Bylaws

Preamble

A preamble is the introductory part of a set of Bylaws that typically states the reasons for and intent of the document. Here the hierarchy of the governing documents is laid out as the Constitution of the NewsGuild and these Bylaws which are supplementary to the constitution. The TNG constitution is published at The NewsGuild-CWA Constitution | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA.

The Chicago News Guild, CWA Local 34071, shall be governed by the Constitution of the News Guild, its policies adopted in International Convention, and the following By-Laws, which are supplementary thereto.

Article I - Structure

This article defines ranking of authority within the Local. The “membership meeting” is where the power to set general policies of the Local is found. This section confirms the democratic structure of the local. The Executive Board has been given administration powers over the day-to-day operations including recommendations to the membership meeting. Units draw their power, and their duties, by a grant of authority by TNG Constitution and these Bylaws.

Section 1. The membership meeting of the Local shall be the supreme authority of the Local.

Section 2. Between general meetings of the Local, its governing body shall be the Executive Board, which shall administer affairs, but it shall make no decision permanently establishing the general policies of the Local.

Section 3. Shop units shall exercise only those functions and powers specifically granted by the TNG Constitution and these By-Laws.

Section 4. Any two members in good standing may demand a secret ballot on any question arising within the Local or their own unit.

Article II - Membership Meeting

This article sets out the minimum number of regular membership meetings as well as the minimum number of Executive Board meetings. It defines notices to the membership and manner and substance of those notifications as well as how to handle efforts to undo previous decisions of the membership meeting or the executive board.

Section 1. Unless otherwise ordered by the membership or the Executive Board, regular meetings of the membership shall be held six times a year, on the second Wednesday in January, March, May, July, September and November at a specific time and place to be set by the Executive Board. The annual meeting shall be held in January.

Section 2. The Secretary shall give the membership not less than five days notice by mail or by publication on the Guild Website; except that in an emergency the Executive Board may call a special meeting on two days’ notice. No motion to reverse or review previous decisions of the membership or the Executive Board shall be acted upon unless it shall have been contained in the notice of the meeting. The Secretary shall include in the meeting notice any motion from 10 or more members of an intention to move for such a review or reversal.

Section 3.

(a) A special membership meeting shall be called by the Secretary on instructions of the Executive Board, or on a written petition signed by not less than 10 percent of the membership in good standing at the time of the filing of the petition, or a request from two units properly voted at meetings of the units.

(b) The purpose of the special membership meeting shall be stated in the call to the meeting. No other business shall be considered at the special membership meeting.

Section 4.

(a) At a regular membership meeting those present constitute a quorum.

(b) At any special membership meeting the presence of 10 percent of the membership in good standing shall constitute a quorum.

Article III - Executive Board

This article defines who may sit on the Executive Board and who may vote on proposals. The number of representatives who are allowed to both attend and to vote is determined by the number of members in each unit as examined twice each year. The Executive Board has general direction of all Local officers and employees and Board meetings are open to all members of the Local, but before a member who is not an elected officer or delegate may speak at a meeting the Board must vote to allow it. Guests are permitted, but also must be recognized before speaking at the meeting.

Section 1. The Executive Board shall consist of all elected Local officers, all elected unit chairpersons, and unit delegates and alternates elected by each unit at the rate of one delegate and one alternate for every 50 members of the unit in good standing, or major fraction thereof. In the application of this section, the number of members in good standing in any unit shall be examined on the first day of June and of December and the number of unit delegates and alternates adjusted accordingly. Where the number of delegates and alternates to which a unit is entitled is increased, the unit shall fill the vacancies in the usual manner. Where the number is decreased, the unit delegates and alternates shall continue to serve until the next regular unit election. A unit alternate shall not vote at an Executive Board meeting except in the absence of the unit chairperson or a unit delegate from his/her respective unit.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall meet on the second Wednesday of each month except that for good reason another date in the same month may be designated by the Executive Board at a previous meeting or at a special meeting.

Section 3. Special meetings of the Executive Board shall be called by the President or by the Secretary upon written request of three members of the Executive Board.

Section 4. A quorum at any meeting of the Executive Board shall consist of those members present, but not fewer than two.

Section 5. The Secretary shall record those present at each Executive Board meeting.

