Two-sided printing instructions - the following are blank:• Back of cover• Back of pg 3• Back of Application for Charter• Back of Application for Affiliation

Creating a New Local

January 2017

1 Creating a New Local, January 2017

Creating a New Local: Chartering the

Local

Congratulations on your decision to create a Union affiliated with the IEA-NEA. You are

becoming participating members of the largest organization for education workers in

Illinois and the nation. A local should be chartered and have enrolled members within 60

days of certification by the IELRB/NLRB.

To become a chartered local within IEA-NEA, you must: 1. Adopt local bylaws that conform to the IEA-NEA and NEA Bylaws.2. Elect key officials of your local association.3. Complete the IEA application for charter.4. Complete the NEA application for charter.5. Forward and submit completed applications and bylaws to your UniServ contact who will

review and forward to the IEA Executive office.6. Celebrate your charter.

The purpose of this handbook is to help your local association become an IEA and NEA affiliated union.

As a chartered local, you will receive full assistance from IEA and NEA to develop and strengthen your local association’s ability to secure and enhance your members' rights and employment conditions; support the professional voice of your members; and create positive change for your members, students, parents, and community.

1. Create your local bylaws

The name of your local association is the same name you used on the petition filed at the labor board and should be used on your charter application to become an IEA-NEA and NEA affiliate. Once IEA-NEA has been selected as your local’s affiliation, you will proceed in this fashion:

A local committee is formed to draft proposed bylaws using the IEA Local Model Bylaws[with notes and without notes] which can be found on the IEA website – www.ieanea.org orcan be obtained through your IEA UniServ contact.

The draft bylaws are forwarded to the UniServ contact who will send them to the staff liaisonfor the IEA Bylaws Committee for review.

Upon approval from the Bylaws Committee, the proposed bylaws are distributed to themembers for discussion.

A general membership meeting is held to review and/or amend the proposal and vote to ratifythe local bylaws.

2 Creating a New Local, January 2017

2. Elect key officers

IEA has resources designed to show you how to properly elect your officers at the first step of the process and as you continue to grow as an Association. On the website at www.ieanea.org, you will find the IEA Elections Handbook, training materials and checklists for your use.

The election process will entail: Notification process Nomination process Ballot preparation/candidacy statements Ballot distribution Voting procedures Tally procedures Reporting procedures Storage of election materials

Specifically, you must ensure that: Local officers are elected by the membership pursuant to the adopted bylaws. Association representatives are selected from each department, building, or area in

accordance with your local bylaws. The charter applications for affiliation with IEA and NEA are completed and forwarded to

your UniServ contact to review and they will then forward them to the IEA Executive office.

The type of governance system outlined above ensures that no person or small group of persons will dominate your local association. Only through democratic representation and the active involvement of your members will your local be most effective in achieving its goals. The IEA Bylaws and Resolution Committee has created educational videos and materials including Model Local Bylaws to help locals in creating and amending their bylaws.

For specific questions or training assistance, contact Kim Trader, IEA Elections Contact, at Kim.Trader@ieanea.org or call 800-252-8076, ext. 2250.

3. Complete the IEA charter application

Below are the chartering standards and application form for requesting a charter with the Illinois Education Association-NEA for your local association.

The local leader should ensure that these items are completed to the best of their knowledge:

1. The local association bylaws do not conflict with those of the IEA-NEA or the NEA.2. The local association will conduct all elections with open nominations and a secret ballot.3. Define what the number of potential members are.4. Define what the number of enrolled members are, as of this date.5. List the date association was certified by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board.

A completed application for charter shall be submitted to the IEA UniServ contact. The UniServ contact will submit the forms to the Executive Director, who will present the application and staff recommen-dation to the Board of Directors. Upon approval by the Board of Directors, a charter will be granted.

3 Creating a New Local, January 2017

4. Complete the NEA charter application

Below are the chartering standards and application forms for requesting a charter with the National Education Association for your local association.

The local leader should ensure that these items are completed to the best of their knowledge:

1. The local has met the NEA minimum standards for local affiliates (Bylaw 8-7, contained inthe application).

2. Complete the fields on the NEA Application.3. Have the local president/designee sign and date the form.4. Mail the NEA application, along with the IEA application, and two copies of the bylaws of

the local association, to your IEA UniServ Director/Organizer.

5. Forward the charter application materials to your

UniServ contact

When these documents are completed, send these to the UniServ contact: 1. Local bylaws – that have been approved by the IEA Bylaws Committee2. The IEA application for charter3. The NEA application for charter

This will begin the process for your local to be chartered. After it is received by the UniServ contact, the following actions will take place:

1. The IEA UniServ contact will review and confirm completeness and accuracy of thedocuments.

2. They will forward the documents to the IEA Executive Director’s office in Springfield, withcopies being sent to the Director of Advocacy and Organizing.

3. The local name will be submitted to the IEA Board of Directors, or the ExecutiveCommittee if timing is an issue, to be chartered at its next meeting. (The IEA Board ofDirectors meet about 6-8 times per year, and the Executive Committee meets monthly.)

