Description of Local Union Officer Duties and Expectations
Officers of Local Unions generally work out how to coordinate the affairs of their Local Union based on local considerations and specificity, but the general description of officer positions is outlined in the UAW Constitution. You may read a summary below and click a hyperlink on each Officer title to read the full language describing the position in Article 40 of the UAW Constitution.
- Presides over all meetings, co-signs orders and checks, enforces the constitution, appoints needed committees and is an automatic member of all committees.
- Assists president in all duties, attends all local union sessions, performs presidential duties when president cannot do so.
- Keeps proceedings records, signs authorized treasury orders, brings to attention actionable items, keeps records of correspondence including contracts, classifications and rates and negotiation information.
- Receives all dues, fees, and funds and issue receipts, writes checks and gives monthly financial reports and per capita tax. Keeps an inventory of all records and property of the Local Union, membership (such as date joined, suspended, etc.), inventory of all records and property of the Local Union.
Trustees (3 positions)
- Supervise funds and property, audit or cause to semiannually audit by a CPA, make sure Financial Officers follow the rules, see that funds are deposited in the bank appropriately.
- Introduces new members and visitors, assists the president, is in charge of all unassigned properties and performs various duties when called upon.
- Maintains order, inspects membership receipts, makes sure only authorized members are in a given Local Union meeting.
ARTICLE 40
Duties of Local Union Officers
Section 1. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Local Union, sign all orders on the treasury authorized by the Local Union, countersign all checks issued by the Financial Secretary against accounts of the Local Union when ordered by the Union, enforce the provisions of the Constitution and appoint committees not otherwise provided for. S/He shall be a member exofficio of all committees.
Section 2. The Vice President or Vice Presidents shall assist the President in the discharge of her/his duties and shall attend all sessions of the Local Union. In case of the absence or incapacity of the President, the President’s duties shall be performed by the Vice President, provided that where there are two (2) or more Vice Presidents, the Local Union shall determine which of them shall perform such duties.
Section 3. It shall be the duty of the Recording Secretary to keep a correct record of the proceedings of the Local Union, sign all orders on the treasury authorized by the Local Union, read all documents and conduct the general correspondence received by the Local Union which does not pertain directly to the duties of the other officers of the Local Union and keep same on file for future reference. The Recording Secretary shall bring to the attention of the membership of the Local Union any correspondence upon which the membership must take action. The Recording Secretary shall comply with the provisions of Article 50, Section 2. The Recording Secretary is obligated to keep on file with both the Research Department of the UAW and her/his Regional Director, the current version of each of the following: (1) The existing contract(s); (2) A complete revised list of all classifications and rates for the workplaces covered by the contract(s); (3) Any additional information gained through negotiations with the respective workplace management that may be useful to other Local Unions in their collective bargaining. The Recording Secretary shall be considered to have satisfied the foregoing requirements by submitting an electronic copy of items1 through 3 in the Local Union Information System (LUIS). The Recording Secretary shall update this information as often as 2 necessary, but must furnish a current, updated version no later than 3 sixty (60) days after the ratification of any contract or supplement.
Section 4. It shall be the duty of the Financial Secretary to receive all dues, initiation fees, readmission fees, and all other income of the Local Union for any fund from any source and to give official receipts for same, as provided in this Constitution. Financial Secretaries of Local Unions having a check-off arrangement shall issue one (1) receipt for the check received from the company, and otherwise use the procedure outlined above for any other income. No receipt shall be issued to individual members unless the company does not show on the check stub or pay envelope the amount of the deduction and the reason therefore.
Section 5. The Financial Secretary shall write all checks drawn on the Local Union funds and report in writing every month at a regular meeting of the Local Union giving the amount of monies received and paid out during the previous calendar month, divided as between the various income and expenditure classifications, and the remaining balances in the fund accounts of the Local Union.
Section 6. The Financial Secretary shall deposit all collections either with the Treasurer, taking a receipt therefore, or in such banks as Local Union Trustees may direct, with advice to the Treasurer as to the amount so deposited.
Section 7. The Financial Secretary shall by the 20th of each month, submit a monthly per capita tax to the International Secretary-Treasurer in accordance with Article 16, Section 6. S/He shall receive applications for membership and notify the candidates of their election or rejection. S/He shall assist the International Union in seeing that all members receive the official publication regularly when eligible, provide each member with an official receipt for all monies paid and make available to each member a copy of the International Constitution and bylaws of the Local Union. Union membership cards and/or dues buttons may be issued at the option of the Local Union.
