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FSU Policies

NOTE: To see the FSU bylaws click here.

FSU Policy Handbook

This document contains FSU Executive Committee adopted policies along with current practices.  The adopted policies contain the date of such adoption.  An adoption date followed by the words general assembly indicates a policy adopted by the membership at the annual meeting or general assembly meeting. 

A policy without an adoption date is a practice that has been in place prior to maintaining an adopted policy document.

The organization of the document is by policy topic and mirrors the topics of FSU Bylaws.  Within each topic oldest adopted policy is listed first.

MEMBERSHIP

The principal of not speaking on behalf of the Executive Committee without prior official approval should be maintained--- 10/4/06

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee deliberates over the proposed FSU budget and will make recommendations to the General Assembly for approval.

Endorsement Policy

  1. The Executive Committee can endorse/take action on any contractual matter without

    consulting the faculty/librarians (that, of course, is the status quo-

    what we do now).



    2. Any matter that is not contractual but which would have major

    implications for the campus/university must be put to a poll. This, for

    example, would be the issue of chancellor selection that we faced last year.



    3. Any other matter (endorsing conferences, outside events, etc.) can be

    endorsed in the name of the Executive Committee only (not speaking for the membership) ONLY WITH A 3/4 APPROVAL of the Executive Committee. This would preclude endorsing events on which the Executive Committee is divided with a swing vote here or there.--- 2/23/06

Meeting Agendas

1.         Proposed agenda will be sent 1 week in advance and will be ‘action oriented’.

2.         The President will list the proposed agenda items in order of priority and with the amount of time allocated for each item.

3.         All announcements, committee reports (when possible), and any other matters that do not require action be taken by the Executive Committee will be sent with the proposed agenda 1 week in advance.

4.         The proposed agenda will be formally adopted/approved at the beginning of the Executive Committee meeting.

5.         A weekly Executive Committee conference call will be held every Wednesday at 9AM for the purpose of enhancing Executive Committee discussions on relevant and time sensitive matters. Conference call will only occur if needed and will be confirmed day before. If Executive  Committee  members want to hold a call they should contact FSU President and FSU Membership Coordinator by Monday 4PM

.----8/28/17 (FSU Retreat); #5 modified at 2/8/18 Ex Com meeting

Voting Policy

Policy on FSU Executive Committee E-votes

The FSU Executive Committee permits e-voting according to the policy outlined below:

1) When a motion is made to call an e-vote, the motion must be seconded.

2) If the motion is seconded, the FSU Communications Director will initiate a 24-hour discussion period by email with the subject line that begins: “EX COM Evote Discussion”. During discussion, if three or more Executive Committee members say the motion requires in-person discussion and vote rather than online discussion and e-vote, the motion is tabled until the next meeting of the Executive Committee.

3) When the 24-hour discussion period has concluded, the FSU Communications Director will email a link to a Doodle poll to the Executive Committee with the subject line that begins with “EX COM Evote”. The Doodle poll must include the exact language of the motion.

4) The Doodle poll will stay open for 48 hours to give all members the opportunity to vote. When the outcome has been determined or the poll closes, whichever comes first, the FSU Executive Committee and/or the membership coordinator can take action to implement the motion without delay.

Note: Any committee member can opt into a text message notification about evotes by communicating this request to the Communications Director.

Note: In the absence of a Communications Director, the Executive Committee member who seconded the motion will facilitate the evote.- 9/27/18

Other

Ex Officio members of the Executive Committee

FSU Grievance Officers and the FSU Parliamentarian will be ex officio members of the Executive Committee without voting rights---9/27/18

Approval of Course Releases

All FSU-related course release(s) and additional compensation must be approved by vote of the FSU Executive Committee.  A complete list of FSU course releases and additional compensation will be provided to all members with the budget----FSU Annual Meeting, 5/9/19

FINANCIALS

The FSU President stipend will be $7,000 –4/23/08.  The FSU President stipend will be $8,000 – 4/7/11. The FSU President stipend will be $10,000- 4/13/13 General Assembly vote.

