Constitution and Bylaws for
New Mexico Telecom Pioneers Chapter 117
Ratified February 19, 2004
New Mexico Chapter #117 Constitution
ARTICLE I Name and Scope
Section 1 The name of this organization shall be New Mexico Chapter 117, TelecomPioneers, hereinafter referred to as the chapter.
Section 2 This chapter was formed under a charter dated July 1, 1995, granted by the TelecomPioneers (formerly the Telephone Pioneers of America), hereinafter referred to as the Chapter 117 and shall operate under the jurisdiction of the Telecom Pioneer Association.
Section 3 This chapter is granted jurisdiction over the membership from the state of New Mexico of the Qwest Company.
Section 4 The headquarters of this chapter shall be in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
ARTICLE II Subordinate Units
Section 1For administrative purposes, the territory of this chapter is divided into clubs.
Section 2Each club shall be a constituent part of the chapter.
Section 3Groups consisting only of Life Members may be organized into units known as Life Member clubs, each of which shall be a constituent part of the chapter.
Section 4All subordinate units (including clubs and Life Member clubs) shall be governed by the constitution and bylaws of this chapter, shall derive their authority from the executive committee of this chapter, and shall be established or abolished only with the approval of the chapter executive committee.
Section 5The clubs and Life Member clubs who have been authorized by the executive committee of this chapter shall be as described in an appendix to the bylaws of this chapter. The description shall include the name given to each subordinate unit, the territory in which it operates, its headquarters and organization date.
ARTICLE III Purpose
Section 1The purpose of this chapter and of its clubs shall be to carry on the work of Pioneering within its jurisdiction in accordance with the purpose of the Association, which is:
The purpose of the Telecom Pioneers shall be to promote and participate in activities that respond to community needs and problems, to provide a means of friendly association for telecommunications employees and those retired; to foster among them a continuing fellowship and a spirit of mutual helpfulness; to contribute to the progress of the Association and promote the happiness, well-being and usefulness of the membership; to exemplify and perpetuate those principles which have come to be regarded as the ideals and traditions of the industry.
ARTICLE IV Membership
Section 1 Any current or former employee of a sponsor company listed in Section 2, below, shall be eligible for membership. Membership is in the Association and, coincidentally, in the subordinate units established as chapters, clubs and Life Member clubs.
Section 2 To be eligible for admission to membership, an individual must be a present or past employee of a present or past sponsoring company. Current sponsors include: Aliant Inc., AT&T, BellSouth Corporation, Cincinnati Bell, Frontier Communications Corporation, Manitoba Telecom Services, Qwest Communications, Inc., SaskTel, SBC Communications Inc., Telcordia Technologies, Inc., Verizon or any subsidiary of the foregoing companies.
Section 3Regular members who retire from employment and receive a service pension shall be granted Life Membership, effective the day following retirement. Regular members who otherwise leave the employment of a sponsor may apply for Life Membership upon the attainment of age 55. Life Members shall be entitled to all membership privileges but shall be exempt from the payment of dues.
Section 4 Any Life Member who lives in or moves into an area that is under the jurisdiction of another chapter and establishes a permanent residence and stays there longer than six months during a span of 12 consecutive months may be granted affiliate membership in that chapter and its subordinate units. Affiliate members of the chapter are entitled to such privileges as the chapter executive committee may designate, including the right to vote, hold office and serve as a member of the executive committee, except that in no case will these privileges include the right to hold office in both the affiliate and home chapters simultaneously.
Section 5 Associate membership may be granted by the chapter executive committee to the Partner of a deceased regular member or Life Member who so desires. An associate member may wear the Pioneer emblem and shall be entitled to such privileges as the chapter executive committee may designate, including the right to vote, hold office or serve as a member of the executive committee at the club level only. An associate member shall be exempt from the payment of dues.
Section 6 honorary memberships may be granted to a person making a truly unusual or outstanding contribution to the TelecomPioneers or to the telecommunications industry. Such membership shall not be conferred upon anyone who could otherwise attain membership eligibility. Honorary membership must be approved by the Association Board of Directors (formerly known as the Executive Committee) or by the chapter Executive Committee and concurred in by the chapter｡ｦs Association Vice President. Honorary members do not have the right to vote but are entitled to all other membership privileges and may wear the Pioneer emblem. Honorary members shall be exempt from the payment of dues.
Section 7Another form of association with TelecomPioneers is Pioneer Partner. Pioneer Partner status is automatically bestowed upon the spouse of any member of the Association. Another family member or any individual designated by the Pioneer may serve as the Pioneer Partner. A Pioneer Partner shall be entitled to such privileges as the chapter executive committee may designate. The Pioneer Partner may wear the Pioneer Partner emblem and is exempt from the payment of dues.
