Name

1. The name of this local shall be Red Deer Catholic Local No 80 of The Alberta Teachers’ Association.

Boundaries

2. The area served by this local association shall include Red Deer Catholic Regional School Division No 39.

Membership

3. 1) All active members of The Alberta Teachers’ Association employed within the boundaries listed in section 2 are members of this local.

2) Subject to approval by the Provincial Executive Council of the Association, Associate members of The Alberta Teachers’ Association who hold the highest category of membership available to them and who pay the prescribed local association fee may become members of this local association with all rights and privileges of active members.

Objects

4. The objects of this local association shall be to further the objects of The Alberta Teachers’ Association as set out in section 4 of the Teaching Profession Act and The Alberta Teachers’ Association General Bylaws.

Fees

5. This local association shall have the power, subject to approval of the Provincial Executive Council of The Alberta Teachers’ Association, to levy fees for membership in this local association such as are determined from time to time in a general meeting of the local association. Such fees shall be additional to the fees prescribed by the Annual Representative Assembly.

Rules Of Procedures

6. The proceedings of all meetings—general, special, local council and executive—shall be regulated by the official rules of procedure as published in the Members’ Handbook.

Organization

7. The governing body of this local shall be a general meeting of its members; 10 per cent of whom shall constitute a quorum.

8. A general meeting of this local shall be held at least once a year to hear reports and deal with same, approve and set policy and deal with such other matters as may arise.

Local Council (CSR)

9. There shall be constituted a local council of this local consisting of:

1. all members of the executive,
2. staff representatives, elected in September according to the following schedule:
1. for staffs with 15 or fewer fulltime equivalent teachers—1 representative,
2. for staffs with 16 to 39 fulltime equivalent teachers—2 representatives,
3. for staffs with more than 40 fulltime equivalent teachers—3 representatives, convention association representatives.
4. A person may be a member of the local council pursuant to more than one of the above articles, however, each member of the local council shall have only one vote on any issue.

10. Members of this local other than members of the local council may attend council meetings, may speak with approval of the meeting, but may not vote.

11. The duties of the local council shall be:

1. to administer the affairs of the local association, including the adoption of an audited annual financial statement and approval of an annual budget,
2. to appoint all ad hoc committees,
3. to approve frames of reference for each of its committees,
4. to hear reports from committees and decide on action to be taken, if any,
5. to appoint representatives to the ATA Summer Conference and to other events requiring local representation on an ad hoc basis,
6. to appoint local representatives,
7. to hear reports and to consider recommendations from the Economic Policy Committee; and to advise the Economic Policy Committee, when necessary,
8. to deal with other matters not inconsistent with this constitution or The Alberta Teachers’ Association General Bylaws.

12. The local council shall meet at least once in each of the following months: September, October, November, January, February, March, April, May and June.

13. A majority vote of those present shall govern the decisions of the local council unless rules and regulations otherwise decree.

14. Two-thirds of local council members are required to constitute a quorum.

Executive

15. The executive of this local shall include the president, vice-president, past president, secretary, treasurer, chair(s) of professional development committee, chair of economic policy committee, convention representative, social committee chair and local communications officer.

16. It shall be the duty of the executive to prepare the agenda of business for all meetings, to exercise general supervision of the affairs of the local association, to prepare and transmit to head office of The Alberta Teachers’ Association such reports and statements with reference to the affairs of the local association as may be required by the Provincial Executive Council of The Alberta Teachers’ Association, and to ensure that all Association moneys are used to further the objects of the Association as set out in the Teaching Profession Act and, where time is of the essence, to assume the functions of the local council.

17. The executive shall meet monthly from September to June inclusive, or as often as local business requires.

18. Two-thirds of the executive are required to constitute a quorum.

19. Notices of intent to hold a general, special, local council or an executive meeting shall be mailed by the secretary at least seven days before such meeting is to be held, provided, however, that any meeting may, by a two‑thirds vote of the total number of members on the roster, waive notice of a meeting or of any motion brought before the meeting.

20. Meetings of the local association shall be called by the president or on the request of the executive or the local council or on the written request of 25 members of the local or at the request of an officer of The Alberta Teachers’ Association or the district representative of whose district this local association forms a part.

21. A officer or an executive assistant of The Alberta Teachers’ Association, or the district representative of whose district this local forms a part, may attend and participate, but may not vote, in any general, local council, executive or bargaining unit meeting of this local association. If one of the persons named above is a member of this local association, he or she shall have the right to vote.

22. 1) A record of the number of members of the local association and the names of any persons not members of the local association attending a general meeting of the local association shall be kept.

2) A record of those attending local council and executive meetings shall be kept.

Duties Of Officers

23. 1) President—The duties of the president shall be

1. to call and preside at all general, local council and executive meetings of this local association,
2. to exercise general supervision over the affairs of this local association,
3. to sit on the division Professional Development Committee.

2) Vice-President—It shall be the duty of the vice-president to take charge of the affairs of this local association in the absence of the president and to assist the president in the discharge of his or her duties.

1. to be the ARA chair,
2. to chair the Scholarship Committee.

3) Past President—The past president shall serve for one year to assist the new president with transition and provide advice as necessary.

4) Secretary—The duties of the secretary shall be

1. to keep accurate recordings of all proceedings of this local association,
2. to bring before the executive of this local association all communications received by the local,
3. to prepare and send to head office of The Alberta Teachers’ Association such statements and reports as may be required from time to time, and
4. to prepare and send notices calling all meetings, whether regular, special, local council or executive, and
5. to coordinate with the assistance of the executive, the annual CSR workshop.

