(revised 6/3/04)

PREAMBLE

WE who are employed by The City of Atlanta do pledge ourselves to improve the general welfare of all employees, their families, and their dependants, and in the interest of a higher standard of citizenship, do ordain and establish these Bylaws of the Professional Association of City Employees, Local R5-50 of the National Association of Government Employees, (NAGE), SEIU, AFL/CIO.

ARTICLE I

ORGANIZATION

Section 1. The name of this Organization shall be The Professional Association of City Employees (local R5-50).

Section 2. Organization: This Local shall be organized and conducted within the framework of the national Bylaws of the National Association of Government Employees and the local Bylaws of The Professional Association of City Employees, and any amendments thereof.

Section 3. Office: This Local shall maintain its headquarters and hold scheduled meetings at the place designated by the President subject to the approval of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE II

MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Qualifications: Any person who is presently employed by the City of Atlanta in a classification approved by City of Atlanta for participation in PACE shall be eligible for membership in the Local regardless of their sex, age, race, ethnicity, disability, religion, color, national origin, or sexual orientation. In addition, City employees who are in classifications not assigned to another union may become a member by paying their dues directly to the PACE Treasurer.

Section 2. Application: An eligible person shall submit a completed and witnessed membership application form to a PACE Executive Board member, a PACE Steward, or mailed to the local NAGE office. For those persons paying their dues directly, a check in the amount of dues equal to three (3), or six (6), or twelve (12) months of dues should be attached to the application form. For persons eligible for payroll dues deduction, the original membership form will be submitted to Employee Benefits and dues will be deducted within two pay cycles. An eligible employee may become a member of PACE at any time during the year. The membership committee will make a photocopy of the original enrollment form and retain the copy for the PACE records. The applicant will be considered a member at the time they submit a completed application form and is approved by the PACE Membership Committee. Membership services cannot be provided for events that occurred before membership was approved.

Section 3. Records of Admission: The Secretary of the local shall maintain a list of the names, home addresses and other relevant contact information such as City department, work phone number and an email address (if available) of all members of the local. It shall be the responsibility of each member to insure that his/her personal information be kept current by contacting the Secretary when changes occur.

Section 4. Dues: The dues amount will be established by NAGE. Non-payment of dues for a cumulative total of three (3) months will be grounds for termination of PACE membership.

Section 5. Terminating membership: A member wishing to terminate his or her membership in the local may do so by submitting a written notice to the membership chairperson indicating the requested termination effective date. In the event a member is paying dues via payroll dues deductions the individual must also complete a withdrawal from dues deductions form available from Employee Benefits during the months of January or July of each year. The dues deduction will be terminated within two pay cycles.

Section 6. Membership Status: Membership in PACE shall be assigned a status of Active or Inactive. Active status will be assigned to those members who have submitted a witnessed application form (see Section 2. above) and are current in the payment of union dues to the local. Active status provides access to all member services and benefits from the union. Inactive status will be assigned to those members whose dues payments are not received by the first day of each month and will remain in force until dues payments are made current. Inactive status will deny a member access to member services and benefits from the union. Members in inactive status will not have the right to vote on any union issues of the Local or NAGE.

ARTICLE III

ELECTED OFFICERS

Section 1. President: The President shall be the presiding officer at all meetings of the membership and the Executive Board. He or she shall be the executive head of the Local with power to enforce the provisions of the National and the Local Bylaws as applicable. He or she shall have authority to appoint officers and committee chairs not otherwise provided for, and shall have the authority to remove such appointed persons. He or she shall, with the approval of the Executive Board, establish ad hoc committees as may be necessary to conduct Union business. He or she will be the principal spokesperson for the Local and its representative in its dealings with the City and others. The President shall have the authority to authorize expenditures of not more than two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00) for the benefit of the Local, without prior approval of the Executive Board. If the Secretary is absent, the President shall designate some other member of the Executive Board to perform the duties of the Secretary. The President shall serve as a delegate to the National Convention and shall have full authority to cast votes on behalf of the membership. If the President cannot attend the National Convention, the Vice President shall attend. If neither officer can attend, the Executive Board shall appoint an alternate representative who shall have authority to cast votes on behalf of the membership. The President shall serve a three-year term.

