OSEA to select delegates for AFT Convention
OSEA is accepting nominations for delegates who will represent our membership at the 2018 biennial American Federation of Teachers (AFT) National Convention to be held Thursday, July 12, through Monday, July 16, in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., will be the site of the 2018 biennial AFT National Convention. Photo by TheZachMorrisExperience/CC-BY-SA-3.0
Interested members must submit their nomination form to the State Office no later than midnight March 30, 2018. The delegates and alternates will then be elected by secret mail ballot.
At the AFT National Convention, up to six elected delegates will join four automatic delegates —OSEA’s president, vice president and secretary, as well as chair of Retired Oregon School Employees (ROSE) — in helping elect national officers, as well as debating and voting on resolutions.
Number of delegates
The number of delegates is decided by the OSEA Board of Directors and is based on available funding and resources in any given convention cycle. At their Feb. 9 meeting, the OSEA Board of Directors approved up to 10 delegates for the 2018 convention. The OSEA president, vice president and secretary are automatic delegates based on their elected duties as officers. The ROSE chair is also an automatic delegate with the ROSE vice chair an automatic alternate. The six other delegate positions are elected.
Nomination of delegates
Click here to download a nomination form and instructions. Eligible candidates must be active members in good standing as outlined in the OSEA Constitution, Article III, Section 2. In addition, only those retirees who meet the criteria of dual membership — as outlined in Article VI, Section 5 — are eligible for delegate and alternate status.
Interested members must submit their nomination form to the State Office by March 30. Nominations postmarked after the deadline will not be considered. All candidates who have met the eligibility requirements will be placed on the election ballot.
Election process
Once candidates are identified, a ballot with each candidate listed in alphabetical order, voting instructions, a secrecy envelope and a postage-paid return envelope will be mailed to every OSEA member. Members will need to sign the return envelope for verification. All ballots must be mailed; ballots will not be accepted in person.
Results
All returned ballots will be verified and tabulated by OSEA staff under the direct supervision of Executive Director Rick Shidaker and President Tim Stoelb.
Alternates
All candidates not elected as delegates will be designated as alternates and ranked in descending order based on the number of votes received. An alternate will be called upon to fill a delegate vacancy based on this ranking.
Expenses
OSEA will provide all delegates with travel, housing, meals, necessary time release and incidental expenses as provided for in OSEA Board Policy.
For more information, call the State Office at 800-252-6732.
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