ARTICLE I
NAME
Section 1. The Association, organized September 7, 1908, shall be known as the National Association of Postal Supervisors (NAPS).
Section 2. The National Association of Postal Supervisors shall maintain offices in the locale in which the United States Postal Service (USPS) Headquarters is located.
ARTICLE II
OBJECT
The object of the Association shall be to promote, through appropriate and effective action, the welfare of its members, and to cooperate with the USPS and other agencies of the federal government in a continuing effort to improve the service, to raise the standard of efficiency, and to widen the field of opportunity for its members who make the Postal Service or the federal government their life work.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. NAPS shall have three classes of members. These classes of members shall be (1) active, (2) associate, (3) honorary.
Section 2. Active Members
(a) Included are all supervisory/managerial and postmaster personnel who are not subject to collective bargaining agreements under Chapter 12 of Title 39, US Code, and who are employed in processing and distribution centers and facilities, including but not limited to, Headquarters, area and district offices; post offices; network distribution centers; and other installation personnel.
(b) NAPS is not the representative of personnel employed as PCES installation heads, postal inspectors or other PCES positions in USPS field facilities or at USPS Headquarters.
Section 3. Associate Members
(a) Former active members who were active members for at least 90 days prior to the date of their official postal retirement are considered to be in good standing with the association at the time of retirement and may not be denied associate membership. Associate members may affiliate with a local or state branch of their choice.
(b) Associate members shall be entitled to all the same benefits granted active members.
(c) Associate members shall pay dues at the national or branch level no less than an amount one-half the national per capita tax, which will include a subscription to The Postal Supervisor.
(d) Associate members who hold offices at the national level shall pay the full share and same dues and assessments as active members of their branches.
Section 4. Honorary Members
(a) Members of this Association who are in good standing at the time of retirement or promotion shall be entitled to honorary membership.
(b) Honorary members shall not be required to pay dues, and, except for attending meetings, shall not be eligible for any of the benefits described in Section 3.
Section 5. Any employees eligible for active membership, who are employed in an installation having a local branch, or in an installation affiliated with a state branch, shall be eligible for NAPS membership only by affiliation with said local or state branch.
Any employees eligible for active membership who are employed in an installation that is not affiliated with a local branch shall become a member of the state branch. Where there is no state branch, the applicants will become members of a local branch within the state.
Section 6. A member’s place of residence does not qualify as a criterion for requesting an exception to affiliate with another branch. NAPS Headquarters shall accept requests from members for branch affiliation exceptions in the following situations:
a) When members are affected by Postal Service-initiated consolidations, or
b) When a member’s office of physical domicile is different from his or her employing office (USPS Finance number of record). In both cases, the member’s attendance and participation at branch meetings and activities would be hampered by physical distance from their employing office. The member’s current area vice president shall investigate written exception requests and report said findings to NAPS Headquarters for concurrence by at least two-thirds of the resident officers.
c) When no local branch in a members’ home state is located within 50 miles of their assigned work location.
d) When a Finance number change occurs with no change in domicile as validated by PS Form 50 information in blocks 35 and 36, the member will remain in their domicile branch without requiring the submission of the Request for Exception of Branch Affiliation.
Section 7. If an installation has been realigned to an area outside the area of the present state, branches and/or state branch members may affiliate with either state branch.
Section 8. The secretary of each local and state branch, upon the addition of new members, shall immediately furnish the Secretary/Treasurer with the original and a copy of Forms 1187 for members on dues withholding, and/or the names, addresses and social security numbers of direct pay and associate members. Branches shall notify the Secretary/Treasurer of those direct pay and associate members that they wish to have removed from their rolls for whatever reason.
NAPS membership shall be effective the date from which a local, state or national officer signs and dates the Form 1187, after the eligible person has signed and dated their respective Form 1187. The effective date of membership cannot be prior to the date signed by the respective local, state or national officer.