Section 2. First Vice President: The First-Vice President shall assist the President in preserving order and shall preside in the absence of the President, or when appointed to do so. He or she shall perform other reasonable tasks as assigned by the President subject to the approval of the Executive Board. He or she shall also replace the President in succession should the President be unwilling or unable to complete his or her term. The Vice President shall serve a three-year term.

Section 3. Second Vice President: The Second-Vice President shall assist the President in preserving order and shall preside in the absence of the President and First-Vice President, or when appointed to do so. He or she shall perform other reasonable tasks as assigned by the President subject to the approval of the Executive Board. He or she shall also replace the First-Vice President in succession should the First-Vice President be unwilling or unable to complete his or her term. The Second Vice President shall serve a three-year term.

Section 4. Secretary: The Secretary shall maintain and preserve all the records of the Local other than financial records, which are the responsibility of the Treasurer, including acting as recorder of the minutes of all general membership meetings, the officiator at any local elections and the maintainer of any election records. The Secretary will post any notices required by these Bylaws and will carry out such other specific duties as may be assigned by the Executive Board. The Secretary shall assume the duties of parliamentarian in the absence of the Under Secretary. The Secretary shall serve a three-year term.

Section 5. Under Secretary: The Under Secretary shall have the duties of parliamentarian at meetings and shall rule on any questions regarding procedures, motions, or other actions at Local meetings. Said decisions may be appealed to the entire Executive Board and a majority vote is required to override the Under Secretary’s decision. The Under Secretary shall record the minutes of all Executive Board meetings and shall assume the duties of Secretary in the absence of the Secretary. The Under Secretary shall serve a three-year term.

Section 6. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall receive and collect all monies due to PACE and shall maintain and account for all the financial records of the Local. All funds shall be deposited in a bank or credit union account in the name of PACE. The Treasurer shall send to the National Union an accurate record of all dues payments and other financial reports, as required for local affiliates. The Treasurer shall make a financial report at all regular meetings of the membership and the Executive Board. The Treasurer, along with the President and one other member of the Executive Board to be designated by the Executive Board, shall have signature access to the checking accounts. At least two (2) members of the Executive Board must approve any checks written on the bank account of the Local. The Treasurer shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President and Vice Presidents. The Treasurer shall serve a three-year term. The Treasurer shall be the Chairperson of the PACE Finance Committee.

Section 7. Vacancies: In the event that an elected office shall become vacant, and more than 120 days remain before the expiration of the term of such office, the Executive Board shall conduct a special election, with nomination and voting procedures conforming as nearly as practicable to the procedures described in Article VI of these Bylaws.

Section 8. Appointment of Officers: In the event that no member is nominated for an office, or in the event that an elected office shall become vacant and less than 120 days remain before the expiration of the term of such office, the President with approval of the Executive Board shall appoint a member to serve in such office until the next regular election of such office.

Section 9. Succession During Vacancies: Until a position can be filled, the temporary line of succession would be First Vice President to President, Second Vice President to First Vice President, no replacement for Second Vice President, Under Secretary to Secretary, no replacement for Under Secretary, Second Vice President for Treasurer. In the event that the designated officers are not available for temporary replacement, the President and Executive Board is authorized to appoint members to fill these positions on an interim basis until elections are held.

Article IV

The Executive Board

Section 1. The Executive Board: The Executive Board shall be composed of the elected officers and the Chairpersons of the Membership Committee, Political Action Committee, and Employee Assistance Committee. The Executive Board shall have the authority to authorize expenditures of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) for the benefit of the Local, without prior approval of the General Membership. Each Executive Board member shall serve a three-year term. For the first year of operations under these By Laws, the Executive Board as elected in 2001 shall continue in office until December 2004. After this initial term, all terms shall commence on January 1 and expire on December 31 following a three-year term.