The Executive Committee will determine the number of NTT and TT Grievance Officers and will determine their stipends, if any, accordingly.--- 10/14/21

Local dues rate for 25% or less members will be paid at 25% of local full-time dues---

4/16/15

Checks from FSU petty cash account: FSU should always have 1 person who writes the check and a separate individual who signs them- they should never be the same person NOTE: This is the policy recommended/mandated by JCC accountant, President Marlene Kim agreed to this practice on 9/20/16

FSU BUDGET TIMELINE

In order to insure a transparent, engaged, and efficient budget process:

1) The FSU Executive Committee will develop and email a draft of the budget for the next academic year to members by March 10th.  [or some date]

2) The FSU will then collect comments, suggestions, and questions via email and at one budget meeting to be held by April 1st.

3) The final/proposed budget is then emailed to all members, along with an explanation of budget categories and changes from the previous year, at least one week prior to the Annual Meeting where the budget is voted on.  

4) Before the meeting we should send an email asking that, if members have proposals they plan to submit as motions at the annual meeting,  it would be helpful if they can share them with the FSU so they can be shared with members before the meeting, simply to allow people time to think about them.  Remember, the meeting is short and attendance is high, so the more people can learn beforehand, the smoother the meeting will go.  Also, if the proposal requires additional funding, this gives the Treasurer time to think about where we can, if necessary, economize---10/24/18 (NOTE: Ex Com agreed to have this policy be in effect for 1 year from date of implementation)

Information to Be Provided With FSU Budget

All FSU-related course release(s) and additional compensation must be approved by vote of the FSU Executive Committee.  A complete list of FSU course releases and additional compensation will be provided to all members with the budget----FSU Annual Meeting, 5/9/19

COMMITTEES

Bargaining Committee

Executive Committee will vote on whether or not to recommend for ratification any pending contract agreement prior to the occurrence of the ratification vote.

FSU Policy on Bargaining.

  1. General Information on the Core Bargaining Team
  1. Language from Article VI, Section 9 of the FSU bylaws is provided here for informational purposes: ‘A core bargaining team shall be established as the need arises. The President shall recommend, for approval of the Executive Committee, members to serve on the core bargaining team to negotiate a successor Agreement or to negotiate agreements on any other subject of bargaining as agreed to by the FSU and the Administration. The core bargaining team for the successor agreement shall usually consist of four to ten members, but can be comprised of more, if needed, and its membership shall be open to all members of the chapter. Bargaining teams empowered to negotiate any other agreements shall be populated according to need. Membership on these teams shall be open to all members of the chapter. Term of office shall cease upon execution of a new Agreement’.
  1. Core Bargaining Team members for the successor agreement shall be recommended and approved no later than mid fall semester prior to the end of the contract, except under unusual circumstances.
  2. The constitution of the team should allow for proper representation of tenure stream and non-tenure track faculty members as well as librarians.
  3. The Core Bargaining Team shall draft and administer a bargaining survey for all members.
  4. When feasible, the Core Bargaining Team will solicit input on the development of the content of the survey from various FSU constituencies prior to drafting the survey.
  5. The bargaining survey will be sent out no later than one month prior to the start of bargaining for the successor agreement, except in unusual circumstances.
  6. Prior to sending out the survey to members, the Core Bargaining Team will allow the FSU Executive Committee time to review the draft survey and provide feedback. Executive Committee members should not disseminate the draft survey without explicit approval from the Core Bargaining Team.
  7. The results of the survey will be shared with the Executive Committee and some aspects of the survey will be shared with the membership. These aspects will be determined collaboratively by the Executive Committee and Core Bargaining Team.
  8. Based on the results of the survey, feedback from the Executive Committee and other FSU members and/or constituencies, the Core Bargaining Team shall develop topics, proposals, and if decided, principles, for bargaining.
  9. When bargaining starts the Core Bargaining Team shall:
    1. When feasible seek input from the Executive Committee regarding major developments.
    2. Provide updates to the membership on the status of different proposals being negotiated with the administration through emailed updates and as necessary, through scheduled meetings open to all members (this work may also be designated to the Contract Action Team, see below).
  10. When the bargaining cycle ends, prior to ratification, the Core Bargaining Team shall:
    1. Report to members the changes that were agreed upon with the Administration, prior to ratification, consistent with the stipulations of the MGL Chapter 150E. This can be done via e-mail.
    2. Organize informational meetings in which the proposed changes to the contract are shared, and in which members can ask questions about how those changes might affect their labor conditions. This should be done prior to the end of ratification of the contract (this work may also be designated to the Contract Action Team, see below).
  11. General information on the Contract Action Team
    1. A Contract Action Team will be created with the purpose of providing support to the Core Bargaining Team in regards to: communicating with members on bargaining developments (with approval from the Core Bargaining Team), mobilizing members for actions in support of bargaining and the Core Bargaining Team, conducting research and gathering information for the Core Bargaining Team, providing logistical support to the Core Bargaining Team, and any other actions deemed necessary in support of bargaining and the Core Bargaining Team.
    2. The constitution of this Contract Action Team should allow for proper representation of tenure stream and non-tenure track faculty members as well as librarians. The Contract Action Team will typically be formed prior to the start of bargaining, or as the need for feedback arises during bargaining
    3. The Contract Action Team shall work in consultation with the Core Bargaining Team and should not engage in activities without approval from the Core Bargaining Team----12/7/17; amended 12/14/22