4. Once the IEA Board of Directors has issued its charter, the Executive Director’s office willsubmit this to NEA to get the charter filed at NEA. (The NEA Board of Directors meetabout 4-5 times per year.)

5. Upon receipt of the IEA charter, the original will be sent to the IEA UniServ contact to planfor the next action of celebration.

6. Once the NEA has issued its charter the original will be sent to the IEA UniServ contact toplan for the next action of celebration.

6. Celebrate your charter

Becoming an IEA and NEA affiliated local is a special moment. In most situations, the IEA Charter and the NEA Charter are issued at two separate times. Please take time to schedule a celebration of these events with your members and IEA staff. This is a time where you can begin to explore the next phases of affiliation, i.e., beginning your membership drive, sharing with your members the benefits of membership, etc.

Follow-up with your UniServ contact on the next areas to focus on!

Local Education Association Application for Charter

with the Illinois Education Association-NEA

The ____________________________________ Association, School District #___________,

____________________________County, Illinois in Region #_____ of the Illinois Education

Association-NEA hereby applies for a (check one) ____all-inclusive, ____certified only,

____education support professional only, ____multi-district (if multi-district, check one of the

following) ____all-inclusive, ____certified only, ____education support professional only,

charter from the Illinois Education Association-NEA and presents the following information in

support of its application.

1. _____ YES. The local association bylaws shall not conflict with those of the IEA-NEAor the NEA.

2. _____ YES. The local association guarantees that it will conduct all elections with opennominations and a secret ballot.

3. _____ YES. A proposed local with fewer than twenty-five (25) potential members has madeevery effort to form a wall-to-wall or combined local until the membership potential reaches twenty-five (25).

4.______ Number of potential members.

5.______ Number of members as of this date.

6. Date association was organized: ___________________________________________Month/Day/Year

Signed: _______________________________________ Date: ___________________________ President

______________________________________________________________________________ Street Address

______________________________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip Code

Mail IEA application and two (2) copies of the bylaws of the local association, and the NEA application, to your IEA contact.

Revised 6/2016

Terms of Affiliation Under the terms of NEA Bylaw 6-5, the NEA Executive Committee is granted the power to

censure, suspend, or expel affiliates pursuant to the requirements of the Constitution, Bylaws, or other written policy of the NEA.

The local further agrees that upon withdrawal or disaffiliation from the NEA, it will relinquish all rights to thereafter use in its name “education association, teachers association, education support association, faculty association” or any equivalent phrase.

Application for Local Affiliation with the

National Education Association of the United States

Section IV: NEA Bylaw 8-7 Minimum Standards for Local Affiliates

Pursuant to the decision to seek affiliation with the NEA made by a duly constituted body of this local on (Date) .

I, (local president) , on behalf of the (local organization) hereby apply for affiliation with the National Education Association and affirm that the named local is in compliance (by virtue of its governance documents, policies, and practices) with the minimum affiliation standards as set forth in NEA Bylaw 8-7 below:

The Association shall not affiliate a local association, including a dual-national local affiliate, unless it meets the following minimum standards:

a. Each affiliate shall apply the one-person-one-vote principle for representation on its governing bodies exceptthat (i) the affiliate shall take such steps as are legally permissible to achieve ethnic-minority representationat least proportionate to its ethnic-minority membership and (ii) the affiliate may adopt a provision in itsgoverning documents that would permit that local to allocate a minimum of one (1) representative or delegateto members at each work site of a school district or higher education institution within the jurisdiction of theaffiliate.Where an all-inclusive affiliate exists, it shall provide proportionate representation between its non-supervisormembers and its supervisor members;

b. The affiliate shall conduct all elections with open nominations and a secret ballot;

c. The affiliate shall require membership in the Association and in its state affiliate where eligible.

If an affiliate enrolls education support professionals in any membership category and as a matter of policyseeks to recruit and represent such members, the affiliate (i) shall grant them full rights of participationand (ii) shall require them to be members of the Association and its state affiliate where eligible;

d. The affiliate is comprised predominantly of persons who are eligible for active membership (or theequivalently designated membership category) in the state affiliate, unless the state affiliate by action of itsboard of directors (or equivalent governing body) approves such affiliation. This requirement shall not applyto any local association that was an affiliate of the Association as of the effective date of this amendment.

e. The affiliate shall be reviewed by the Association to determine compliance with minimum standards foraffiliation at least once every five (5) years;

f. The affiliate shall have the same membership year as that of the Association;

g. The affiliate shall guarantee that no member of said affiliate may be censured, suspended, or expelledwithout a due process hearing, which shall include an appropriate appellate procedure; and

h. The affiliate shall deny membership to an individual while said individual is denied membership in theAssociation pursuant to Bylaw 2-3.d.

_____________________________________________________ _________________________________ Signature of Local President Date

Mail NEA application, two copies of the local association bylaws, and the IEA application, to your IEA contact.

100 East Edwards Street Springfield, Illinois 62704-1999

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7/2017