Section 9. NAPS will not discriminate, for any reason, against any eligible persons seeking membership in NAPS, or any of its chartered branches, or in any action taken by the Association or its members.
ARTICLE IV
ORGANIZATION
Section 1. A local branch is not a state branch, but recognized as a branch within the state in which it is located. A local branch may not accept for membership current or eligible active members who are in employing offices outside the local branch’s respective state, unless there is no local branch in their home state located within 50 miles of their assigned work location, unless in accordance with Article III, Section 6.
Local branches may be established within the provisions of this Constitution and Bylaws upon application by a majority of, but not fewer than ten (10) members, to the president of the existing NAPS branch and to the NAPS area vice president, who shall review and forward the application to the Secretary/Treasurer, who shall in turn issue a charter. An office would be limited to only one charter. (For purposes here, the word “office” means those units that fall under the direct dominance of an installation head and/or a PCES manager-in-charge who reports to an area vice president or directly to USPS Headquarters.)
Section 2. Local branches may likewise be formed upon application of ten (10) or more members who constitute a majority of each of two (2) or more post offices. Members of other offices in the vicinity may affiliate with a local branch by consent of the local branch, provided that the application to affiliate shall be signed by a majority of members of such office. The member’s current area vice president shall investigate, confirm and approve the majority members’ request to affiliate with another local branch and report such findings to NAPS Headquarters for final concurrence by at least two-thirds of the resident officers.
Section 3.
(a) State branches may likewise be formed by application of ten (10) or more members, or two (2) or more local branches in a state, and when two (2) or more adjoining states desire, if approved by a majority vote of members from each state, they may affiliate to become a bi-state or tri-state branch. A state may withdraw from a bi-state or tri-state branch by a vote of the majority of the members of that state.
(b) Any chartered branch of a state branch that has been realigned to an area outside the area of their present state may affiliate with either state.
Section 4. Secretaries of chartered branches shall notify the state secretary and Secretary/Treasurer of any changes in the membership of said branch.
Section 5. The NAPS Headquarters office may dissolve a chartered branch of the Association under the following conditions and with the indicated consequences:
(a) The membership of the branch falls below the required minimum needed to charter a branch and stays below that minimum for a period of six (6) months or more. The members of the dissolved branch shall then be made members of a local branch within the state, if no local branch exists with the state, then the members will belong to the state branch.
(b) The area vice president requests the dissolution of a branch that has not had an elected or appointed officer for one year or more and when, after contacting the members of said branch, the area vice president has not been able to persuade the membership to elect officers or merge with another branch. The members of said branch will then be made (1) members of the nearest local branch within their respective state or (2) members of their respective state/bi-state branch as members-at-large.
Section 6.
(a) The US and its possessions shall be divided into five (5) regions to be known as Northeast, Eastern, Central, South-ern and Western, each region to be represented by a National Vice President. These five (5) regions are further defined as the:
Northeast Region: New England Area, New York Area and New Jersey, except Branch 74.
Eastern Region: Mideast Area (Delaware, Pennsylvania and Branch 74 only), Capitol-Atlantic Area and Pioneer Area.
Central Region: Michiana Area, Illini Area, North Central Area and MINK Area.
Southern Region: Southeast Area, Central Gulf Area, Cotton Belt Area and Texas Area.
Western Region: Northwest Area, Rocky Mountain Area and Pacific Area.
(b) The US and its possessions shall be subdivided into sixteen (16) areas, each to be represented by an Area Vice President. The areas are identified as follows:
New England Area: The states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
New York Area: The state or territories of New York, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.
Mideast Area: The states of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Capitol-Atlantic Area: District of Columbia and the states of Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Pioneer Area: The states of Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia, and Evansville, IN Branch 55.
Michiana Area: The states of Michigan and Indiana, except Evansville, IN, Branch 55.
Illini Area: The state of Illinois.
North Central Area: The states of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
MINK Area: The states of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.
Southeast Area: The states of Florida and Georgia.