The FSU bargaining team will by default allow all FSU members to attend all main- and side-table bargaining sessions, whether negotiating the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) or a CBA-related Memoranda of Understanding (MOA).  Members will be informed of the time and location of all bargaining sessions. All negotiations should take place at the bargaining table in front of FSU members. A special session of the general assembly will be called to deliberate any proposed decision to engage in limited closed negotiations if these appear to be in the best interest of the FSU--- FSU Annual Meeting, 5/10/19

Core Bargaining Representatives communications to the membership only requires the approval of the Core Bargaining Representatives prior to member distribution.  The Core Bargaining Representatives will send the communication directly to the FSU’s Membership Coordinator for email distribution and/or website posting----11/15/19

Elections Committee

The Spring 08 elections will be done using the electronic voting process--- 5/6/08

Adopted Elections timeline (see below) – 11/19/15; amended 3/24/21

Activity

Timeframe

Call for Nominations Announcement

  • Between Thanksgiving recess and the last day of classes, the Nominating Committee shall inform all members of the upcoming elections along with the timeline and procedures.
  • Two weeks prior to the nomination period, the Nominating Committee will inform members of the upcoming election schedule along with election procedures. 

 

Nominations

  • Nomination form is available on-line at 9AM EST on day one of the nomination period.
  • Nominee submits completed form no later than 5PM EST on the last day of the nomination period.
  • The Nominating Committee or designee will confirm receipt of Nomination form.

Two weeks

Nominating Committee Review

  • Committee members review the submitted nomination forms to verify nominee is eligible. NOTE: Nominees will be considered eligible for election by a particular constituency if, through the promotional process or other personnel action, it is likely that the nominee will formally become a part of said constituency as of the Fall semester following the election (example: a member who will be applying for tenure at time of election) provided that the nominee will only take office if elected when constituency status is verified. If the nominee does not enter said constituency they will be unable to take office and a special election will have to be held.
  • Committee prepares the slate of candidates.
  • FSU Members will receive a document listing the slate of candidates from the Committee. The document will include:
    • Candidate’s name
    • Office seeking
    • Candidate’s 150 word statement
    • Department and title
  • Campaigning rules and timeline information will also be sent with the slate of candidates.
  • The Committee will work to set up a webpage within the FSU website that contains election information including the slate of candidates. 

One week

Campaigning

  • This is the official period of campaigning.
  • The FSU may sponsor a candidate’s forum during this time.
  • The FSU cannot use any funds received from dues to promote any person’s candidacy.
  • Candidates are expected to follow all UMB rules on posting of materials. Posting rules can be found at:              (www.umb.edu/life_on_campus/student_involvement/activities)
  • The FSU encourages its members to remain respectful when communicating to or from email accounts. 

