ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of this organization, referred to as “Association” in these By-laws, is the Irvine Faculty Association.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSES AND FUNCTIONS
Section 1. The Association shall have as its general purposes:
(a) to enhance UC Irvine faculty’s awareness of matters pertaining to the economic and working conditions of UC faculty;
(b) to advocate on behalf of UC Irvine faculty interests regarding economic and working conditions;
(c) to foster and support faculty governance within UC Irvine and the UC system; and
(d) to maintain and improve the economic status and general welfare of the faculty.
Section 2. The Association shall have as its principal functions:
(a) to inform, consult with, and represent faculty interests to all agencies whose decisions affect the faculty, and to gather and disseminate to the faculty information on all relevant issues before such agencies. These agencies include the legislative and executive branches of government and administrative agencies of the State of California, the Public Employment Relations Board, the California Post Secondary Education Commission, the Board of Regents, and when appropriate, the University-wide and campus administrations;
(b) to encourage the development of, maintain contact with, coordinate its activities with, and form liaisons with parallel or similar organizations on other campuses of the University of California;
(c) to prepare for the eventuality of collective bargaining by informing itself and the faculty continually on all relevant issues. It will monitor and attempt to influence any legislation that might be regarded as affecting collective bargaining by University faculty, so as to protect and further faculty interests such as the right to self-determination. With authorization of collective bargaining it may, upon approval of the membership, seek to become the collective bargaining agent for the UC Irvine faculty.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership in the Association is open to all members of the Academic Senate, Irvine Division. Members who are administrative officers above the rank of chair of a department may not be members of the Executive Committee.
Section 2. The criteria for membership may be altered only on approval, in a ballot of the membership, by an absolute majority of those voting. The Executive Board shall make its views on the recommended change of membership criteria known to the membership at the time the ballots are distributed.
ARTICLE IV. RELATION TO THE IRVINE DIVISION
The Association supports the principles of governance expressed in the present delegation of authority by the Board of Regents to the Academic Senate. Although recognizing and supporting the Senate as the governing body of the faculty, the Association shall carry out its functions independently of the activities of the Irvine Division and its committees and shall not make use of the resources or facilities of the Division.
ARTICLE V. EXECUTIVE BOARD AND OFFICERS
Section 1. The Association shall have an Executive Board consisting of five members elected by the members of the Association. Board members will serve their term in office without remuneration.
Section 2. The officers of the Association shall be a Chair, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The officers shall be selected by the Executive Board from its own members following each election of Board members, and shall serve until successors are selected. Officers once selected may be removed by a vote of four members of the Board at a meeting called for that purpose.
Section 3. The term of elected Board members shall be two years. Board positions shall be filled as their terms expire by election. (Acting initial board members in 2012, self-nominated for the purpose of creating this Association, will serve until no later than December 31, 2012 unless elected by the procedure described herein.)
Section 4. Vacancies on the Executive Board or among its officers, caused by resignation or departure from the University, shall be filled by action of the Executive Board. The term of an interim appointment to the Board shall expire on the January 1 following the next Board election after the date of the appointment and the remaining year, if any, of the two-year term of the position shall be filled by election at the next Board election.
Section 5. Elections for the Executive Board shall be conducted by ballot of the members in good standing as of two weeks before the date the ballots are sent. Ballots shall be completed within two weeks of the date of issuance to be considered valid.
Section 6. The Executive Board shall arrange for the election of members to the Board in the following manner:
(a) The Board shall call on the entire membership for nominations and self-nominations.
(b) There shall be a Nominating Committee for Board elections, which shall consist of three Association members in good standing as of the date of appointment. The Executive Board shall make the appointments; no member of the Board may be appointed to the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall propose a candidate for each Board position to be filled at that election. The Board will inform the membership of the nominees; such notice will also indicate that further nominations may be made on petition. Such petitions shall be delivered to the Secretary of the Association. The names of all candidates nominated by the Nominating Committee and by petition shall be placed on the ballot. In the event that there are no contested positions on the ballot, the slate shall be considered elected by acclamation and the membership duly informed.
(c) The ballot shall instruct the members to vote for only as many candidates as there are positions to be filled and to send their votes to the designated staff of the Faculty Association.
(d) The Board shall announce the results of the election within seven days of the close of the ballot period.
ARTICLE VI. DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD AND ITS OFFICERS
Section 1. The Executive Board shall meet at the discretion of the Chair or at the request of three members of the Board. Three members of the Board shall constitute a quorum for conducting business. The Board shall keep itself and the Association informed on matters that concern the Association’s purposes and functions as stated in Article II and may create, when appropriate, committees to assist in these duties; it shall act as the governing body of the Association between Association meetings; it shall direct the recruitment of new members.
