ARTICLE I
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The UCLA Staff Assembly is officially recognized by the Office of the Chancellor as an independent advisory body to the University Administration on issues of concern to staff. The UCLA Staff Assembly does not function as a collective bargaining unit. The objectives of the Staff Assembly are:
1. to support the mission of the University of California,
2. to maintain and enhance communication within the University community,
3. to act as a liaison between Staff and Administration, ensuring that Staff interests and input are adequately solicited and submitted to Administration as appropriate and represented in accordance with California law and university policies,
4. when consulted, to review new and existing policies and procedures affecting Staff and to provide the Chancellor and Administration with feedback from Staff,
5. to accept, promote and respect the diversity of backgrounds and beliefs which characterize UCLA's multicultural community.
ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP
All staff employees of UCLA are automatically members of the Staff Assembly. All activities and services are available to every staff member, exclusively represented or non-represented.
ARTICLE III
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Executive Board (heretofore referred to as the “Board”): The Board shall supervise the affairs of the UCLA Staff Assembly. The Board shall establish channels of communication among University Administration, the University community and Assembly membership. The Board shall submit to the appropriate campus or University-wide authority any petitions or resolutions, in writing, which are approved by the Staff Assembly in General Board meetings. The Board shall provide interpretations of specific provisions of the bylaws. The Board shall vote and act on specific items as presented by the general membership or any members on the Board. The Board shall establish and revise the election procedures as described in this Article (see below). The Board shall establish Committees as needed (see Article IV). The Board shall appoint an ad hoc auditing committee as needed. The Board shall meet as often as necessary to accomplish these duties.
Representatives:
President
President-Elect
Vice President for Programs
Vice President for Events
Vice President for Outreach
Vice President for Information Systems
Vice President for Special Projects
Historian/Secretary
Treasurer
Immediate Past President
The Board shall consist of elected members of the Board and the Immediate Past President serving in an ex-officio capacity. All members except the President and the Immediate Past President are voting members of the Board.
Eligibility: Any member of the Staff Assembly who has completed one (1) year of employment at UCLA is eligible to become a member of the Board of the Staff Assembly. No Board member may be exclusively represented by a collective bargaining unit.
Election and Term of Office: The Board shall be nominated and elected by the general Staff Assembly membership. The appointment period is July 1st through June 30th of each academic year. Immediate Past President may serve in an alternate position on the Board but may not return to the position of President-elect for a period of two years.
Duties:
President: The duties of the President shall be to: schedule meetings, establish agendas, preside at all meetings of the UCLA Staff Assembly and of the Council of University of California Staff Assemblies (CUCSA); co-ordinate fundraising efforts; serve on and/or delegate another Staff Assembly member’s participation on University Committees and Councils as a representative of the Staff Assembly, and assume the role of the Immediate Past President when term expires. The President, or a designee, shall co-sign with the Treasurer all orders for disbursement of funds as directed by the Board. The President shall be a non-voting ex-officio member of all Committees. S/he shall vote only in the case of a tie.
President-elect: The President-elect shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President in his/her absence. The President-elect shall serve as the representative junior Delegate to CUCSA. S/he shall become the senior delegate the following year when occupying the office of the President. The President-elect shall be a non-voting ex-officio member of all Committees and shall be a voting member of the Board.
Vice President for Programs: The Vice President for Programs shall coordinate programs (e.g., Learn at Lunch series) and activities of the Staff Assembly, including programs co-sponsored with other campus groups. The Vice President for Programs shall be a voting member of the Board.
Vice President for Events: The Vice President for Events shall coordinate events and special projects that shall yield funds for future endeavors, including events co-sponsored with other campus groups. The Vice President for Events shall be a voting member of the Board.
Vice President for Outreach: The Vice President for Outreach shall devise innovative methods for increasing membership and improving the visibility of the organization. This entails responsibility for providing a quick turn around of Learn at Lunch program summaries and posting photographs of event highlights on the Staff Assembly website (e.g., Resource Fair, Casino Night, Scholarship and Awards). The key objective is to accurately communicate details to staff via the web on an on-going basis. The Vice President for Outreach shall be a voting member of the Board.
Vice President for Information Systems: The Vice President for Information Systems shall be responsible for the maintenance of the Staff Assembly Website and the list serve and support the Vice Presidents of Programs, Events and Outreach as they coordinate and finalize their programs and events. The Vice President for Information Systems shall be a voting member of the Board.
The Vice President, Special Projects: The duties of the Vice President for Special Projects shall be to coordinate special projects as may be assigned by the Board to include but not be limited to planning and organization of staff assembly related events, promotion and outreach. S/he shall support the President and Vice Presidents of Programs, Events, and Outreach with the coordination of programs and events as needed. The Vice President, Special Projects shall be a voting member of the board.
Historian/Secretary: The Secretary shall record, transcribe and distribute minutes of all Board meetings, as well as any general proceedings. S/he shall serve as the historian, documenting events and maintaining archives of Staff Assembly files and minutes. The Secretary shall perform other duties as may be assigned by the Board. The Secretary shall be a voting member of the Board.
Treasurer: The Treasurer shall maintain all accounting records pertaining to receipt and disbursement of funds and report the status of the accounts at each regular meeting of the Board. The Treasurer will make recommendations concerning the budget to the Board. The Treasurer shall serve as liaison to the University sponsor’s financial officer. The Treasurer shall co-sign with the President, or his/her designee, all orders for disbursement of funds as directed by the Board. The Treasurer shall be a voting member of the Board.
