BYLAWS OF THE
AKRON SYMPHONY PLAYERS' ASSOCIATION
(Revised 9/5/00)
Article 1-Name
The name of this organization shall be the Akron Symphony Players' Association (herein referred to as the "Players' Association"). It shall be a constituent assembly of the Akron Federation of Musicians, Local 24, American Federation of Musicians (herein referred to as the "Local") and an affiliated body of the Regional Orchestra Players' Association (herein referred to as Players' Conference).
Article 2-Object
The Object of the Players' Association shall be:
1) to unite the musicians of the Akron Symphony Orchestra; 2) to communicate the needs and wishes of those musicians to the Local through the Orchestra Committee; 3) to exchange information with Players' Conference and with the musicians of other symphonic orchestras through its Players' Conference Delegate; 4) to deal with the Management of the Akron Symphony Orchestra (herein referred to as the "Management") through the Orchestra Committee in matters which are designated by the Master Agreement between the Greater Akron Musical Association (GAMA) and the Local or which are otherwise delegated to the Players' Association; and 5) to work in general to promote the mutual welfare of the members of the Akron Symphony Orchestra.
Article 3-Members
a. The membership of the Players' Association shall consist of all Local members holding a current Musician Contract with the Akron Symphony Orchestra or who are in receipt of a letter of intent from the Management to offer a Contract.
b. The dues for the Players Association shall be $12.50 per Contract Year (defined as September 1 through the following August 31). Dues may be paid by payroll deduction or directly to the Treasurer.
Article 4-Committees and Delegates
a. The Players' Association shall elect an Orchestra Committee of seven members who shall constitute its officers. The Orchestra Committee shall be the Players' Association's official liaison with the Local. The Orchestra Committee shall also perform such other duties and functions as may be designated in the Master Agreement or delegated to it by the Local.
b. Between meetings of the Players' Association, the Orchestra Committee shall be authorized to act on behalf of and in the name of the Players' Association in all matters not inconsistent with the Master Agreement, with these Bylaws, or with the Bylaws of the Local, of the American Federation of Musicians, or of the Players' Conference.
c. The Players' Association shall elect a Players' Conference Delegate and an Alternate Players Conference Delegate. The Delegate shall represent the Players' Association at the annual conference of the Players' Conference and shall also be responsible to serve as the Players' Association liaison with the Players' Conference throughout the year following the annual conference. The Alternate Players' Conference Delegate shall attend that conference and/or discharge the other duties of the Players' Conference Delegate when the latter is unable to do so.
d. Such other committees--standing or special--and such delegates to other organizations as the Players' Association or the Orchestra Committee shall from time to time deem necessary to carry on the work of the Players' Association shall be appointed by the Chair with the concurrence of the Orchestra Committee unless otherwise provided or determined.
e. The Players' Conference Delegate shall be an ex-officio member of the Orchestra Committee and Negotiating Committee.
Article 5-Elections
a. All members of the Orchestra Committee, the Players' Conference Delegate, and the Alternate Players' Conference Delegate, as a condition of holding those positions, shall be and shall remain members of the Players' Association and members in good standing of the Local. A musician who has not completed his or her probationary season or who holds, or has a relative who holds a management position with GAMA shall not be eligible to serve on this Committee.
b. Members of the Orchestra Committee shall serve for a term of two years, with four members being elected in odd-numbered years and the other three members being elected in even-numbered years or until their successors are duly elected and installed. The Players' Conference Delegate and Alternate Players' Conference Delegate shall serve for a term of two years or until their successors are duly elected and installed.
c. Elections for the Orchestra Committee and for Delegate and Alternate Delegate to Players' Conference shall take place annually during the week of the second Classic Series concert in each Season unless negotiations for a new Master Agreement are in progress at that time. In the latter event, elections shall be postponed until the first regular meeting after the negotiations have been concluded and a new Master Agreement ratified.
