By-Laws & Operating Procedures

Berkeley Staff Assembly
Governing Council Bylaws

  1. Name, Purpose, & Guiding Principles
    1. Name: The name of this organization shall be the Berkeley Staff Assembly Governing Council, hereinafter referred to as the Council. The Council serves as the elected and appointed officials advocating on behalf of the Berkeley Staff Assembly (BSA), hereinafter referred to as the Assembly. The Assembly is inclusive of both the policy-governed and represented staff of UC Berkeley.
    2. Purpose: The purpose of the Council is to support the welfare and diversity of the Assembly. The Council does this by serving in an advisory capacity to our campus leadership and other campus partners and organizations. Our advocacy promotes better communication and relations among the Assembly and the larger campus community.
    3. Council of UC Staff Assemblies: The Council collaborates with and is recognized as a member of the UC Council of Staff Assemblies, hereinafter referred to as CUCSA. The Council sends two delegates to CUCSA to coordinate advocacy efforts at the campus and systemwide levels.
    4. Guiding Principles
      1. Nondiscrimination: The Council shall in no way discriminate against or harass any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, veteran status, or status within any other group protected by federal, state, or university policy.
      2. Principles of Community: The Council supports and maintains the Principles of Community as designated by the University of California, Berkeley community.
      3. Commitment to Diversity: The Council values and is committed to diverse membership. The Council recognizes that advocacy is more effective and inclusive when as many campus constituencies are involved in direct participation as possible. To that end, recruitment efforts should include the proactive inviting of campus partners from all backgrounds (different divisions, career roles, held identities, etc.) to serve.
  2. Council Membership
    1. Membership
      1. The Council shall be the governing body of the Assembly.
      2. The Council shall consist of at least 12 but not more than 24 members.
      3. To be eligible for membership on the Council, staff must have completed six months of service in a staff role at UC by the start of their first term (July 1).
      4. The following individuals are invited to sit with the Council as non-voting ex-officio members:
        1. The sponsor of the Council.
        2. CUCSA officers, if from the Berkeley Campus and not currently serving on the Council.
        3. Staff Advisors to the Regents (STARs), if from the Berkeley Campus and not currently serving on the Council.
        4. Members from the Campus Advisory Committee on the Staff Experience (CACSE) or other campus stakeholder groups as applicable.
    2. Term of Service
      1. Members from the Assembly are elected to the Council for three-year terms. Terms begin on July 1 and end June 30.
      2. Contracted staff employees, or other employees for whom serving a three-year term is not possible, may serve a shorter term. When allowed by a renewal of their contract, their elected term shall be extended up to the full term of three years.
      3. Any member of the Council who has won two sequential general membership elections is not eligible to run for additional terms until they have observed a one-year interval off the Council. Volunteering as an Assembly member on a Council working committee does not count as Council service for the purposes of calculating election eligibility.
      4. A member of the Council regularly found to be derelict in the duties as outlined in Section II.D or in opposition to the guiding principles of the Council as outlined in Section IX, may have their term ended prematurely. A member of the Executive Committee may approach such a member to discuss changes in their service, or voluntary resignation. A vote of no-confidence in a given member may be called by another member of the Council, and if a two-thirds majority support the removal, the remainder of the member’s term shall be suspended.
    3. Council Elections
      1. Election to the Council is governed by the Election Committee, which shall convene in the spring semester, facilitate, and certify the annual election by the last Council meeting in June.
      2. The number of seats available on the Council is determined by the Election Committee.
      3. If there will be open seats at the start of the next term, the Election Committee shall call for nominations from the Assembly to run for those seats. The Election Committee and all current Council members should engage in outreach to potentially interested Assembly members to create a diverse pool of nominees that reflect the diversity of the campus.
      4. After the nomination period, an election shall be held.
        1. Available seats shall be filled by the candidates receiving the highest number of votes.
        2. No candidate shall be seated unless they receive votes from at least 10% of the total ballots cast.
        3. Should the election result in a tie among nominees, the matter shall be resolved by a vote of the Council.
          1. If a current Council member is one of the tied candidates, and if breaking any tie could affect their election result, they shall recuse themselves from voting on the tied ballot.
