1. The Chairperson of each Local Committee of Adjustment under the
2. jurisdiction of a General Committee of Adjustment shall be a member of
3. such General Committee of Adjustment. Local Chairpersons
4. representing yardmasters only, may be members of the General
5. Committee representing yard/switch persons subject to approval of such
6. General Committee.
7. The officers of a General Committee of Adjustment shall be a
8. General Chairperson, one or more Vice Chairpersons, and a Secretary.
9. The officers of a General Committee must hold seniority rights in one of
10. the crafts under the jurisdiction of such General Committee.
11. Each General Committee of Adjustment shall hold a quadrennial
12. meeting in January of 1971. Beginning with this meeting not more
13. than two (2) officers of a General Committee shall be elected from any
14. one craft when such Committee represents only two crafts, and not
15. more than one officer from any one craft when such Committee
16. represents more than two crafts, except by unanimous consent of the
17. full General Committee.
18. If a Chairperson of a Local Committee of Adjustment is unable to
19. attend a meeting of the General Committee, the Vice Chairperson of
20. such Committee shall attend the meeting and represent his/her local,
21. but as such, he/she shall not be eligible for election as an officer of the
22. General Committee, except that of General Chairperson. The absent
23. Local Chairperson shall be eligible for election as an officer of the
24. General Committee of Adjustment.
25. Incumbent officers and members of the General Committee, and
26. any member holding seniority in the craft represented by the General
27. Committee shall be eligible for election to the office of General
28. Chairperson. Only members of the General Committee shall be eligible
29. for election to the office of Vice General Chairperson, or Secretary of
30. the Committee. A General Committee requiring the full-time services of
31. a Vice General Chairperson or Secretary may re-elect such officers,
32. without their being re-elected as Local Chairperson. In such cases
33. these officers may speak but shall have no vote in the General
34. Committee.
35. The officers of a General Committee shall be elected by secret vote
36. of the members of the General Committee during the quadrennial
37. meeting except as otherwise provided herein.
38. The Chairperson of a General Committee of Adjustment may be
39. elected by referendum vote instead of by General Committee vote as
40. provided for in the preceding paragraph if two-thirds (2/3) of the Local
41. Chairpersons under the jurisdiction of a General Committee, prior to
42. August 1 preceding the year of the regular quadrennial meeting of the
43. General Committee, vote for and advise the International President in
44. writing of their desire to have the Chairperson of that Committee
45. elected by referendum vote.
46. Upon receipt of such request the International President will notify
47. the locals under the jurisdiction of that General Committee that a
48. referendum election for General Chairperson will be held.
49. Each local under the jurisdiction of the General Committee, after
50. giving at least fifteen (15) days prior notice thereof, shall schedule a
51. meeting to be held prior to October 1, at which nominations for General
52. Chairperson will be accepted.
53. Nominations for General Chairperson will only be accepted when a
54. petition is signed by at least five (5) members holding seniority rights in
55. one of the crafts and holding membership in one of the locals under the
56. jurisdiction of the General Committee. The petition shall be presented
57. to the Secretary of the local no later than the meeting scheduled to
58. accept such nominating petitions.
59. The Local Secretary shall certify the names of candidates and
60. forward same to the International President by certified mail no later
61. than ten (10) days after the nominating meeting. The International
62. President shall have prepared ballots placing the name of the
63. incumbent candidate on the ballot first and the names of the other
64. candidates in alphabetical order. The International President shall send
65. a ballot as described in Article 57 to each member entitled to vote no
66. later than October 25. Only members employed under the jurisdiction
67. of a General Committee of Adjustment shall be eligible to vote in the
68. referendum election for the Chairperson of such Committee. The
69. International President shall request a list of eligible voters to be
70. prepared by the General Secretary and Treasurer showing the names
71. and addresses of the members paying General Committee assessments
72. to that General Committee for the month of August preceding the
73. election.
74. The International President shall arrange for the General Secretary
75. and Treasurer to receive and tabulate the ballots. The envelope
76. addressed for the return of such ballot shall be addressed to the
77. General Secretary and Treasurer and shall not be opened prior to the
78. date set for tabulation.
79. The General Secretary and Treasurer will tabulate the ballots
80. between November 10 and November 15 and shall notify the General
81. Chairperson and candidates the date set for tabulating the ballots.
82. Each candidate, or his/her representative, may witness the tabulation
83. at his/her own expense.
84. The General Secretary and Treasurer shall immediately notify the
85. International President, General Chairperson, candidates, and each
86. local the results of the election.
87. The candidate receiving a majority of the votes cast shall be
88. declared elected. If no candidate receives a majority on the first ballot,
89. all but the two candidates receiving the largest vote will be dropped
90. from the ballot, and a second election will be held in the same manner.
91. In case of a tie, the General Secretary and Treasurer shall be governed
92. by the applicable provisions of Article 57.
93. A defeated General Chairperson shall not sign system agreements
94. unless they are also signed by the Vice Chairperson and Secretary of
95. the General Committee. A defeated General Chairperson shall not close
96. out pending cases unless concurred in by the Vice Chairperson and
97. Secretary of the General Committee.
98. The cost of a referendum election for General Chairperson shall be
99. considered as General Committee expense under Article 84, and such
100. expense shall be paid by the General Secretary and Treasurer from
101. the appropriate General Committee fund.