d. Nominations shall be made from the floor and shall not be closed until there are at least as many candidates as there are positions open. Elections shall be by secret ballot within five days after the nominating meeting, with each member allowed to cast as many votes as there are positions to be filled. Those candidates, equal in number to the number of positions to be filled, who receive the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. The newly elected Orchestra Committee members shall take office at the conclusion of the meeting during which they have been elected. The newly elected Players' Conference Delegate and Alternate Delegate shall assume their positions with the next Players Conference following their election.
e. In the event that the number of candidates should equal the number of positions to be filled, the candidates nominated shall be declared elected by acclamation. This same provision shall apply in all other cases where elections are held by the Players' Association to fill committee, delegate, or other positions.
f. Any vacancy on the Orchestra Committee or in the position of Alternate Players' Conference Delegate shall be filled for the remainder of the term by election at the next Players' Association meeting following the occurrence of the vacancy. If the position of Players' Conference Delegate becomes vacant, the Alternate Players' Conference Delegate shall assume the position of Players' Conference Delegate for the remainder of the term, with a new Alternate Players' Conference Delegate being elected for the remainder of that term as provided herein. Any member elected to fill a vacancy shall assume the position immediately upon election. The Orchestra Committee may, at its option, appoint a member of the Players' Association to fill a vacant position between the time that the vacancy occurs and the election of a permanent replacement at the next Players' Association meeting.
g. An officer, Players' Conference Delegate or Alternate Players' Conference Delegate shall be removed from his/her position upon a finding of guilt on charges of Bylaws violations justifying removal. Charges-bearing the signature of at least 10 members of the Players' Association-must be filed in writing with the Chair or with the Secretary, who shall immediately serve a copy of the charges upon the charged party. The charges must state the specific Article(s) and Section(s) of the Bylaws allegedly violated and the acts giving rise to such violation. The charges shall be heard at a special meeting of the Players' Association held no sooner than 10 nor more than 30 days from the filing of the charges. Upon a finding of guilt by a two-thirds vote by secret ballot, the charged party shall be immediately removed from his/her position and the position declared vacant.
h. The Players Association shall elect one member to serve as their representative to the GAMA Board of Trustees. The term of this representative shall be governed by the current Master Agreement and GAMA bylaws.
Article 6-Officers
a. As the first order of business at its first meeting following the annual elections, the Orchestra Committee shall assign one of its members to each of the following offices: 1) Chair; 2)First Vice-Chair; 3) Second Vice-Chair; 4) Secretary; 5) Treasurer. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the parliamentary authority specified herein.
b. The Chair shall serve as the presiding officer for all meetings of the Orchestra Committee and of the Players' Association, and shall be the official spokesperson for the Committee. In chairing meetings of the Players' Association, the Chair shall have the right to express the Orchestra Committee's official position on an issue and to defend that position in debate without leaving the chair, all rules and regulations to the contrary notwithstanding. To enter personally into debate other than as a spokesperson for the Committee, however, the Chair shall relinquish the chair in accordance with standard parliamentary practice.
c. The Vice-Chairs, in order of their numerical rank, shall perform the duties of the Chair in the absence or disability of the latter. Either of the Vice-Chairs may also be assigned by the Chair to serve as acting Secretary or acting Treasurer at a meeting if the need arises.
d. The Secretary shall give notice of all meetings, keep a faithful record of all meetings, and conduct all correspondence not otherwise assigned.
e. The Treasurer shall collect all dues and other revenues of the Players' Association, maintain the same in a bank or credit union determined by the Orchestra Committee, disburse funds as directed by the Orchestra Committee, and keep an accounting of all balances and transactions. The Treasurer must have the approval of the membership for expenditures in excess of $100.00. All expenditures under $100.00 are to be limited to "housekeeping" expenses-i.e., postage, stationery, travel, food, etc. The Treasurer shall submit a financial report once a year to the Association Membership, during the first month of each season. Such reports shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting procedures, and shall be filed with the Secretary of the Local.
