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UC Merced Staff Assembly Bylaws

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Staff Assembly of the University of California, Merced hereinafter referred to as Staff Assembly.

ARTICLE II: MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Staff Assembly is to:

  • Inform colleagues about campus matters vital to their interests;
  • Foster an effective communication link between campus employees and the Administration;
  • Participate in decision-making on issues of concern to staff;
  • Foster professional contacts and friendship among staff employees;
  • Encourage participation of all staff in Staff Assembly and in campus life in general;
  • Recognize and promote the contribution of staff to the University; and
  • Support the University of California, Merced's Principles of Community.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

All non-student staff employees shall be eligible members of Staff Assembly.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

A. The Executive Board of the Staff Assembly shall be the President, Vice President, Past President, Secretary, Finance Officer, Finance Officer-Elect, Co-Chairs for Programs, Events and Outreach (two positions), and Co- Chairs for Communications (two positions).

B. Duties

The duties of the President shall be to:

  1. Preside over all regular and special meetings of the Staff Assembly and the Executive Board;
  2. Establish agenda and schedule meetings;
  3. Serve as Senior Delegate to the Council of University of California Staff Assemblies;
  4. Ensure that an orientation program is developed for Executive Board members to be conducted annually by Staff Assembly leaders;
  5. Co-sign with the Finance Officer all orders for disbursement of the funds as directed by the Staff Assembly or Executive Board, or shall designate an appropriate representative to serve instead;
  6. Ensure proper signature authorization is in place for the year;
  7. Nominate, in consultation with the Executive Board, representatives to serve on all University committees when Staff Assembly representation is requested;
  8. Represent (appoint a designee to represent) the Staff Assembly at University functions which require representation by Staff Assembly;
  9. Assume the role of Past President when term expires;
  10. Coordinate elections and certify the validity of election results;
  11. Serve as a tie breaker, except in the case of a recall of the President.

The duties of the Vice President shall be to:

  1. Perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President in the absence of the President in accordance with these bylaws and serve as President-Elect;
  2. Serve as the Junior Delegate to the Council of University of California Staff Assemblies;
  3. Assume the role of President when term expires;
  4. Serve as Chair of the Staff Excellence Awards Planning Committee;
  5. Coordinate the appointment process for Campuswide Committee Representatives including communication with general members and nominees;
  6. Participate in various meetings and processes to learn on the job;
  7. Serve as a voting member of the Executive Board.

The duties of the Past President shall be to:

  1. Serve in an ex-officio capacity;
  2. Mentor new board members;
  3. Perform special projects;
  4. Serve in an advisory capacity;
  5. Assist the President with development of member orientation programs;
  6. Serve as a judge for the Staff Excellence Awards Selection Committee representing the Executive Board;
  7. Serve as a voting member of the Executive Board.

The duties of the Secretary shall be to:

  1. Record, transcribe and distribute proceedings of Executive Board, special and general meetings;
  2. Maintain official records and reports;
  3. Provide annual training for Executive Board members regarding Robert’s Rules of Order; and
  4. Serve as a voting member of the Executive Board.

The duties of the Finance Officer shall be to:

  1. Be a fiduciary for Staff Assembly;
  2. Maintain all accounting records pertaining to receipt and disbursement of funds which accrue use for the Staff Assembly, which includes both internal and external accounts;
  3. Co-sign with the President or designee, all orders for disbursement of funds as directed by the Executive Board;
  4. Prepare monthly reports to the Executive Board; annual end-of-year reports to the Executive Board, Office of the Chancellor and General Accounting Office; and annual operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year based on anticipated expenditures;
  5. Process financial transactions on a monthly basis and review disbursement of all Staff Assembly funds;
  6. Coordinate the funding needs of various committees;
  7. Serve as mentor to the Finance Officer-Elect;
  8. Serve as liaison to campus General Accounting Office on all fiduciary matters; and 
  9. Serve as a voting member of the Executive Board.

