Taking steps to increase membership participation in union democracy

Taking steps to increase membership participation in union democracy

By Tom Bethel
National President

During a meeting of the National Executive Board of American Maritime Officers in New York City on Oct. 19, I proposed two significant, sensible and long overdue amendments to the AMO National Constitution -- one to give unemployed radio-electronics officers a break on AMO membership dues, and one to bring AMO even closer to greater membership participation in union-wide secret ballot elections and to elections that end without doubt and without dispute.

The National Executive Board approved both amendments unanimously, and AMO members approved the amendments -- expressed as AMO National Executive Board Resolution 4 and AMO National Executive Board Resolution 5, respectively -- during the regularly scheduled monthly membership meetings in Dania Beach and Toledo as provided for in Article XXV of the AMO National Constitution. There was no quorum in Brooklyn.

Article XXV of the AMO National Constitution reads in its entirety: "This constitution shall be amended in the following manner. The national executive board may propose and submit to the membership proposed amendments which, if approved by a majority vote of the membership, shall be deemed adopted. Such submission may be to the membership at regular monthly membership meetings or by mail ballot referendum as the national executive board may determine."

Resolution 4 noted that, under Article V, Section 1(e) of the AMO National Constitution, the National Executive Board of AMO is authorized to establish AMO dues rates for sailing and non-sailing members.

"The AMO National Executive Board has become aware of the fact that employment opportunities for electronic technicians and radio officers who are members or applicants for membership (have) become severely limited," Resolution 4 stated.

In the interest of fairness to these AMO members who are difficult to place in seagoing jobs, Resolution 4 provided that, beginning Jan. 1, 2008, the annual dues rate for Group 2 electronic technicians and radio officers falling short of 200 days of covered employment "shall be the annual non-sailing dues rate of $96 per quarter specified in Article V, Section 1(e) of the AMO National Constitution."

Resolution 4 also provided that radio-electronics officers "shall not pay any percentage increases specified in Article V, Section 1(b), for the calendar year."

Under Resolution 5, all AMO book members will be issued ballots at the beginning of the voting period in each AMO election of officers and executive board members and in each AMO referendum, regardless of their individual dues status at the time the ballots are mailed. Applicants who subsequently become full book members of AMO before voting is completed will receive ballots as well.

Before Resolution 5, membership "in good standing" -- with dues paid through the fourth quarter of the election year -- was required for receipt of a ballot and for the counting of that ballot by the rank and file tallying committee. Under the amendment provided for in Resolution 5, membership "in good standing" is required only when the ballot is counted.

"All members shall be mailed a ballot on October 1 of the election year," said the specific language in Resolution 5. "In order for the member's ballot to be counted, the member must be in good standing for the quarter in which the ballot cast is to be counted, not later than November 30 of the election year."

The constitutional amendment provided in Resolution 5 eliminates an unnecessary step in ballot reconciliation -- an AMO member's standing at the time the ballot is counted is what matters more in the context of voter eligibility.

More importantly, this constitutional amendment will enhance democracy in AMO by making it easier for all members to vote.

Greater participatory democracy in American Maritime Officers was the reason for two other initiatives pursued this year at my direction:

The elimination of dues check-off in inland waters fleets -- this action puts all deep-sea, Great Lakes and inland waters members on equal footing in the important and equitable sense that it makes each individual solely responsible for the timely payment of dues and the maintenance of "good standing" as defined in the AMO National Constitution. There was no dues check-off system in the ocean-going and lakes fleets.

The hiring of True Ballot Inc., an independent and highly respected company, to administer AMO elections -- AMO will provide the appropriate membership data, but no AMO official, representative or employee will be involved in the preparation, printing or distribution of ballots. True Ballot will do it all. The True Ballot method provides for electronic voting with a paper trail, ballot tracking by AMO members through secure individual bar codes and the participation of a rank and file tallying committee and the AMO membership when the ballots are counted.

The elimination of dues check-off, the services of True Ballot Inc., and the AMO National Constitution amendment provided for in Resolution 5 will apply during the forthcoming limited election agreed to recently by American Maritime Officers and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Nominating and voting requirements and procedures specified in Article X and Article XI of the AMO National Constitution will also apply during the limited election, although the pertinent dates for nominations and balloting will change -- this time only -- under this unusual circumstance. All AMO members will be notified of the timeline for nominations and balloting in the limited election as quickly as possible.

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