Article 7-Association Meetings
a. A regular meeting of the Players' Association shall be held in connection with one of the full rehearsals-selected by the Orchestra Committee-for the first concert of each Contract Year. Additional regular meetings shall be held at least quarterly at a time and place determined by the Orchestra Committee. Notice of all meetings shall be given to all members at least 7 days prior to the meeting. Notice of meetings for nomination of Committee Members shall be given at least one week (7 days) before such meeting. All regular meetings shall have an agenda. Any member of the Players' Association shall have the right to request that an item be placed on the agenda by submitting the same to a member of the Orchestra Committee at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.
b. Emergency meetings may be called without notice if the meeting pertains to a rehearsal or performance in progress; or if an action must be taken by the membership following the meeting.
c. The Orchestra Committee shall be empowered to cancel a regular meeting if it perceives that there would be no business requiring the attention of the members of the Players' Association at such meeting.
d. Special meetings may be called by the Chair, by a majority of the Orchestra Committee, or upon the petition of 10 members of the Players' Association. At least 7 days notice shall be given for a special meeting, and the purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call.
e. The quorum for meetings of the Players' Association shall be 10 members. In the absence of a quorum, an open meeting of the Orchestra Committee shall be held during which any members present may state their opinions. If at any time during this open meeting a quorum should be reached, a formal meeting of the Players' Association shall be called to order. If a quorum is not reached within a reasonable time, the Orchestra Committee shall be empowered to take action on any agenda items other than elections, ratification of a Master Agreement, or amendment of the Bylaws.
f. Meetings of the Orchestra Committee shall take place as needed at the call of the Chair or upon the petition of any three members. Four members shall constitute a quorum for meetings of the Orchestra Committee.
Article 8-Master Agreement Negotiations
a. It shall be the responsibility of the Orchestra Committee to examine the Master Agreement with respect to the current season, to solicit the input of the membership on potential modifications to that Agreement, to formulate proposed modifications of the Master Agreement for the next negotiations, and to report and discuss its findings and proposals with the Players' Association at meetings prior to negotiations. The Orchestra Committee shall communicate proposed modifications of the Master Agreement to the Local and work with the Local during negotiations to effect desired modifications.
b. When tentative agreement on a new Master Agreement has been reached in negotiations or when the Orchestra Committee believes it necessary or desirable that a new Master Agreement proposal from GAMA be put to a ratification vote, a special meeting shall be called for that purpose. An outline of the proposed modifications shall be included in the call of the special meeting. Ratification of the Master Agreement will be a majority vote of all eligible A.F.of M. members voting. The vote shall be by secret ballot. A favorable vote shall constitute a request that the Local execute the approved Agreement.
c. The Orchestra Committee and the Players' Conference Delegate shall be members of all negotiation committees.
d. At least one officer of Local 24, A.F. of M. shall be present at any negotiating sessions.
Article 9-Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Players' Association in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws, the Bylaws of the Local, the Bylaws of the American Federation of Musicians, or any special rules of order the Players' Association may adopt.
Article 10-Amendment of Bylaws
a. Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by the Committee, or by written petition signed by at least 15 members and submitted to the secretary.
b. To become effective, any amendment so proposed must be approved and adopted by a two-thirds majority of those voting by secret ballot at a special meeting.
c. The proposed amendment must be included in the notice of the meeting.
d. These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote at any regular meeting of the Players' Association at which a quorum is present, provided that the proposed changes have been submitted in writing to the membership at least 7 days prior to that meeting.
Article 11-Publishing of Bylaws
a. All members shall be issued a copy of these Bylaws.
b. The official copy of these Bylaws shall be left with the secretary of the organization.
c. Any amendment to these Bylaws shall be distributed to all members of the organization upon adoption.
Article 12-Adherence to AFM and Local Bylaws
The Bylaws, rules and regulations of Local 24 and of the American Federation of Musicians will take precedence over these Bylaws.