By-Laws

2022-01-15 (Last Modified: 2022-02-25)

CUPE Staff Retirees Association

BY-LAWS

(As amended May 2021)

1. NAME & MEMBERSHIP

a) The name of the organization shall be CUPE Staff Retirees Association (CSRA).

b) Membership is open to any and all retired staff of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and retired staff of CUPE divisions represented by CUPE staff unions, who choose to join and pay the annual membership fee.

2. MANDATE

The mandate of the CUPE Staff Retirees Association is to safeguard and advance the economic welfare of its members.

**3. OBJECTIVES
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To achieve its mandate, the Association shall:

a) Act as the “voice” of retirees with CUPE and the staff unions.

b) Respect the roles and responsibilities of the CUPE staff unions and work with them to promote the needs and interests of CUPE retirees and surviving partners.

c) Maintain active retiree representatives on the Joint Board of Trustees of the CUPE Employee Pension Plan and the Employee Assistance Plan Committee.

d) Implement active communication tools and networks, ensuring all member communications are issued in both official languages.

e) Develop a dependable financial base and comprehensive administrative protocols to enable the Association to function as a cost efficient agent, using virtual and electronic tools wherever possible.

f) Facilitate cooperative engagement and information sharing among the members.

g) Encourage all eligible retirees and surviving spouses to join and support the Association.

**4. STRUCTURE
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**4.1 Executive Board
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The four (4) Table Officers and the nine (9) Chapter Representatives shall form the Executive Board of the Association.

**4.2 Officers and Executive Committee
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a) The Table Officers of the Association shall be the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. All Officers shall be elected by a membership vote and shall comprise the Executive Committee.

b) The quorum for an Executive Committee meeting shall be three (3) Table Officers.

c) The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the proper and effective functioning of the Association, recognizing that a major characteristic of the Association is an ability to meet its objectives without incurring unnecessary expenses.

d) The Executive Committee shall meet as required, but no less than one time per calendar year. In keeping with the virtual nature of the Association, electronic meetings will be the preferred method of communication.

e) The order of business at regular Executive Committee meetings shall be:

a. Roll call of Officers
b. Adoption of previous minutes
c. Treasurer’s Report
d. Communication and bills
e. President and other reports
f. Unfinished business
g. New business
h. Good of the Association
i. Adjournment

f) A special meeting of the Executive Committee may be requested by a majority of the Executive Board, or by no fewer than fifteen (15) members of the Association, in writing to the Executive Committee. A Special Meeting shall require majority support of the membership, obtained following communication by the Executive Committee to all members, giving the reason for the Special Meeting. The Special Meeting shall focus on the matter for which notice was given to the membership.

g) Should an Executive Committee member fail to answer the roll call for two (2) consecutive Executive Committee meetings without submitting good reason, his/her office shall be declared vacant and filled in accordance with Section 5 Nomination and Election of Officers and Chapter Representatives.

**4.3 Duties of Table Officers
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a) The President shall:

• Uphold the Association Bylaws.
• Preside at all Executive Committee and Executive Board meetings.
• Be the major spokesperson for the Association.
• Ensure all funds are used responsibly and prudently in keeping with the Association Bylaws.
• Serve as the representative responsible for surviving spouse issues.

b) The Vice-President shall:

• Perform the duties of the President if he/she is absent or incapacitated.
• Perform such other duties as assigned by the President.

c) The Treasurer shall:

• Receive all revenues and dues.
• Record all payments and deposit incoming monies promptly.
• Sign all cheques along with a member in good standing residing within the same vicinity as the Treasurer.
• Record all financial transactions of the Association in accordance with good accounting practices.
• Prepare annual budgets and regular financial statements.
• At the end of his/her term of office, transfer all monies, records and files of the Association to the next Treasurer.

d) The Secretary shall:

• Record all proceedings of Executive Committee and Executive Board meetings.
• Maintain copies of all Association documents and correspondence.
• Maintain a current list of Association members.
• Prepare and distribute all correspondence to members.
• At the end of his/her term of office, transfer all records and files of the Association to the next Secretary.