Central Gulf Area: The states of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Cotton Belt Area: The states of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Texas Area: The state of Texas.
Northwest Area: The states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
Rocky Mountain Area: The states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Pacific Area: The states or territories of California, Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam.
(c) Where regional boundaries divide a state, a proportionate share of the votes will be allotted for electing national vice presidents. The votes of a state branch will be prorated at one-tenth for each member employed in the area.
ARTICLE V
MEETINGS
Section 1. National conventions of this Association shall be held biennially during the month of August, September or October of each even-numbered year, the convention site to be selected four (4) years in advance. If there is no application from any city desiring the convention, or if the final applicant remaining withdraws the invitation, the selection of a convention city shall be made by the Executive Board.
Section 2. The Executive Board shall meet at least once each year, and more frequently if conditions require. Such meetings shall be held at the call of the President or by petition to the President, signed by at least twelve (12) Executive Board members. A summation of the minutes of Executive Board meetings shall be reported in subsequent issues of The Postal Supervisor.
Section 3. A convention shall be called upon the written request of twenty (20) percent of the chartered branches filed with the Secretary/Treasurer ninety (90) days prior to the proposed meeting. The Secretary/Treasurer shall give notice of such call to all branches not later than ten (10) days after such request.
ARTICLE VI
REPRESENTATION
Section 1. Votes of state and local branches in national conventions shall be based on the average number of active and associate members for whom the branch has paid dues each pay period during the preceding biennial period, May 1 to April 30, between national conventions. Each branch shall be entitled to one (1) vote for each ten (10) members, or major fraction thereof, of the average paid membership during the preceding biennial period. All branches shall be entitled to a minimum of one (1) vote.
Section 2. Any branch may be represented by one (1) or more delegates, the vote to which the branch is entitled to be prorated if necessary. A duly elected state delegate may be authorized by his/her local branch to likewise represent said local branch of which he/she must be a member.
Section 3. Any state branch without any members shall have one (1) vote at the national convention to recognize the entity of the state branch.
Section 4. Each Executive Board member shall have a voice and vote in the national convention by virtue of his/her office.
ARTICLE VII
ELECTIONS
Section 1.
(a) There shall be a President, Executive Vice President, ecretary/Treasurer, five (5) National Vice Presidents and sixteen (16) Area Vice Presidents.
(b) These officers, all of whom must be active or associate members, shall hold office for the election period between biennial conventions, or until their successors are duly elected or appointed under provisions of Article VII, Section 2, paragraph 6, unless ineligible under provisions of Article III, Section 2, provided that not more than one (1) member from any one (1) local branch may hold any of these offices.
(c) NAPS Executive Board members shall relinquish any offices they might hold in a state or local branch at the time of their election or appointment to the Executive Board.
Section 2. On or before the afternoon of the next to final day of the convention, the President shall appoint a Ballot Committee of three (3) or more members, and declare the convention open for the nomination of candidates for the various offices.
President, Executive Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer shall be elected on a nationwide basis in accordance with Article VI. Candidates for all other national and area vice president positions shall be eligible for election to office only if they are active or associate members of a branch within the area or region served and shall be elected only by the votes of the duly accredited delegates from the area or region served.
uly accredited delegates from the area or region served. Each of the officers shall have equal voice and vote in all Executive Board action.
The Ballot Committee shall assume full control of the election. Before the opening of the morning session of the final day, ballots shall be prepared containing the names of all candidates for the various offices and the names of the cities desiring the next convention. Where only one person is nominated for any office, and no eligibility considerations under Section 1 (b) are involved, the convention may decide to waive the balloting for such office and elect the nominee by acclamation or otherwise.
The first order of business on the final day of the convention shall be the distribution of the ballots to the accredited delegates who shall deposit them in a ballot box provided by the committee. Balloting shall close fifteen (15) minutes after the roll call is completed.