Section 2. Expenses: The Executive Board members shall be reimbursed to offset their personal expenses incurred while performing Union duties directly related to Union activity, subject to approval by the Executive Board.

Section 3. Duties: The Executive Board shall conduct the business of the Union between meetings of the general membership, make disbursements of Union funds, coordinate the work of the Union, and shall meet to discuss and vote on policy issues and concerns of importance to the Local, including issues brought to it by the committees of the Local or the general membership, and shall determine what issues shall be brought before the general membership.

ARTICLE V

STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1. The President of the Executive Board shall be a voting member of all Standing Committees.

Section 2. Committee Chairpersons will be appointed by the president with approval by a majority vote of the Executive Board to serve for a term of three years. All Committee Chairpersons can be removed by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

Section 3. Membership Committee: This committee shall be responsible for efforts to solicit and retain members, and to advise the union leadership regarding issues pertaining to membership in the PACE organization.

Section 4. Political Action Committee: This committee shall represent PACE in discussions with the National Association of Government Employees, SEIU PAC, State AFL-CIO, other City unions, the City Administration, City Council, the Pension Board, the Labor Council, and other bodies in the development of policies and representation of the interests of PACE membership.

Section 5. Employee Assistance/Steward Committee: This committee shall provide advisory assistance to all members in areas regarding their working situation and will assist members to receive resources necessary to resolve conflicts related to the workplace environment. The Chairperson of the committee shall be the Chief Steward, who will be assisted by other committee members in carrying out the functions of this committee. The Chief Steward shall work with the Executive Board to establish criteria and procedures for selection of other stewards.

Section 6. Finance Committee: This committee shall develop the proposed annual budget for the local, develop policies related to the expenditure of PACE funds and will provide oversight of the Treasurer’s reports and any audit reports regarding PACE financial concerns. Policies and reports shall be submitted to the Executive Committee for review and comment. The Treasurer shall be the Chairperson of the PACE Finance Committee.

Section 7. Constitution/Bylaws Committee: This committee shall be responsible for development of amendments to the PACE Constitution and Bylaws, present draft documents to the Executive Committee for review and approval and shall provide notices to the general membership when votes are to be taken on changes to the Constitution or Bylaws.

Section 8. Nominating Committee: This committee shall be responsible for providing slates of nominees for officers during general elections as well as to fill vacancies as they occur between regular election periods. The committee shall endeavor to support diversity while recognizing leadership on PACE activities and ability to meet the requirements of the specific office under consideration.

Section 9. No Committee shall incur any indebtedness or incur any liabilities unless authorized by the Executive Board.

Article VI

NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Section 1. Nominations: The Nominating Committee shall receive nominations for officers of the union local at a dully constituted meeting that shall be held in June of the third year of the current term of officers. The time and place of said meeting to be determined by the Executive Board, for any elected office for which the term of office is to expire the following December. Notice of the time, place and purpose of the meeting shall be mailed to all active members to the address on file with the union. At such meeting, any member may nominate another member for any office so long as that nomination is seconded. Such nomination is subject to acceptance by the member nominated; if such member declines nomination, that name shall not appear on the election ballot. The election of officers shall take place on the date determined by the Executive Board, but not earlier than September 1 and no later than October 1 following the close of nominations. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a ballot of nominees for officers. Voting ballots with notice of submission due date and time shall be mailed to all members to the address on fie with the local.

Section 2. Method of Voting: The election shall be by anonymous paper ballot at a time and place determined by the Executive Board. Ballots will contain the names of duly nominated candidates, and votes shall be counted and the results announced. The duly nominated candidate who receives a majority of the votes for each office shall be considered elected. In any election where none of the candidates receives a majority, a runoff election shall be conducted within three (3) weeks of the initial election between the two candidates with the highest and second highest number of valid votes cast in the election (as consistent with the National Labor Relations Act).

