Constitution | Association of Labor Relations Agencies

To encourage cooperation among:
- Association members,
- Officials of impartial government in the United States or Canada responsible for administering labor-management relations laws or services including, but not limited to, mediation, conciliation, fact-finding, arbitration and adjudication, and
- Persons and agencies providing such services. [Article II, Section 1(b), amended August 2001.]
To encourage and promote high professional standards in the provision of such services.
To provide a forum for the discussion of labor relations problems and their solution.
To provide a medium for the exchange of information related to the aims, objectives, procedures and administration of mediation, conciliation, fact-finding, arbitration and adjudication services.
To assist its members in rendering improved services.
To promote improved employer-employee relationships in both the public and private sectors, and the peaceful resolution of employer-employee and labor management disputes.
To develop the public's interest in labor relations, and to aid labor, management, and the public in obtaining a better understanding of their respective responsibilities in the private and public sectors.
To do all things necessary and advisable for the accomplishment of the foregoing purposes.

Article III - Membership

Association membership shall be divided in the following classes:

Agency members: Any impartial government agency in the United States or Canada responsible for administering labor-management relations laws or services including, but not limited to, mediation, conciliation, fact-finding, arbitration and adjudication. Agency membership shall be subject to the approval of the Executive Board following receipt of an application from the agency and payment of the appropriate dues. The American Arbitration Association shall be permitted to maintain its current ALRA membership. [Article III, Section 1, amended July 1998.]
Honorary Individual Member: Honorary membership may be granted by unanimous vote of the Executive Board to a person not affiliated with a member agency who subscribes to the objectives of the Association and (a) who has made an outstanding contribution to the Association, or (b) who has gained prestige and brought to the profession distinction and recognition. Past presidents of ALRA are granted honorary membership automatically. An honorary member shall have the privilege of the floor, but shall not be eligible to serve as an officer of the Association. [Article III, Section 2, amended July 1998 and July 2002.]

Article IV - Amendments

Proposed amendments must be submitted to the President or President-Elect in writing, at least sixty (60) days prior to the annual meeting. This Constitution may be amended by a two-third (2/3) vote of the agency members of the Association present and voting at the annual meeting provided a quorum is present and notice of the meeting and proposed changes including Executive Board recommendations, if any, have been given to all members at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting by the President-Elect. [Article IV, amended August 2001.]

Article V - Effective Date

The Constitution, as amended, shall become effective July, 1989, and shall supersede all previous Constitutions and By Laws.

Article VI - Officers, Executive Board, and Elections

Section 1. Officers and Executive Board Membership. The Officers of this Association shall be a President, a President Elect, the Immediate Past President, a Vice President-Administration, a Vice President-Finance, and a Vice President-Professional Development. These six officers and six Board Members elected at large shall constitute the Executive Board. [Article VI, Section 1, amended July 1994, July 1998, and July 2002.]

Section 2. Eligibility and Term of Office. The President, President Elect, and Immediate Past President shall serve one year terms. The Vice Presidents shall serve staggered two-year terms. Board members shall be elected to staggered two-year terms of office, with at least three Board Member seats being open for election each year. All Officers and Board Members except the Immediate Past President, the President, and the President Elect may succeed themselves in office. In the event any officer or Board Member shall no longer be employed by or appointed to a member agency, the office being held by that person shall be declared vacant effective with the date the individual leaves the member agency. [Article VI, Section 2, amended July 1998.]

Section 3. Filling of Vacancies. In the event the office of President becomes vacant, the President-Elect shall become President and shall remain in office for the balance of the existing term and until the close of the following term. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Immediate Past President, the office shall remain vacant for the balance of its unexpired term. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President Elect, the office shall remain vacant until the next Annual Meeting. In the event of a vacancy in any other office, the vacancy may be filled by vote of the Executive Board at its next regular or special meeting. Such appointment shall terminate at the next Annual Meeting. [Article VI, Section 3, amended July 1992 and July 1998.]

Section 4. Nomination and Election of Officers. The President, prior to March 1, shall appoint a Nominating Committee. Prior to April 15, the President shall notify each member agency of the Officer and Board Member positions which are to be filled at the next Annual Meeting, together with a description of the duties of each position, the requirements for eligibility to hold each position, and a list of the incumbent Officers and/or at-large Board Members who have informed the President of their intent to seek reelection or election to any other position to be filled at the Annual Meeting. Incumbent Officers or Board Members must notify the President by April 1 of their intent to seek such reelection or election. Failure of an incumbent to so notify the President will preclude nomination of the incumbent, except from the floor of the Annual Meeting.