The duties of the Finance Officer-Elect shall be to:

  1. Learn the role of Finance Officer through observing and assisting the Finance Officer carry out his/her duties;
  2. Work with the Finance Officer to maintain all accounting records pertaining to receipt and disbursement of Staff Assembly funds, which includes both internal and external accounts;
  3. Work with the Finance Officer to prepare monthly reports to the Executive Board and annual end-of-year reports to the Executive Board, Office of the Chancellor and General Accounting Office, as well as assist as needed in preparation of the annual operating budget;
  4. Assist the Finance Officer in processing financial transactions on a monthly basis and review of the disbursement of all Staff Assembly funds;
  5. Assume the role of Finance Officer when term expires; and 
  6. Serve as voting member of the Executive Board.

The duties of the Co-Chairs for Programs, Events and Outreach shall be to:

  1. Coordinate programs, trainings and social activities of Staff Assembly;
  2. Propose ideas for improving the visibility of Staff Assembly;
  3. Coordinate staff fundraising activities in support of Staff Assembly Scholarship for Employees' Dependent Children;
  4. Serve as primary liaisons between the Staff Assembly Executive Board and chairs of internal committees; and
  5. Serve as voting members of the Executive Board.

The duties of the Co-Chairs for Communications shall be to:

  1. Create and maintain the content for the official Staff Assembly website;
  2. Manage the Staff Assembly social media accounts;
  3. Provide communications and updates via email, social media and the Staff Assembly website on a regular and as-needed basis;
  4. Serve as official liaison to the campus Communications Office;
  5. Coordinate all communications between the Executive Board and Staff Assembly membership;
  6. Serve as voting members of the Executive Board

C. Terms

Vice President shall serve a term of three years total, or one year at each level (President-Elect, President and Past President). Finance Officer-Elect shall serve a term of two years, one as Finance Officer-Elect and one as Finance Chair. All other Officers shall serve a term of one year and shall be limited to a two-year consecutive term in any one office.

D. Eligibility

  1. Any member of the Staff Assembly who has completed one year of employment at UC Merced as of July 1 is eligible to become an officer on the Executive Board.
  2. Only employees from non-represented positions may hold the offices of Vice President, President and Past President.

E. Council of University of California Staff Assemblies (CUCSA) Delegates

Each participating UC location will send two delegates to participate in the Council. Each UC location shall name its delegates by June 1. Two members of the Executive Board shall serve as delegates to CUCSA each year. The term of office shall be two (2) years, the initial year as Junior Delegate and the next year as Senior Delegate. Each year will commence on July 1. The Vice President and President shall fill the delegate positions of Junior Delegate and Senior Delegate, respectively. The delegates shall speak on behalf of Staff Assembly at CUCSA meetings. CUCSA delegates must hold non-represented positions. If, for reasons approved by vote of the UC Merced Staff Assembly Board, the President or Vice President cannot serve their term as delegate, the President shall solicit interest from members of the Executive Board to serve as a delegate to CUCSA and shall appoint a Junior Delegate (and Senior Delegate should the position be open) from the pool of interested Board members. In the event that the CUCSA Delegation must be chosen from among the Executive Board, the terms of participation may be less than 12 months. 

ARTICLE V: COMMITTEES

A. Internal committees shall be established by the Executive Board as needed. Internal committees may be delegated the task of discussing and making recommendations for a wide-range of issues related to staff professional development, staff welfare, or rules and jurisdiction. Internal committees may be delegated the task of overseeing an event or program sponsored by the Staff Assembly. Internal committees may be established for at least one year or longer until issues are resolved.

ARTICLE VI: ELECTIONS AND VACANCIES

A. Officer Elections

  1. Elections for officers of the Executive Board shall be held during the month of May.
  2. The slate of candidates will be presented to the membership one week prior to the May General Meeting.
  3. Electronic votes will be accepted up to and including the day before the May General Membership meeting. Paper ballots will be accepted during the May meeting, however voting by proxy will not be allowed.
  4. All members are entitled to one vote for each office.
  5. A simple majority (50% plus one) of votes received shall constitute approval. There shall be no voting by proxy. The Finance Office and Finance Office Elect will tally and record the votes. The President will confirm the tally and votes. Results are confidential until confirmed.
  6. In the event of a tie, the officers of the Executive Board will hold a vote. If that vote is tied, the President shall be the tie breaker. Candidates who are also Executive Board members cannot vote and will abstain from voting in the event of a tie.
  7. Election results shall be announced no later than May 31.
  8. The appointment period for all officers is July 1st through June 30th of each year.

