocalUnion in accordance with these By-Laws; and toperform such other duties as the District Director mayassign, and, where consistent with these By-Laws, theConstitution, the policies of the International Union orany assignments by the District Director, such otherduties as the Local Union may assign. The OrganizingRepresentative shall not by virtue of that position be anOfficer and shall not be responsible for setting policy forthe Local Union in the capacity of OrganizingRepresentative. However, a duly elected Officer of theLocal Union may serve as the OrganizingRepresentative.”)

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ARTICLE XVTransfer Certificates

Section 1. The Local Union may issue to a memberin good standing a “transfer request” transferringmembership to another Local Union. All transferrequest forms must be obtained from the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer by the Local Union FinancialSecretary.

Section 2. All members must immediately transferto the Local Union having jurisdiction over theenterprise, public or private, at which they areemployed.

Section 3. Transfer requests issued in violation ofthis Article shall be invalid.

ARTICLE XVIStrikes

No strike shall be called without the approval of theInternational President.

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ARTICLE XVIIOrder of Business for Local

Union Meetings

1. Call meeting to order.2. Roll call of Officers - by Recording Secretary.3. Reading of the minutes of the

previous meeting.27

4. Reading of Communications.28

5. Report of Officers6. Report of Organizer or International

Representative.7. Initiation of New Members.8. Report of Special Committees.9. Reports of Standing (or Permanent)

Committees.

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27 After the minutes have been read by the Recording Secretary amotion must be made and seconded that the minutes be “approved” (oradopted) as read. Such a motion means that in the opinion of themembers, the Secretary has recorded the minutes of the previousmeeting correctly. Should the reading reveal any errors, or omissions,a member may move to correct the minutes. If this motion is carried,another motion should follow that the minutes “as corrected” now beapproved.

It is very important that brief, comprehensive minutes of eachmeeting be kept by the Recording Secretary. These minutes are theofficial record of the business transacted by the Local Union meeting.A regular book is provided by the International Union for this purposeand should always be kept up to date.28 The Recording Secretary reads the letters which require attention.Those that do not require much discussion may be dealt withimmediately; others may be laid over to “New Business” or referred toa standing committee. If no action is required or desired, thecommunications may be read and, upon a motion, filed.

10. Unfinished Business.29

11. New Business.30

12. Good and Welfare.31

13. Adjournment.

ARTICLE XVIIIEffective Date

Section 1. The provisions of these By-Laws whichconform, as required, with the provisions of thestandard By-Laws approved by the InternationalUnion are automatically in full force and effect. Anyadditions or amendments to additions to such standardBy-Laws shall be in full force and effect after theiradoption by vote at a regular meeting of the LocalUnion in accordance with the form and procedureprovided for in Article XIX, and approval by theInternational Union.

Section 2. Notwithstanding anything to thecontrary herein, these By-Laws and any additions or

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29 These matters are those remaining over from previous meetings.They are usually recorded in the minutes of the previous meeting. TheRecording Secretary should inform the President of any unfinishedbusiness so it may be included in the order of business in this Section.30 These are matters which have been laid aside earlier in the meetingor which have come up since the last meeting.31 All miscellaneous matters for the good of the Union which should bebrought to the attention of the meeting should come to the floor at thistime. These matters usually do not require any action by the meeting.They are simply matters of information and education.

amendments to additions thereto shall be subject to,and shall not in any way be construed to supersede anyof the provisions of the International Constitution orthe Manuals and policies of the International Union.

ARTICLE XIXAdditions and Amendments

to Additions

Additions and Amendments to additions may bemade in the following manner:

1. Any addition or any amendment to an addition tothe standard By-Laws approved by the InternationalUnion must be in the form of either a new Subsectionunder the proper Section, a new Section under the properArticle, or a new Article.

2. All additions and amendments to additions to thestandard By-Laws must not conflict with such standardBy-Laws and must be submitted to the InternationalUnion for approval. Such additions shall becomeeffective only after approval by the International Union.

3. Proposed additions or amendments to additionsmust be submitted in writing and read at two (2)consecutive Local Union meetings, and passed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the membership present atthe next regular meeting. The subject matter of suchadditions or amendments to additions must be advertisedto the membership through bulletin board or othermedium prior to the meeting at which the vote thereon isto be taken. Such additions or amendments to additions

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shall become effective only after approval by theInternational Union.

APPENDIX

RESOLUTION BY INTERNATIONALEXECUTIVE BOARD

In order to further organizing activities in Canada, thefollowing language is added to the “By-Laws for LocalUnions” and shall be considered a part of the By-Lawsof all Local Unions in Canada where provincial orfederal law requires the Local Union to be theapplicant for certification:

Organizing Committee - In order to facilitate therecruiting and unionizing of workers in the Canadianprovinces and in the federal jurisdiction, each LocalUnion, where provincial or federal law or the practiceof any provincial labour board or court or of the federallabour board requires the Local Union to be theapplicant for certification, shall have an organizingcommittee consisting of the President, the VicePresident and a Staff Representative assigned toorganizing. This committee may authorize the filing ofan application for certification with the applicablelabour board or court on behalf of the Local Union,may appoint the persons who are authorized to file andsign the application on behalf of the Local Union andmay take any steps deemed appropriate to insure thatthe certification proceedings are successfully

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completed. If necessary, the organizing committeemay hold a meeting by conference call.

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NOTES

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NOTES

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By - Lawsfor

AmalgamatedLocal Unions

®

Printed in the U.S.A.

UNITED STEELWORKERS60 Boulevard of the Allies

Pittsburgh, PA 15222December, 2017

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