Section 6. The Secretary shall take roll call vote on any contested issue at the request of any member and the Secretary shall then record in the minutes the votes of all Board members. The vote of any Board member on any issue shall be recorded at his request.

Section 7. The Executive Board shall supervise the handling of all funds except for payments of a strictly routine nature.

Section 8. The Executive Board shall have general direction of all Local officers and employees.

Section 9. Executive Board meetings shall be open to all members of the Local. Guests may not take the floor at Executive Board meetings without permission of the Board.

Article IV - Duties of Officers

This article defines the powers and duties of the Local President and other officers. Importantly, the Local President presides over meetings, supervises other officers, supervises employees of the Local, signs membership cards, appoints committee members, serves as a member of all committees, signs official documents of the local. The Vice-President acts in the absence of the president, the Secretary keeps the official records, the Treasurer is custodian of the Local’s funds. The Local may hire an Executive Director or other employees but is not required to do so.

Section 1.

(a) The President shall preside at all membership meetings and Executive Board meetings and he/she shall supervise other officers and employees in the exercise of their respective duties. He/she shall sign all membership cards. He/she shall appoint all committees with the approval of the Executive Board, shall have the authority to remove committee appointees for cause, and shall serve as an ex-officio member of
every committee.
(b) He/she shall have authority to send an initial strike contribution not exceeding $100 without Executive Board approval in any Guild strike situation that occurs between Executive Board meetings.

Section 2. The First Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of that officer. The Secretary or the Treasurer, in the order designated, shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President and First Vice President.

Section 3. The Secretary shall be the custodian of the Local’s records other than financial, shall conduct routine correspondence of the Local other than financial and such other correspondence as may be directed by the Executive Board and the Local, and
shall keep accurate minutes of membership meetings and Executive Board meetings. The
minutes shall be presented for approval at each subsequent membership meeting.

Section 4. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all funds of the Local under the direction of the Executive Board, except that no authorization shall be required of routine office expenses, equipment expenses not to exceed $500, and routine transmission of International funds to TNG. He/she shall report on the Local’s finances at all regular meetings of the Local and whenever called upon by the Executive Board or the Local shall present his/her accounts for audit at any time the Executive Board or the Local desires. The Treasurer shall keep complete and accurate records of the membership, their addresses and dues standing. He/she shall be responsible for the application in the Local of the financial provisions of the TNG constitution and of these By-Laws.

Section 5. The Local may hire an Executive Director, General Counsel, Office Manager and such other employees as may be necessary from time to time to carry out the duties of negotiating contracts, organizing new members and administering the Local’s affairs. Recommendations of the Executive Board on the hiring of employees and their salaries shall be subject to approval of the membership meeting.

Article V - Elections

This section outlines how and when Local Officers are elected and how the Local deals with vacancies.

Section 1. The President, First Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Local shall be elected biennially in even-numbered years by secret ballot membership referendum.

Section 2.

(a) Nominations of officers shall be received from the floor or, in the case of members from out-of-town bureaus, by mail or by e-mail at the November membership meeting. For the purpose of these By-Laws, an out-of-town bureau shall be defined as any member’s permanent place of work more than 50 miles from the main office.

(b) Notice of nominations meetings shall be mailed first-class postage or by e-mail to all members not less than 20 days before the November membership meeting.
(c) Guild members in out-of-town bureaus may nominate candidates by sending such nominations to the Secretary before the November membership meeting. The Secretary shall read any such nominations at the nominating meeting.

Section 3. The Secretary shall determine within 7 days whether nominees are willing to accept office. No candidate shall be declared a nominee or declared elected unless he/she declares in writing within 7 days his/her willingness to serve.

Section 4. The election of officers shall be held not less than 30 days nor more than 45 days after the November meeting. Not less than 15 days prior to the election, the Secretary shall mail or e-mail to the home address of each member a list of qualified candidates, together with notice of the time and place of election.

Section 5. In the event that at the time of the biennial election there is only one candidate for any one post, his/her name shall be left off the ballot and he/she shall be declared elected. In the event there are more than two candidates, a majority voting shall be required to elect.

Section 6. All Local officers shall take office at the annual meeting immediately following the election and shall hold office until the annual meeting two years later or until their successors are elected.

Section 7.