Two weeks

Voting

  • A ballot (sent electronically) will be distributed to all voting members at 9AM EST on the first day of voting.
  • The ballot will include the candidate’s name, department, title, and if voting software allows the 150 word statement.
    • Candidate names will appear in alphabetical order by last name.
    • An incumbent will include a notation. 
  • Halfway through the voting period, a reminder email will be sent to members. 

One week, will include a weekend.

Elections Committee

  • After voting ends, the Committee meets to count the votes.
    • Any FSU member can be in attendance to witness the vote count.
  • Committee informs candidates of election results.
  • Committee prepares a document announcing the results.
  • Committee informs the membership of the results.

One day

. The Elections Committee will have the independent authority to direct the FSU staff to contact the membership regarding elections----2/6/19

Only FSU members in good standing are eligible to participate in elections for the FSU Executive Committee. ‘Good standing’ for purposes of determining eligibility to vote in FSU Executive Committee elections requires the following: (1) that the person in question is in the FSU bargaining unit, (2) that the person in question has beens a member of the FSU since at least 5 days prior the start of the voting period, (3) that the person in question is not  in arrears regarding dues payments, and (4) that #1, #2, and #3 have been verified at least 5 days prior to the start of the voting period of any FSU Executive Committee election. The FSU Elections Committee will approve the final voting roster and will have authority to remove or add members to and from the roster based on the ‘good standing’ criteria enumerated above.

In cases where there are disputes or uncertainty over a member’s standing, final determination of voting eligibility shall be made by the FSU Elections Committee. A faculty member or librarian who believes they should be eligible to vote in an FSU election and who has either been removed from the voting roster or has not been placed on the roster may cast a provisional ballot before the end of the voting period provided that they submit a written explanation for why they believe they meet the criteria for eligibility as outlined above (please note: the option of a provisional ballot does NOT apply to members in good standing who have been sent voting information but who indicate that they have had technical problems accessing the ballot). Provisional ballots will only be counted if the counting of such ballots could alter the outcome of an election. In that event, the FSU Elections Committee will provide information to the FSU Executive Committee regarding the membership status of the faculty member or librarian who submitted the provisional ballot. The FSU Executive Committee will then vote to determine whether or not the faculty member or librarian in question may be considered a member in good standing for purposes of voting the election based on the criteria enumerated above. If the Executive Committee determines that the member is eligible to participate in the election, the FSU Executive Committee will instruct the FSU Elections Committee to count the ballot accordingly. ----12/6/19, amended 3/24/21

The FSU will provide all bona fide candidates for the FSU Executive Committee including the office of President and Vice President in the year of their election, with a list of names and the corresponding UMB email address of their member constituency. Candidates receiving such list must sign a statement that the list will be used for election campaigning and not for any use beyond campaigning during the 2 week campaigning period.-----2/11/20

Grievance Committee

FSU Grievance Officers and the FSU Parliamentarian will be ex officio members of the Executive Committee without voting rights---9/27/18

Grievance officers will be invited to participate in weekly Executive Committee phone meetings---10/27/17

Procedures for FSU response to dismissal charges (NOTE: Approved by the FSU Grievance Committee on 3/4/21; approved by the Ex Com on 3/24/21):

  1. The MTA Field Rep and the FSU Membership Coordinator will assess every dismissal charge made by the Administration to determine whether or not there is cause to contest the dismissal charges on behalf of the member. 
  2. The MTA Field Rep and the FSU Membership Coordinator will be authorized to request additional information from the Administration and to ask recipients of dismissal letters for additional information in response to the charges, if needed.
  3. When all relevant information is gathered, the MTA Field Rep and the FSU Membership Coordinator will assess the following: whether or not there is cause to believe that the charges are warranted based on either/both the substance of the underlying charges or the procedures followed leading up to the invocation of dismissal process.
  4. If it is determined that the charges are not warranted and that the Administration has not reached the contract mandated threshold for justifying dismissal, the MTA Field Rep and the FSU Membership Coordinator will recommend to the FSU Grievance Committee that the FSU should seek to formally contest the charges on behalf of the member based on either the content of the charges or the procedures followed.
  5. If the FSU Grievance Committee agrees with the recommendation of the MTA Field Rep and FSU Membership Coordinator that there is cause to contest the charges, the FSU Grievance Committee will select an officer to work with the member on contesting the dismissal. This will include:
  1. Attending dismissal hearings
  2. Speaking on behalf of the member during the hearings
  3. Analyzing information
  4. Seeking the help of the FSU Grievance Committee and MTA if needed

