A. To promote the organization of workers in general and public employees in particular.
B. To promote the welfare of the membership and to provide a voice in the determination of the terms and conditions of employment. We are committed to the process of collective bargaining as the most desirable, democratic, and effective method to achieve this. Both as union members and as citizens, we shall also employ available legislative and political action.
C. To promote civil service legislation and career service in government.
D. To provide research and educational services and activities designed to assist members and affiliates.
E. To foster cooperation among affiliates.
F. To cooperate with other labor organizations in particular and other segments of our society in general towards the end that the material riches of American society be more justly distributed and the moral promise of American life be realized.
G. To work with our brothers and sisters in other lands towards the improvement of the conditions of life and work in all countries, towards the diminution of international tensions and a reduction in the use of armed force to resolve disputes, and towards genuine fraternity of all workers
LOCAL 3696
Workers organize labor unions primarily to secure better wages and better working conditions.
We hold that they also organize in order to participate in the decisions which affect them at work. One of the fundamental tenets of democratic government is the consent of the governed. Unions are an extension of that idea.
Union members are both workers and citizens. Collective barganing is the expression of citizenship in employment. Participation in the political life of the nation is but another aspect of that citizenship.
In the same way that unions are dedicated to improvement of the terms and conditions of employment, we are equally dedicated to exert ourselves, individually and collectively, to fulfill the promise of American life. Amidst unparalleled abundance, there should be no want. Surrounded by agricultural surpluses of all descriptions, there should be no hunger. With advanced science and medical research, sickness should not go untreated. A country that voyages into outer space can provide adequate education, protection and family preservation for all its children.
for unions, the work place and the polling pace are inseparable, and the exercise of the awesome rights and responsibilities of citizenship is equally required at both.
Unions are under a solemn obligation: to represent members forcefully and effectively in negotiations with management and to conduct internal union affairs according to democratic standards.
Therefore, we the members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, in convention assembled, adopt this Constitution and this
1. No person otherwise eligible for membership in this union shall be denied membership, on a basis of unqualified equality, because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, or political belief.
2. Members shall suffer no impairment of freedom of speech concerning the operations of this union. Active discussion of union affairs shall be encouraged and protected within this organization.
3. Members shall have the right to conduct the internal affairs of the union free from employer domination.
4. Members shall have the right to fair and democratic elections, at all levels of the union. This includes due notice of nominations and elections, equal opportunity for competing candidates, and proper election procedures which shall be constitutionally specified.
5. Members shall have an equal right to run for and hold office, subject only to constitutionally specified qualifications, uniformly applied.
6. Members shall have the right to a full and clear accounting of all union funds at all levels. Such accounting shall include, but not be limited to, periodic reports to the membership by the appropriate fiscal officers and periodic audits by officers elected for that purpose or by independent auditors not otherwise connected with the union.
7. Members shall have the right to full participation, through discussion and vote, in the decision-making processes of the union, and to pertinent information needed for the exercise of this right. This right shall specifically include decisions concerning the acceptance or rejection of collective bargaining contracts, memoranda of understanding, or any other agreements affecting their wages, hours, or other terms and conditions of employment. all members shall have an equal right to vote and each vote cast shall be of equal weight.
8. Charges against a member or officer shall be specific and shall be only on grounds provided in this constitution. Accused members or officers shall have the right to a fair trial with strict adherence to due process. The accused shall be considered innocent until proven guilty.
Preamble
Bill of Rights
Objectives