(a) Vacancies in the post of Local officers shall be filled by a vote of the local membership by referendum, except as provided in Section 7 (b).

(b) The President may, however, with the approval of the Executive Board, appoint a member to fill the Local officer’s vacancy. The member so designated may hold office until the next membership meeting of the Local for which proper notice can be given, a period not to exceed 90 days. Upon at least 20 days’ notice, members of all out-of-town bureaus may submit nominations, by mail or by e-mail. If the unexpired term of any vacancy is less than five months, the member so designed may hold office until successor duly qualifies for office in the next biennial election.

Section 8. The Local President, in January of each year, shall appoint a nominating committee to recommend a slate of delegates to the TNG Sector Conference and the CWA Convention. Such slate shall provide, to whatever degree possible, for proportionate representation among various units. Suggested nominations by out-of-town bureau members may be submitted to the committee and those out-of-town bureau members may also submit nominations to the March meeting by mail or by e-mail. After the nominating committee has submitted its recommendations, the President shall call three times for other nominations for delegate from the floor at the March membership
meeting, which will nominate all delegates and alternates to be elected. The notice of the
meeting for the March membership shall state that nominations and election (if there is
no contest) of delegates and alternates will be made at the meeting.

Section 9.

(a) In the event that the number of candidates exceeds the number of delegates and alternates to be elected, the meeting shall defer the election and make provisions for a special election by secret ballot cast on not less than 15 days’ notice to the membership.

(b) Candidates may submit a one-page campaign statement to be distributed with notice of election. The nominating committee also may submit a one-page statement in support of its slate of candidates.

Section 10. The Secretary shall inform all candidates by letter of their nomination. Candidates shall be required to give written acceptance of their nomination within 7 days and shall indicate the manner in which their names are to appear on the ballot.

Section 11. The delegates and alternates shall be declared elected and serve in the order determined by the number of votes. If alternates are elected in the absence of a
contest, the March membership meeting that elects them shall determine the order in
which they serve.

Section 12.

(a) Delegates shall have their necessary expenses to the Convention paid by the Local. The membership may, at the March meeting, vote to pay the necessary expenses of a number of alternates to the TNG convention.
(b) The Local shall pay expenses for transportation and accommodations for convention delegates plus a sum equal to the average top reporter minimum among the units in the Local at the time of election, for the time lost, whether by leave of absence or by forfeited vacation week.

Section 13. No delegate or alternate shall be bound by a delegation unit rule in speaking or voting.

Section 14. Delegates to other organizations with which the Local is affiliated shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board.

Section 15. The election committee shall conduct all elections and referendums. Names of candidates shall appear on the ballot in order determined by the election committee according to a draw of lots. Ballots shall be initialed by at least two members of the election committee. Ballots shall be placed along with a return envelope in an enclosure bearing the name of the qualified Local voter. Only members in good standing as defined by the TNG Constitution and the Local By-Laws shall be qualified to vote. Ballots shall be counted no fewer than 7 days nor more than 10 days after the date of distribution. There shall be no cumulative voting. Results shall be posted immediately on bulletin boards.

Article VI - Referendum

Any matter to be decided by the Local may be submitted as a Referendum item. Referenda must be in proper form based on a petition signed by 10% or more of the members in good standing. This is another protection of the democratic process of the Local. This article governs how this can be done.

Section 1. Any matter to be decided by the Local may be submitted to a referendum of the membership by either the Local or the Executive Board and shall be submitted to such a referendum upon a petition signed by not less than 10 percent of the membership in good standing at the time of the filing of the petition.

Section 2. Provisions for the holding of a referendum shall be made by the Executive Board and shall take the form of a vote by mail. No ballot shall be mailed to a member not in good standing at the time of the mailing of the ballots, and all members shall be given 15 days’ notice in advance of any referendum by mail.

Article VII - Units

Our Bylaws state that each unit shall elect at least three officers: a Unit Chair, a Delegate to the local Executive Board (E-Board), and an Alternate Delegate to the local E-Board. Most units elect additional officers, such as vice-chair or secretary as well. TNG recommends a chair, vice-chair, and secretary, as well as a steward corps (elected or appointed) with one steward per 10 unit members.

