AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS
University of New Hampshire Chapter
Constitution
Adopted Feb. 13, 1992
Revised May 10, 1994
Revised April 21, 2003
Revised December 5, 2009
Revised April 14, 2023
Article I.
Name
The name of this organization shall be The University of New Hampshire Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP-UNH). This chapter is a local affiliate of the national AAUP.
Article II.
Purpose
The purpose of this organization shall be to further the interests of education, research, and public service at the University of New Hampshire; to advance the standards and ideals of the profession; to serve as the collective bargaining agent for the tenure track faculty of the University; and to represent the interests of all the members of the bargaining unit without discrimination.
This AAUP chapter is organized and will be operated to qualify as a labor organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code for the above stated purposes.
Article III.
Membership
There shall be two categories of membership: active and limited.
- Active member: Any member of the Bargaining Unit as determined by the New Hampshire Public Employee Labor Relations Board who is a dues-paying member of the national AAUP and of the local chapter as established pursuant to Article IV.
Only active members shall have the right to vote in Chapter elections, to hold elective offices in the Chapter, to ratify the collective bargaining agreement, or to vote in Chapter meetings. - Limited memberships:
a. Emeritus member: any retired faculty member who is an emeritus or active member of the national AAUP. A retired faculty member who has not been an AAUP member, or whose membership in the AAUP has lapsed for more than two years, may join by becoming an active member in national AAUP for one year, and then may continue membership as a national emeritus member. Emeritus members shall have no voting rights, nor shall they hold elective office. They may serve on committees and attend chapter meetings.
b. Associate member: any University of New Hampshire staff member who is an associate member of the national AAUP. Associate members have no voting rights, nor shall they hold office or serve on committees. They may attend Chapter meetings only upon the invitation of the Executive Committee. - Pursuant to the vote of delegates to the national AAUP meeting in June 2022, AAUP affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Effective August 1, 2022, AAUP-UNH became Local 6769 of the AFT and all members of AAUP-UNH also became AFT members.
Article IV.
Dues - Dues (a combination of national and local) shall be proposed by the Executive Committee each year and be approved by a majority vote at a Chapter meeting.
- Limited members shall pay national AAUP dues but shall not be obliged to pay local chapter dues.
- Failure to pay dues shall result in loss of membership.
Article V.
Meetings - There shall be three types of meetings:
a. Active members meetings: open only to active members.
b. Chapter meetings: open to active and emeritus members. Associate members may attend only by invitation of the Executive Committee.
c. General meeting: open to the entire academic community. - There shall be an annual Chapter meeting held during the fall semester. At least one other Chapter meeting shall be called during each academic year.
- In the absence of a clear emergency, the call for all Chapter meetings shall be issued to all eligible members in sufficient time to give seven days’ notice. An agenda shall be sent with the notice stating all the items of business to be considered which are known at the time of the call for the meeting.
- Special Chapter meetings may be called by a petition signed by twenty-five percent of the active members. The petition shall state the reason(s) for calling the meeting, and no business other than that specified in the petition shall be in order. Such a special meeting must be called within two weeks after the AAUP Chapter President has received the petition.
- Twenty members shall constitute a quorum at all meetings described in Articles V and X.
Article VI.
Officers - The elected officers of the University of New Hampshire Chapter shall be the President, the Vice President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.
- Responsibilities of officers:
a. The President: shall assume executive responsibility for all Chapter activities; shall carry out the policies and decisions of the Executive Committee; shall act as Chairperson of the Executive Committee and shall preside at meetings of the Chapter; and shall be a non-voting member ex officio of every committee. The President shall, with the advice and consent of the
Executive Committee, appoint members and designate chairpersons of the Negotiating Team and standing committees that may be established pursuant to Article XII.
b. The Vice President: shall, in the absence of the President, act as the presiding official of the Chapter, of the Executive Committee, and shall assist in such duties of the President as the President shall direct.
c. The Secretary, or their designee: shall keep the minutes of the Chapter, Executive Committee and Collective Bargaining Caucus meetings and copies shall be sent to the Chapter Administrator for retention.
d. The Treasurer: shall oversee the investment and expenditure of all monies held by the Chapter. Non-budgeted expenses in excess of $3,000 must be approved by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall annually present a financial report to the membership which will include any proposed changes in dues.
Article VII
Executive Committee - The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected officers of the Chapter, the two immediate past Presidents of the Chapter, two (2) elected members at-large, and the Chief Negotiator.
- The Executive Committee shall:
a. be responsible for carrying out the general purposes of the Chapter as stated in Article II.
b. have the responsibility to oversee the negotiation and implementation of collective bargaining contracts.
c. report regularly on its activities to the membership.
d. appoint the Grievance Committee.
e. have the authority to appoint ad hoc committees to assist it in special short-term projects provided such special committees not be granted any of the responsibilities or authority of the Executive Committee, nor shall such special committee have a life beyond one year.
f. recommend the establishment of any standing committees that may be deemed appropriate. Such recommendations shall be submitted for Chapter approval in accordance with Article XII.
g. call meetings pursuant to Articles V and VIII
Article VIII.
Collective Bargaining Process - There shall be a Negotiating Team consisting of a Chief Negotiator and no more than five members appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee. One or two alternate members may also be appointed. The Negotiating Team shall be responsible for negotiating a contract with the Board of Trustees. During the process of negotiations, the Chief Negotiator shall report periodically to the Collective Bargaining Caucus.