Section 2. The duties of the officers are as follows:
(a) The Chair shall preside over meetings of the Association and of the Executive Board, and shall issue the call for such meetings, and shall supervise the administration of the Association’s enterprises. Normally, the Chair will take the lead in keeping in contact with CUCFA, although other Executive Board members may also participate in this.
(b) The Secretary shall keep records of the Association, including the minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Association and all meetings of the Executive Board, shall conduct the ordinary correspondence of the Association, and shall issue notice of the call to regular and special meetings of the Association when requested to do so by the Chair. The Secretary shall assist the Chair in the supervision of the general program of the Association and shall act in the Chair’s stead at all Association and Executive Board meetings which the Chair is unable to attend, and will be responsible for election processing as specified above.
(c) The Treasurer shall serve as the custodian of Association funds and shall keep funds in a suitable depository, shall keep the Association’s financial statement up to date at all times and make it available to the Association upon request, shall maintain and keep a current list of the membership in good standing and make it available at any meeting of the Association when called for, shall disburse funds of the Association as authorized by the Executive Board, and shall handle the processing of membership dues and payroll deduction forms.
Section 3. Members of the Executive Board shall perform such other functions as the Board may determine. The Association or the Board may establish such committees as circumstances require.
ARTICLE VII. STAFF OF THE ASSOCIATION
The Executive Board may employ such staff as is necessary for the efficient functioning of the Association. The staff will operate under the direction of the Board.
ARTICLE VIII. DUES AND ASSESSMENTS
Section 1. The Board shall maintain an equitable dues structure. Assessments shall be at the discretion of the Board.
Section 2. Paid-up membership shall be a prerequisite for Association membership in good standing.
Section 3. In extraordinary cases where special conditions warrant that it would be equitable and justified, the Executive Board may temporarily modify or excuse the monthly dues payment of an individual member of the Association when requested to do so by any member of the Association in good standing.
Section 4. A special assessment may be levied upon the recommendation of the Executive Board and upon approval by a majority vote at a subsequent meeting of the Association, providing that the quorum requirement above is met and that the proposal is specifically announced in the call for the meeting at which ratification is proposed.
Section 5. In the event the Association dissolves, its total assets shall be divided equally among the members in good standing after all debts have been paid.
ARTICLE IX. MEETINGS
Section 1. The Executive Board will report to the membership each academic year in a general meeting or in writing or both.
Section 2. The Chair shall call a special meeting of the Association within two weeks when requested to do so by a majority of the Executive Board or on petition signed by at least 20 of the membership in good standing.
Section 3. The quorum for any Association meeting shall be ten percent of membership. Any action taken at an Association meeting shall be submitted for approval to the membership by ballot upon request of one-third of the members in attendance at that meeting or of a majority of the Executive Board.
Section 4. The Secretary shall issue a notice of any regular or special meeting of the Association at least seven days prior to the meeting date, unless the Executive Board deems that circumstances require shorter notice.
Section 5. Disputes concerned with procedures to be followed at meetings of the Association shall be resolved whenever possible according to the Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure. When this code does not resolve the procedural difficulty, the dispute may be settled by a ruling of the presiding officer, subject to reversal on appeal only by a vote of at least two-thirds of those members present and voting.
ARTICLE X. VOTING AND BALLOTS
Section 1. Except as otherwise specified in these Bylaws, those eligible to participate in any vote or ballot must be members in good standing as of two weeks prior to the date of the vote.
Section 2. Except as otherwise specified in these Bylaws, matters submitted to a vote or ballot shall require for adoption only a simple majority of those casting valid votes or ballots.
Section 3. Ballots other than those required or scheduled by these Bylaws may be initiated for any purpose by the Executive Board or by direction of a regular or special meeting of the Association. Unless the Board shall declare that an emergency exists requiring a shorter prior, or that careful deliberation is needed requiring a longer period, all ballots shall require completion of the ballots within two weeks of the date of issuance, and this shall be indicated on the ballots.
Section 4. Communications with members, including election notices, election ballots, and polls, may be conducted by regular mail or e-mail, using appropriate controls for security to be determined by the Executive Board using the technology of the moment.
ARTICLE XI. AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS
Bylaws may be amended by two-thirds or greater favorable vote of the membership in good standing responding to a ballot. Proposed amendments will be submitted to such ballot either on recommendation of the Executive Board or by petition of one-third of the membership in good standing.
ARTICLE XII. EFFECTIVE DATE
These by-laws became effective on August 1, 2013 (Article III, Section 2 amended 4/6/2015; Article V, Section 1, Section 5, Section 6(b)(c) amended 4/6/2015; Article VI, section 2(c) amended 4/6/2015, Article IX, Section 1 amended 4/6/2015; Article X, Sections 1 and 4 amended 4/6/2015;)