The candidates receiving a majority of the votes cast shall be declared elected in the order in which they are listed in Section 1 (a). If there are more than two (2) candidates for any office, or more than two (2) cities desiring the convention, and a majority vote is not obtained by a candidate or city, a runoff election shall be held between the two (2) candidates, or cities, receiving the greatest number of votes. If then, because of eligibility considerations under Section 1 (b), an otherwise elected candidate shall be ineligible to serve, a new election shall be conducted in such manner as shall be recommended by the Ballot Committee to fill the vacancy thus occurring. The newly elected officers shall assume their respective offices at the time of the closing gavel for the final adjournment of the national convention and shall hold office for their respective terms or until their successors are duly elected or appointed. The city receiving a majority of the votes cast shall be declared the next convention city.
In the event a runoff election is necessary in the case of any office, or for the selection of the convention city, such runoff election shall be made the first order of business following the noon recess on the final day of the convention, and shall follow the procedure outlined in the fifth paragraph of this section.
Section 3. Vacancies, other than that of the President, occurring between conventions shall be filled by an interim appointment by the President, subject to the approval of the Executive Board, to serve until the next national convention. National or Area Vice President vacancies must be filled after consultation with the state presidents from the areas involved, for their input before a final determination is made. National or Area Vice President vacancies must be filled by a member from the region or area in which the vacancy exists.
Section 4. A branch interested in hosting a national convention in its city or geographic area shall express such interest by contacting NAPS Headquarter in writing on or before Dec. 31 of the year prior of the selection of the convention city. NAPS Headquarters handle the Request for Proposal (RFP) on behalf of the local branch. NAPS Headquarters will confirm the proposed host city meets NAPS’ convention criteria.
The convention criteria require that the assembly hall where the general convention session will be hosted, along with committee rooms and accommodations for delegates, must be within walking distance and no more than one-quarter mile from the front door of the main facility hosting the general convention session. A sufficiently large block of rooms must be available from the Friday before the convention through the Saturday following the convention. When the Executive Board is satisfied that a convention is feasible based on the results of the RFP, it shall report its findings to the convention.
onvention. Nomination of cities desiring the convention shall follow the nomination of officers. Any city that has not fulfilled the requirements outlined in the preceding paragraph concerning the written proposals shall not be eligible for nomination. In the event no proposals are acceptable, the Executive Board shall be empowered to select a city. Balloting on the convention city shall be conducted as provided in Section 2.
Should new construction or renovations prevent the necessary rooms from being available, the Executive Board shall attempt to relocate the convention to the city chosen runner-up for that convention year.
Section 5. Effective after the 68th NAPS National Convention, any member, including Associate Members-at-Large (MALS), who are in good standing with NAPS Headquarters and has paid the respective national convention registration fee, may request a Delegate-at-Large (DAL) credential to the National Convention from NAPS Headquarters, which must be approved and signed by two resident officers.
An approved Delegate-at-Large (DAL), with a paid registration, will have access to the national convention floor to vote on official NAPS business by voice and division vote only. The DAL will not be affiliated with any local or state branch. A registered and approved DAL is eligible to receive a national convention committee assignment. A DAL is prohibited from participating in any roll call votes and from collecting and/or casting any official election ballot(s).
ARTICLE VIII
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1. The Executive Board shall consist of the President, Executive Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, five (5) National Vice Presidents, sixteen (16) Area Vice Presidents and the Immediate Past President, who shall serve for not more than one (1) two-year term provided the Immediate Past President continues to be an active or associate member during such term.
Section 2. It shall be the duty of the Executive Board to carry out the orders of NAPS and conduct all business of NAPS during the interim of the conventions. The Executive Board shall have the power to levy assessments upon the membership. The Executive Board shall have the power to authorize necessary expenditures, and to draw vouchers for them upon the treasury. The Executive Board shall provide for the editing and publishing of a written communication, known as The Postal Supervisor, as appropriate to every NAPS member. The expenses of the Executive Board members in attendance at Board meetings and at the national convention shall be paid by NAPS.
