Bylaws: Highlights and Details

Highlights of the governance process:
Majority opinion represented: Members of the working group voted 285 to 46 to approve the final draft of our bylaws.

Respect for all: The bylaws promote a structure that will work for our biggest divisions with tens of thousands of members, as well as our smallest cities and workplaces.

Transparency: The bylaws ensure an open and transparent union where members set the direction.

Diversity: Members representing the full range of employers, job titles and all four regions of the union served on the Governance Working Group.

What are the details of the bylaws?

Regional Strength: The bylaws call for the at-large election of the president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. Other executive board seats will be elected by members in each of the four regions.  Each region will elect at least seven members and some regions may elect as many as 14 members based on the number of active dues paying members in that region.  For example, the Tri-Counties region of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties can elect at least seven members to the Board and the Los Angeles County region may elect fourteen members to the executive board. 

Represented Members Will Run the Union: Only represented dues paying members (except for the one retiree) will be eligible to be elected to your executive board.  No staff members may run for the board.

Local Control: The bylaws create several new bodies: regional councils that have local decision making authority including some financial decisions. They also create a retiree council and occupational or professional councils and maintain chapters.
Clear Role for Stewards: “Stewards are the legal representatives of the local in the workplace and a vital part of maintaining a strong union…The duties and obligations of the stewards are many and shall include providing timely and effective representation for the members in the workplace.”

Fair Process on Dues: “The Executive Board will establish a general dues rate for…members and will honor all affiliation agreements…members of those locals who became members of Local 721 during the 2007 realignment of local unions shall have the right to vote by legacy local on any increase in dues to reach the standard established by the Executive Board.”

“We owe a debt of gratitude to all the members who helped reach this milestone, the original working group members plus the hundreds who have participated since January. SEIU 721 will now have a strong foundation.”

Bob Schoonover, President, SEIU 721