§481 Terms of Office and Election Procedures

Summary

National and international labor organizations (except federations) must elect their officers at least once every five years by secret ballot of members in good standing or at a convention of delegates chosen by secret ballot. Local labor organizations must hold officer elections at least once every three years by secret ballot of members in good standing. Intermediate bodies must hold elections at least once every four years by secret ballot of members or by officers who were themselves chosen by secret ballot. Candidates must be allowed a fair chance to be nominated and to run. Every member in good standing can be a candidate and gets one vote. No one can be punished for voting or supporting a candidate. At least 15 days before an election, notice must be mailed to each member at their last known home address. Members whose dues are withheld by their employer under a voluntary authorization cannot be barred from voting for late or missed payments. Each local’s votes must be counted and the results published separately. Ballots and election records must be kept for one year. If officers are chosen at a delegate convention, the delegates’ credentials and convention records tied to the election must also be kept for one year. Labor organizations and their officers must let any bona fide candidate, at the candidate’s expense, send campaign literature to members and must treat all candidates equally if they allow any such mailings. Any bona fide candidate may, once within 30 days before the election, inspect a list of names and last known addresses of members who are required to join under a collective bargaining agreement; that list must be kept at the organization’s main office by a designated official. Candidates may have observers at the polling places and during the ballot count. Dues, assessments, or employer money cannot be used to promote any candidate, though organization funds may pay for notices, neutral factual statements about issues, and election costs. If the Secretary finds a local lacks a proper way to remove an officer guilty of serious misconduct, members in good standing may remove that officer by secret ballot after notice and hearing. The Secretary must set minimum rules for judging whether a removal process is adequate.