November 12, 2019 - This is a reminder that the following provisions exist in our Local 1944 By-Laws:

Local 1944 By-Law Article IV 

“Section 5. No member shall be eligible for election as a Local Union Officer or election to a Unit position in any regular election or election to fill a vacancy unless:

(c) The member shall have attended at least one third (1/3) of the regular meetings held by the member’s Unit, if the member’s Unit has regularly scheduled meetings, during the twenty-four (24) month period immediately preceding the month in which the election is to be held.

Meetings which a member was prevented from attending because of such member’s Union activities, working hours, service in the armed forces of Canada or the United States, sickness which confines, death in the immediate family, or jury duty, shall not be counted as meetings held in determining such member’s eligibility under this Section; provided, that the member shall have the burden of proving inability to attend for one of the prescribed reasons, in accordance with procedures specified in the Local Union Elections Manual. Any member who claims inability to attend a Unit meeting because of a ‘sickness which confines’ must notify the Unit Secretary within one month of such meeting; otherwise the meeting will be counted as a meeting held in determining such member’s eligibility under this section.”

The 24 month period during which Unit attendance counts toward eligibility for Unit of Local Office is from March 2019 to March 2021, in advance of the April 2021 Unit and Local elections.

If you would have attended a specific Unit meeting this year, or going forward, but were/are unable to do so due to one of the 6 circumstances listed above, please contact your Unit Secretary (listed on your Unit’s Meeting Notices) as soon as possible to make sure that you are so that you can be marked as being “Absent – excused” on the Unit Sign-in sheet. 

In Solidarity,

USW Local 1944