      5. The election for Officers is defined in Section III.D and shall take place after the Assembly votes to fill the Council.
    4. Duties
      1. All Council members shall attend the meetings of the Council called by the Chair, and meaningfully engage with the general business of the Council. If a member’s schedule prevents participation in regularly scheduled meetings, alternate accommodations for committee/event updates may be arranged with the Executive Committee.
      2. Provide advice to the Chair on all positions of import to the Council. Council approval is required by the Chair prior to any official written statement on behalf of the Council.
      3. All Council members shall have at least one internal committee assignment or leadership role (officer or committee chair) each year of service.
      4. In the event the Council creates new internal committees or is asked for representatives on external committees, members may be appointed by the Chair. If the assignment is contested by a current Council member, the assignment shall be made by a majority vote of the Board.
  3. Officers
    1. Officers
      1. The Officers of the Council shall be: Chair, Chair-elect, Past-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Operations Officer, and First/Second-Year CUCSA Delegates.
      2. Officer roles may be held by a team of two, per Section III.D.3.
    2. Qualifications
      1. Council members who are completing the third year of a term of service must be re-elected to the Council by a vote of the Assembly before being eligible for nomination to an officer role.
      2. Contract employees must have an active contract for the duration of a given officer role to be eligible for nomination to that role.
      3. Candidates for Chair, Chair-elect, and both CUCSA Delegates must be non-represented. Should members in these roles become represented, their term shall immediately end.
      4. In addition to being non-represented, candidates must satisfy any other CUCSA requirements/bylaw conditions to be eligible CUCSA Delegates.
    3. Terms
      1. The Secretary, Treasurer, and Operations Officers shall all serve one year terms.
      2. CUCSA Delegate shall serve two years in the successive roles of First-year Delegate and Second-year Delegate.
      3. The Chair-elect shall serve three years in the successive roles of Chair-elect, Chair, and past-Chair.
      4. Any Council member elected to a multi-year office at the end of their term shall be automatically granted an extension to their term to cover the entire officer role to be served. Once the extended term ends, they would be free to run for a second term provided they are in compliance with the limits outlined in Section II.B.3.
    4. Elections
      1. Following the conclusion of the annual Council’s general membership election, the Election Committee shall facilitate the election of officers for the following year’s Council.
      2. Candidates for Chair-elect, First-Year CUCSA Delegate, Secretary, Treasurer, and Operations Officer shall be nominated by current Council members.
      3. If two candidates wish to serve in an officer role together, they must run for election together and present a joint candidate statement outlining how they intend to distribute the duties of the role.
      4. Only current Council members may be nominated, and only current Council members may vote.
      5. All officer elections are awarded by simple majority vote of current Council Members.
      6. Officer elections shall be concluded before the end of June.
    5. Duties
      1. The Chair:
        1. Presides at all Council and Executive Committee meetings.
        2. Facilitate meetings of the Council with outside stakeholders as appropriate (e.g., CHRO, Chancellor, etc).
        3. Serve as the official spokesperson of the Council or designate a proxy as such.
        4. Call ad hoc meetings as circumstances may warrant.
        5. Appoint Council members to standing internal committees, working committees, and external committees as needed.
        6. Approve any correspondence to external stakeholders or to the broader Assembly.
        7. Attend regular meetings with the Council’s sponsor or other stakeholder groups as applicable.
        8. Submit the approved budget to the Council’s Sponsor for approval.
        9. Approve any expenses in excess of the approved budget.
        10. Finalize and distribute the annual report.
        11. Assume the role of past-Chair the year following their term as Chair.
      2. The Chair-elect:
        1. In the absence or inability of the Chair, the Chair-elect shall perform the duties of the Chair.
        2. Assume the role of Chair the year following their term as Chair-elect.
        3. Shall assume such additional responsibilities as designated by the Chair.
        4. Chair the Election Committee.
        5. Serve as liaison for all other standing internal committee chairs.
        6. Facilitate the transition of leadership teams and onboarding of new members.
      3. The past-Chair:
        1. Serve as advisor to the Chair.
        2. Chairs the By-law committee.
      4. The Secretary:
        1. Schedule meetings of the Council, Executive Committee, and other campus stakeholders as needed.
        2. Collaborate with the Chair on the preparation of meeting agendas.
        3. Record attendance and minutes of all meetings and archives appropriately.
        4. Distribute agendas, minutes, and other materials as needed to the Council.
        5. Ensure that all meetings are conducted in accordance with the Rules of Order as established by the Council and the bylaws.
