Duties of the President
As chief executive officer of the Local, the President is both Local leader and “quarterback” of the “team” of elected officers. The President provides leadership to the Local, not as a dictator, but through and with the cooperation of all the Local Officers. Decisions and recommendations of the Local Officers become the President’s decisions and recommendations. The President must see that meetings of the Local Officers are held regularly.
This will help the President carry out the responsibilities, in accordance with the IAM Constitution and your Local By-Laws.
■ Signs Vouchers & Checks
The President must make sure that all checks are properly drawn and that the bills being paid have been approved by the membership. The master vouchers are signed by the President and the Recording Secretary, after confirming all receipts are attached.
As chief executive officer of the local, the President is responsible for the constitutionality of every motion that is passed by the local. Any motion that would expend money unconstitutionally should be ruled out of order.
It should be noted that the Constitution gives the President double veto power over any expenditure that is illegal or unconstitutional. The President is required by the Constitution to countersign both the authorizing voucher and the check. By not signing either instrument, payment thereof can be stopped.
■ Chairs Local Meetings
When the membership meeting is called to order, the President and the Local Officers should have ready a prearranged agenda of business that they will bring up. They should have discussed major issues beforehand, and formulated their collective recommendations to the membership on what should be done.
In chairing the meeting, the President should act as the referee of the meeting, rather than a participant. The President must be fair and impartial during the meeting, letting everyone be heard and encouraging the local to make decisions democratically for the benefit of all.
■ Appoints Communicator and Educator and Committees Not Otherwise Provided For
The President appoints the Communicator and Educator. The President also appoints all Committees except when the Constitution or bylaws provide that a Committee shall be selected some other way or when the membership decides to select a Committee in some other way.
■ Administers the Obligation to New Members
It is one of the President’s duties to see that the obligation is administered to new members in keeping with the procedure set forth in the Ritual.
■ Enforces the Constitution/By-Laws
It has always been IAM constitutional law that the President of the local was responsible for enforcing the IAM Constitution applicable to locals and members. Under U.S. law, such as the Landrum Griffin Act, this duty is a legal responsibility as well.
In the U.S., the President is legally responsible for the faithful performance of his or her duties and is bonded for this purpose. Any act, or failure to act, may be the basis for a complaint to the Department of Labor by a dissatisfied member. As a result, it is important that the local have full and accurate minutes of the actions taken by the local during each meeting, so they can be referred to if there is disagreement.
While chairing the meeting, the President must help the Recording Secretary take accurate minutes. The President is responsible for correct wording of a motion. The intent of the mover should be clarified by the President, so that the person who made the motion and the President agree that the wording used expresses clearly what the mover intended to say.
■ Applies Parliamentary Procedure in the Union Meeting
Rules of order make it possible to get business done in an organized and fair way. Behind all the details of parliamentary procedure, there are four basic democratic principles:
The rules are the same for everybody. Every member has the same rights and the same limitations in the meeting.
The meeting can discuss only one thing at a time. This avoids confusion.
The majority rules.
The minority has a right to be heard. No matter how unpopular an opinion is, a member has the right to speak.
The President, or the person chairing the meeting, should see that these democratic principles are carried out. Anyone who has watched a good Chairperson preside over a meeting realizes that there is more to it than knowledge of parliamentary procedure. Even when a person has mastered the parliamentary rules, there are still many decisions that have to be made on how to apply them.
This calls for common sense. If the presiding officer is too technical, the members may feel that they are being cut off, not allowed to talk. If he/she is too easy going, the membership may get restless because they think nothing is being accomplished. A good Chairperson has a sixth sense of the way the membership is reacting and guides the meeting accordingly.
Locals vary in the kind of Chairperson they need. There are locals where most members do not know parliamentary procedure and it is up to the Chair to help them and educate them gradually. In other locals, members know the ins-and-outs of parliamentary law and use this knowledge. Here you need a Chairperson who follows the rules.
In any situation where there is a controversial issue, or where there is a sharp division of opinion, the presiding officer must be careful to see that motions, discussion and voting follow proper parliamentary procedure and the IAM Constitution. This will keep dissatisfied members from questioning local actions after the meeting.
■ Handles Discussion
There are a number of common problems that crop up in meetings. Here are suggestions to handle them:
Make sure members get enough information to decide on any proposal. If it isn’t clear, ask for more information from the person making a report, summarize a speech or repeat a motion.
If members are interested in what another member says, it is often best to let that member talk, even if you feel they are technically out of order.
Keep a firm hand on the person who always talks too much — enforce the IAM rule on the 5-minute time limit.
Tactfully educate members about parliamentary law — don’t let it be used to confuse them.
Don’t just say, “You are out of order.” Explain how or when the member could make a point.
The purpose of the meeting is to establish a policy or decide on a general program. Refer details to Committees for a recommendation. If there is no Committee, suggest that one be set up.