Immediate Past President: The duties of the Immediate Past President shall be to serve in an ex officio capacity, mentor new Council members, and assist with special projects. The Immediate Past President shall coordinate and/or name a Committee Chair to handle the selection process for the annual scholarship and Excellence in Service Award nominations. The Immediate Past President shall not be a voting member of the Board.
ARTICLE IV
COMMITTEES
Committees shall be established by the Staff Assembly Board as needed. Typically Committees may be delegated the task of discussing and making recommendations for a wide-range of issues related to staff professional development, staff welfare, or rules and jurisdiction. Committees may be delegated the task of overseeing an event or program sponsored by the Staff Assembly. Committees may be established for at least one year or longer until issues are resolved.
Committee Chairperson:
Eligibility: Any Staff Assembly member who has completed one (1) year of employment at UCLA is eligible to be a Committee Chairperson. The Committee Chairperson may not hold another Board office while holding the position of Chairperson of a Committee.
Election and Term of Office: Committee Chairpersons shall be appointed by the Staff Assembly President. The term of office for all Committee Chairpersons shall be one (1) year, beginning at the annual meeting.
Duties: Each Committee Chairperson shall be a non-voting member of the Board. The Chairperson of each Committee shall be responsible for actively recruiting members of their Committee.
Committee Membership:
Eligibility: Any Staff Assembly member is eligible to be a Committee member. Each Committee shall consist of not less than three (3) members, one of whom shall be the Chairperson.
Duties: Each Committee shall submit for approval any recommendations for action to the Board prior to implementation.
ARTICLE V
VACANCIES
President: In the event a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the President-elect shall assume the duties of President for the remainder of the term.
Other Officers and Committee Chairpersons: Vacancies shall be filled for the remainder of the term by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of a quorum present at a Board meeting. Temporary appointments to these positions can be made by the President followed by ratification of this action at the next Board meeting.
ARTICLE VI
MEETINGS
Board meetings will be held at a time most convenient to the majority of the elected Board representatives to facilitate maximum attendance. All meetings of the elected Board will be open to the Staff Assembly. Meetings will be held as often as required, but not less than once a month.
General Meeting: There shall be one general meeting per Academic Year of the UCLA Staff Assembly membership. The general meeting shall be open to all members of the UCLA Staff Assembly.
Attendance: Everyone is welcome. A Board representative may be granted release time during regular scheduled hours of work to attend committee meetings or functions as designated by the Chancellor.
ARTICLE VII
QUORUM & VOTING
On Board mandated proposals, all elected Board representatives may vote, except the President and the Immediate Past-President. The President shall vote only in case of a tie.
Board and Committees: A simple majority (50% plus one) of the members of the Board shall constitute a quorum of the Board or a committee.
General Meetings of the Assembly: A simple majority (50% plus one) of those present at the meeting(s) shall constitute a quorum of that meeting.
Recall Referendums: A Board member may be removed from the office by a vote of no confidence by the Board. The President-elect shall conduct the election unless s/he is the person subject to recall in which case the Board shall appoint someone else to conduct the election.
ARTICLE VIII
ANNUAL REPORTS
The Board and each Committee shall present at the general meeting a written report of the activities undertaken by the Staff Assembly or Committees during the preceding year. The Committees shall report even if no activities have been undertaken. A copy of the Committee reports shall be forwarded to our University sponsor and the Chancellor’s Office, and a copy maintained in the Staff Assembly office and made available to each incoming Committee.
ARTICLE IX
AMENDMENTS
These bylaws may be amended or repealed or new bylaws may be adopted by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Assembly members present at any General meeting.
The details of the proposed amendments or actions must be published to the membership at large not less than thirty (30) days prior to the time at which the vote will be taken.
Any member may submit a proposed amendment to the Board. All proposed amendments shall be reviewed by the Board. The Board will review the amendment and shall submit it to a vote of the Assembly.
ARTICLE X
RELEASE TIME
Participation in this organization shall be considered an official University function. Supervisors shall encourage and support release time for employees who wish to participate in Staff Assembly activities and/or meetings according to Guidelines for Relations with Employee Associations/Advisory Groups re-issued August 28, 1979 to UC Chancellors and Laboratory Directors by UC Office of the President. These guidelines continue to be applicable to the Council of UC Staff Assemblies and local campus Staff Assemblies. The guidelines provide that "management support of approved organizations may include ... allowing a reasonable amount of time on pay status to be devoted to legitimate association activities by officers and members."
ARTICLE XI
DISCLAIMERS
Staff should understand that neither the UCLA Staff Assembly nor the University will accept ignorance, thoughtlessness, or "tradition" as an excuse for discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status or disability.
The UCLA Staff Assembly does not function as a collective bargaining unit. The Assembly does not represent employees in grievances or administrative reviews, present demands at meet-and-confer sessions, or endorse legislation not supported by the University.
ARTICLE XII
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the Staff Assembly in all cases to which they are applicable, insofar as they are not inconsistent with these bylaws.
ARTICLE XIII
COUNCIL OF UC STAFF ASSEMBLIES REPRESENTATION
The President shall be the Senior Delegate to the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA). In the absence of the President, the President-elect shall be the acting Senior Delegate. The President may appoint an alternate who can be called on to serve as a delegate in the event that neither the President nor the President-elect can attend a CUCSA meeting.
The President-Elect shall be the Junior Delegate to the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA).
