MSFF Constitution

Adopted, February 22, 2005. Amended, April 14, 2006, April 27, 2007, October 16, 2008, April 14, 2011, April 18, 2012, and November 13, 2015

Metropolitan State Faculty Federation
Constitution

ARTICLE I
NAME

This organization shall be known as the Metropolitan State Faculty Federation (hereafter MSFF), Local 6321 of the American Federation of Teachers (hereafter AFT).

ARTICLE II
OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this organization shall be To protect the standards, ideals, rights and traditions of the profession of university professors and instructors, including tenure and academic freedom.

  • To advance greater faculty involvement in shared governance, the formation of university policy, and all other relevant decision-making.
  • To promote the economic, social, and political basis of our profession, as well as to promote the best possible conditions for teaching and research.
  • To provide assistance in cases of arbitrary actions, and to ensure due process in the case of grievances and other complaints.
  • To support the role and mission of the Metropolitan State University of Denver (hereafter MSU Denver).

ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. All MSU Denver faculty, of any rank or status, are eligible for membership. Membership dues shall be determined by the process described in Article XI below.

Section 2. Retired and former members may maintain their membership. All retired or former MSU Denver faculty who wish to maintain affiliation, or those faculty on leave from the institution, or who find themselves temporarily unemployed, or are financially unable to maintain ordinary membership, are eligible to apply for a temporary dues reduction.

Section 3. No person shall be denied membership on the basis of arbitrary or unlawful discrimination, including but not limited to sex, gender, race, national origin, age, religious or political belief or social status.

Section 4. Faculty who are members and are appointed to administrative rank may maintain their membership, except that they are ineligible to vote or to hold office or to represent either the MSFF or AFT.

Section 5. Membership becomes effective upon date of application and is continuous during terms of good standing. A member more than thirty (30) days in arrears for payment of dues shall not be in good standing until back dues have been paid. A member in arrears for more than sixty (60) days may be dropped from the rolls of membership. The MSFF has the discretion to deny representation to those who do not maintain continuous membership. Only members, whose dues are current, and are not subject to the restrictions in Section 3, may vote or hold office in this organization.

Section 6. A member may be expelled from the organization upon the presentation of written charges, signed by the person(s) making the charges, who shall present such charges and documentation to the Steering Committee. A majority vote of the Steering Committee shall cause an expulsion hearing to be held at which the accused member shall have the right to examine and question the charges and be represented by a person of their choice. At the conclusion of the hearing, a two- thirds vote of the Steering Committee shall be required for expulsion. A person who has been expelled from the organization may appeal the decision of the Steering Committee to the membership by requesting a vote at the next meeting. The member shall be reinstated, with full rights, if a two-thirds (2/3rds) or greater majority of the members present vote to reinstate the individual.

ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS AND STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Section 1. The following officers shall be elected by the entire membership for a two (2) year term:

  • President
  • Vice-President
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary
  • Not less than seven (7) members of the Steering Committee

Section 2. To be eligible for office an individual must be a member in good standing of the organization for a period of one (1) year prior to the date of the election.

Section 3. Officers and Steering Committee Members shall be elected bi-annually by the membership by means of secret ballot.

ARTICLE V
DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1. The President shall:

  • issue the order or call to membership meetings,
  • be the presiding officer at all meetings of the membership.
  • participate in all meetings of the Steering Committee,
  • oversee the policies and the work of the organization,
  • be responsible for the continuing administration of the organization,
  • receive, report and respond to correspondence with the organization,
  • have primary responsibility for representing the union’s position to the public, and for coordinating the activities of the union’s other designated representatives,
  • be one of the responsible financial officers of the organization and shall be authorized to co-sign financial instruments and make regular and usual disbursements of funds,
  • serve as ex-officio member of all standing and special committees, except the audit committee and the elections committee,
  • make an annual report to the membership of the organization,
  • participate with the Steering Committee in the appointment of members and chairpersons of all standing committees,
  • recommend appointees to the Steering Committee to fill vacancies to the Steering Committee between elections and
  • call for a vote to approve such appointments.

Section 2. The Vice-President shall:

  • assume the duties of the President in the event of the absence, illness, or death of the President,
  • perform other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Steering Committee,
  • co-sign financial instruments in the absence of the President or Treasurer.

Section 3. The Treasurer Shall:

  • keep all financial records of the organization and make a periodic report of such records,
  • be one of the responsible financial officers of the organization and be authorized to co-sign financial instruments and make regular and usual disbursements of funds,
  • maintain, with the Secretary, accurate membership records, issue membership cards and notices of delinquency,
  • perform other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Steering Committee.

Section 4. The Secretary shall:

  • keep all non-financial records of the organization and make a periodic report of such records,
  • be one of the responsible financial officers of the organization and be authorized to co-sign financial instruments, maintain accurate membership records,
  • keep and record minutes at all official meetings, issue notices and handle correspondence at the direction of the president and the Steering Committee,
  • be custodian of the seal and charter of the union, perform other duties as delegated by the President or assigned by the Steering Committee.

