AMO Executive Board agrees on new election

AMO Executive Board agrees on new election

Special timeline for limited contest set by agreement between AMO, DOL, candidates

During its quarterly meetings in October, the American Maritime Officers National Executive Board unanimously agreed to hold a new limited election for six positions.

In a letter to the Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS), the AMO National Executive Board stated: "We understand that the OLMS has concluded that violations occurred in connection with the mailing of campaign literature and that these violations 'may have affected the outcome of the election' for six offices. Based on this conclusion and its desire to ensure that there be no question concerning the conduct of its elections, the AMO hereby agrees to conduct new nominations and a new election solely for the following offices: national president, national secretary-treasurer, national executive vice president, national vice president-deep sea, national assistant vice president at large and national executive board member-inland waters."

Although no official Great Lakes positions will be on the ballot, eligible AMO members sailing on the lakes will be permitted to vote in the limited election.

Note: please see the AMO National Executive Board's decision and the Department of Labor's acceptance of the terms for the new limited election agreed upon by the AMO National Executive Board.

The Department of Labor accepted the terms agreed upon by the AMO National Executive Board. The Department of Labor then convened a meeting, which was attended by incumbent AMO officers and unsuccessful candidates for office from the 2006 AMO election who ran for positions included in the new limited election. During the meeting, Department of Labor Election Supervisor Robert Hayes, who will oversee this limited election, worked with the attendees to establish the terms and conditions under which the new election will be conducted. The requirements and procedures specified in the AMO National Constitution will apply, but the dates for nominations, balloting and other elements of an election will be different because of the timetable agreed upon by AMO, the OLMS and the candidates. Officials elected in the new limited election will not serve full four-year terms. Instead, they will complete the current terms, which end Dec. 31, 2010.

The timeline set by the Department of Labor for the limited election is as follows:

The nomination period will be from Dec. 3, 2007, to Jan. 7, 2008 (the dates coincide with regular AMO monthly membership meetings in Dania Beach, Fla.) and the rank and file Credentials Committee will be elected at the January 2008 meetings.
The Credentials Committee will meet Jan. 15, 2008.
Mailing of ballots will occur on March 24, 2008.
Balloting period will last three months.
Ballots will not be mailed out after June 10, 2008 (two weeks prior to the tallying of ballots).
Tallying of ballots will take place June 24, 2008. Only ballots delivered by that morning will be considered.
Notice of election results must be published by midnight June 30, 2008.
Protests must be made within 10 days of the election and can be done by letter, e-mail or FAX.
Elected officials will be installed midnight June 30, 2008.

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