6. If it is determined that the charges are warranted and that the Administration has reached the contract mandated threshold for justifying dismissal, the MTA Field Rep and the FSU Membership Coordinator will recommend to the FSU Grievance Committee that the FSU should NOT seek to formally contest the charges on behalf of the member based on either the content of the charges or the procedures followed.

7. If the FSU Grievance Committee decides to NOT seek to formally contest the charges on behalf of the member based on either the content of the charges or the procedures followed, the member will be informed. The latter will then have the option of appealing the FSU Grievance Committee decision to the FSU Executive Committee. The FSU Executive Committee will then make a final determination on whether or not the FSU will formally contest the charges on behalf of the member after hearing from the latter as well as the FSU Grievance Committee. If the FSU Executive Committee decides that the FSU will formally contest the charges, the FSU Grievance Committee will be instructed to proceed accordingly with the member. An FSU Executive Committee decision to not file charges on behalf of the member will be the final decision on the matter.

8. On every dismissal charge where the FSU is NOT formally contesting the charges the FSU will, to the extent possible, have an officer present during the hearing process to ensure proper procedures are followed. The FSU officer should be a grievance officer but the FSU may assign another officer if a grievance officer is unavailable.

9. On every dismissal charge where the FSU is NOT formally contesting the charges the FSU will, to the extent possible, provide basic advice/information on the procedures, policies, and relevant contract language to the member who received the dismissal letter, should the member ask for it. It must be made clear to the member in this circumstance that the information provided to the member does NOT mean that the FSU has decided to contest the charges on their behalf; rather, the FSU is only providing them with the basic information needed to understand the process.

Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC)

The President of the FSU and the Chair of the Grievance Committee shall be members of the JCC. Their term of office on the JCC shall be coterminous with their term of office as President and Grievance Committee Chair respectively.

Prior to the end of every academic year, the FSU Executive Committee shall select 2 additional members from the same body to serve on the JCC for the subsequent academic year.

The selection process shall be as follows:

  1. Executive Committee members will be invited by the FSU President to run for the 2 JCC positions open to them.
  2. Should only 2 members express interest, they shall automatically be selected to serve on the JCC. Should more than 2 members express interest, a secret vote of all members of the Executive Committee will occur to elect 2 members. The top 2 vote recipients shall be elected. A quorum of 50% of voting Executive Committee members shall be required for the vote to proceed.

Recall of JCC representatives: Any Executive Committee member may request a recall vote of the 2 FSU members of the JCC who are not the FSU President or Chair of the Grievance Committee. A recall request may be initiated at any point during the academic year but the recall vote will occur during the next regularly scheduled, in-person meeting of the Executive Committee. A recall vote shall be done by secret ballot. If 50%+1 of voting members vote to recall the JCC representative, the member shall be considered recalled immediately (a quorum of 50% of all Executive Committee members will be required for the vote to be valid). He/she will be immediately replaced by the Executive Committee member with the 2nd highest vote total in the prior election. If there is no such member, the FSU President will appoint a temporary replacement for the remainder of the academic year to be selected from the Executive Committee----9/24/15

MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS

All-member emails must be approved by the President or his/her designee prior to sending. Emails sent to all NTT members only need the approval of the Vice President.

