By-Laws of the Retired Members Division of OPSEU/SEFPO
As approved by President JP Hornick
ARTICLE 1
This OPSEU/SEFPO Division shall be known as the Retired Members Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union/ Syndicat des employés de la fonction publique de l’Ontario (OPSEU/SEFPO).
ARTICLE 2
The purpose of this division is to:
2.1 Bring together retired members to discuss common issues;
2.2 Organize and sign up membership to retired members;
2.3 Formulate recommendations for self-help or for action by the Union;
2.4 Advance the common interest of members of this Division;
2.5 Assist active OPSEU/SEFPO members to prepare for retirement;
2.6 Foster ties with other labour organizations;
2.7 Support OPSEU/SEFPO locals and other unions in their activism.
- The Demand setting process:
- Include a submission from the Retired Members Division;
2.8.2 Two (2) representatives of the Provincial Executive of the Retired Members Division be invited to make a presentation at the training session of the elected members of the central bargaining team, and;
2.8.3 The demand setting team sends a report to the Executive of the Retired Members Division once the employer has set out its bargaining position”.
2.9 Inform members that they may remain on the Union’s mailing list for whatever publications they wish to receive.
2.10 Keep OPSEU/SEFPO informed of the concerns of retired members of this Division.
2.11 Help members to improve pensions, housing, medical and health care, drugs and other consumer services.
ARTICLE 3
The Division may seek affiliation with other organizations that have similar purposes, subject to the approval of the OPSEU/SEFPO President.
ARTICLE 4
Membership in the Division is open to all OPSEU/SEFPO and Civil Service Association of Ontario (CSAO) members and employees of the union who leave the work force by retiring directly to a pension earned in their workplace or retiring from a bargaining unit with no pension plan upon payment of dues as approved by the Union.
4.1 In order to be a member of the Retired Members Division you must submit a one-time lifetime payment of $10.00 to OPSEU/SEFPO or encourage your local to honour their retiring members with a payment.
ARTICLE 5
5.1 Every paid-up retired member is entitled to:
5.1.1 Be nominated for office in the Division, subject to the Constitution.
5.1.2 Participate in the elections of the Division.
5.1.3 Hold office in the Division.
5.1.4 Attend any open meeting of the OPSEU/SEFPO Executive Board;
5.1.5 Receive updated copies of the Constitution and By-Laws and be advised of any amendments;
5.1.6 Receive relevant publications.
5.2 Every member will be eligible to participate, with voice but no vote, in the activities of an OPSEU/SEFPO Local in accordance with the Constitution.
ARTICLE 6
The structure of the Division shall consist of seven regions and a Divisional Executive Committee (DEC).
ARTICLE 7
Each region shall elect a Regional Executive Committee (REC) consisting of:
- A Chair
- A Vice-Chair
- A Secretary
- A Treasurer
- Up to 4 Regional Executive Members-at-large.
7.1 The number of Regional Executive Committee meetings per year shall be no more than 2 per year with minimal costs by exercising virtual, email and telephone where possible.
7.2 A member of the Retired Members Division may attend the Regional Retired Members meetings, but can only vote, run for office or claim expenses for attending meetings in the region in which they reside.
7.3 Regional elections for their Regional Executive Committee members can only be run by OPSEU/SEFPO Executive Board Members (EBMs) or OPSEU/SEFPO Staff. If there is another designated member selected to run the elections, this person cannot vote.
7.4 Any member running for a position on the Regional Executive Committee is entitled to a scrutineer, if requested.
ARTICLE 8
8.1 The Chair of the REC shall preside at all REC and regional meetings, generally to supervise the affairs and operations of their region and carry out other duties as may be designated by the REC;
8.2 The Vice-Chair shall perform all the Chair’s functions during their absence and carry out other duties as may be designated by the REC;
8.3 The Secretary shall keep minutes for all meetings, distribute notices to all members as required and forward all pertinent membership information to OPSEU/SEFPO Head Office;
8.4 The Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping and maintaining correct and proper accounts, making disbursements in accordance with the Constitution, and providing an update of expenditures at their REC meetings.
8.5 The Chair or an elected/designated member shall attend meetings related to collective bargaining where permitted by OPSEU/SEFPO policy.
8.6 The REC Members-at-Large may be assigned responsibility over one or more committees.
8.7 A quorum of the REC shall be 50% of its eligible voting members.
8.8 The Officers of each region shall be elected within 60 days of the close of the OPSEU/SEFPO annual Convention in every second year.
8.9 All vacancies of Officers between elections shall be filled by election at the next regular regional meeting, unless within 3 months of the expiry of the term of office and at that point the Chair may fill the vacancy by appointment.