B. Recalls

Any member of the Executive Board may be asked to resign or be removed from office by a majority vote of no confidence by the Executive Board.

C. Executive Board Vacancies

  1. In the event of a vacancy of the President, the Vice President will succeed to the presidency for the remainder of both terms. This would, in turn, create a vacancy of the Vice President position.
  2. In the event of a vacancy of the Vice President, a special election will be held to fill the position.
  3. In the event of a vacancy of the Finance Officer, the Finance Officer Elect will succeed to Finance Officer and hold the position for the remainder of both terms. This would, in turn, create a vacancy of the Finance Officer-Elect position.
  4. In the event of a vacancy of the Finance Officer-Elect, a special election will be held to fill the position.
  5. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Past President, the next most recent and willing Past President will be appointed by the President.
  6. In the event of a vacancy of any remaining Executive Board positions, the Executive Board may appoint a current Executive Board member to assume those responsibilities, or may solicit and appoint another person from the eligible membership, to serve the remainder of the term.

ARTICLE VII: MEETINGS

A. Meetings

  1. Executive Board meetings will be held at a time convenient to the majority of the elected Board representatives to facilitate maximum attendance.
  2. All meetings of the Executive Board will be open to the Staff Assembly except when the agenda specifies an executive session or the Executive Board motions to go into executive session and it is approved by a majority vote of the officers present.
  3. Executive Board meetings will be held as often as required, but not less than once a quarter.
  4. General meetings of the Staff Assembly shall be held as often as required but not less than once each year.

B. Quorum

  1. Executive Board: Two-thirds of the members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum of the Executive Board.
  2. General meetings of the Staff Assembly: attendance by 10 members shall constitute a quorum of that meeting.

C. Voting

  1. All business of the Executive Board requires vote. Unless otherwise outlined in the bylaws, a simple majority (50% plus one) of the votes received shall constitute approval. The President shall be the deciding vote in the case of a tie. There shall be no voting by proxy.
  2. At General Meetings of the Staff Assembly, a simple majority (50% plus one) of votes received shall constitute approval. The Finance Officer and Finance Officer Elect will tally and record the votes. The President will confirm the tally and votes. Results are confidential until confirmed. In the event of a tie, the officers of the Executive Board will hold a vote. If that vote is tied, the President shall be the tie breaker. There shall be no voting by proxy.
  3. Electronic voting shall be allowed.

D. Release Time

Participation in this organization shall be considered an official University function. Supervisors shall encourage and support release time for employees who wish to participate in Staff Assembly activities and/or meetings according to Guidelines for Relations with Employee Associations/Advisory Groups re-issued August 28, 1979 to UC Chancellors and Laboratory Directors by the UC Office of the President. These guidelines continue to be applicable to the Council of UC Staff Assemblies and local campus Staff Assemblies. The guidelines provide that “management support of approved organizations may include ... allowing a reasonable amount of time on pay status to be devoted to legitimate association activities by officers and members.”

E. Parliamentary Authority

Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the Staff Assembly in all cases to which they are applicable, insofar as they are not inconsistent with these bylaws.

ARTICLE VIII: DISCLAIMER

A. The Staff Assembly shall in no way discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, national origin, sex, disability, gender identity/expression, or sexual orientation.

B. The Staff Assembly does not function as a collective bargaining unit. The Staff Assembly does not represent employees in grievances or administrative reviews, present demands at meet-and-confer sessions or endorse legislation not supported by the University.

ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

A. Bylaws may be amended by a simple majority (50% plus one) of votes received from eligible members at any regularly scheduled Executive Board meeting or General Membership meeting of the Staff Assembly provided the membership has been notified, in writing, thirty (30) days prior to the commencement of voting.

B. Amended by General Membership on April 22, 2019.