FSU Executive Committee meeting minutes shall be posted on the FSU website--- 10/5/09

There shall be an FSU Communications Director/Newsletter Editor--- 10/5/09

All mass communications from the FSU will be sent to the entire bargaining unit, not just members except in situations where the communication is for particular constituencies only (i.e. FSU elections, which are open to members only)--- 11/3/09

Executive Committee votes to approve FSU Facebook page administrator and FSU Facebook page editors at the beginning of each academic year----11/16/16

What Can Be Posted on Facebook or Twitter? 

•         Policy is that this can include anything including solidarity with other unions, higher education, the MTA, FSU events, relevant media articles, anything from email blasts. 

•         If the FSU is representing people on both sides of an issue, we should not take a position on this issue. 

•         If an issue has not been discussed in email blasts, the President should be consulted regarding whether this issue can/should be posted----12/8/16

FSU blog policy: http://fsu.umb.edu/content/fsu-blog-policy

We move that the FSU create a Policy page on the website with relevant categories by July 1, 2018 and that all FSU Executive Committee adopted policies should henceforth be categorized and placed on the FSU website within two (2) months of the adoption of such new policy as well as distributed directly to all members via email--- General Assembly Annual Meeting 5/2/18

This is to propose the creation of an inward- and outward- focused position of Communications Director (CD) for the Executive Committee of the FSU.  Responding to a widely-felt need for the Executive Committee to be swifter and more agile in matters of communication, this position will be filled by a member of the Executive Committee whose name is put in nomination by a colleague or who self-nominates and then receives a simple majority during a vote.  Responsibilities will include (but not be limited to) organizing and circulating public statements, sending blast emails to the membership through the FSU UMB account, coordinating release of information to the Executive Committee, membership, larger campus community, and surrounding community.  These communications will supplement, rather than replace, regular updates from the FSU leadership and membership coordinator.  The CD will operate independently, but in regular consultation with FSU President, Vice President, FSU membership coordinator, and MTA advisors. 9/27/18

Core Bargaining Representatives communications to the membership only requires the approval of the Core Bargaining Representatives prior to member distribution.  The Core Bargaining Representatives will send the communication directly to the FSU’s Membership Coordinator for email distribution and/or website posting----11/15/19

FSU BUDGET INFORMATION TIMELINE

In order to insure a transparent, engaged, and efficient budget process:

1) The FSU Executive Committee will develop and email a draft of the budget for the next academic year to members by March 10th.  [or some date]

2) The FSU will then collect comments, suggestions, and questions via email and at one budget meeting to be held by April 1st.

3) The final/proposed budget is then emailed to all members, along with an explanation of budget categories and changes from the previous year, at least one week prior to the Annual Meeting where the budget is voted on.  

4) Before the meeting we should send an email asking that, if members have proposals they plan to submit as motions at the annual meeting,  it would be helpful if they can share them with the FSU so they can be shared with members before the meeting, simply to allow people time to think about them.  Remember, the meeting is short and attendance is high, so the more people can learn beforehand, the smoother the meeting will go.  Also, if the proposal requires additional funding, this gives the Treasurer time to think about where we can, if necessary, economize---10/24/18 (NOTE: Ex Com agreed to have this policy be in effect for 1 year from date of implementation)

Core Bargaining Representatives communications to the membership only requires the approval of the Core Bargaining Representatives prior to member distribution.  The Core Bargaining Representatives will send the communication directly to the FSU’s Membership Coordinator for email distribution and/or website posting----11/15/19

OTHER

Labor Management Meetings:  FSU attendees include the President, Vice President, MTA representative, and FSU Senior Staff Member.  Based on the agenda, an FSU member(s) may be asked to attend to discuss a specific agenda item. ---10/14/21

Chancellor Meetings: Per Article 9.3 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, FSU attendees include the President, Vice President, FSU Senior Staff Member.  Based on the agenda, an FSU member(s) may be asked to attend to discuss a specific agenda item.--- 10/14/21

The FSU shall not release copies of the monthly bargaining unit lists it receives from Human Resources to unit members. If members seek bargaining unit salary or job title information they may request only specific portions of it. For example, an Assistant Professor in English may request such information for Assistant and Associate Professors in English or in the CLA.