8.10 The term for office for the DEC and REC shall be for 2 years.
ARTICLE 9
9.1 The Chairs of each region shall form the Divisional Executive Committee (DEC).
9.2 They shall elect from this group:
- A Chair
- A Vice-Chair
- A Secretary
The remaining members of the DEC shall be known as Members-at-Large.
9.3 The DEC shall elect from their group a member to sit on an applicable Negotiating Team for Employee Benefits, with voice but no vote, should the union agree.
9.4 The DEC shall elect from their group a member to sit on an applicable Pension Board, when permitted.
9.5 The DEC shall prepare policies and strategies for consideration and possible action by the membership. The DEC is also responsible for the implementation of all resolutions passed at Regional meetings and for the management of the affairs of the Division between Regional meetings.
9.6 Meetings of the DEC are called by the Chair, who is also responsible for the preparation of the Agenda. The DEC shall also meet at the request of at least three of its members.
9.7 A quorum of the DEC shall be 50% of its eligible voting members.
ARTICLE 10
10.1 The Chair shall preside at DEC meetings, generally supervise the affairs and the operation of the Division and carry out such other duties as may be designated by the DEC.
10.2 The Vice-Chair shall perform all the Chair’s functions during their absence and accept and carry out such other duties as may be designated by the DEC.
10.3 The Secretary shall keep minutes, distribute notices to all members as required and forward all pertinent membership information to OPSEU/SEFPO Head Office.
10.4 The DEC shall, with the help of OPSEU/SEFPO Staff, prepare information material to be sent to members and shall prepare membership campaigns to bring within the membership activism with non-active retirees.
10.5 The DEC and/or Regional Chair may, with OPSEU/SEFPO Staff, prepare retirement seminars or programs for use in the Region.
ARTICLE 11
11.1 Each region shall hold two regional meetings per year.
11.2 The Order of Business, with the exception of items 5 & 7, shall be as listed in Article 29.7.2 of the Constitution.
11.3 The Regional Chair may call a meeting at any time by giving at least fourteen days’ notice of the time and place and by sending the Agenda to the members at least seven days before the meeting date.
11.4 The REC may call a special meeting by giving at least seven days’ notice (time and place and specific items to be considered). No additional items may be added to the agenda for a special meeting.
11.5 The Secretary shall call a special meeting within fourteen days of receiving a written petition signed by at least 20% of the members and stating the purpose of the meeting.
11.6 Meetings of the DEC shall be convened at the call of the Chair at least every six months.
ARTICLE 12
12.1 The election of Officers shall be by secret ballot and in accordance with Article 29.4 of the Constitution. The Officers shall be elected by majority vote and shall serve for a period of two years.
12.2 Mid-term vacancies shall be filled promptly by election in accordance with Article 29.4.2 of the Constitution.
ARTICLE 13
13.1 Each Region may establish committees, with terms of reference.
13.2 A quorum for all committee meetings shall be 50% of the eligible voting members of the committee.
13.3 In the event of expenditures by the Regional Executive Committees, all such expenditures must be approved by the Division Executive Committee.
ARTICLE 14
14.1 The financial year of the Division shall correspond with the financial year of OPSEU/SEFPO.
14.2 No Officer or member of the Division shall receive remuneration for duties performed on behalf of the Division, but these persons may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred while performing these duties.
14.3 The DEC shall prepare and submit to OPSEU/SEFPO an annual Retired Members Division Workplan and Budget Submission for the following year.
ARTICLE 15
15.1 It is the responsibility of each region of the Retired Members Division to minimize costs wherever possible, both for the sake of limiting expenditures as well as making sure that all regions are treated fairly.
15.2 At the Regional General meetings, mileage will only be paid up to the distance to the nearest regional office or place of meeting. Use of electronic/virtual meetings and/or separate meetings in different geographical areas in each region is encouraged.
15.3 Meal costs at Regional Retired Members meetings will be minimized where possible. Catering or negotiating a reduced restaurant rate to be paid by the Chair, who will then submit his/her claim to Member Claims at OPSEU/SEFPO Head Office.
ARTICLE 16
16.1 RULES OF ORDER for meetings shall be as set forth in Robert’s Rules of Order and Garfield Jones’ Parliamentary Procedure at a Glance.
ARTICLE 17
17.1 Proposals to amend these Bylaws may be submitted by any Region of this Division.
17.2 In order to be considered by the DEC, submitted amendments must be accompanied by minutes indicating a two thirds majority vote of members in attendance clearly identifying and supporting the amendment.
17.3 Reasonable notice will be given of any bylaw amendments to all members through the regular contact network informing of an upcoming meeting with the proposed amendment change by the Regional representatives on the DEC.
17.4 Amendments will require a two thirds majority vote of all members present in all the regions to pass.
17.5 Any amendments that meet these requirements are subject to the final approval by the President of OPSEU/SEFPO.
Effective August 2024
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