102. The Chairperson of each General Committee of Adjustment shall
103. convene the full Committee between January 1 and May 31 following
104. the completion of the quadrennial elections for Local Committees of
105. Adjustment, or as soon thereafter as elections are completed, and
106. quadrennially thereafter. Actions of the General Committee shall be
107. retroactive to January 1 of that year. In the event the Chairperson fails
108. to convene the Committee, the Committee shall be convened by the
109. International President on request of one or more locals.
110. When the Chairperson had been elected by referendum vote, the
111. results of the vote shall be announced on the first day of the
112. quadrennial meeting and the Chairperson elected shall immediately
113. assume the office.
114. A General Chairperson shall have no vote in General Committee
115. meetings except in case of a tie vote on matters other than elections,
116. the Chairperson will cast the deciding vote. In case of a tie vote in a
117. Committee election after five (5) secret ballots the Chairperson shall
118. then be permitted to vote.
119. Each General Committee of Adjustment may adopt its by-laws and
120. procedures, establish salaries, set the amount of General Committee of
121. Adjustment dues, and such other matters necessary for its operation,
122. subject to the provisions of this Constitution.
123. The International President may grant dispensation for the
124. establishment of separate General Committees of Adjustment for the
125. various crafts represented by the United Transportation Union. Each
126. such Committee shall be maintained by dues and/or assessments levied
127. upon the members under the jurisdiction of such Committee.
128. If less than three (3) locals are located on a property, the General
129. Chairperson shall be elected by referendum vote.
130. A General Chairperson may not serve as Local Chairperson, except
131. when there is only one local on a property the Local Committee of
132. Adjustment shall constitute the General Committee of Adjustment.
133. In Bus Department Locals where there is one Local on a property,
134. General Committees of Adjustment and/or officers representing the
135. United Transportation Union, shall not revise or amend general or
136. system schedule rules unless authorized to do so by a majority of votes
137. cast by the members of the craft under the jurisdiction of the General
138. Committee.
139. The Secretary of the General Committee shall promptly notify the
140. International President in the event of a vacancy in the office of
141. Chairperson. The International President shall order an election, to be
142. held in accordance with the provisions of this Article, to fill the vacancy.
143. In the interim the Vice General Chairperson designated by the
144. Committee at the time of his/her election will fill the vacancy.
145. Vacancies in the office of Vice General Chairperson or Secretary of
146. the General Committee shall be filled by a majority vote of the General
147. Committee, while in session, or by secret ballot conducted by mail as
148. follows: The Chairperson will set a period in which any member of the
149. Committee may nominate another member of the Committee to fill the
150. office. When the period for making nominations has expired, the
151. Chairperson shall prepare ballots, placing the names of the candidates
152. in alphabetical order. He/she shall furnish ballots to each member of
153. the Committee, with notification as to the date on which the ballots
154. must be returned for tabulation. On the date specified, the
155. Chairperson, with the assistance of at least two members of the
156. Committee or two officers of the nearest local, shall tabulate the ballots
157. and certify the results to the Secretary of the General Committee. The
158. Secretary of the General Committee shall report the results of the
159. election to the locals and members of the General Committee.
160. General Chairpersons or Executive Committee of General
161. Committees of Adjustment may voluntarily consolidate their committees
162. under such terms and conditions as they deem appropriate subject to
163. approval by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members of each General
164. Committee of Adjustment involved and the International President.
165. In the event 25% of the members working under the jurisdiction of
166. a General Committee of Adjustment petition the Secretary of the
167. General Committee to circulate a referendum ballot on a proposition of
168. discontinuing the officers of their committee and consolidating their
169. committee under the officers of another committee holding similar
170. jurisdiction on the same property, the Secretary will prepare a ballot on
171. the proposition to be circulated among the members involved by the
172. Secretaries of the locals involved. Upon approval by a majority vote of
173. the membership represented by such committee, a referendum ballot
174. will be circulated among the membership represented by the other
175. General Committee of Adjustment involved in the consolidation. Upon
176. approval by a majority vote of the membership under the jurisdiction of
177. such other committee, the officers of the committee being dissolved
178. will, within sixty (60) days, make an orderly transfer of the property,
179. funds, and files to the committee having jurisdiction.
180. If as a result of the referendum vote it is the desire of the
181. membership represented by the two General Committees to
182. consolidate, a referendum election will be held as provided in this
183. Article to elect a General Chairperson from the two incumbent General
184. Chairpersons. The defeated General Chairperson will become an
185. assistant General Chairperson of the consolidated General Committee
186. and shall be placed in no worse position with respect to salary or
187. compensation. His/her term of office as assistant will expire at the
188. same time as the General Chairperson at the next quadrennial meeting.
189. Nothing in this Article shall prevent a General Committee from
190. providing a residence property settlement, moving expense, and
191. transfer allowance for a General Chairperson who is required by the
192. consolidated General Committee to relocate his/her residence as a
193. result of a consolidation of General Committees.