      5. The Treasurer:
        1. Oversee all financial transactions related to the Council.
        2. Solicit budget requests from pertinent officers and committee chairs for the by August 1.
        3. Prepare a final budget proposal for presentation to the Council no later than the first meeting of September.
        4. Prepares quarterly financial statements for inclusion in meeting minutes and keeps the Executive Committee updated on finances.
        5. Prepares year end summary for inclusion in the Council’s year end report.
      6. The Operations Officer:
        1. In coordination with the Chair and Chair-elect, assist with onboarding of new members, and transition activities.
        2. Assist with any logistical preparations for meetings, events, or other Council business.
        3. Execute approved updates to the website as generated by any officer/committee chair.
        4. Prepare year end summary for inclusion in the Council’s year end report.
        5. Collect relevant year-end committee reports by the first meeting in June, and compile for the Chair approval and distribution.
      7. Delegates to the Council of University of California Staff Assemblies (CUCSA):
        1. Per CUCSA’s bylaws and practices, the Council sends two non-represented members to serve as Delegates thereto.
        2. Provide Council and campus updates to the CUCSA delegation.
        3. Attend quarterly in-person meetings and additional Zoom meetings as scheduled by CUCSA.
        4. Serve on CUCSA committees as appointed by the CUCSA leadership team. Perform other duties as assigned by CUCSA leadership.
        5. The first-year Delegate shall assume the role of second-year Delegate.
        6. In consultation with the rest of the Officers, facilitate the hosting of a CUCSA quarterly meeting at Berkeley once every three years.
        7. Prepare year end summary for inclusion in the Council’s year end report.
  4. Vacancies
    1. General Principles:
      1. Per Section III.A.2, all officer roles could be held by one or two people. In the case that any one member of a team of two in a given officer role resigns or otherwise is unable to continue serving, the remaining member of the team can choose to serve out the duration of the role on their own without any election. If a member serving in an officer role has lost a co-officer and wants to replace them, a nominations and elections process shall be called.
      2. If a member fills a vacancy for seven months or more, they will be considered to have served in that role a full year for any succession or term limit considerations.
    2. Chair: In the event of the Chair’s resignation from the Council or other separation that results in a vacancy in the Chair role, the Chair-elect shall assume the office for the unexpired term. This will be effective immediately upon the departure of the Chair and require no vote.
    3. Chair-elect: In the event of the Chair-elect’s resignation from the Council or other separation that results in a vacancy in the Chair-elect role, a new Chair-elect shall be nominated and elected by a simple majority vote of the council called by the Chair no later than the next scheduled meeting following the vacancy. Regardless of how long the new Chair-elect may serve, they shall assume the role of Chair in the following term as outlined in Section III.E.2.b.
    4. CUCSA Delegate: In the event of either CUCSA Delegate’s resignation or other separation that results in a vacancy in either CUCSA Delegate role, the Chair, in consultation with the remaining CUCSA delegate and CUCSA leadership, shall propose a replacement as necessary, which would be approved by a majority vote of the Council. If a member is willing and qualified to serve as a temporary CUCSA delegate, they could volunteer to cover a shorter than normal CUCSA appointment, but a member elected to serve a full term as a CUCSA delegate shall not have their term shortened by being elevated to the second-year delegate position prematurely.
    5. Secretary, Treasurer, or Operations Officer: In the event of any resignation or other separation that results in a vacancy in the roles of Secretary, Treasurer, or Operations Officer, new officers shall be sought through a nominations and elections process called by the Chair no later than the next scheduled meeting following the vacancy.
