Bylaws and Policy
AEA Bylaws
AEA Bylaws 2009-2010 - (Revised February 2010)
AEA Policy Area
Who makes decisions for my Association? (posted 12/1/05)
Who takes care of bargaining for AEA? Who decides what AEA does in political races? Who makes decisions when I am in my classroom? Who decides the positions of the AEA on the issues we all face? Where do I fit into the Association?
These are all great questions. The answers can be found in the AEA By-Laws and the AEA Policy Manual. According to the AEA By-Laws, the most powerful decision-making group is the membership. That is why for really critical decisions, i.e. will we ratify a contract or vote to authorize a strike; only the membership can make the decision.
Since bringing the membership together is difficult and expensive, we have elected bodies that also make important decisions for all of us. The most powerful elected body is our Representative (Rep) Council, which meets once a month. Buildings can elect representatives to Rep Council in proportion to their size. The ratio is one Building Rep for every 20 members (or major fraction thereof.) Building reps can decide the position of the Association on a wide variety of issues. Do we support a bond issue? Will we work in support of particular candidates? While our PACE Committee (more on committees in future articles) may make recommendations about these issues, the decisions are made by the Building Reps. Among the most important decisions made by Building Reps have to do with the By-Laws themselves. Only the reps can amend the by-laws, and then only by following a specific process. If your building is not sending a full delegation of building reps, you are not being fully represented on this important decision-making body.
In between meetings of the Representative Council, the Board of Directors exercises the executive authority of the Association. This is spelled out in the By-Laws. The By-Laws also tell us how the Board shall be comprised as well as the responsibilities associated with being on the AEA Board of Directors. The AEA Policy Manual gives a more detailed description of the responsibilities of the various positions on the Board. These documents are available on the AEA website, www.anchorageea.org and are worth looking into if you are interested in the internal make-up of the Association. While the reading is a little on the dry side, these documents are great resources when considering your level of involvement in your Association.