Section 8. The Financial Secretary shall furnish the International Secretary-Treasurer, through the Local Union Information System (LUIS), with the names and addresses of all the officers of the Local Union. S/He shall keep a record of all members initiated, suspended, expelled or deceased, transfers in and out and reinstatements, during her/his term of office and notify the International Secretary-Treasurer of same, by updating the Local Union’s membership records in the Local Union Information System (LUIS), and shall perform such other duties as the bylaws prescribe or the Local Union may direct. There shall be maintained by the Financial Secretary a complete record of all active members of the Local Union. This record shall have the date of initiation, the date and cause of suspension or expulsion, the date of reinstatement, together with the date of death, home address and such other matters as may be deemed necessary to keep a record of the continuous membership of a member of the Local Union. The Financial Secretary shall not make said record of all active members (membership list) available to anyone except pursuant to the provisions of Article 37, Section 9 of this Constitution.
Section 9. The Financial Secretary shall keep an inventory of all records and property of the Local Union, the same to contain, when possible, date of purchase and amount paid for each article. S/He shall notify all members in arrears of the amount of their indebtedness and turn over her/his books to the Trustees for audit and approval when called to do so. S/He shall, on the demand of the International Secretary-Treasurer, produce her/his books for examination and audit and shall comply with the provisions of this Constitution.
Section 10. Should it be proven that any Local Union Financial Secretary has willfully and intentionally failed to report monthly the full membership of her/his Local Union to the International Secretary-Treasurer; or should it be proven that any Local Union President, Treasurer and/or Financial Secretary willfully and intentionally refuses to sign a check to send in the full amount of per capita tax on the same number of members who have paid dues to the Local Union, the Local Union may be suspended from all privileges and benefits until the deficiency is made good and the officer or officers responsible for such failure shall not be allowed to again hold office in the organization for a period of two (2) years.
Section 11. The Treasurer shall give a receipt for all monies received from the Financial Secretary. The monies received must be deposited in such bank as the Local Union Trustees may direct for the several funds provided for in this Constitution and such other funds as the Local Union may set up in the name and number of the Local Union. S/He shall sign all checks, which must be countersigned by the President. S/He shall report in writing every month at a regular meeting of the Local Union the total receipts and total expenditures for the Local Union for the previous calendar month and the amount of money still on deposit. The Treasurer shall deliver to her/his successor all monies and other property of the Local Union. S/He shall, on demand of the International Union or Trustees of the Local Union, produce her/his books for examination and audit.
Section 12. The Trustees shall have general supervision over all funds and property of the Local Union. They shall audit or cause to be audited by a Certified Public Accountant selected by the Local Union Executive Board, the records of the Financial Officers of the Local Union semiannually as provided herein, using the Trustee Audit Form found on the Local Union Information System (LUIS), a copy of which shall be forwarded to the International Secretary- Treasurer immediately thereafter. It shall also be their duty to see that the Financial Officers of the Local Union are bonded in conformity with the laws of the International Union. The Trustees shall see that all funds shall be deposited in a bank subject to an order signed by the President and Treasurer and/or Financial Secretary. In Local Unions where safety deposit boxes are used, the Trustees shall see that the signatures of the President, Treasurer and one (1) of the Trustees are required before admittance to the safety deposit box is permitted. In the event the books are not received for audit within fifteen (15) days after the end of each six-month period, the Chairperson of the Trustees shall make a report to the next meeting of the Local Union for action.
Section 13. It shall be the duty of the Sergeant- at-Arms to introduce all new members and visitors and assist the President in preserving order when called upon to do so. S/He shall also take charge of all property of the Local Union not otherwise provided for and perform such other duties as may be assigned to her/him from time to time.
Section 14. It shall be the duty of the Guide to maintain order, inspect the membership receipts, satisfy her/himself that all present are entitled to remain in the meeting of the Local Union and perform such other duties as are usual to the office.
========= All Local Union officers, committees, stewards and other members ==========
Section 15. All Local Union officers, committees, stewards and other members handling funds or other property of the Local Union shall, at the completion of their duties, turn over all papers, documents, funds, and/or other Local Union property to the properly constituted Local Union officers.