The Executive Board shall not assume any financial obligation in staging a national convention that is in excess of the amount reported available by the Secretary/Treasurer for that convention. At the conclusion of each convention, any money not used for the convention shall be transferred to the general fund.
Section 3. There shall be such other committees appointed by the President as may be authorized by the Association or Executive Board. Members called for service on national committees (other than convention committees) shall be paid at their regular daily rate of postal pay for the time necessary to serve on these committees, plus per diem allowance as authorized by the Executive Board.
Section 4. If a member of the Executive Board accepts a detail to the US Postal Service Headquarters for a period of six (6) months or more, the position shall be declared vacant and the President shall appoint a replacement, subject to the approval of the Executive Board.
Section 5. There shall be no business or financial interest on the part of any member of the Executive Board or its agents which conflicts with their duty to the Association or its members.
ARTICLE IX
PRESIDENT
Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of this Association; shall call special meetings when ordered to do so, according to Article V; shall appoint committees and Sergeants-at-Arms; shall fill all vacancies which may occur, subject to the approval of the Executive Board; shall decide all questions of order (subject to an appeal to the convention); shall enforce the laws and rules of the Association; shall approve/disapprove all vouchers drawn on the treasury, and shall perform such other duties as pertain to the President’s office. The President shall be a full-time paid officer of this Association with headquarters at the national office.
Section 2. In the event of a permanent vacancy in the office of the President, through death, resignation or permanent disability, the Executive Vice President shall become the President.
If for any reason the Executive Vice President shall not be able to assume the duties of President, the Secretary/Treasurer shall assume the duties of the President. In the event the Secretary/Treasurer shall not be able to do so, the Executive Board shall meet and select a President, determined by two-thirds vote.
ARTICLE X
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Section 1. The Executive Vice President shall serve in the absence of the President.
Section 2. The Executive Vice President shall maintain liaison with members of Congress and shall endeavor to have bills introduced as mandated by national conventions.
Section 3. The Executive Vice President shall prepare briefs and make oral testimony before committees in the House of Representatives and Senate of the United States when necessary to promote legislation of interest to NAPS.
Section 4. The Executive Vice President shall process all resolutions.
Section 5. The Executive Vice President shall assume such other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Presi-dent.
Section 6. The Executive Vice President shall be a full-time paid officer of this Association with headquarters at the national office.
ARTICLE XI
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Section 1. The Secretary/Treasurer shall keep an accu-rate record of the meetings of the Association, including the Executive Board; shall have charge of all correspondence; and, shall be the statistician of the Association.
Section 2. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be the custodi-an of all funds of the Association. The Secretary/Treasurer shall receive and record all funds for the Association, deposit them in federally insured financial institutions and transfer them to an operating and/or investment account. The Secre-tary/Treasurer shall review all Association expenditures, fur-nish quarterly financial reports and publish them in The Post-al Supervisor. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be a permanent Budget Committee member.
Section 3. The Secretary/Treasurer shall prepare for the Credentials Committee at the national convention a list of all state branches showing the number of votes that each one is entitled to as shown on the Secretary/Treasurer’s roster, as provided for in Article IV, Sections 1 and 4.
Section 4. The Secretary/Treasurer shall assume such other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the President.
Section 5. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be a full-time paid officer of this Association, with headquarters at the na-tional office.
Section 6. The Secretary/Treasurer will ensure that The Postal Supervisor magazine is published monthly, except during National Convention years, when 11 issues of The Postal Supervisor will be published, which will include a spe-cial national convention issue.
ARTICLE XII
NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS AND AREA VICE PRESIDENTS
Section 1. The five (5) National Vice Presidents, one (1) from each region, shall co-chair the Membership Commit-tee and shall assume such other duties and responsibilities as assigned to them by the President.
Section 2. The National Vice Presidents shall coordi-nate activities of the Area Vice Presidents and shall be the chief liaison officers between the Association and the USPS area office in the regions they represent.
