CLEVELAND, July 9 — The 2009 edition of “On the Right Track,” the Local Division nomination and election procedure manual, is now available for download from the BLET website.
As a result of election protest decisions from the Office of Labor Management Standards of the Department of Labor, the BLET has been forced to make some very significant changes to the local division electoral process. In other words, the current edition of “On The Right Track” is very different than the 2006 edition, so please read this booklet carefully!
To be nominated for a division election you must have paid your dues for 24 month prior to the election. This includes all dues — National Division dues, General Committee of Adjustment dues, Division dues and State Legislative Board dues.
In other words, only members who have 24 months of consecutive good standing may be nominated to run for office. This means a member must have paid full dues to any BLET division from September 2007 through August 2009.
However, there is an exception. Those in active duty in a reserve component of the military or the National Guard for a period lasting more than 30 days but not more than 24 consecutive months are not required to pay dues to maintain their continuous good standing.
In order to be eligible to nominate or vote in the division election, you must be a member in good standing through the month prior to the nomination or election meeting. This means payment of full dues for the months of August and November 2009.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Constitution provides that members are eligible to run for election only if they are “in continuous good standing . . . and actively employed in the craft . . . for a period of twenty-four (24) consecutive months prior to the month of nomination” (IBT Constitution, Article II, Section 4(a)(1)).
In general, “continuous good standing” means the timely payment of dues for each of the twenty-four months during the applicable period together with no interruptions in active service during that period. “Actively employed in the craft” has been defined within the BLET as possessing seniority eligible for active membership in the BLET, which includes the crafts of engineer and trainmen.
If you are a Division Secretary-Treasurer, you will also serve as an election official for your Division. A package of election material, including “On The Right Track,” will be mailed to you in the near future.
Should you have any questions, please contact the BLET National Division, Office of the National Secretary-Treasurer.
In the meantime, “On The Right Track” is available for download by clicking here.