2006 NATIONAL APWU RETIREE AMENDMENTS ADOPTED!

FLASH NOTICE: The below synopsis of Retiree resolutions adopted by elected Delegates at previous National APWU Biennial Conventions only includes articles and sections where the name "Retiree(s)" appear. To review a up-to-date complete unabridged copy of the National APWU Constitution and By-Laws, go online to www.apwu.org and click on Secretary-Treasurer Department in the pull down menu, and click on the word Constitution located on the left sidebar! (Editor)

ARTICLE 2 - OBJECTIVES.

Section 12. (Page 3) The APWU shall encourage the formation of state and area local/local retiree chapters of the APWU Retirees Department in every state and territory of the United States, in order that all APWU dues-paying retirees and their families shall have access to state and area local/local APWU Retirees Department chapters to continue to fight for those issues which affect APWU members, retirees, and their families. (* Resolution submitted by Jack Gose, Suncoast Area Local #1228 of Florida, and adopted by Delegates at National APWU Convention held in Minneapolis, MN on Wed., Aug. 14, 2002)

ARTICLE 3 - MEMBERSHIP.

Section 4 (c). (Page 4) Members of this union who retire from employment in an APWU bargaining unit may maintain full membership with all rights of such membership by continuing to pay full per capita taxes to the APWU plus whatever local dues may be required by their local union. They shall receive a ballot from the division they last served while on active duty.

Retirees whose APWU full dues/per capita payments have lapsed, due to extenuating circumstances, may appeal for reinstatement to the APWU National Secretary-Treasurer, providing supporting documentation and accompanied by written verification by the local president and secretary-treasurer. The APWU Retirees Department Director shall review retiree appeals for full dues membership reinstatement, report a recommendation to the APWU National Secretary-Treasurer who shall present the appeal, findings, and recommendation to the National Executive Board for a final determination.

(d) (Page 4 & 5) As an alternative, such retirees shall have an option to choose to maintain full National membership with the National APWU only, by paying full National per capita taxes to the APWU plus Twenty-four ($24.00) Dollars to the APWU Retirees Department, and shall be accorded full voting rights in National Officers Election in accordance with existing provisions of the Constitution. (* Resolution No. 1 addition submitted by Jack Gose, Suncoast Area Local #1228, APWU and APWU of Florida, amended and adopted by the elected Delegates at the National APWU Convention held in Los Angeles, CA on Wed., Aug. 25, 2004)

Retirees who pay full dues to the national and local state organizations shall be permitted to vote during contract ratification. (* Resolution addition submitted by Pennsylvania Postal Workers Union and adopted by the elected Delegates at the National APWU Convention held in Philadelphia, PA on Wed., Aug. 16, 2006)

(e) (Page 5) All retirees who desire to become members of the APWU Retirees Department shall pay Twenty-Four Dollars ($24.00) per year per capita tax to the National Union. Such retirees shall elect the Retirees Department Director (Resolution ref Retirees Dept. Director election amended and adopted by the elected Delegates at National APWU Convention held in Philadelphia, PA on Wed., Aug. 16, 2006) and five (5) delegates to the national convention. The Retirees Department Director and each Retiree National Convention Delegate will have a voice and one (1) vote at the national convention. The five (5) Retiree National Convention Delegates shall be paid necessary expenses to attend the national convention. (*Original Resolution submitted, amended, and adopted by the elected Delegates at the National APWU Convention held in Detroit, MI on Wed., Aug. 17, 1994)

ARTICLE 8 - DEPARTMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES.

Section 11. (Page 15) Director, APWU Retirees Department. The Director, APWU Retirees Department, shall be responsible for the Department. He/she shall be charged with the responsibility of directing the objectives of the department, but not limited to: legislative and political activity, administering retirement educational programs, organizing new Retirees Department members and Local and State Retiree Chapters, to service the needs of the retired members and their survivors, and such other duties as may be assigned to him/her. He/she shall work under the direction of the President. His/her salary shall be Eighty-Nine Thousand One Hundred Seventy-Six Dollars and No Cents ($89,176.00) per annum, plus expenses.