Section 8 Membership in this chapter may be transferred to or from this chapter on changing work or residence location in accordance with the practices established by the Association and this chapter.
ARTICLE V Officers and Executive Committee
Section 1ハThe officers of this chapter and of each of its clubs and Life Member clubs shall be a president, a vice president (if more than one, specify number), a Pioneer administrator/manager (secretary at the subordinate unit level), and a treasurer. The title Pioneer administrator/manager (secretary at the subordinate unit level) applies to that position where the incumbent is responsible for managing the full range of administrative functions specified in the Pioneer Practices.
Section 2 There shall be an executive committee of this chapter and of each of its clubs and Life Member clubs. The executive committee shall consist of: the president, immediate past president, vice president, administrator/secretary and a treasurer and Life Member representative (position at chapter level only).
In addition, the presidents of the clubs and Life Member clubs shall be members of the executive committee of their Chapter.
The chapter Life Member representative(s), being an elective office, shall be someone other than a Life Member club president.
The president of the Chapter shall act as chairperson of the Chapter｡ｦs executive committee.
The administrator/secretary shall keep accurate records of the proceedings of the chapter executive committee, give notice of all meetings and perform other duties for the chapter executive committee as described in Article I, Section 6, of the bylaws. The administrator/secretary and treasurer shall be non-voting members of their respective executive committees.
Section 3 The first vice presidents of the chapter, clubs and Life Member clubs may be advanced to the office of president of their respective units in the ensuing year, subject to the approval of the respective executive committee. If, in any case the executive committee does not so approve, a president shall be elected by vote of the membership of the Chapter. The vice president, Life Member representative shall be elected by vote of the voting membership of the Chapter. The Chapter｡ｦs executive committee shall appoint the chapter administrator/secretary and treasurer.
Section 4 The terms of the presidents and vice presidents shall be one year. The terms of the chapter Life Member representative may be two years or more at chapter option. The chapter administrator/secretary and the chapter treasurer may serve until a successor is named. All terms shall begin on the first day of January next following their election or advancement, except in the case of the appointed members of the executive committee.
Section 5 Any elected officer may serve a maximum of three consecutive terms upon approval of the Qwest Regional vice-president, the chapter executive committee (two-thirds vote required). Given both approvals, no further nominating committee activity, election or membership balloting is required. A person who has been appointed to fill a vacancy in office for the remainder of a term may be nominated and elected to that office for the following term.
Section 6 No member of this chapter shall hold more than one elective position in the Pioneer organization at any one time.
ARTICLE VI Responsibilities of Executive Committees
Section 1 The chapter executive committee shall be the governing body of this chapter with responsibility in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and bylaws of this chapter and of the Association. It shall have the authority to establish or abolish clubs and Life Member clubs and to prescribe methods for their operation. It shall have the power to fill vacancies in the offices and executive committee of the chapter when they occur and to appoint delegate alternates/votes and additional delegates/votes to the Annual Meeting of the Association.
NOTE: To avoid confusion regarding the number of delegates to send to the Annual Meeting, an amendment was passed in 2001 to make it clear that additional chapter representation can be in the form of a proxy vote and does not necessarily have to be the physical person attending. This measure could also reduce the overall number of delegates attending the Annual Meeting and thereby reduce costs.
NOTE: When a chapter is entitled to additional delegates to the Annual Meeting, as provided in the Association constitution and bylaws, the chapter should give serious consideration to providing proportionate representation of its Life Members, based on the ratio of regular members to Life Members on the rolls of the chapter.
Section 2 Each club and Life Member club executive committee shall be the governing body of its respective unit with responsibilities in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and bylaws of this chapter and of the Association. Each club shall have the power to fill vacancies in the offices and executive committee of its respective club when they occur.
Section 3 The chapter executive committee shall have authority to prescribe regulations as to chapter and club matters not specifically provided for herein, within the framework of this constitution and bylaws and the Association constitution and bylaws. However, in no case shall the intent and meaning of the provisions of the constitution and bylaws be changed except as provided in Article XI.
ARTICLE VII Committees
Section 1ハStanding and additional committees shall be established to carry out the Pioneer objectives of the Association and to meet the specific needs of operating the chapter and its clubs. (The chapters standing committees are listed in Article III, Section 2, of the bylaws.)