Delegate to the local Executive Board – Represents the unit at the EBoard meetings of the local, votes on things like the local’s budget. Alternate delegate to the local Executive Board attend meetings should the delegate be unable.
Unit Chair – Main coordinator of Unit activities and contact person for stewards. Primary contact for local officers and staff. Often (but not necessarily) takes a primary role in bargaining. When stewards have questions on law, procedure, or the contract, the Unit Chair should be able to resolve them or contact relevant people within the union to find out the answers.
Vice-Chair(s) – Co-coordinator of Unit activities and secondary contact person(s) for stewards and local officers and staff. Often (but not necessarily) take a key role in bargaining. When stewards have questions on law, procedure, or the contract, the Vice Chair(s) should be able to resolve them or contact relevant people within the union to find out the answers.
Secretary – Responsible for scheduling relevant bargaining unit meetings, keeping, and sharing good minutes for the union department for questions on the law, procedure, or the contract, and coordinating with Unit Officers around strategy. Capable of accompanying coworkers into meetings with management and initiating grievance procedures where appropriate. Stewards usually follow departmental structure, and we should aim to have one in each department as practicable.
Stewards – responsible for routine and regular communication with members, accompanying members in Weingarten and other formal meetings with management.

Unit elections must take place no later than February of each year; however, we strongly encourage units to follow uniform process by planning and begin the process in November or December. This article sets deadlines for nominations, notices, and ballots as well as when the unit reports to the E-Board.

Section 1. Each unit shall receive nominations for, and elect annually, in January or February, unit delegates and alternates to Local Executive Board as provided in Article III, Section 1; and a chairman and whatever officers necessary for the operation of the unit, as determined by that unit. The Executive Director shall be responsible for reporting to the Executive Board at its March meeting whether elections took place in each unit. Unit delegates and alternates shall be certified to the Executive Board by an officer.

Section 2.

(a) Notice of the meeting for the nomination of unit officers and delegates and alternates to the local shall be mailed or e-mailed under the direction of the unit chairperson to each member of the unit at his or her home address not less than 20 days before the meeting.

(b) Members of out-of-town bureaus may nominate candidates by mailing or e-mailing such nominations to the unit secretary-treasurer before the nominating meeting. The secretary-treasurer shall read any such nominations at the nominating meeting.
(c) Unit officers, delegates and alternates shall be elected by mail referendum in any unit which includes members in out-of-town bureaus. Units without out-of-town bureau members may elect unit officers, delegates and alternates at the meeting.

Section 3. Units without out-of-town bureau members may nominate and elect members by secret ballot to fill unit officer and/or delegate vacancies at a meeting for which proper notice has been given in accordance with Article VII. Units with out-of-town bureau members may accept nominations to fill unit vacancies at a properly called meeting. If there is no more than one nomination per vacancy, the nominee shall be considered the duly elected officer/delegate upon the secretary’s receipt of said nominee acceptance. A mail referendum shall be held if more than one candidate is nominated to fill a unit vacancy.

Section 4. Unit election disputes shall be decided by the Executive Board.

Section 5. Each unit shall file promptly after each unit meeting a copy of any minutes of the unit meeting with the Local Secretary.

Section 6. The unit secretary-treasurer under the direction of the Local Treasurer shall have charge of the execution of the fiscal provisions of the TNG Constitution and these By-Laws as they apply to the members of his/her unit.

Section 7. Each unit chairperson shall be responsible for the establishment of a shop steward system.

Article VIII - Membership

This article describes how membership is accomplished. Subject to TNG Constitution, the Executive Board receives and then acts on membership applications by formal vote or acclamation. This article also addresses the effect of unemployment on membership and provides for transfer to the General Press Unit.

Section 1. An applicant for membership shall submit his/her application to the Executive Board and final action upon any application shall be by the Executive Board, subject to appeal as provided by the TNG Constitution.

Section 2.

(a) Good standing requirements of the TNG Constitution in respect to dues shall apply equally to initiation fees payments.
(b) Members who have become unemployed for any reason may remain members in good standing for one year, or the length of the rehire list, whichever is longer, so long as they pay dues in accordance with Article XI, Section 1(b). Upon learning of members’ unemployment, the chair of the unit shall inquire whether the
member wishes to remain in good standing.

Section 3.