ARTICLE 11 - NOMINATIONS.

Section 2 (m). (Page 23 & 26) Candidates for Director, APWU Retirees Department and Retiree National Convention Delegate must be members in good standing of the APWU Retirees Department, paying Twenty-Four Dollars ($24.00) per year per capita tax to the national union. A member of the APWU Retirees Department in good standing may request a nominating petition and may nominate himself or herself or any other member in good standing of the APWU Retirees Department to be a candidate for Director, APWU Retirees Department, and he/she will be elected by members of the APWU Retirees Department nationwide, or a candidate for Retiree National Convention Delegate for the region that he/she will represent, and he/she will be elected from that region. Members in good standing who are nominated by others and are not self-nominated, will be notified that they have been so nominated and must agree in writing to accept the nomination before their names can be placed on the ballot.

Section 3 (a). (Page 26) Any eligible member may secure an official petition from the Secretary-Treasurer on May 1 through June 1 of the election year. Such petitions will be duplicated by each candidate at his/her own expense and must be received no later than June 15 at 5 p.m. at a box designated by the Secretary-Treasurer. Candidates shall provide in such petitions a certification signed by them, stating: "I am a member in good standing of the ______Division." "I am employed by __________." "The title of my job is __________." "I am retired:____________." "I am not retired." Candidates for Director, APWU Retirees Department and Retiree National Convention Delegate shall certify that they are members in good standing of the APWU Retirees Department and are not employed by the United States Postal Service.

(d) (Page 27) In the event of the death of a nominee for any office or Retiree National Convention Delegate, the National Executive Board shall be empowered, in its own discretion, to take such action consistent with federal laws as it deems necessary, including but not limited to, the holding of new nominations and election for the affected office(s).

ARTICLE 12 - ELECTION PROCESS.

Section 4 (a). (Page 28) Write-in votes shall not be valid, counted or considered. Any unopposed candidate duly-qualified by nominating petition for office or Retiree National Convention Delegate, after nomination petitions have been closed, shall be declared elected, and his/her name shall not appear on the ballot.

Section 7. (Page 29) National Officers and Retiree National Convention Delegates shall be elected by mail ballot of the members for a three (3) year period, effective November 1 of the election year.

ARTICLE 16 - FISCAL YEAR, REVENUES, AND CHARTERS.

Section 2 (i). (Page 43) Local Retiree Chapters chartered to be engaged in APWU Retirees Department Programs shall receive forty percent (40%) of the annual retiree per capita tax per retiree member of that local chapter. State Retiree Chapters will receive forty percent (40%) of the annual retiree per capita tax per retiree member of that State Retiree Chapter who does not belong to a Local Retiree Chapter. (*Resolution addition submitted by Michigan Postal Workers Union and adopted by the elected Delegates at the National APWU Convention held in Los Angeles, CA on Wed., Aug. 21, 1996)

State Retiree Chapters shall receive twenty percent (20%) of the National Per Capita per Retired Member in that state, once fifty percent (50%) or more of the state retiree membership has been organized and chartered into Local Retiree Chapters by the National APWU. (* Resolution sentence addition was submitted by Jack Gose, APWU of Florida, and adopted by the elected Delegates at the National APWU Convention held in Philadelphia, PA on Wed., Aug. 16, 2006)

Ten (10) or more APWU Retirees Department members, residing within local or area local geographical jurisdiction, may form a Local Retiree Chapter. (* Resolution sentence addition was submitted by Jack Gose, Suncoast Area Local #1228 of Florida, APWU of California, and Michigan Postal Workers Union and adopted by the elected Delegates at the National APWU Convention held in Minneapolis, MN on Wed., Aug. 14, 2002)

There will be an establishment of membership jurisdiction procedures which allows for a retired member residing outside the zip code representation jurisdiction of their home APWU Local from which they retired, the option of assigning their Local Retiree Chapter membership and forty percent (40%) annual dues rebate to their home Local Retiree Chapter.