An agency wishing to make a nomination or nominations shall do so in writing to the President not later than May 15, together with a statement by the nominees of their willingness to accept nomination. A nominee may submit in 300 words or less a biography and statement to be included with the list to be mailed by the President to the membership. The President will submit all nominations to the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall ensure that there is at least one nominee for each position to be filled at the Annual Meeting. Prior to June 15, the President shall mail to each member agency a list of the candidates for offices to be filled at the Annual Meeting. Additional nominations may also be made by a member agency from the floor of the Annual Meeting. [Article VI, Section 4, amended July 1995 and July 1998.]

Section 5. Election Procedure. Elections for the offices of President Elect, Vice President-Administration, Vice President-Finance, and Vice President-Professional Development shall be conducted separately and in the order in which those offices are listed here. After these officers have been elected, the election of Executive Board positions shall be conducted at large. Each agency shall be entitled to cast one vote for each position. No candidate may receive more than one vote from each member agency. All elections shall be decided by plurality, with any tie votes being decided by a toss of the coin or similar random selection device. Executive Board seats will be filled in the order of votes received, with the candidate receiving the highest number of votes being elected to the vacancy with the longest available term of office.

Article VII - Duties of Officers and Executive Board Members

Section 1. President. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Executive Board; preserve order during the deliberations of the Association and the Executive Board; appoint all committees; approve all records, vouchers and other documents in connection with the work of the Association; countersign all cheques of a value in excess of U.S. $2500; set the agenda for the annual meeting of the Association and for the meetings of the Executive Board; and transact business of the Association between meetings of the Executive Board subject to the Board's approval.

Section 2. President Elect The President Elect shall chair the Policy and Constitution Committee and shall perform the duties of the President in the President's absence, and shall perform such other duties as may be directed by the President. The President Elect, in consultation with the Vice President-Finance, shall prepare a projected financial operating plan for the year in which the President Elect will serve as President and submit such plan for approval by the Executive Board at its first meeting after the President Elect is installed as President.

Section 3. Vice President-Administration The Vice President-Administration shall chair the Publications and Communications Committee; shall keep a record of the proceedings and minutes of all meetings of the Association and Executive Board; shall conduct correspondence pertaining thereto; shall compile statistics and other data as may be required; shall retain all books, papers, records and other documents pertinent to the on-going business of the Association, and shall be responsible for the archives of the Association; shall present such reports as appropriate at Executive Board meetings and annual meeting of the Association; and shall perform such other duties as may be directed by the President. [Article VII, Section 3, amended August 2001.]

Section 4. Vice President-Finance The Vice President-Finance shall chair the Membership Committee; shall receive all revenue; shall be bonded by an amount determined by the Executive Board; shall pay all bills after authorization by that Board; shall keep a full and complete record of all receipts and disbursements; shall present such reports as appropriate at Executive Board meetings and the annual meeting of the Association; and shall perform such other duties as may be directed by the President. [Article VII, Section 4, amended August 2001.]

Section 5. Vice President-Professional Development The Vice President-Professional Development shall chair the Professional Development Committee and co-ordinate the professional development activities of the Association; shall conduct correspondence pertaining thereto; shall compile statistics and other data as may be required; shall present such reports as appropriate at Executive Board meetings and the annual meeting of the Association; and shall perform such other duties as may be directed by the President.

Section 6. Immediate Past President The Immediate Past President shall serve as a member of the Executive Board and shall perform other duties as directed by the President. [Article VII, Section 6, added August 2001 and amended July 2002.]

Section 7. Executive Board The Executive Board shall be empowered to transact the business of the Association between meetings of the membership.

Article VIII - Committees and Duties

Section 1. Standing Committees

The Standing Committees shall be:

(a) Policy and Constitution; (b) Audit; (c) Professional Development; (d) Membership; (e) Program; (f) Arrangements; (g) Publications and Communications; (h) Site; (i) Nominating, and (j) Technology. [Article VIII, Section 1, amended August 2001.]