Section 3. The sixteen (16) Area Vice Presidents shall be responsible for membership, grievances and other prob-lems of the members in their respective areas. They shall co-ordinate the activities of the state and local branches and pro-vide proper and adequate representation in all matters of concern to the membership within their areas. They shall re-port to their designated National Vice President.
ARTICLE XIII
DUES AND ASSESSMENTS
Section 1. The national dues (the national per capita tax) of this Association shall be $91 per active member, per year, effective January 1, 2005. Active members shall have the op-tion of paying national dues by signing Form 1187, authoriz-ing dues to be withheld from their paychecks bi-weekly, or by paying a lump sum at intervals determined by their state or local branches.
Section 2. For members who do not elect to have dues withheld from their paychecks, the local and state branches shall be responsible for collecting the dues of such members using the direct pay method. Direct pay members shall pay national dues to their branches at intervals determined by their branch.
Direct pay members will be placed on the computerized dues check-off print-out and the national per capita tax will be deducted for such members from the money that is returned to the branch.
Any branch having direct pay members must have suf-ficient money returned to the branch monthly on the dues check-off print-out to cover the monthly payment to be de-ducted for such members. Any branch not having sufficient money to cover the monthly payment to be deducted for its direct pay members shall have its members’ monthly with-holdings automatically raised to an amount no less than suffi-cient to cover such dues.
Section 3. Payments of dues and per capita tax on members in good standing who are called into active military service shall be waived during such service and said members shall be removed from the active roster until returned from active duty and restored as active branch members. The Post-al Supervisor will be mailed only upon receipt of the neces-sary expenses thereof.
Section 4. Associate member national dues of the Asso-ciation shall be one-half the national per capita tax. Associate members shall pay national dues to their branches at intervals determined by their local or state branches. Branches shall bill their associate members at the determined intervals to keep their membership records and dues current. Associate members will be placed on the computerized dues check-off print-out and the national per capita tax will be deducted monthly for such members from the money that is returned to the branch.
Any branch having associate members must have suffi-cient money returned to the branch monthly on the dues check-off print-out to cover the monthly payment to be de-ducted for such members. Any branch not having sufficient money to cover the monthly payment to be deducted for its associate members shall have its members’ monthly withhold-ings automatically raised to an amount no less than sufficient to cover such dues.
Section 5. Local and state branches will be required to pay the cost charged by the USPS, if any, for collecting dues for those in the dues withholding program.
Section 6. Funds received from Postal Data Centers by the Secretary/Treasurer will be processed by deducting one-twenty-sixth of the annual per capita per pay period, the re-mainder to be remitted to the branch secretaries monthly. A list of the members from whom deductions are made will be prepared and a copy sent to the respective branches.
Section 7. The amount of $14 of the annual per capita of each dues-paying member shall be set aside for a subscrip-tion to The Postal Supervisor.
The amount of $4.00 of the annual per capita of each active and associate member shall be set aside for the Nation-al Convention Fund to be administered by the Executive Board.
The amount of $150,000.00 shall be allocated each fis-cal year for the Education and Training Fund, to be adminis-tered by the Executive Board.
The amount of $13 of the annual per capita of each ac-tive member shall be set aside for the Disciplinary Defense Fund (DDF), to be administered by the Executive Board.
Section 8. All branches are required to be on “Direct Deposit” for receipt of dues withholding checks.
ARTICLE XIV
BRANCHES
Section 1. Branches shall set their own dues, fees and assessments which shall be no less than the national per capita.
Section 2. Local or state branches may enact a constitu-tion and bylaws not in conflict with the national Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.
Section 3. Local branches shall hold at least two (2) membership meetings per calendar year and state branches shall hold at least one (1) meeting per calendar year.
Section 4. Each local and state branch must hold elec-tions of officers at least once every two years to elect two or more officers, with one officer being the president. Elected of-ficers of a local branch must be members of that respective branch. Elected officers of a state branch (i.e., state, bi-state, or tri-state) must be members of the respective state branch or a member affiliated with a local branch within that state (i.e., state, bi-state or tri-state). Branches should report a change in branch officers to NAPS Headquarters within 30 days of any said change with the submission of all the relevant meeting minutes.
