"Everyone appreciates the loyalty, hard work, and dedication of the staff and wants to see their situation improve markedly."

                                                                                                      Chancellor Robert Birgeneau

BSA By-Laws

      Berkeley Staff Assembly     

 

Approved: March 2006

I. Name: The name of the organization shall be the Berkeley Staff Assembly, hereinafter referred to as BSA.

 

II. Mission Statement: The mission of BSA is:

-to inform colleagues about campus matters vital to their interests;

-to foster effective communication links between campus employees and the Administration;

-to participate in decision-making when invited by the Central Administration, in a manner

   that assures that staff concerns and perspectives are included;

-to foster professional contacts and friendship among staff employees;

-to encourage participation of all staff in BSA and in campus life in general;

-to recognize and promote the contribution of staff to the University.

 

III. Membership:

General

All staff, career and limited (non-student) employees, in all staff (non-academic) personnel programs at Berkeley shall be eligible for membership in BSA. An eligible employee may become a BSA member in good standing upon payment of the current dues.  The membership year is July 1 to June 30.

 

Associates

Retired staff employees, non-Senate academic employees, and others approved by the Coordinating Committee may become Associates upon payment of the annual membership dues. Associates shall have all the rights and privileges of members in good standing, except that they are not eligible for election to the Coordinating Committee.

                                                                   

IV. Organization:

A. Coordinating Committee

1. Membership:  The Coordinating Committee, hereinafter referred to as the CC, shall consist of at least 12 but not more than 24 BSA members in good standing, who are career staff employees at Berkeley, and who are elected to the CC by a majority of the general members voting.

2. Terms: Members are elected by mail or email ballot for three-year terms, beginning July 1. A partial term counts as a full term. Members are limited to two consecutive terms, but are eligible for re-election after a one-year interval. A member may serve more than six consecutive years to complete service as BSA delegate to the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA). In no case will members serve more than nine consecutive years.

Vacancies: The CC will select nominees to complete unexpired terms by soliciting nominations from CC or Executive Committee members of BSA members in good standing. If membership on the CC is at 12 or more, the CC retains the option to fill or not fill any vacancy. The nominee(s) selected to fill the vacancy(ies) must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the entire CC. Votes may be cast in person or via email.

 

Duties of the CC: provides consultation as required on behalf of BSA in campus and systemwide administrative activities; assumes other responsibilities as specified elsewhere in these Bylaws and in the Operating Procedures.

 

Officers

The Officers are: Chair(s), Chair(s)-Elect, Secretary(ies), and Treasurer. All positions other than Treasurer may be held by two people.  If two people choose to hold one of these offices as a team, they must put their names in nomination for the office as a team.

 

Elections: Officers are elected from the CC membership by a two-thirds vote of the entire CC.  Votes may be cast in person or via email.  These elections must be completed by June 1.

The Chair(s) and Chair(s)-Elect must have had prior service as CC members.

 

Terms: Officers serve for a term of one year, beginning July 1. Officers shall not serve in any combination of offices for more than four successive years, but are again eligible after a one-year interval. A partial term counts as a full term.

 

Vacancies:  If an officer must resign before the term is up, the CC will solicit nominations of CC members for the balance of the term.  If there are multiple eligible candidates for the position, election will be by a two-thirds vote of the entire CC.  Votes may be cast in person or via email.

 

Duties:

Chair(s): presides over CC and General Membership meetings; assumes other responsibilities as specified elsewhere in these Bylaws and in the Operating Procedures.

Chair(s)-Elect assumes the duties of the Chair(s) in the absence of the Chair(s) and in accordance with the Bylaws and Operating Procedures; assumes other responsibilities as specified elsewhere in these Bylaws, in the Operating Procedures, or as requested by the Chair(s).

Secretary(ies): takes and prepares CC minutes and submits them in a timely manner for approval by the CC; assumes other responsibilities as specified elsewhere in these Bylaws and in the Operating Procedures.

Treasurer: coordinates production of the annual budget; has responsibility for processing all financial transactions on a timely basis; provides written quarterly financial reports to the Chair(s); oversees maintenance of  membership database; assumes other duties as specified elsewhere in these Bylaws and in the Operating Procedures.

 

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee consists of the Chair(s), Chair(s)-Elect, Secretary(ies) and Treasurer. The Executive Committee is assigned duties by the Chair(s). 

 

Delegates to the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA)

CUCSA is composed of delegates from the staff assemblies of each of the campuses, the laboratories of the University, and the Office of the President.  The CUCSA delegates for the Berkeley campus will be selected by the CC.

                 Election and Terms:

There are two BSA Delegates to CUCSA and one Alternate, who attends CUCSA meetings in the absence of one of the two Delegates. The two Delegates must be elected in accordance with CUCSA eligibility requirements and regulations and by a two-thirds vote of the entire CC.