ARTICLE VII

MEETINGS

Section 1. All meetings of the Local and the Executive Board shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts Rules of Orders. The President, or whoever is empowered by these Bylaws to act in his/her absence, shall preside at all meetings. The Secretary or Under Secretary shall rule on any questions of procedure and order subject to appeal to the full Executive Board.

Section 2. Quorums: For General Membership meetings, a quorum shall be constituted by a minimum of ten (10) members required for a vote. Votes shall be decided by 50% plus one (1) of the members, and proxies are not permitted except for advertised referenda. For Executive Board meetings, a quorum shall be constituted by a minimum of four (4) members required for a vote. Votes shall be decided by 50% plus one (1) of Executive Board members in attendance, and proxies will be accepted for specific issues under discussion. In the event of tie votes, the vote of the President or presiding officer shall prevail.

Section 3. General Membership Meetings: A meeting of the general membership will be held on the second Tuesday of each quarter: January, April, July and October

Section 4. Executive Board Meetings: The Executive Board shall meet at least once e every month.

Section 5. Special Called Meetings of the Executive Board: The Executive Board may conduct special meetings at the request of the President or any other three members of the Executive Board. Special meetings are only to be conducted to deal with matters that cannot reasonably be deferred until the next regular meeting. Each special meeting shall be for a specific purpose and shall be held at a time and place as reasonably convenient as possible for all Executive Board members.

Section 6. Special Called Meeting of the General Membership: The President or Executive Board may on its own initiative or upon the request of any Executive Board member, have a called emergency meeting for any purpose. A special meeting will also be called upon written petition of fifty (50) members of the Local. The special meeting shall be for a specific purpose and only that purpose may be discussed at that meeting. When necessary to hold emergency meetings, members shall be given at least three (3) days notice prior to the meeting.

ARTICLE VIII

REFERENDA

Section 1. Upon a vote of the Executive Board or the written petition of fifty members, any question of policy, expenditure of Local funds, or amendment to these Bylaws may be submitted to the membership for vote by referendum. The vote upon such matter shall be binding upon the Executive Board and officers.

Section 2. Any petition pursuant to Section 1 above shall clearly express the question to be decided by the members calling for an affirmative or negative response, shall include the question upon any list of signatures, and shall be presented to the President or Vice President.

Section 3. The Secretary shall verify the signatures and, if there are 50 valid signatures, shall certify the question for referendum.

Section 4. Upon certification of a question involving the expenditure of funds belonging to the Local, no further action shall be taken on the matter that shall impede the implementation of the vote of the members, except in the case of emergency, until the question is voted on by the members.

Section 5. Upon such certification, members shall be provided with a copy of the question and shall be notified as to the time and place of voting on the question, which shall be not less than seven days prior to the date of voting.

Section 6. Any referendum shall be by anonymous paper ballot at a meeting of the general membership and votes shall be counted and the results announced as soon as possible.

ARTICLE IX

Finances

Section 1. Revenues: The Executive Board shall determine which accounts and in what amounts to place the funds of the Local.

Section 2. Bonding of Officers: The President, Treasurer, and any member of the Executive Board designated by the President to co-sign checks and/or otherwise handle or deposit funds for the Local shall be bonded with a recognized surety company, in an amount to be determined annually by the Executive Board, but not less than ten percent (10%) of the funds handled by such person and his/her predecessor or predecessors, if any, during the preceding fiscal year.

ARTICLE X

APPROVAL AND AMENDMENT

Section 1. The Executive Board must first approve all Amendments before being submitted to the General Membership of the Local for a vote, except for those amendments submitted by petition of members as provided for in Article VIII, Section 1.

Section 2. Meetings to approve Bylaws or Amendments to Bylaws must be announced at least 10 days in advance with said Bylaws or Amendments being made available to any requesting member.

Section 3. These Bylaws and Amendments to these Bylaws shall be approved by a two thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of those present at a General Membership meeting in which they are brought to a vote. Prior to a vote, members shall be given an opportunity to comment and debate the merits of any Amendment. Members must be in attendance to vote.