- The Negotiating Team shall be responsible for drafting contract proposals which, if approved by the Executive Committee and after review by members of the collective bargaining unit, through the collective bargaining caucus, as prescribed in Article VIII, Section 3, be forwarded to the Negotiating Team to be placed on the negotiating table.
- There shall be a Collective Bargaining Caucus chaired by the Chief Negotiator. The Caucus shall consist of the members of the Executive Committee, the Negotiating Team, and Departmental Representatives. Representatives shall be elected by those members of their departments who are in the collective bargaining unit. The Caucus shall meet at the discretion of the Chief Negotiator to discuss issues related to bargaining. Departmental Representatives shall serve as channels of communication between AAUP and their constituents. All members of the Collective Bargaining Caucus must be active members of the AAUP. Any member of the bargaining unit may attend caucus meetings.
- The contract that is finally negotiated by the negotiating team shall be submitted for ratification to all active chapter members of AAUP-UNH.
Article IX.
Nominations and Elections - The Executive Committee shall every two years appoint a Nominating Committee of five members, each of whom shall be an active member of the AAUP. No person shall serve on the Nominating Committee for more than two terms consecutively. The Executive Committee shall designate one of the five members to be the Chairperson who should have been a member of the Nominating Committee the previous term.
- The Nominating Committee shall solicit suggestions from the active members and shall nominate one or more candidates for each of the following positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and two Executive Committee Members-At-Large. The Nominating Committee should allow for reasonable breadth of representation in the selection of candidates. The slate of candidates shall be published and circulated to active members.
- Candidates may also be nominated by petition. If a petition signed by at least thirty (30) active members in support of a particular candidate for a specified office or position is presented to the chairperson of the Nominating Committee by the date established in the By-laws, the candidate supported by the petition shall be considered nominated. Candidates for more than one position may be included on the same petition.
- The election shall be conducted by the Executive Committee. Ballots containing the names of all nominees for each position will be distributed to members. For all offices and positions except the Presidency, the person with the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. In case no person shall win a majority of votes for President, an election shall be conducted between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.
- Elected officers and Executive Committee Members-At-Large shall serve for a term of two years commencing May 30. They shall be eligible to succeed themselves.
Article X.
Censure or Removal
of Elected Members of the Executive Committee - Whenever any 5 members (either elected or ex officio members) of the Executive Committee or any one hundred (100) active members of the chapter have reason to believe that any elected member of the Executive Committee is derelict or negligent in the performance of responsibilities and duties or has
violated any provisions of this Constitution or of the Chapter By-laws, they may initiate the following procedures:
a. Petition the immediate past President to call a special Chapter meeting. Notice of such a meeting shall be made at least ten (10) days in advance of the meeting and shall state the nature of the charges against the accused member of the Executive Committee.
b. The immediate past President shall preside over such meeting until a moderator is elected from among those members present. Election of a moderator shall be the first order of business.
c. Those bringing the charges will present their case and the accused shall have full opportunity to present a defense against the charges.
d. By majority of legal votes cast, those present at the meeting may decide to exonerate, to censure, or to remove from office. Voting shall be by ballot.
Article XI.
Vacancies - In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President shall fill the unexpired portion of the term.
- In the event of a vacancy on the Executive Committee other than the Presidency, a replacement shall be chosen by the Executive Committee in consultation with the Nominating Committee.
Article XII.
By-Laws and Amendments to the Constitution - The procedure for adopting By-laws and amendments to the Constitution shall be:
a. By-laws and amendments to this Constitution shall be proposed either by the Executive Committee or by petition signed by at least fifty (50) active members. When a By-law or amendment is initiated by petition, the petition shall contain the complete wording of the proposed By-law or amendment.
b. The proposed By-law or amendment, whether emanating from the Executive Committee or from petition, shall be published by the Executive Committee and circulated with its recommendations to the active members.
c. The proposed By-law or amendment shall be considered at the Chapter meeting next following its publication and circulation provided that at least seven (7) days have elapsed between the time the proposal is received by members and the time of the Chapter meeting.
d. A vote of two-thirds of the active members present at a Chapter meeting shall be necessary for ratification of an amendment. By-laws may be enacted by a simple majority of those active members present at a Chapter meeting.
Article XIII.
Prohibition Against Private Inurement - No part of the net earnings of this organization shall inure to the benefit of or be distributed to any director, employee or other individual, partnership, estate, trust or corporation having a personal or private interest in the Chapter. Compensation for services actually rendered and
reimbursement for expenses actually incurred in attending to the affairs of the Chapter shall be limited to reasonable amounts.
Article XIV.
Status of the Association - Upon dissolution of the New Hampshire Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, its assets shall be disposed of exclusively for the purpose of the Chapter or distributed to such organizations which shall, at the time, qualify as exempt organizations under sections 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(5).
By-Law
A-1991
A. Schedule for Annual Elections - The Nominating Committee shall be appointed no later than February 1 of each year. The Nominating Committee shall report the slate of candidates to the Executive Committee by March 1.
- The slate of candidates shall be published and circulated by March 15.
- Nominations by petition must be received by April 1.
- The elections shall be conducted by electronic ballot, or live balloting at a campus polling location. Details of the method of voting will be communicated to members by the Executive Committee.
- If a run-off election for presidency is required, it shall be conducted in the same manner as described in A.4, two weeks after the initial balloting.