The Chair(s) will serve as Alternate. If the Chair(s) cannot so serve, the CC will fill the vacancy of Alternate from its membership.

Delegates serve two-year staggered terms and are limited to two consecutive terms.

The CC by two-thirds vote can approve exceptions to the term limits on the CC if necessary for continuity of membership to CUCSA.

 

Duties:

Delegates serve as liaison between BSA and CUCSA, attend the CUCSA meetings, and transmit information between the two groups.

When there are CUCSA meetings in which voting on substantive issues will take place, Delegates will circulate relevant materials in advance of the last CC meeting prior to the CUCSA meeting when it is possible to do so. The Chair(s) will initiate a discussion of and put to a vote all such substantive issues, and the Delegates will convey such decisions and/or resolutions in their CUCSA discussions and votes.

Delegates assume other responsibilities as specified elsewhere in these Bylaws and in the Operating Procedures.

 

V.  CC Meetings:

Schedule: Meetings are held semi-monthly and are open to the general membership.

Executive Session: Executive Session may be convened by either the Chair(s) or a majority of the CC.

Quorum: A simple majority of the CC constitutes a quorum. In the absence of a quorum, those present may act, submitting such action for ratification to the CC at a subsequent meeting or by email ballot of the CC.

 

VI. Other Committees:

These include Standing Committees, Ad Hoc Committees, and the Nominating Committee.

The Chairs of these Committees shall be appointed by the Chair(s) in consultation with the CC.

Conduct of Committees:

Standing and Ad Hoc Committees:

Standing Committees include, but are not limited to, Career Development, Events, Excellence in Management, Membership, Newsletters, Programs, Scholarship, and Website Management.

Ad Hoc committees will be established as needed.

Chairs of Standing Committees shall be current or former members of the CC.  Committee chairs must submit a summary of the year’s activities by the first meeting in June, and are expected to supply a report on their committee’s activity for the fall and spring newsletters.

Terms of office for both Standing and Ad Hoc committees shall be determined by the CC.

By the first meeting in May, each committee chair will submit a statement of goals, action plans, and budgetary requirements for the coming year to the Chair(s).  Any revisions to these documents must be presented to the Chair(s) in writing before implementation.

The committee chair is responsible for actively recruiting committee members.

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee shall be formed at the January meeting of the CC when the Chair(s) appoint a Nominating Committee Chair from the membership of the CC.

The membership of the Nominating Committee shall include the appointed Nominating Committee Chair and the Chair(s)-Elect of the CC.  There must be at least three members.  If the required members do not make a full committee, other CC members will be appointed by the Chair(s).

The Chair(s) and those seeking re-election to the CC are ineligible to serve on the Nominating Committee.

Duties of the Nominating Committee: conducts the annual election of members to the CC by vote of all BSA members; assumes other responsibilities as specified elsewhere in these Bylaws and in the Operating Procedures.

Should the election result in a tie among nominees, the matter will be resolved by a vote of the CC.

 

VII. Membership Dues:

Dues are set by the CC and announced with the annual budget.  All dues changes take effect on July 1.

Membership dues are used for expenses as approved by the CC.

 

VIII. Elections and Voting in General:  The simple majority of votes cast, except where otherwise stated in these Bylaws, determines the results of all elections, whether by voice vote at a meeting or by mail or email ballot.

 

IX. Parliamentary Authority: Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, or any other parliamentary authority approved by the CC, shall govern the CC in all cases to which they are applicable and insofar as they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws.

 

X. Removal from the CC: Any member of the CC may be asked to resign or be removed from office, in accordance with guidelines outlined in the Operating Procedures, by a two-thirds vote of the entire CC. Resulting vacancies on the CC shall be filled as specified in Section IV.A.3.

 

XI. Changes to Bylaws:

A. The CC acting as a group, or any BSA member with the endorsement of five other members, may propose changes to these Bylaws.

B. A Bylaw Committee will be formed to prepare the formal changes for review by the general membership.

C. The Bylaw Committee must notify the membership that proposed revisions are posted on the BSA website and schedule a general membership meeting to discuss the proposal to be held within 30 days but not sooner than 10 days after the notification is sent.

Subsequent to the general meeting, the proposed changes shall be voted on by the membership. A two-thirds vote of ballots cast is required for approval.

 

XII. Operating Procedures:

A. Operating procedures shall be included as an Appendix to these Bylaws.

The Procedures are approved or amended by the vote of a majority of the CC.

BSA Officers 2008-2009

 

Kate Benn
Chair

 

Eileen Bell

Chair-elect

 

Marjorie Ensor

Kendall Moalem

Co-Secretaries

 

Scherry Royal

Treasurer

 

 

CUCSA Delegates 2008-2009

 

Beverly Skinner

Senior Delegate

 

Paul Riofski

Junior Delegate