(a) Reinstatement fees shall be set by the Executive Board.
(b) Members unemployed for periods longer than described in Section 2 may seek reinstatement or transfer to General Press membership through the procedure outline in this article, Section 1.

Article IX - Collective Bargaining

The article deals with how contract negotiations are approved by TNG. It provides for assistance by the Local in determining who may be a negotiator but stresses that the unit members are participants, reflecting the reality that unit members know what issues need to be addressed. Any agreement must be submitted to the Unit members as well as the Executive Board for ratification.

Section 1. Negotiators in collective bargaining on behalf of the Local or any of its units shall be selected the Executive Board. Negotiations shall be open to members of the unit.

Section 2. Any agreement arrived at in negotiations shall be submitted to the membership of the unit or units concerned for approval. Before signing, the agreement shall require ratification also by the Executive Board.

Article X - Discipline

The article describes the discipline of members by reference to the TNG Constitution. It has no bearing on any discipline of Local employees. Please review TNG Constitution Article XII and XIII for member discipline details.

Discipline under these By-Laws shall be governed by the TNG Constitution under Article XII and Article XIII.

Article XI - Dues

The article defines the dues obligations for membership, including initiation fees and dues. It also defines the effect of unemployment on dues and details the establishment of the Local Defense Fund (strike fund).

Section 1.

(a) Dues shall be payable monthly by the last day of each month and graduated in accordance with the wages of members as follows:

(1) The normal dues schedule shall be 1.8% of regular wages, applied to all
wages up to a maximum wage equal to the highest minimum in any Chicago
News Guild newspaper contract, provided the resulting dues shall meet the
minimum requirements prescribed by the TNG Constitution.

(2) During periods when the TNG defense fund is less than the limits as
prescribed by the TNG Constitution, the dues level shall be adjusted in
accordance with the TNG Constitution until the defense fund reaches it
constitutional level.
(3) In the event dues levels shall change, in accordance with the TNG
Constitution or these By-Laws, a new dues schedule shall be prepared and
distributed to the membership.

(b) For unemployed members, dues shall be ten cents per month.

(c) For members working in a shop not under Guild contract and earning $50.00 per week or more, dues shall be $60 per year

Section 2. Each applicant admitted to membership shall pay an initiation fee and one month’s dues. The initiation fee shall be $3.00 for applicants covered by a Guild contract, $2.00 for reinstatement to membership and $1.00 for applicants not covered by a Guild contract. The Executive Board can waive the payment of the fee by the applicant and pay the fee from the treasury.

Section 3. The rates of Local dues and initiation fees may be increased only by majority vote of members in good standing in a referendum, notice of which shall be given 30 days in advance and shall state the intent to vote upon such question in the referendum.

Section 4. The Local may, by a majority vote by secret ballot of the members in good standing, at a membership meeting levy an assessment of not more than $1.00 per member per week. Notice of such meeting shall be given in accordance with Article II, Section 2, and shall state the intention to vote on the proposed assessment at the meeting.

Section 5. The Local shall establish and maintain a Local Defense Fund by depositing to this fund not less than 5 percent of members’ monthly dues payments. Expenditures from the Defense Fund shall be made only to support a local strike or other defense activity, or other activities of an emergency nature, to contribute to other unions, and to pay assessments levied by TNG.

Section 6. All monies collected on behalf of or in the name of the Local, except those collected for TNG or another branch of TNG, shall be the property of the Local.

Article XII - Finance

This tab discusses the budget and financial report requirements for the Local. Both the Local President and the Treasurer have responsibilities and deadlines for the Local’s annual budget and this article describes these as well.

Section 1.

(a) The Treasurer shall report on the Local’s finances at all regular meetings of the Executive Board and of the membership. He/she shall present the accounts for audit at any time the Executive Board or the membership desires.
(b) The Executive Board shall cause an audit of all the Local’s books and funds to be made annually by a professional accountant designated by the Board. Such audits shall be made available to the membership of the Local and a copy of the annual audit shall be sent to the International Executive Board within 30 days of its completion.

Section 2.