**4.4 Chapters and Zones
**
a) The Association shall be comprised of Chapters and Zones to accommodate the diffuse nature of the Association membership.

b) There shall be nine (9) elected Chapter Representatives: one (1) from each province, with the exception of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island which shall be jointly represented by one (1) Chapter Representative.

c) The nine (9) Chapter Representatives and the four (4) Officers shall comprise the Executive Board of the Association.

d) Each Chapter Representative shall :

• Determine and adopt a suitable structure to facilitate communication with and participation of retirees residing in their geographical jurisdiction.
• Be responsible for transmitting relevant information and news to the Association Officers.
• Organize activities to engage retirees and surviving partners in the works of the Association, CUPE, its staff unions, and the broader labour movement.

e) Each Chapter may be divided into more localized Zones to help fulfill its responsibilities. The Zones may be city or regionally based, depending on the circumstances and wishes of the Chapter members.

f) The Chapters and Zones shall be self-directed and shall abide by the Objectives of the Association as stipulated in these Bylaws.

5. FEES AND REPORTING STRUCTURE

a) The fiscal year of the Association shall be January 1 to December 31.

b) A copy of the Association’s annual budget and end-of-year financial statement shall be sent to all members annually.

c) An annual membership fee of $25.00 shall be deducted from the January pension cheque of each member by CUPE’s representative and submitted to the Association Treasurer.

6. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVES

a) All dues paying members of the Association are eligible for nomination.

b) In the spring of the final year of its mandate, the Executive Committee shall choose three (3) members who live close to one another, or have the ability to meet virtually, and who are neither Officers nor candidates to form an Elections Committee. At least one member of the Elections Committee should be bilingual (French/English). The Elections Committee shall treat information submitted to it as confidential.

c) All Association members shall receive a Request for Nomination from from the Executive Committee at least two (2) months prior to an election. A member standing for office shall require the support of at least one member in good standing and this information shall be forwarded to the Secretary. The nomination notice must specify the approval of the member being nominated for the position(s) the member is standing for.

d) Following the close of nominations, a member of the Elections Committee shall communicate with each nominated candidate to inform them of their nomination and nominator(s), the other nominees and to determine whether they are willing to stand for the office nominated. Nominees shall have one week to withdraw.

e) The Executive Committee shall determine the form of the ballot, and all members shall receive a copy of the ballot and a list of nominees for each position at least one (1) month prior to the deadline for voting. The completed ballots shall be forwarded to the Elections Committee at the address specified on the ballot.

f) All voting shall be conducted by secret ballot.

g) The candidate who receives the most votes for a position shall be declared elected. In the unlikely case that two candidates receive an equal number of votes for the same position, a second ballot for that position shall be distributed. Should a position go unfilled, the new Executive Committee shall have the authority to appoint a member to complete the term.

h) The Officers shall be installed at an Executive Committee meeting held within one month following the election and shall continue in office for three (3) years.

i) Should an Executive Committee office fall vacant during the term of office, a by-election to complete the unexpired term shall be organized in compliance with Sections 5 b), c), d,) e), f) and g) above. If the vacant term of office is less than twelve (12) months, the Executive Committee shall have the authority to appoint an interim member to complete the term.

j) Chapter Representatives also shall be elected for a term of three (3) years. Should a Chapter Representative position fall vacant during the term of office, the Executive Committee shall have the authority to appoint an interim member to complete the term.

7. RULES OF ORDER

All meetings of the Association shall be conducted in accordance with the basic principles of Canadian parliamentary procedure and Bourinot’s Rules of Order.

8. AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

a) Amendments to these Bylaws may be introduced by the Executive Committee for the purpose of facilitating and advancing the Objectives of the Association.

b) Bylaw amendments introduced by the Executive Committee must be adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Board before being implemented.

c) Bylaw amendments shall be forwarded to all Association members within 30 days of being adopted by the Executive Board.