Rules for Nomination and Election of delegates to the TNG Sector Conference

Rules for Nomination and Election of delegates to the TNG Sector Conference 
THE NEWSGUILD OF NEW YORK

 Adopted by the NewsGuild of New York Election Committee November 26, 2018.   

 The nomination and election to fill four positions as delegates to the January 2019 TNG Sector Conference  officers shall be conducted in accordance with the Bylaws of The NewsGuild of New York, as amended April 30, 2015, Federal Law, and these  rules adopted by the Local Election Committee.

Section 1 - Election Dates: In the event of a contest, Local elections shall be held entirely by mail ballot in all shops in the United States, with the results to be tallied on January 16, 2019. The following position shall be voted upon: four delegates to the TNG Sector Conference to be held on January 25-27, 2019.

Section 2 - Term of Office:  The elected candidates shall have a term of office co-extensive with the 2019 TNG Sector Conference. .

Section 3 - Nomination:

The nomination shall be conducted entirely in writing, as described below.  There shall be no nomination meeting. 

Notice of the requirements for nominating a candidate shall be posted on the Guild website starting  on November 29, 2018   and on union bulletin boards at employer work sites starting on November 30, 2018.

1. Pursuant to Article XV(4)(d) of the CWA Constitution and Article V(2) of the Guild Bylaws, only Guild members in good standing shall be eligible to nominate, second, vote, run, or hold elective office. To nominate, second, be nominated, and/or run for office, a member must be in good standing as of November  1, 2018. Self-nomination is permitted.
2. Nominations may be made  in writing. Written nominations must be signed by a nominator who is member in good standing as of November  1, 2018, and seconded by a member in good standing as of November  1, 2018. Written nominations and seconds must be received by the Guild by no later than December 10, 2018. Only the following delivery methods will be accepted: by hand, U.S. mail, overnight mail, fax, or email. All written nominations and seconds  must be delivered to Local Election Committee Counsel Hanan Kolko,1350 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, New York, 10018. The fax number is 212 239-1311. Nominations and seconds delivered by email must be emailed to hkolko@msek.com .
3. All nominations must include an email address and telephone number where the nominated candidate can be reached.  The nominator or his/her  designee must provide Local Election Committee Counsel Hanan Kolko with an email address and telephone number where the nominated candidate can be reached along with the nomination.
4. The Guild will notify all nominated candidates of their nomination. For a nominated candidate to appear on the ballot, the Guild must receive written confirmation no later than December 12, 2018  of their willingness to run. Confirmations are to be delivered in the same manner and to the same addresses as written nominations and seconds.
5. If, at the close of the period for nominations, only four or fewer  persons  are nominated for a position, those  persons shall be declared elected without contest.

Section 4 - Election Notice: An election notice and mail ballot will be mailed to all Guild members no later than  December 20, 2018.

Section 5 – Local Election Committee: This election shall be supervised by the Local Election Committee. No candidate for TNG Sector Delegate may serve on the Local Election Committee.

Section 6 - The Ballot:

1. The Local Election Committee shall supervise and be responsible for the preparation of the ballot.
2. In designing the ballot, the Committee will use the following principles: candidates shall be listed in alphabetical order of their last names.

The ballot shall be arranged so that the voter will have the choice of voting  for individual candidates by marking boxes next to the candidate’s name.

Section 7 - Voter Eligibility: All members in good standing as of November 1, 2018 are eligible to vote in this election. Members reporting that they have not received a ballot will be provided with instructions on how to obtain a duplicate ballot from the American Arbitration Association ("AAA"), which the Guild shall publicize on its web page. 

Section 8 - Voting Procedure and Ballot Count:

1. The election will be conducted by mail ballot.
2. The AAA, under the supervision of the Local Election Committee, shall mail ballot packages to all  eligible members by no later than  December 20, 2018. For a ballot to be counted, a voter must mail the ballot back, in conformity with the voting instructions, so that it is received at the AAA Post Office Box by no later than 1:00 p.m. on January 16,  2019.
3. The ballots shall be collected at the AAA Post Office box by no earlier than  1:00 p.m. on January 16,  2019. At least one representative of the Election Committee, and interested candidates and/or their observers may accompany the AAA personnel when they empty the AAA's Post Office Box.
4. AAA will tally the ballots. The count will continue until completed. The Election Committee will supervise the process to insure that only ballots of eligible members are counted, using an up-to-date eligibility list.
5. The results shall be certified by the Chairperson of the Local Election Committee and immediately sent to the Local Secretary-Treasurer.
6. The ballot envelope shall contain an instruction slip. It shall state: ''After marking your vote on the enclosed ballot, fold it face in. Do not otherwise mark the ballot. Do not put your name or any other identification on the ballot. Place the folded ballot in the smaller envelope and seal it. Do not sign or· otherwise mark the smaller envelope containing the ballot. Place the smaller envelope containing the ballot in the addressed return envelope. Sign and print your name on the designated lines in the addressed return (outer) envelope (handwritten and hand printed signatures only). No ballots returned in an unsigned outer envelope will be counted. Only ballots in the official return envelopes in the AAA Post Office Box by 1:00 p.m. on  January 16, 2019  will be counted.

Section 9 - Election Disputes: Election disputes shall be decided by the Local Election Committee.  All election protests and appeals of any nature must be received by the Local Election Committee no later than  7:00 p.m. on January 18, 2019  .   Such protests shall be emailed to Local Election Committee counsel at hkolko@msek.com   Appeals from rulings of the Local Election Committee shall be made to the Local Executive Committee and must be received by the Local Executive Committee by no later than 7:00 p.m.  on January 21, 2019..  Such protests shall be emailed to the Local Executive Committee, c/o hkoko@msek.com.

Section 10 - Campaign Procedures: All candidates must be treated equally by the union regarding the opportunity to campaign. Union and employer resources may not be directly or indirectly used to support the candidacy of any candidate. Union officers and employees may not campaign on time paid for by the union, and members may not campaign on time paid for by the employer. Union members may support the candidate of their choice, and in the exercise of that right, may not be subject to penalty, discipline, or reprisal of any kind by the Guild.

Section 11 - Inspection of Membership Lists: Once within 30 days prior to the mailing of ballots, each candidate has the right to inspect a list containing the names and last known addresses of all Guild-represented members subject to a collective bargaining agreement which covers the employees of the Unit. No candidate may photocopy the list. The list will be maintained at the Guild office in New York, New York. Any candidate wishing to inspect the list must contact Vincent M. Mallozzi, Guild Secretary-Treasurer, at 212 575 1580, to schedule an appointment.

Section 12 - Distribution of Campaign Literature: The Guild will comply with reasonable requests by a candidate to distribute campaign literature at the expense of the candidate. Any candidate who wishes to mail campaign literature must contact Automatic Mail (a mailing house) at 718 361 3091, to make arrangements for such mailings. Payment instructions and terms, prices, and other instructions and requirements will be set and provided by Automatic Mail.  Any candidate who wishes to email campaign literature must contact  AMFAX.  To make arrangements with AMFAX, please call John Pettalides, at 212 785 5900.  Payment instructions and terms, prices, and  other instructions and requirements will be set and provided by AMFAX.

Section 13 - Observers: Each candidate is entitled to have observers present when ballots are stuffed and mailed, picked up, and counted. A candidate may act as her own observer.

Section 14 - Preservation of Records: The Guild will preserve records of the election for one year.

Section 15 - Notification of Membership: The Guild will notify the membership of the results of the election in its newsletter, and on its website.

Section 16: Retention of the AAA: The Committee may retain the AAA to help with the mailing and counting of election ballots.