The Policy and Constitution Committee shall make long range plans for implementing the objectives of the Association, and prepare draft amendments to the Constitution.
The Audit Committee shall audit the books annually.
The Professional Development Committee shall work to promote the professional development of members and staff of member agencies through the promotion of workshops; the ALRAcademy; sponsorship of newly appointed agency members or staff at the Annual Conference, and by responding to the needs of member agencies as identified from time to time.
The Membership Committee shall work to maintain and increase the membership of the organization.
The Program Committee shall make program arrangements for the annual meeting.
The Arrangements Committee shall make physical arrangements for the annual meeting.
The Publications and Communications Committee shall prepare or arrange for distribution of such materials as the Committee deems necessary and useful to the Association. [Article VIII, Section 1(g), amended August 2001.]
The Site Committee shall solicit and receive proposals for the location of the annual meetings and make recommendations at the annual meeting for the site of subsequent annual meetings.
The Nominating Committee shall consist of no fewer than five (5) persons and shall nominate persons for offices and members-at-large of the Executive Board; prepare the official ballot to be used for the election of officers at the annual meeting; tally the ballots cast by the member agencies; and report on the results of the election to the membership.
The Technology Committee shall maintain and update the Association's web page; provide technical training at the annual conference and ALRAcademy; and provide technical assistance and advice to the Association. [Article VIII, Section 1(j), added August 2001.]

Section 2. Committee Appointment Members of all committees shall be appointed by the President. The chairperson(s) of each committee, other than Publications and Communications, Professional Development, Membership, and Policy and Constitution, shall be designated by the President at the time of appointment, and each committee shall consist of the number of members designated by the President. [Article VIII, Section 2, amended August 2001.]

Section 3. Special Committees Special or ad hoc committees may be established by the membership or the Executive Board; appointments to be made by the President.

Section 4. Committee Reports All committee reports shall be presented for action at the annual meeting.

Article IX - Dues and Fees

Section 1. Annual dues The annual dues for the agency members shall be established by the Executive Board.

Section 2. Honorary Members Honorary members shall not be required to pay annual dues.

Section 3. Fees or Charges All fees or charges related to meetings, functions, publications, or services of the Association shall be established by the Executive Board; such fees or charges may be established separately for members and non-members of the Association.

Article X - Fiscal Year

The fiscal year shall be June 1st through the following May 31st.

Article XI - Meetings

Section 1. Annual Meeting The annual meeting shall be held within three (3) months of the commencement of the fiscal year unless otherwise determined by the Executive Board. The place and date of the next annual meeting shall be determined by the membership at its annual meeting or by the Executive Board.

Section 2. Special meetings Special meetings may be called upon the written request of ten (10) agency members. Such requests must set forth the purpose of the request, and must be submitted to the Vice President-Administration. Upon approval of the Executive Board, the Vice President-Administration shall make arrangements for a meeting to be held as soon as practicable and shall notify all members of the time, place and purpose of the meeting.

Section 3. Proxy or Absentee Ballots There shall be no voting by proxy nor absentee ballot at any meetings of the Association or the Executive Board.

Section 4. Voter Qualifications Agency members in good standing shall be entitled to vote at all meetings of the Association; each such agency member shall be entitled to one (1) vote. Questions of "good standing" shall be determined by the Executive Board.

Section 5. Rules of Order All meetings of the Association shall be conducted pursuant to Robert's Rules of Order, Revised; the presiding officer at each meeting may designate a person to serve as parliamentarian to rule on any procedural questions which may arise.

Article XII - Quorums

The quorum for all membership meetings shall be voting delegates from twenty (20) member agencies. The quorum for all Executive Board meetings shall be seven (7) members.

Article XIII - Fraternal Relationships

The Association will maintain fraternal relations with other associations with similar interests and may accept invitations to send delegates to the meetings of such associations. The President shall name the delegates who shall represent this Association. The Association may admit to its annual meetings official delegates from such other associations provided the Executive Board approves their attendance and the President issues the invitations.

Article XIV - Dissolution

Upon the dissolution of the Association or the termination of its affairs, the assets of the Association remaining after the payment of all its debts shall be distributed exclusively to one or more organizations qualifying for tax exemption under the provision of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1974, as amended, as selected by the Executive Board.

Adopted July 1989; Amended July 1992, July 1994, July 1995, July 1998, August 2001, and July 2002.