    6. Council member at large:
      1. Any unanticipated Council vacancies may be filled by the candidate with the next highest number of votes from the most recent election of Council members or by calling another election. The Executive Committee shall consider the current Council members, the work expected of the Council, and the duration of the current term to decide if a special election is needed or not.
      2. If vacancies in the general membership accumulate such that the Council no longer meets its minimum size, the Election Committee shall be charged to facilitate an offcycle election.
    7. Resignations: Any elected Council member may resign from the Council or from their leadership position therein at any time by giving written notice of their resignation to the Chair. A Chair’s resignation goes to the Chair-elect.
    8. Removal: Concerns about the performance of any member or officer should be raised with the Executive Committee. If coaching by the Executive Committee has not resulted in improved performance, a Vote of No-Confidence may be called. Any Council member may initiate a vote of no-confidence at a regularly scheduled Council meeting with sufficient quorum. If two-thirds of the members vote for removal, any officer in question shall cease holding their officer role and be returned to general Council membership immediately. The same mechanism would be used to remove a general member from the Council per Section II.B.4.
    9. Simultaneous Vacancies: In the event multiple leadership positions are resigned or vacated, new officers could be nominated and elected by a majority vote of the Council for the remaining term. In the absence of both Chair and Chair-elect, the past-Chair may assume the role of Chair of the Election Committee temporarily to facilitate the election process. In extraordinary circumstances, Council members may feel it necessary to appoint one or more past-officers to vacated roles. A past-officer may be appointed to replace any officer vacancy for the remaining term with a two-thirds majority vote of remaining Council members. At the end of the year, past-officers will terminate their service unless elected to a new term in a general election.
    10. Temporary Vacancies: In the event an officer is on a leave of absence, the Executive Committee may assign a temporary replacement provided the replacement meets the qualifications of the office. Should the same member serve in a temporary role for more than seven months, a vote shall be called as outlined above to make the appointment permanent.
  5. Meetings
    1. Council Meetings: Council meetings are held at a time optimizing attendance of the Council semi-monthly and are open to the Assembly membership.
    2. Executive Committee Meetings: Executive Committee meetings shall be convened by Chair. Executive Committee meetings shall be closed and limited to the Executive Committee. Additional members may be invited at the discretion of the Chair.
    3. Quorum: The minimum number of Council members for motions/actions to be passed shall consist of 50% of the current membership plus one. Members on a leave of absence shall not count toward the total number of current members for the sake of determining quorum. If a Council meeting fails to meet Quorum, it is at the Chair’s discretion whether to continue meeting for general discussion, or adjourn to the next scheduled meeting.
  6. Committees
    1. Internal Standing Committees: These committees have been adopted by the Council to conduct specific business of and on behalf of the Council. Internal standing committees persist unless the bylaws are amended, and include:
      1. Executive Committee: Chaired by the Chair and inclusive of the Chair-elect, past-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Operations Officer, and CUCSA Delegates, the Executive Committee provides direction to the Council for a given term. Setting meetings, agendas, and responding to the events of the day, the Executive Committee plans and responds strategically to the needs of the Council and Assembly.
      2. Election Committee: Chaired by the Chair-elect and staffed by at least one other Council member, this committee shall facilitate all elections for Council membership and Officer appointments as outlined in Sections II.C and III.D respectively.
      3. Bylaw Review Committee: Chaired by the past-Chair and staffed by the Chair-elect and at least one other volunteer, this committee shall facilitate any and all bylaw amendments or revisions as outlined in Section VIII.
      4. Communications Committee: Chaired by the Secretary, and staffed by the Operations Officer (if possible) and other members/volunteers as necessary, this committee shall be responsible for the dissemination of all approved messages of the Council and manage the information channels of the Council.
    2. Working Committees: The Council shall charge subgroups of the Council and Assembly volunteers to work on areas of interest and advancement of Assembly interests. Such committees may roll from year to year, or come and go as specific needs rise and are met. Active committee charges, membership, and progress will be published as applicable on the Council’s website.
    3. Leadership: Both internal standing committees and working committees shall be led by a committee chair. Some chairs are prescribed by the bylaws, and some shall be appointed by the Chair. Committee chair duties are listed here:
      1. Provide strategic direction and facilitation for any necessary meetings and work plans for the term (typically one year starting on July 1).