Funds generated from Article 7.7 (pay suspensions for failure to pay the agency fee) to be given in an even split to both scholarships (Jim Green Scholarship in Labor Studies or the Tam Tran and Cinthya Felix Immigrant Achievers Scholarship). If Admin refuses one scholarship, entirety of funds to go into the other scholarship--- 10/13/16

Policy on FSU Member Meetings (NOTE:  for policies on member meetings related to bargaining see Committees section, subsection Bargaining Committee)

FSU POLICY PROPOSAL   This document is to clarify and delineate the types of meetings of the FSU including meeting definition, notification procedures and meeting actions.

A. Annual Meeting of the General Assembly

            1.  The Annual Meeting is held for the purpose of hearing committee reports, be updated

                 on FSU activities, adopt an annual budget, adopt bylaws, establish dues rates and

                 other business as needed.

            2.  The meeting shall take place between April 1st and the end of the semester.

            3.  All members in good standing are eligible to attend and vote on items before the

                 meeting.

            4. The FSU Executive Committee shall set the date and time of said meeting.

                        a. The date shall be set no later than Spring Break.

                        b. Members shall be notified no less than 30 days prior to the meeting.

                        c. The notification shall call for new business agenda items which must be

                             submitted no less than 21 days prior to the meeting.

                                    1. All new business items are to be submitted in the form of a motion.

                                    2. All new business items are to be submitted to the President and FSU

                                        Executive Committee via the FSU email account.

            5. New Business is a Budgetary or Financial Item

                        a. The FSU Treasurer’s responsibility to is to provide the membership with

                             advice on matters that impact the FSU budget.

                        b. If the agenda item affects the FSU budget and/or financials then the FSU

                             Treasurer must also receive the new business item. The request is

                              to be via the FSU email account.

                        c. The Treasurer will review said request and provide a recommendation for the

                             body.  A recommendation will be, if possible, made prior to the meeting.         

            6. The meeting agenda will be forwarded to all eligible members no less than 14 days

                prior to the meeting.

                        a. The meeting agenda will be included in the notification.

                        b. All relevant materials will be included in the notification.

B. General Membership Informational Meetings

            1.  The FSU Executive Committee may from time to time call for a membership meeting

                 for the purpose of providing specific information to the members.  Meetings may

     include but not limited to bargaining updates, change in University policies, review

     FSU financials and MTA actions.

            2. These meetings are informational and do not include member voting.

            3.  All members in good standing are invited to attend.

            4.  Members will be notified of such meetings.

                        a. Members will be notified of such meeting no less than fourteen days prior.

b. The nature of providing timely information to members may result in a meeting

                            being called less than fourteen days prior to the meeting date.

C. Special Meetings of the General Assembly

            1.  A Special General Assembly Meeting purpose is:

a. To address an issue that needs immediate attention or

b. To meet on a specific issue that requires more time and discussion than can

     be handled in a General Membership or Annual Meeting.

            2.  The meeting is limited to the specific issue that needs to be addressed. 

                        a.   The meeting agenda states the specific issue.

                        b.   Only items on the meeting agenda may be discussed.

                        c.   No action can be taken on any item not on the meeting agenda.

            3.  All members in good standing are invited to attend and vote on items before the

                 meeting.

            4.  Calling for a Special General Assembly Meeting

                        a. The President may call for a meeting or

                        b. FSU Executive Committee may call for a meeting or

c. The signature of ten (10) unit members may call for a meeting

            1. No less than one of the ten unit members must come from each

                constituency (tenures, pre-tenure, non-tenure track and librarian). 

            5.  If the President calls for a meeting then

                        a. The President informs the FSU Executive Committee

                        b. The President provides a rationale to the FSU Executive Committee.

            6.  If the FSU Executive Committee calls for a meeting then

                        a. The FSU Executive Committee votes to hold a meeting.

                        b. The FSU Executive Committee includes a rationale as to why hold the

                             meeting.

            7.  If unit members call for a meeting then

a. The meeting request must be in writing and contain the exact issue to be

    discussed.