5) Treasurer—The duties of the treasurer shall be

1. to prepare at the direction of the executive, an annual budget for the local,
2. to keep accurate records of all moneys received and collected and to take charge of same,
3. to prepare an annual financial statement for audit purposes, and
4. to make the necessary disbursements of the funds of this local association as authorized by the executive or local council.

6) ARA Representatives—The duties of each of this local’s representatives to the Annual Representative Assembly shall be

1. to represent this local association at all representative assemblies of The Alberta Teachers’ Association,
2. to report the proceedings of all representative assemblies of The Alberta Teachers’ Association to the local council, the executive, and to such other gatherings as may be decided, and
3. to act as a liaison between the executive and the staff representatives and the teachers of the schools to which they have been assigned.

7) Staff Representatives—It shall be the duty of the staff representatives to report on the activities of the local council to their respective staffs.

8) Communications Officer—It shall be the responsibility of the officer to carry out a communications program with the teachers in the local.

Committees And Their Duties

24. 1) Economic Policy Committee

1. to gather and study data and prepare proposed amendments to the salary agreement for consideration of members of the bargaining unit,
2. to report to the executive, the local council, or a general meeting, the progress of negotiations,
3. To advise the negotiating subcommittee,
4. to function according to the frame of reference as developed by local council and approved by Provincial Executive Council.

2) Negotiating Subcommittee (NSC)—It shall be the duty of this subcommittee of the EPC to engage in collective bargaining with the school board.

3) Professional Development Committee—It shall be the duty of this committee to assume general responsibility for all professional development activities undertaken by the local association.

4) Social Chair—It shall be the duty of this committee or individual to advise, and implement the gift fund for the ATA local and oversee all social activities for the local.

5) Convention Representative—It shall be the duty of the convention representative to serve the ATA local on the Convention Committee.

6) Other committees may be appointed by the executive, local council or a general meeting as the need arises.

25. 1) The president, vice-president, local communications officer, professional development chair(s), secretary, treasurer and convention reps, shall be elected annually by a vote of the members of this local.

2) Members of the Economic Policy Committees shall be elected by members at work sites in the following manner:

1. for staffs with 15 or fewer full time equivalent teachers—1 representative,
2. for staffs with more than 15 full time equivalent teachers—2 representatives.

3) School representatives shall be elected by their respective staffs.

4) All persons elected under subsection (1) shall assume office on July 1 following their election. School representatives shall assume office immediately after their election.

5) In the case of officers to be elected under subsection (1) the past president, acting as returning officer, shall set a date for the election between May 15 and May 31 inclusive. The past president shall set a date for receiving nominations for these positions two weeks prior to the election. Notice of this date shall be sent to each staff representative at least two weeks prior to this date. Following the closing of nominations, the past president shall determine those positions for which the number of nominations is less than the number of positions. He or she shall then extend the nomination deadline at his or her discretion. The past president shall determine those positions for which the number of nominations equals the number of positions. He or she shall declare the persons elected by acclamation. The past president shall determine those positions for which there are more nominations than the number of positions. Where there is no past president an executive member not running for re-election shall be appointed by the executive to perform the above duties.

The past president shall arrange the printing of the ballots and distribute adequate ballots to staff representatives so that the ballots are received at least one week prior to the date set for the election. Each staff representative shall act as the returning officer for the teachers voting on his or her staff. The staff representatives shall return the completed ballots to the past president on or before the date set for the election. On the date set for the election, the past president shall count the ballots and declare the candidates with the greatest number of votes elected. The past president shall inform the staff representatives of those elected within one week of the date set for the election.

6) If the past president is nominated for one of the offices listed in subsections (1) or (2), he or she shall appoint a member of the local, not nominated for one of these positions, to act as a returning officer in the past president’s place.

7) Staff representatives shall be elected at the regular September staff meeting in each school.

8) If the president should resign or be ineligible to remain in office, the vice‑president shall assume the office of president. Any other vacancy on the executive shall be filled by the following method. The president shall inform all staff representatives of the vacancy. At the next local council meeting, a replacement shall be elected.

9) If a member of the executive misses three consecutive meetings of the executive or CSR, the president shall inform the member that he or she is ineligible to continue in office. The member so declared ineligible may appeal the decision at the next local council meeting. The local council shall hear the appeal before electing a replacement. If the local council upholds the member’s appeal, he or she shall be reinstated to the position. No election shall then be held. If it is the president who misses three consecutive meetings or the executive, the vice‑president shall inform him or her that he or she is ineligible to continue in office. The president may exercise the same appeal procedure as listed above.

10) Any vacancy among staff representatives shall be filled by the respective staff at its next staff meeting.

Substitute Teachers Group

26. 1) At the request of ten or more substitute teacher members, this local shall organize a substitute teacher group.

2) Those eligible for participation in the group shall be members who substituted for one of the employing jurisdictions included in the local for a least one day during the previous twelve-month period.

3) An appropriate budget for the group shall be established.

4) The frame of reference for the group shall be as follows:

1. its objects shall be to advance the professional skills and knowledge unique to substitute teaching and to advance within the local the special interests of substitute teachers,
2. it shall have at least one general meeting per year,
3. it shall elect a chairman, a vice‑chairman, a secretary‑treasurer to an executive which shall be responsible for organizing activities to promote the objectives of the group,
4. its executive shall present to the local council an annual report of its activities and of the disbursement of its funds.

27. The financial year of this local shall be July 1 to June 30.

28. This local association shall pay all expenses as determined and authorized by local council.

29. Amendments to this constitution may be made after a two month notice of motion by a two-thirds vote at a general meeting of this local association, subject to ratification by the Provincial Executive Council of The Alberta Teachers’ Association.

Constitution approved by TOC on behalf of PEC 1984 03 03 and 2006 06 01