ARTICLE VI
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE

Section 1. The Steering Committee shall meet at least two (2) times in the course of a regular semester or at the call of the President, or at the call of at least five (5) of its members, or at the written request of at least fifteen (15) Members of the local in good standing.

Section 2. The Steering Committee shall formulate, revise, implement, and oversee the platform and program of the organization

Section 3. The Steering Committee shall have primary responsibility for organizing and executing the various programs, strategies and tactics deemed necessary to implement the basic programs of the union, such as membership drives and educational initiatives.

Section 4. The Steering Committee shall have authority to institute additional committees, both standing and special.

Section 5. The Steering Committee shall be responsible for other business that comes before it unless explicitly excluded by a vote of the general membership.

Section 6. Any three (3) members of the local in good standing can place an item on the agenda of the Steering Committee.

Section 7. Any group of members of the local in good standing, comprising fifteen (15) members or ten percent (10%) of the general membership, whichever is higher, can call for a general vote on a particular item on a Steering Committee agenda,

Section 8. A quorum for a Steering Committee meeting shall be fifty-one per cent (51%) of its current membership as elected at the last general election by the membership and those recommended for appointment by the President and approved by the Committee.

Section 9. The Steering Committee shall appoint the chair and the membership of all standing and special committees of the organization and receive regular reports from such committees.

Section 10. Any member in good standing may attend Steering Committee meetings.

Section 11. The Steering Committee shall be responsible for the local’s adherence to the Constitution and By-Laws of the organization, and shall take appropriate measures for the enforcement of those rules.

ARTICLE VII
STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1. The following standing committees shall be active in the MSFF:

  • Membership
  • Legislative
  • Grievance

Section 2. The following special committees may be appointed by the Steering Committee:

  • Election
  • Budget
  • Audit

Section 3. Committee chairs – standing or special – shall be appointed by the President, with the consent of the majority of the Steering Committee.

Section 4. The duties of the standing committees are:

  • Membership: to insure the growth and vitality of the organization by planning and recruiting new members.
  • Legislative: to study proposed legislation which may affect the MSFF or the AFT and to consider all policy recommendations of the AFT.
  • Grievance: to review and act on all grievances or other complaints submitted to the Steering Committee.

Section 5. The duties of the special committees are:

  • Election: to conduct and supervise all elections or referenda of the organization.
  • Budget: to review the budget for the organization.
  • Audit: to audit the financial records of the organization, as specified by the AFT.

ARTICLE VIII
MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

Section 1. The time and place of annual membership meetings shall be determined by the Steering Committee.

Section 2. There shall be at least one (1) membership meeting per academic year.

Section 3. Additional meetings may be called by the Steering Committee or by petition of ten (10) percent of the membership in good standing.

Section 4. A quorum shall consist in at least twenty-six percent (26%) of the membership.

Section 5. Failing a quorum, “sense of the union” resolutions may be entertained for full consideration by the Steering Committee.

ARTICLE IX
AFFILIATIONS

This organization shall maintain additional affiliation with the following organizations:

  • The American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
  • The appropriate state federation of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
  • The state American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations.
  • The appropriate Central Labor Council(s) of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of industrial organizations.

ARTICLE X
RULES OF ORDER

Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised shall govern this organization and all of its subordinate bodies in all cases not covered by this Constitution or the By-Laws of this organization.

ARTICLE XI
FINANCES

Section 1. Dues for each year shall be determined by the membership at a regularly scheduled membership meeting. The procedure for setting dues shall be as follows:

  • The Budget Committee shall recommend a budget and a dues schedule for the fiscal year to the Steering Committee.
  • The Steering Committee will review and approve a budget and dues schedule for the fiscal year.
  • The membership shall adopt a budget and dues schedule by a majority vote, provided a quorum is present.

Section 2. This organization shall collect and pay dues for all organizations with which it is directly affiliated. This organization’s total annual membership dues shall increase automatically at such times as the AFT national per capita or AFT Colorado state per capita may be increased.

ARTICLE XII
AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION

Section 1. A proposed amendment of this Constitution may be initiated by the Steering Committee or by a petition signed by at least ten percent (10%) of the Membership in good standing.

Section 2. Any proposed amendment shall be submitted to and considered by any membership meeting.

Section 3. Members shall be informed of all proposed changes at least fourteen (14) days in advance of said membership meeting.

Section 4. Two-thirds (2/3rds) of those members present and voting at the membership meeting shall be required for passage of the amendment.

ARTICLE XI
AVAILABILITY OF CONSTITUTION

  • Three (3) copies of this Constitution and any subsequent amendments shall be submitted to the national office of the AFT.
  • One (1) copy shall be sent to the similar officer of each organization with which this organization is affiliated upon request.
  • The Secretary shall make available one (1) copy to any member of the organization upon request.