            1.  The request is to be in the form of a motion.

            2.  Any supporting documentation is to be included in the request.

b. Request is to be submitted to both the President and the FSU Executive

    Committee via the FSU email account.

c. The request must be received no less than ten (10) business days prior to

    when desire to hold the meeting. Whenever possible, a longer time from

    request to meeting date should occur so as to secure a meeting location.

            8.  Budgetary and Financial Items

                        a. The FSU Treasurer’s responsibility to is to provide the membership with

                             advice on matters that impact the FSU budget.

                        b. If the agenda item affects the FSU budget and/or financials then the FSU

                             Treasurer must also receive the meeting request information.  The request is

                              to be via the FSU email account.

                        c. The Treasurer will review said request and provide a recommendation. A

                             recommendation will be, if possible, made prior to the meeting.

            9.  Member notification

                        a. A meeting announcement and a meeting agenda shall be sent to members as

                             early as possible and no less than five (5) business days prior to the meeting.

                        b. The notification shall indicate who called for the meeting.----12/13/18

Procedures for FSU response to dismissal charges (NOTE: Approved by the FSU Grievance Committee on 3/4/21; approved by the Ex Com on 3/24/21):

  1. The MTA Field Rep and the FSU Membership Coordinator will assess every dismissal charge made by the Administration to determine whether or not there is cause to contest the dismissal charges on behalf of the member. 
  2. The MTA Field Rep and the FSU Membership Coordinator will be authorized to request additional information from the Administration and to ask recipients of dismissal letters for additional information in response to the charges, if needed.
  3. When all relevant information is gathered, the MTA Field Rep and the FSU Membership Coordinator will assess the following: whether or not there is cause to believe that the charges are warranted based on either/both the substance of the underlying charges or the procedures followed leading up to the invocation of dismissal process.
  4. If it is determined that the charges are not warranted and that the Administration has not reached the contract mandated threshold for justifying dismissal, the MTA Field Rep and the FSU Membership Coordinator will recommend to the FSU Grievance Committee that the FSU should seek to formally contest the charges on behalf of the member based on either the content of the charges or the procedures followed.
  5. If the FSU Grievance Committee agrees with the recommendation of the MTA Field Rep and FSU Membership Coordinator that there is cause to contest the charges, the FSU Grievance Committee will select an officer to work with the member on contesting the dismissal. This will include:
  1. Attending dismissal hearings
  2. Speaking on behalf of the member during the hearings
  3. Analyzing information
  4. Seeking the help of the FSU Grievance Committee and MTA if needed

6. If it is determined that the charges are warranted and that the Administration has reached the contract mandated threshold for justifying dismissal, the MTA Field Rep and the FSU Membership Coordinator will recommend to the FSU Grievance Committee that the FSU should NOT seek to formally contest the charges on behalf of the member based on either the content of the charges or the procedures followed.

7. If the FSU Grievance Committee decides to NOT seek to formally contest the charges on behalf of the member based on either the content of the charges or the procedures followed, the member will be informed. The latter will then have the option of appealing the FSU Grievance Committee decision to the FSU Executive Committee. The FSU Executive Committee will then make a final determination on whether or not the FSU will formally contest the charges on behalf of the member after hearing from the latter as well as the FSU Grievance Committee. If the FSU Executive Committee decides that the FSU will formally contest the charges, the FSU Grievance Committee will be instructed to proceed accordingly with the member. An FSU Executive Committee decision to not file charges on behalf of the member will be the final decision on the matter.

8. On every dismissal charge where the FSU is NOT formally contesting the charges the FSU will, to the extent possible, have an officer present during the hearing process to ensure proper procedures are followed. The FSU officer should be a grievance officer but the FSU may assign another officer if a grievance officer is unavailable.

9. On every dismissal charge where the FSU is NOT formally contesting the charges the FSU will, to the extent possible, provide basic advice/information on the procedures, policies, and relevant contract language to the member who received the dismissal letter, should the member ask for it. It must be made clear to the member in this circumstance that the information provided to the member does NOT mean that the FSU has decided to contest the charges on their behalf; rather, the FSU is only providing them with the basic information needed to understand the process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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