ARTICLE VIII Meetings
Section 1ハMeetings of this chapter or of any of its clubs or Life Member clubs may be held at the call of its executive committee and shall be held on petition of not less than 5 percent of the membership of the respective unit. A designated Pioneer member, typically the unit secretary, shall ensure that notice of the meeting is sent to each member of the respective unit at least 7 days before the meeting or shall post or otherwise make a good faith effort to announce to the unit membership the time and place of the meeting at leas10 days in advance of the meeting date. If an amendment to this constitution or to the bylaws is to be voted upon, the notice/announcement shall so state and identify generally the provisions, which will be affected. Five percent of the membership shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Section 2 Meetings of an executive committee may be held at the call of its president and shall be held at the request of three members of the committee. Notice of a meeting shall be sent to each executive committee member of the respective unit at least 7 days before each meeting. Two thirds of the executive committee, present and voting, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
ARTICLE IX Administrative and Fiscal Years
Section 1 The administrative and fiscal years of this chapter and its subordinate units shall run concurrently beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31 of the same year.
ARTICLE X Revenues
Section 1 Application fees, other fees and membership dues are prescribed by the Association.
Section 2 Funds may be derived from fund-raising activities, from donations, and from other sources, which have been approved by the chapter executive committee as consistent with the organization and operation of the Association.
Section 3 The apportionment of funds (fees, dues, donations, etc.) to subordinate units shall be determined by the respective executive committees; e.g., chapters to councils and councils to clubs.
Section 4 The New Mexico Chapter Restricted Reserved for Charitable Causes｡ｨ account (Account 3.2) is created exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific purposes or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under United States Internal Revenue Law.
This account will be managed by the executive committee of this chapter, as identified in Article V, above, and no funds shall be disbursed from this account except as directed by said executive committee.
The principal and income of all property placed in the restricted account shall be used exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific purposes or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. No part of the net earnings shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to chapter members, trustees, officers or other private persons, except that payments and distributions may be made in furtherance of the purposes set forth in paragraph 1 of Section 4, above.
Note: Section 4, above, pertains only to U.S. chapters.
Section 5 In no way shall the actions of the chapter or the use of its funds involve the carrying on of lobbying activities or other attempt to influence legislation or the election of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision stated herein, the chapter shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by an organization exempt from federal income tax under U.S. Internal Revenue Law.
ARTICLE XI AMENDMENTS
Section 1 Amendments to this constitution or to the bylaws may be proposed to the chapter membership for action only by the chapter executive committee on its own volition, but the chapter executive committee may consider a proposal set forth in a petition bearing signatures representing not less than five percent of the total chapter membership.
Section 2 At any meeting of the chapter executive committee, action on any proposed amendment to this constitution or to the bylaws may be initiated by a two-thirds vote of the committee members present, provided notice of the proposed amendment was sent to each member of the committee at least 10 days prior to the meeting.
Section 3 Proposed amendments to this constitution or to the bylaws shall be approved by the Association executive director and chief operating officer before being submitted to the chapter membership for action.
Section 4 Each proposed amendment to the constitution or to the bylaws authorized for submission to the chapter membership for action shall be voted upon via printed ballot (mailed or distributed) or via voice vote at a meeting of the chapter called and held as provided in Article VIII, Section 1, above.
At least 30 days before the date set by the chapter president for the counting of ballots or voice vote, the chapter administrator/manager shall send to each member who is entitled to vote or shall post or otherwise make a good faith effort to announce (see Note, below) a ballot that lists the current and proposed amended text of the article(s) or section(s) in question and describes the reasons for, and impacts of, each proposed amendment. In addition, the ballot shall provide a voting area (yes/no/abstain) for each proposed amendment and clearly state the address to which completed ballots should be returned and the date by which ballots must be received at that location. The affirmative vote of at least two thirds of those voting shall be sufficient for the adoption of any proposed amendment. On the specified date, tellers appointed by the chapter president shall count the ballots and certify the results of the voting in writing to the Pioneer administrator/manager.
Note: The Pioneer administrator/manager shall ensure that all possible means of publicizing the amendment vote and the existence of ballots are investigated and utilized, including company or chapter/unit publications, posters, Pioneer hotlines and bulletin boards and announcements or hand-outs at meetings. Every reasonable effort shall also be made to inform the membership of where ballots can be obtained and when/where they must be returned.
Section 5 The appendix to the bylaws, referred to in Article II, Section 5, of this constitution, may be amended by the chapter executive committee.
Section 6ハWithin 30 days of the completion of the amendment process, the Pioneer administrator/manager shall ensure that an appropriately revised and dated file copy of the chapters｡ｦ amended constitution and bylaws is forwarded to the Association office in Denver.