Protect every member’s right to speak, even if the person has an unpopular opinion.
■ ■ The Following Rules of Order Are Provided for in the IAM Constitution ■ ■
1. On motion, the regular order of business may be suspended by a two-thirds vote of the meeting at any time to dispose of anything urgent.
2. All motions (if requested by the chair) or resignations must be submitted in writing.
3. Any conversation by whispering or otherwise, which is calculated to disturb a member while speaking or hinder the transaction of business, shall be deemed a violation of order.
4. Religious discussion shall not be permitted in the meetings under any circumstances.
■ Motions
5. A motion to be entertained by the presiding officer must be seconded, and the mover as well as the seconder must rise and be recognized by the chair.
6. Any member having made a motion can withdraw it by consent of his/her second; but a motion once debated cannot be withdrawn except by a majority vote.
7. A motion to amend an amendment shall be in order but no motion to amend an amendment to an amendment shall be permitted.
■ Debate
8. A motion shall not be subject to debate until it has been stated by the chair.
9. When a member wishes to speak he/she shall rise and respectfully address the chair, and if recognized by the chair, he/she shall be entitled to proceed.
10. If 2 or more members rise to speak at the same time, the chair shall decide which is entitled to the floor first.
11. Each member when speaking shall confine himself/herself to the question under debate, and avoid all personal, indecorous or sarcastic language.
12. No member shall interrupt another while speaking except to raise a point of order, and he/she shall definitely state the point, and the chair shall decide the point of order without debate.
13. If a member, while speaking, is called to order, he/she shall take a seat until the point of order is decided. Then, if declared in order, the member may proceed.
14. If any member shall feel personally aggrieved by a decision of the chair, he/she may appeal to the body from the decision.
15. When an appeal is made from the decision of the chair, the vice president shall then act as chairman; said appeal shall then be stated by the chairman to the meeting in these words:
“Shall the decision of the chair be sustained as the decision of the local?”
The member will then have the right to state the grounds of appeal, and the chair will give reasons for his/her decision; thereupon the members will proceed to vote on the appeal without further debate, and it shall require a majority to sustain an appeal.
16. No member shall speak more than once on the same subject until all the members desiring the floor shall have spoken, nor more than twice without unanimous consent, nor more than 5 minutes at any one time without consent of a two-thirds vote of all members present.
17. The presiding officer shall not speak on any subject unless he/she retires from the chair (except on points of order), and, in case of a tie, he/she shall have the deciding vote. Should the presiding officer retire from the chair to speak on any subject before the local, he/she shall not return to the chair until that subject matter is properly disposed of.
■ Privilege Questions
18. When a question is before the meeting, no motion shall be in order except:
To adjourn.
To lay on the table.
For the previous question.
To postpone to a given time.
To refer or commit.
To amend;
These motions shall have precedence in the order therein arranged. The first 3 of these motions are not debatable.
19. When there is an amendment to an amendment, the question shall then be put as follows:
Amendment to the amendment.
Amendment.
Original proposition.
20. When a question is postponed indefinitely, it shall not come up again except by a two-thirds vote.
21. A motion to adjourn shall always be in order except:
When a member has the floor.
When members are voting.
22. Before putting a question to vote the presiding officer shall ask: “Are you ready for the question?” Then it shall be open for debate. If no member rises to speak, the presiding officer shall then put the question in this form: “All in favor of this motion say ‘Aye’;” and after the affirmative vote is expressed: “Those of the contrary opinion say ‘No’.” After the vote is taken he/she shall announce the result in this manner: “It seems to be carried (or lost); it is carried (or lost) and so ordered.”
23. Before the presiding officer declares the vote on a question, any member may ask for a division of the house. Then the chair is duty bound to comply with the request and a standing vote shall then be taken, and the secretary shall count the same.
24. When a question has been decided, it can be reconsidered by a majority vote of those present.
25. A motion to reconsider must be made by a member and seconded by another member, both of whom must have previously voted with the majority.
26. A member being ordered to take his/her seat 3 times-by the chair, without heeding, shall be debarred from participating in any further business at that session.
27. All questions, unless otherwise provided, shall be decided in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.
The main way of conducting business during a meeting is the motion. The local cannot take action, or make decisions, unless a motion is made, seconded, discussed, passed and recorded in the minutes.
It is the responsibility of the Chair to make sure that every motion is worded clearly so that there is no doubt what the member intended by his motion. If the motion is vague, or poorly stated, the President should ask the person what the motion means. Then the Chair re-words the motion, with the mover’s consent, and the Secretary records the re-worded motion in the minutes.
The procedure for handling a main motion is illustrated below. This procedure applies to a main motion, but there are a number of other types of motions (to adjourn, to table) which are handled somewhat differently. Presiding officers should study a good book on parliamentary law.
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