ARTICLE I:  Name

The name of this organization shall be THE BUFFALO TEACHERS FEDERATION, INC.

ARTICLE II: Purpose

The purpose of this Federation shall be:

A.  To promote and foster loyalty to the highest ideals in education and to aid in bringing about the realization of these ideals.

B.  To maintain the teaching profession at a high level among the professions by:

1. 1. Upholding a high standard of qualifications for entrance into the profession; and
   2. Attending to the particular business and objectives for which our said Federation is formed — to improve the material welfare and to raise the professional efficiency of the teachers, and thus to promote the welfare of the public schools; and to awaken in the public mind a sense of significance of the teaching profession.

ARTICLE III: Membership

The types of membership in the Federation shall be:

A.  Active membership shall include all teachers employed in or on leave from the instructional division of the Buffalo Public Schools System who have enrolled in membership and whose dues are current and paid in full. Only those teachers who devote a major part of their time to classroom teaching or allied work comparable to teaching, provided that such person shall have no power of supervising and/or evaluating teachers, shall be eligible.

B.  Associate membership shall include all teachers employed in the Instructional Division of the Buffalo Public School System less than full time who have enrolled in membership and whose dues are current and paid in full and who devote a major part of their time to classroom teaching or allied work comparable to teaching, provided that such person shall have no power of supervising and/or evaluating teachers.

C.  Student membership shall be open to those persons enrolled as students in four-year programs of teacher education in any of the Buffalo area colleges.
Attending to the particular business and objectives for which our said

D.  Inactive membership may be granted by the Executive Committee of the Buffalo Teachers Federation.

E.  Honorary membership shall include those persons deemed worthy of the honor and so designated by a vote of the Executive Committee of the Buffalo Teachers Federation.

F.  A Non-Member is a person employed or newly-hired into a bargaining unit position and to whom one of the following applies:

1. 1. The person has not completed enrollment into the union. 
   2. The person enrolled into the union and has taken action to withdraw membership from the union. 

G.  Non-Members shall have no right or privilege to participate in any union election or contract ratification vote, nor will they be entitled to receive any NYSUT services as defined by NYSUT policies pertaining to non-membership of April 16, 2018 and September 14, 2018. A Non-Member is not considered to be “Active”.

ARTICLE IV: Council of Delegates

The Council of Delegates shall be composed of elected members from each faculty unit and other delegates as specified in the Bylaws

A.  A delegate or alternate delegate may represent only one unit at any given time.

B.  All legislative power shall be vested in the Council of Delegates.

ARTICLE V: Officers

A.  The officers of the Federation shall be: 

1. 1. President
   2. Vice-President
   3. Secretary
   4. Treasurer
2. and the other voting members of the Executive Committee.

B.  The officers shall be determined by a secret ballot election during the month of May conducted among the eligible voters of the active membership at large, 

C.  Effective with the 2027 election, the term of office for the Executive officers and members of the Executive Committee shall be three (3) years and begin on July 1 following their election, except the Treasurer, whose three (3) year term shall be co-terminus with the fiscal year of the Federation.

ARTICLE VI: Committees

A.  The Standing Committees of the Federation shall be: 

1. 1. Finance 
   2. Membership
   3. Grievance
   4. Instruction and Professional Development

B.  The President shall appoint the Chairs of Standing and Special Committees with the approval of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VII: Dues

The Buffalo Teachers Federation shall make available to its members a plan of dues payment to New York State United Teachers and its national affiliates. Such plan shall include Buffalo Teacher Federation dues as established by the Bylaws.  

ARTICLE VIII: Bylaws

The Council of Delegates may adopt such Bylaws as may be necessary for the proper conduct of the affairs of this Federation. Such Bylaws may be adopted, added to, amended, or repealed, by a majority vote of those members of the Council of Delegates present at any regularly-convened meeting, provided notice of the proposed change in the Bylaws has been presented to the Delegates, in published form, at least ten (10) calendar days preceding the meeting at which such action is to be taken.

ARTICLE IX: Amendments

This Constitution may be amended by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of those members of the Council of Delegates present at any regularly-convened meeting of the Council of Delegates, provided that the proposed amendment has been read at a previous meeting and presented in published form to be posted in all buildings at least ten (10) days prior to the final vote on the amendment.