This year’s Annual General Meeting, or AGM, will be held on Wednesday April 6th, 2022 at 3 p.m. via Zoom (with an expected ending time of approximately 5 p.m.). A secure link for registration has been sent to your McMaster email address, included in our weekly mailer (“News from your Union”).
As per our bylaws, there is a single agenda item at the AGM- the election of all executive positions and a 3-year trustee. A full description of each of these positions can be found in our bylaws. Additional business outside of the election will occur at our next General Membership Meeting, likely to be held in May.
AGM Protocols- The Nominations and Elections Process
- The election process will be governed by the CUPE Local 3906 bylaws, and in particular Article 4.
- A full copy of the bylaws can be found here: https://cupe3906.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/501/2022/02/CUPE-3906-Bylaws-updated-Dec-2021.pdf
- All executive positions listed under Article 5 of the Local 3906 bylaws, as well as a 3 year Trustee (term ending 2025) will be open and elected at the AGM
- Please note that in order to vote, you must be in attendance at the Annual General Meeting
- Our Annual General Membership Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 from 3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. The meeting will occur online on the “zoom” platform.
1) Any member can self-nominate or nominate a fellow member for any executive position in advance of the meeting by emailing brad@cupe3906.org. Members who are (self) nominated and cannot attend the meeting can send a brief statement (250 words maximum) which will be read on their behalf at the meeting prior to voting on the position(s) for which they are contesting. If you are nominating someone else, please CC them in the email to ensure that they are aware of the nomination
2) Any member can self-nominate or nominate a fellow member at the meeting when nominations are open for any specific position
3) During the meeting, positions will be elected one-by-one. The results (naming the winner only, not sharing the vote breakdown) will be provided before the next position is elected.
4) Elections will occur in the following order: President, Vice President, Vice President External, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Benefits and Advocacy Officer, Chief Steward Unit 1, Chief Steward Unit 2, Chief Steward Unit 3, Undergraduate Officer, Equity Officer, International Officer, Health and Safety Officer, Trustee (3 year term)
5) The expectations of each position, and any criteria for running for the position, can be found in Article 5 of the Local 3906 bylaws.
6) Voting for each of the three Chief Steward positions is limited to members of that Unit.
7) As per usual practice, there will be three calls for nominations for each position. Those (self)nominated in advance will have their names put forward automatically during the third and final call
8) When nominations close, nominees can either stand for the election (ie. agree to run in the election) or decline their nomination and not run in the election. All members self-nominated in advance, and any member nominated in advance who has confirmed their acceptance of the nomination, will stand for the election
9) Should there be more than one candidate standing for election, an election will be held. If only one candidate stands for election, that person will be acclaimed. If there are no candidates, the executive can – at its sole discretion – appoint someone to an interim role. An election for any vacant spots will occur at the next GMM, including those which may have been filled by an interim appointment
10) Should more than one candidate contest the position, each candidate will have 2 minutes to speak to the membership about their candidacy and to motivate members to vote for them
11) As per Article 4(c)(iii) of the Local 3906 bylaws, the Chair, at their sole discretion, can permit other members to speak in favour of the candidacy of a specific candidate. The chair, at their sole discretion, may also permit a brief Q and A period for candidates.
12) Voting for all positions will be done by Zoom polling. The polling will be anonymous; results will be made known to staff and any scrutineers. Staff will announce a winner, but not a breakdown of votes. In order to vote, you must be in attendance when the vote is being held.
13) Each candidate may appoint a scrutineer to validate the election results. The chair can also appoint a scrutineer if there are no volunteers or if candidates do not appoint one
14) As per Article 4(d)(i) of the Local 3906 bylaws, “A majority of votes cast shall be required before any candidate can be declared elected, and second and subsequent ballots shall be taken, if necessary, to obtain a majority. On the second and subsequent ballots the candidate receiving the lowest number of votes in the previous ballot shall be dropped. In the case of a tie in the final vote, the remaining candidates shall be invited to address the meeting and a new election will be held. Elections shall continue until a majority vote is accomplished.”
15) Once a position is filled with a majority vote, the above process will continue for the subsequent position
16) Newly elected executives will assume the position as of 12:01 a.m. on April 7th