      2. Report to the Council all pertinent updates and outstanding action items.
      3. In consultation with the Operations Officer, ensure the committee is appropriately staffed with Council and Assembly members. Monitor the progress of the committee’s members.
      4. Committee chairs shall submit an end-of-year report for inclusion in the Council’s end of year report.
      5. Outgoing committee chairs shall provide mentorship and transitional support to new and incoming committee chairs.
  7. Rules of Order
    1. Voting
      1. Synchronous Voting:
        1. When a Council Member is ready to call a vote on a topic of discussion, they shall make a motion for a specific course of action provided the meeting has reached quorum. That motion needs to be seconded by another member of the Council before being considered for a vote. Absent a second, the motion is not brought for a vote.
        2. After a motion is made and seconded, and verifying no further discussion is sought pertaining to the motion, the Chair shall call a vote on the subject. Only seated Council members may vote at meetings. Those in favor, opposed, and abstained shall be counted either by voice, raising of hands, or, in the case of a digital meeting, agreed upon reactions or poll.
        3. The simple majority of votes cast, except where otherwise stated in these bylaws, determines the results of all elections.
      2. Asynchronous Voting:
        1. If there are time-sensitive issues or other unusual circumstances, the Chair may call for voting on a motion outside of a scheduled meeting.
        2. The language of the motion shall be finalized by the Chair, in consultation with the Executive Committee, and sent by email to all Council members with an explicitly set timeframe for voting.
        3. Results shall be verified by at least one other party in addition to the Chair, and a simple majority (unless otherwise noted in the bylaws) shall decide the motion.
      3. Voting Eligibility: All Council members, including Officers (except Chair), shall comprise the voting membership of the Council.
      4. Ties: In the event of any tie for any motion under consideration, the Chair shall cast one vote to break the tie. In non-tie circumstances, the Chair shall have no vote.
      5. Conflict of Interest: Any Council member or officer deemed to have a conflict of interest relating to any Council business shall recuse themselves of any related vote(s).
    2. Tabling: If it becomes clear that consensus on a topic is not being reached, either through voting or discussion, a topic may be tabled until a later date at the discretion of the Chair. Tabled items are no longer items for discussion until such time as reopened by the Chair.
    3. Budget: The annual budget shall be presented by the Treasurer to the council no later than the first meeting of September. A simple majority of the Council is required to approve the proposed budget. Any changes to the budget in excess of $500 needs to be approved by the Executive Committee. All committee expenditures or reimbursement requests shall be submitted no later than May 15.
  8. Amendments
    1. Annual Bylaw Review:
      1. Every academic year during the late fall/early winter, the Bylaw Review Committee, as defined in Section VI.A.3, shall convene and invite the Council to submit any proposed amendments.
      2. Any changes proposed by the Bylaw Review Committee shall be presented to the Council for review no later than the last Council meeting in April.
      3. If the proposed changes are approved by a majority vote of the Council, the Bylaw Review Committee shall:
        1. Provide the proposed revisions to the Communications Committee for publishing to the Council website.
        2. Provide the proposed revisions to the Election Committee for inclusion on the next ballot.
          1. The Election committee shall send the ballot such that the voting window includes a Council meeting that shall be open to the Assembly for any questions on the proposed changes.
          2. Changes to the bylaws shall require approval of two-thirds of the Assembly. There is no required minimum number of votes which must be cast.
    2. Amendments outside annual review: The Council acting as a group, or any Council member with the endorsement of five other members, may propose amendments to these bylaws outside of the annual review process outlined above. Any change proposed by the requisite numbers of Councilors outside the annual review process shall trigger an off cycle convening of the Bylaw Review Committee. The Bylaw Review Committee, in consultation with the Executive Committee, shall make a determination as to whether the proposed change warrants an off-cycle ballot to the whole Assembly, or if it shall wait for the next scheduled ballot.

Revised January 2019, Approved: February 2019
Revised and Approved: December 2009
Revised and Approved: March 2006