ARTICLE XV
REFERENDUM VOTE AND AMENDMENTS
Section 1.
(a) Propositions or proposed amendments to this Constitution may be submitted to referendum by the Executive Board, or upon the request of twenty (20) percent of the local and the state branches, provided the President and the Secre-tary/Treasurer shall certify that such endorsement was by ref-erendum in their respective branches.
(b) The Association in convention assembled may, by majority vote, refer any resolution or amendment for referen-dum vote.
(c) Propositions for referendum to be voted by the membership shall be filed with the Secretary/Treasurer, who will order them printed in the next issue of The Postal Super-visor. Propositions or amendments shall be so stated that a “yes” or “no” vote can be registered. No more than four (4) pages of the succeeding two (2) issues in The Postal Supervi-sor shall be devoted to arguments on both sides of the ques-tion and space shall be divided evenly between the two (2) sides.
The President shall appoint a Ballot Committee of no fewer than three (3) members, composed of representatives of both sides of the issue. Immediately after the arguments are concluded in The Postal Supervisor, the Ballot Committee shall prepare and mail a ballot to each individual member of this Association in good standing.
To ascertain the validity of the voter and to ensure se-crecy of the ballot, the double-envelope system shall be used. After marking the ballot, the voter shall place it in an inner envelope which shall be plainly marked “ballot” and sealed with no identifying marks. The outer envelope shall be ad-dressed to the Ballot Committee. The voter shall sign the outer envelope to permit checking his/her validity as a voter. Unsigned outer envelopes will render the ballot invalid. The outer envelope shall be addressed to the Ballot Committee at National Headquarters, and shall have plainly indicated space for signature and return card of the voter, who shall be in-structed to sign his/her name and address as it appears on the national roster to permit easy identification. Ballots must be returned within sixty (60) days of the date of mailing.
At the expiration of the sixty-day period, the Ballot Committee shall assemble at National Headquarters to tabu-late the votes. Outer envelopes shall be checked against the roster to ascertain the validity of the voter and inner envelopes shall not be opened until the entire accumulation of outer en-velopes have been stripped of their contents. The results of the referendum shall be published in the next issue of The Postal Supervisor. If a majority of the members voting favor the amendment or the proposition, the same shall be operative on the first day of the succeeding month, provided no referen-dum shall be effective unless fifty (50) percent or more of the members of NAPS shall have voted on the proposition.
(d) After the proposition or amendment has been placed before the membership for referendum and vote, it shall not again be submitted for referendum within a year.
Section 2.
(a) Constitutional amendments not printed in the convention resolutions book must be read at one business session prior to being discussed and acted upon at a second business session.
A business session is defined as a meeting completed by noon, or between noon and 6:00 p.m., or beginning after 6:00 p.m.
(b) This Constitution may be amended at any conven-tion of the Association by a two-thirds vote of the delegates present at the time the vote is taken, provided that if a roll call vote be demanded, each vote shall be by branches and each branch represented shall be empowered to cast the number of votes to which it is entitled, regardless of the number of dele-gates.
Any division of delegates of a branch shall be adjusted by the President by allowing each delegate present to have the prorated number of votes to which the delegate is entitled, un-less it can be conclusively shown that such delegation is bound by the instructions of such branch to vote as a unit.
This procedure shall also govern all roll call votes at the national convention.
ARTICLE I
QUORUM
In any convention of the Association, twenty-five (25) branches duly represented shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE II
ORDER OF BUSINESS
The following order of business shall be observed, un-less varied by vote:
ARTICLE III
PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE
Section 1. Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the proceedings of this Association except where otherwise provided for by the Constitution and Bylaws or rules adopted by the convention in session.