(a) The Executive Board prior to its December meeting shall provide a budget for the Local’s financial operation for the following year. The proposed budget for the following year shall be submitted for approval at the January membership meeting.
(b) The budget shall provide for such expenditures necessary to the operation of the Local. The form of the annual audit shall be used as a guide in the preparation of the budget.
(c) No funds other than those provided in the budget shall be used for any item listed without approval of the Executive Board.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall determine in which bank or banks funds of the Local shall be deposited and among which accounts they shall be distributed.

Section 4. Bank checks against Local funds shall be signed by the Treasurer whenever available. If the Treasurer is unavailable, another member designated by the Executive Board shall sign in his/her stead. The second signature shall be the Executive Director whenever available, but if he/she is unavailable, another member designated by the Executive Board shall sign in his/her stead.

Section 5. The Treasurer, any other Local disbursing officer and any Local employee handling funds shall be bonded when and in what amounts the Executive Board shall determine, said bonds to be paid by the Local.

Article XIII - Committees

The local president shall appoint the following committees: Finance; Guild Communications; Personnel; By-laws; Elections; Office and Technology; Human Rights; and Organizing. There may also be committees appointed by the President and E-Board to cover issues not addressed by these mandatory committees.

Section 1.

(a) The following committees shall be appointed by

the President in accordance with Article IV, Section 1(a):
(b) Finance: Its duties shall be to supervise the audit of the Local’s funds, to supervise the preparation of the annual budget, to study and make recommendations on appeals for funds, and to supervise all drives for funds.
(c) Guild Communications: Its duties shall be to supervise the publication of the Guild Website and to supply news of the Local regularly to the Guild Reporter, to the labor press, to area newspapers, and to advise other labor organizations in press relations and publications.
(d) Personnel: Its duties shall be to study and make recommendations on the hiring of employees, personnel policies and procedures, and on employees’ salaries. The committee shall also be responsible for nominating a slate of candidates for delegates to convention to the membership, and to recommend the size of the convention delegation. In doing so, the committee will consider the recommendation of the Finance Committee.

(e) By-Laws, Legal Affairs and Professional Concerns: Its duties shall be to maintain these By-Laws in accordance with the TNG Constitution and the TNG Convention policies by preparing and recommending amendments as required. The committee shall also be responsible for dealing with professional concerns of members as they arise and making recommendations to the Executive Board.
(f) Elections and Special Events: Its duties shall be to conduct Local elections and referendums. The committee shall also plan and administer the Stick-O-Type, Guild Service Award, upcoming conventions and special events.
(g) Office and Technology: Its duties shall be to supervise, study and make recommendations concerning the Local’s office, furnishings, office machinery, utilities and meeting places.
(h) Human Rights, Health and Safety: Its duties shall be to monitor and research human rights abuses and health and safety problems in the workplace and make recommendations for their alleviation; and to make the Executive Board aware of human rights and health and safety laws affecting the workplace.
(i) Organizing & Tactical Negotiating Team: Its duties shall be to research and advise the Executive Board of organizing opportunities as well as tactical strategies available to units in bargaining and to assist to whatever degree possible in such campaigns.

Section 2. Special committees may be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board from time to time to consider matters not covered in the assignments of the standing committees.

Section 3. Standing and special committees shall report as the Executive Board may direct.

Article XIV - Political Candidates

This article (numbering typo notwithstanding) makes clear the obvious point that the Chicago News Guild refrains from endorsing any candidates by any means including political donations.

The Chicago News Guild shall refrain from endorsing political candidates, financially or otherwise.

Article XV - Amendments

This article outlines the requirements necessary to amend these By-laws.

These By-Laws may be amended by any membership meeting upon submission of the proposed amendment by the Executive Board upon its own motion or by petition signed by not less than 20 percent of the membership not less than 10 days prior to the meeting, with notice of the time and place of the meeting.

Article XVI - Interpretations

This article vests the Executive Board with the power to interpret the meaning of any provision in the By-laws. This power is checked by the membership meeting or the International Executive Board or the Convention and follows Robert Rules of Order on parliamentary questions. Best practices of a Unit mean officers should learn and use Roberts Rules in their own meetings.

These By-Laws shall be interpreted by the Executive Board subject to appeal to the membership meeting, to the International Executive Board and the next TNG Convention. Questions of procedure not covered by the TNG Constitution, TNG Convention decision or these By-Laws, shall be governed by Roberts Rules of Order, current edition.