The fundamental problem with NAGE, is that membership meetings and membership approval are not required as part of union governance...unlike some local unions, MOSES for example.
Holway and hand picked minions collect millions in dues (around $21 million per year), and spend it as they see fit....on their salaries (Holway gets $245k!!), contracts, purchases....
Zero accountability...ever seen a financial report? ...ever voted to approve a budget???
Once the ruling hegemony takes power it's impossible to unseat them or force them to even consider the interests of the membership....
Only a palace coup will unseat the King (as when Dave "Slobodan"Holway assassinated the drunken fool Ken Lyons) ...and then the next drunken fool takes up where the last left off....
Until the members demand that NAGE begin holding regular membership meetings, where the membership votes up or down on budgets, salaries, contract issues, and generally how their dues are spent..... the NAGE "leadership will continue to squander your dues and serve up crappy contracts loaded with "give-backs".....
.....more to follow on how the members can move this union towards democracy
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AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
ReplyDeleteAs we all wait idly by for the next convention (four years is a long time) we have much time to ponder our fate under the hand of our current King, David.
As we wait and wonder our thoughts might turn to the Holidays or maybe to thoughts of change and reform.
With the administration du jour, anyone at the Convention can see that the elements for change are right.
The administration is a bully;
The administration is in deep financial do do; and
Most if not all in the administration are novices at running the organization, and tending to the members needs
It was also clear that most at the Convention having not experienced democracy under Kings Kenneth, or David.
Most of the delegates did not have a clue as to how to field an amendment or bring it to a vote, anyway that part is water over the dam.
Anyway the Constitution of NAGE is like any other Constitution a living will of the body, of course I’m speaking of the membership, the rightful and only owners of NAGE.
—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Given the state of OUR union the only ones who can bring about real reform and like the excerpt for the Declaration of Independence above it may well be time to change our guiding document for something better suiting our safety and hapiness.
The recipe for change by referendum is provided below; the strategy for change by referendum might be something like this:
1.A referendum must be called for by 10% of the membership, roughly 4,600 signatures
2.The signatures must represent a “majority” of signatures of twenty-five locals
Items one and two appear simple and straight forward enough. Many of the locals in NAGE are less than 100, many times less than 50, or even 10, with all of the dissatisfaction in the organization; one should be able to find a combination of one or two large locals, and several smaller locals to fit the bill. T
Try looking at the 14,000 who did not attend the convention, or those locals which have or are in the process of leaving NAGE, it would make a majority easier to get.
Focus on hot button issues, separation from SEIU; reduction in dues; Realignment of Power; Ousting of the King (HOLWAY);one local one vote, on man or woman, one vote; Reduction or ceiling in “executive pay”; remember keep it simple. Of all the blogs that exist, tap opinion.
Speaking of the internet, develop a simple web cite, i.e., NAGEREFORM2010.com
Post sample petitions on line for signatures, and a mailing address to send them to for centralized collection, and remember to send a copy of the proposed resolution to the NAGE National Executive Committee (Your reps).
Anyway once you have the requisite signatures the rest of the work and expense is up to King David and his minions. (and it is good to keep the good King busy) 5 or ten referenda should do. Good Luck.
SECTION 3.
Amendments by referendum. Any Local Unit of the National Association of Government Employees and/or the National President with the approval of the National Executive Committee may prepare and circulate a petition for the purpose of causing a resolution of National importance or amendment to the Constitution to be brought to a vote of the whole Association.
SECTION 4.
Before circulating such a petition by a Local Unit, the National President shall be notified in writing of such action and furnished with a copy or draft of the proposed question, resolution or amendment.
If such a petition is subscribed to by a majority of signatures of the members of twenty-five Local Units, * [from three different regions established under Article IV, Sections 1, 3],such total majority to represent ten percent (10%) of the overall membership of the National Association of Government Employees, the National President must submit such referendum of amendment to the Constitution to a referendum vote as hereinafter pre scribed; provided, however, that any Convention of this Association may, by motion, submit any resolution or amendment to the entire membership.
* Note: This phrase inadvertently re-entered the document during the voting process. It inaccurately references Article IV, Sections 1,3, which was previously amended and voted upon.
SECTION 5.
Such petition shall be filed with the National President. A National Executive Vice President shall furnish ballots as provided in Section 3 hereof.
SECTION 6.
The proposition and a sample ballot shall be printed in the official organ at least one month before the mailing of the referendum ballots.
SECTION 7.
The National President shall appoint a Referendum Election Committee of ten (10) members, five (5) to be on one side of the proposition to be voted and five (5) on the other, no two (2) of whom shall be members of the same Local Unit, to canvas the vote and count the ballots at National Headquarters. The Referendum Election Committee shall separate the resumed ballots according to Local Units against the mailing list for Local Units by means of the return card, and shall then remove the sealed blank envelope containing the ballot and place it in its proper receptacle. After all such ballots from a Local Unit have been so placed in the receptacle they shall be opened and the ballots removed from the envelopes. The Referendum Election Committee shall then proceed to count the Ballots. Upon completion of the count the Referendum Election Committee shall certify the results of its count to the National President. It shall make a written report showing the number of ballots invalidated and the number of votes cast from each Local Unit for each side of the proposition submitted.
The results of the Referendum vote shall be published in the Association's official newspapers.
SECTION 8.
The National Executive Vice President shall mail to each member at his last known address appearing on the official records of the National Association one (1) ballot, one (1) blank envelope, and one (1) business reply envelope, bearing the return card of the member. The mailing list shall be the same as the mailing list used to distribute the issue of the Association's official newspapers containing the sample ballot. The ballots mailed to the members of any Local Unit shall not exceed the number on which per capita tax is currently paid. The member shall mark his ballot, place it in the return envelope which shall in turn be sealed and enclosed in the business reply envelope. A National Executive Vice President shall obtain a post office box to which all ballots shall be returned. The ballots may be withdrawn from the post office box only by two (2) or more members of the Referendum Election Committee. A letter of instructions only shall accompany the ballots mailed to the membership and no circular material, either pro or con, may be included with the ballot. The letter of instructions shall be prepared by the Referendum Election Committee and signed by two (2) or more of the said Committee but shall contain all of the Committee's members' names.
SECTION 9.Arguments for or against a referendum shall be printed in the Association's official newspapers but not more than two thousand (2,000) words for a side. If more than one argument is submitted, the editor is required to publish that which is submitted by the Local initiating the proposition to be voted on.
SECTION 10.
It shall require a majority vote cast to decide all questions other than amendments to the Constitution which shall require two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote to carry and decide.
SECTION 11.
No resolution or amendment adopted by a referendum vote of the national membership may be appealed or amended within one (1) year after election.
SECTION 12.
Except as otherwise expressly stated, any amendment to this Constitution and By-Laws shall become effective immediately upon adoption at the close of the Convention at which it was adopted.
We need leaders who are members of units 1, 3, and 6 to circulate the kind of petitions you are talking about. I don't know of anyone inside those units who is doing that work.
ReplyDeleteHow about an ammendment for secret ballot voting at the convention, it might stop these aholes from retailiating against those who openly vote against them in their sham elections.
ReplyDelete