Bylaws
ARTICLE I Powers and Duties of Officers and Executive Committee Members
Section 1ハThe president of this chapter and the president of each of its clubs and Life Member clubs shall:
a) Enforce the provisions of the Association and chapter constitution and bylaws.
b) Preside at all meetings of the corresponding Pioneer unit and executive committee
c) Decide all questions of order subject to an appeal; act as judge of elections and declare the results.
d) Have authority to call meetings of the executive committee.
e) Be empowered to appoint committees as provided in these bylaws and such special committees as the executive committee may deem advisable.
f) Be a member ex officio of all committees except the nominating committee
g) Ensure that the nominating committee is selected in accordance with Association guidelines and properly trained to fulfill its mission.
h) Perform such other duties as usually pertain to the office or as may be delegated by the executive committee.
Section 2 The vice president of each unit shall assist the president of such unit in the discharge of duties and responsibilities. During the absence or disability of the president, the first vice president shall have all the powers and perform all of the duties of the president. If it appears that the office of president will be vacant for the remainder of the term, the vice president may be appointed president by the executive committee for the unexpired portion of the term.
Section 3 The immediate past president of each unit shall be a non-elected member of the executive committee. The immediate past president acts as an advisor to the president and the executive committee and often chairs the nominating committee.
Section 4 The chapter Life Member representative(s) will be required to take special assignments or serve on committees as the president or executive committee may assign.
Section 5 The chapter secretary and the secretary of each subordinate unit are the administrative officers of the unit, acting in concert with the unit president and executive committee shall:
a) Enforce, along with the unit president, the provisions of the chapter and Association constitution and bylaws.
b) Keep accurate records of the proceedings of the unit and of its executive committee.
c) Take care of the general correspondence and have charge of all records, except those in the charge of the treasurer, if required, or as otherwise directed by the executive committee.
d) Give notice of all meetings.
e) Issue such reports as the executive committee may direct.
f) Advise and consult with the members of the executive committee and the standing committee chairpersons in their work by maintaining and interpreting Pioneer methods and practices, and aid them in advancing the best interests of the chapter and the Association.
g) Perform such other duties as usually pertain to the office or as may be assigned by the president or executive committee.
The chapter and the unit treasurers shall also:
a) Receive and be custodian of all its monies
b) Keep its executive committee fully advised on all matters connected with the unit funds
c) Keep an accurate financial record, showing all receipts and disbursements
d) Keep its funds in such place as the executive committee may designate
e) Prepare vouchers and disburse such funds as directed by the executive committee and approved by the president and vice president
f) Perform such other duties as the president or executive committee may assign.
ARTICLE II Election and Removal of Chapter, Club and Life Member Club Officers and Executive Committee Members
Section 1 Each unit shall hold an annual election, preferably not later than September 30, on a date to be fixed by its executive committee. This election may be conducted by printed ballots (mailed or distributed) or by voice vote at an annual meeting.
Section 2 At least 45 days before the date set for the counting of ballots or voice vote, an appointed nominating committee of the unit shall submit to its president a list of candidates for the elective positions of the unit. At least 30 days before the date set for the counting of ballots or voice vote, the administrator/secretary shall send to each member of the unit who is entitled to vote or shall post or otherwise make a good faith effort (see Note, below) to announce a ballot containing the names submitted by the nominating committee. The name of the vice president to be advanced to president shall be shown on the ballot, and space shall be provided for write-in candidates. (If the election is by voice vote, time shall be allotted for additional nominations from the floor). On the specified date, tellers appointed by the president of the unit shall count the votes and certify in writing to the administrator/secretary the results of the election.
Note: The secretary shall ensure that all possible means of publicizing the election and the existence of ballots are investigated and utilized, including web site postings, e-mail, company or chapter/unit publications, posters, Pioneer hotlines and bulletin boards and announcements or hand-outs at meetings. Every reasonable effort shall be made to inform the membership of where ballots can be obtained and when and where they must be returned.
Section 3 Votes can be cast for any person who is eligible for election, even if not nominated. The candidate with the majority of votes will be declared elected.
Section 4 A single ballot containing the names submitted by the nominating committees to the chapter and all of its subordinate units may be used.
Section 5 The chapter administrator/secretaries and treasurers each unit shall be appointed by its executive committee.
Section 6 Any officer may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote of the chapter executive committee whenever, in its judgment, the best interests of the chapter and the Association would be served thereby.
ARTICLE IIIハCommittees
Section 1ハThe chapter and its subordinate units shall establish those standing committees that will help foster the fellowship, loyalty and service of the membership. They may also establish additional committees if size of membership, activities or special projects make this necessary or desirable.
Section 2 Established standing committees shall be as follows.
1. Community Service/Pioneer Projects
2. Educational Opportunities
3. Fellowship
4. Life Member
5. Membership
6. Nominating
7. Pioneer Partner Rep
Clubs and Life Member clubs shall establish any of these committees or other committees as required to administer their programs.
Section 3 The duties and responsibilities of each of the committees are outlined in the Association Guidelines.