Section 2. The President shall appoint a parliamentari-an at the opening session of each convention, and any set of rules proposed shall be reproduced and distributed to the dele-gates for study. No vote to approve or reject such rules shall be taken until the Credentials Committee has made its initial report of the convention voting strength.
ARTICLE IV
COMMITTEES
Section 1. The President shall appoint the following committees for the convention: Credentials, Resolutions, Audit, Rules and such other committees as deemed necessary.
Section 2. Prior to the convention, the President shall appoint and direct to report to the convention city, prior to the opening date, such committees as the President deems neces-sary to expedite consideration and reports to the convention. For such days in advance of the opening of the convention the members of such committees shall be compensated at the headquarters hotel single room rate plus taxes and fees. The Executive Board shall determine the amount to be paid each delegate for food based on the cost of living in the area where the convention is being held, but not less than the Postal Ser-vice per diem rate.
Section 3.
(a) The Sergeants-at-Arms shall be appointed by the President at the opening of the convention.
(b) Their duties shall be to maintain order and to com-pel the attendance of members at sessions when directed to do so by the President.
ARTICLE V
BONDS
The President, Executive Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer and all employees of the Association shall be bond-ed in such sums as may be determined by the Executive Board. Such bond shall be executed by a reputable surety company and the premium shall be paid by the Association.
ARTICLE VI
CHARTER FEE
The charter fee for branches shall be $5 and shall ac-company the application.
ARTICLE VII
NATIONAL CONVENTION REGISTRATION FEE
The Executive Board shall establish and collect a na-tional convention registration fee from delegates and visitors.
The salaries of the President, Executive Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer are currently set as follows:
The salary of the President is currently $173,035.72 an-nually.
The salary of the Executive Vice President is currently $164,738.08 annually.
The salary of the Secretary/Treasurer is currently $164,738.08 annually.
Salary and/or merit increases shall be automatically granted at the same time as those granted supervisors by the USPS on an annual basis or at whatever frequency is in use by the Postal Service to compensate EAS employees.
Salary or merit increases for NAPS resident officers shall be equal to the average national payout for active EAS employees for the compensation program in use in the appli-cable year for current and future years automatically at the same time salary increases are provided to active EAS em-ployees.
In the event EAS employees experience a pay freeze, now or in the future, the resident officers’ salaries also will be frozen in the same manner and for the same duration as active EAS employees.
ARTICLE IX
DISCIPLINARY DEFENSE FUND
Section 1. NAPS is committed to representing its membership in all areas, including adverse action. The Disci-plinary Defense Fund (DDF) was established by the member-ship, for the membership, to provide representation for NAPS members in appealing adverse actions, RIFs and debt collec-tion actions taken against them.
NAPS is a professional organization of supervisors and managers (as opposed to a union). Under this classification, NAPS is not obliged to defend each and every member, re-gardless of the charges they may face. The integrity of NAPS, both national and local, and the interests of the Postal Service must be considered when receiving a request for DDF advo-cacy.
Section 2. The DDF only is to be used for active and associate members, including individuals who were members in good standing at the time of retirement. To be eligible for representation through the DDF, an active member must meet the following criteria:
“(a) the active member must have signed an application for NAPS membership sixty (60) days from the effective date of promotion from the craft, or “(b) the active member must have been a NAPS member no fewer than ninety (90) days prior to the charge being issued, and “(c) any additional crite-ria outlined in the ‘Disciplinary Defense Fund: Procedures and Guidelines for Branch Presidents’ in the NAPS Officer Training Manual.”
Section 3. The DDF shall be administered by the Exec-utive Board.
Section 4. The NAPS resident officers shall review re-quests for evidentiary expenses resulting from a member’s DDF representation, and, when deemed necessary, authorize payment in an amount not to exceed $1,000 above the nor-mally authorized fees and expenses as outlined in “Disci-plinary Defense Fund: Authorized DDF Provider” in the Offi-cer Training Manual.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be amended by majority vote at any national convention under the same voting procedure as pro-vided for amendments to the Constitution.
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