STEWART VIOLATES CONSTITUTION -- TWICE!

Yet again, in an attempt to by-pass getting the approval of the House of Delegates, President Marilyn Stewart has violated the CTU Constitution:

• First when she cancelled the October House of Delegates meeting and,
• Second, when she ruled a signed petition for a Special House Meeting null and void

Article XIII, Section 2a states:
The House of Delegates shall meet regularly each calendar month during the school year, except that the House, itself, or the Executive Board may set a different date for a particular meeting.

The Pension Trustee Endorsement Issue

During the month of October each year the CTU Executive Board has historically made recommendations for the union endorsement of CTPF Trustee candidates to the House for approval.  On the Monday Executive Board Meeting’s agenda, Stewarts’ hand picked candidates were approved as an item for action to be recommended to the House of Delegates. The Executive Board has no the authority to make endorsements.  By the dictates of the Constitution, the Executive Board can only make recommendations to the delegates as the “supreme and final” ruling body of the CTU.  The delegates can then vote these up or down, or make substitute motions to be discussed and acted upon. Stewart is pronouncing these candidates as being endorsed by the union.

Article VIII, Section 1
The Executive Board shall be directly responsible to the House of Delegates

Stewart has been losing the support of delegates who are fighting back over the assertion of their rights under the Constitution.  There is widespread speculation that candidates other than those of her choice would have been endorsed by the House and that Stewart wanted to circumvent the vote of the delegates in order to ramrod her own candidates through.  By these trustee endorsements she is able to control what takes place at the CTPF.   

The Special Meeting Issue 

A valid petition calling for a Special Meeting to take up the issue of the expulsion of the vice president was properly signed by 10% of the House of Delegates and turned in to the union.  Afraid of being forced by the delegates to reinstate Dallas, Stewart has sent the attached denial letter to each of the signers. 

Article XIII, Sec. 2: The House of Delegates states: 

(The president) must (call a meeting) upon written petition of not less than ten percent of the members of the House, provided that such petition shall specify the purpose of the meeting. Every call for a special meeting of the House shall specify the purpose of the meeting, and no business other than that specified in the call may be transacted at that meeting except by unanimous consent.

Stewart expects no reprisals from the AFT on her constitution violations and made the following statement to the Executive Board on Monday: The vice president “cannot appeal to the AFT because the AFT doesn’t overturn the decisions of the local union.  It only investigates.”