Article III
THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION AND NOMINATIONS OF CANDIDATES FOR
INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
Pursuant to Article IV
of the IBT Constitution, candidates for International office shall be nominated
at the 2026 IBT Convention by delegates to that Convention and, thereafter,
shall be elected by the general membership of the Union in secret ballot voting.
1. The Convention Call
(a) The General Secretary-Treasurer shall
issue a Call for the Convention not less than ninety (90) days prior to the
date of the opening of the Convention, which shall be in June of 2026.
(b) In addition to all other information, the
Convention Call shall contain the following:
(1) A statement of the date, time, and place
of the opening of the Convention.
(2) A statement explaining: (a) that no Local
Union shall be entitled to representation in the Convention that has not been
chartered, affiliated or in good standing for a total of six (6) months prior
to the opening of the Convention; (b) that no Local Union shall be entitled to
representation in the Convention which, at the time of the Convention Call, is
six (6) months or more in arrears in monies due to the International Union or
any subordinate body thereof with which such Local Union is affiliated, or which,
if less than six (6) months in arrears, has not paid all such arrearages in
full at least three (3) days prior to the opening of the Convention, excepting
those monies due for the last month, which amounts must be paid by the
beginning of the Convention; and (c) that either the General Executive Board or
the Election Supervisor may waive any of the foregoing requirements on a
non-discriminatory basis.
(3) A statement that only delegates certified
by the Election Supervisor shall be permitted to vote for the nomination of
International Officers.
(4) A statement that each Local Union shall
pay the expenses of its delegates and alternate delegates consistent with the
Rules or shall make arrangements for such payment by agreement with other
subordinate bodies.
(5) A statement that the failure of any Local
Union to send to the Convention all delegates to which it is entitled shall not
constitute a basis for challenging the credentials or seating of those
delegates sent or otherwise attending the Convention so long as the Local Union
has complied with Article II, Section (4)(b)(8) and Article III, Section 3(a)
of the Rules.
(6) A statement that in order to be seated,
each delegate at the time of the Convention must be a member in good standing
from a Local Union entitled to representation.
(c) The General Secretary-Treasurer shall
provide a copy of the Convention Call to the Election Supervisor no later than
thirty (30) days prior to the date of its scheduled issuance. The Election Supervisor shall review, and
reserves the authority to amend, the contents of the Call prior to its
issuance.
(d) Any challenge to the portion(s) of the
Convention Call dealing with delegates must be filed in writing with the
Election Supervisor within fifteen (15) days of issuance of the Call.
2. Increases or Decreases in Delegate Strength
On or before May 3,
2026, the Election Supervisor shall determine whether the membership of each
Local Union has increased or decreased such that the Local Union is entitled to
representation by a greater or lesser number of delegates at the Convention than
the number of delegates elected in such Local Union's delegate election. If the Local Union is entitled to a greater
number of delegates, the additional delegates shall be selected from the
alternate delegates by rank. If the
Local Union is entitled to a lesser number of delegates, the lowest ranked
delegate(s) shall become the first ranked alternate delegate(s).
3. Attendance at Convention and Payment of
Expenses
(a) Each Local Union shall send to the
Convention and pay the expenses, or make arrangements for such payment by
agreement with other subordinate bodies, of all delegates to which it is
entitled, unless the Local Union is financially unable to do so and the Local
Union membership has voted prior to the time of submitting its Local Union Plan
to send less than a full complement of delegates. A Local Union claiming financial inability
shall demonstrate actual financial inability to the General Secretary-Treasurer,
subject to review by the Election Supervisor who retains the authority to amend
or overrule any such decision. If the
Local Union is permitted and has voted to send to the Convention and pay the
expenses of less than a full complement of delegates, the highest -ranking
delegate(s) shall be those sent and for whom expenses are paid. Nothing herein shall prohibit any delegate(s)
not so sent from attending and being seated at the Convention. Such delegate(s) may seek contributions to
defray any or all of their expenses, provided that such contributions conform
to the requirements of Article XI of the Rules.
(b) No Local Union shall be required to send
to the Convention or pay the expenses of any alternate delegate unless the
Local Union has indicated its intention to do so in the Local Union Plan. If the Local Union sends or pays the expenses
of any alternate delegate(s), the highest-ranking alternate delegate(s), shall
be those sent and for whom expenses are paid.
Nothing herein shall prohibit any alternate delegate(s) not so sent from
attending the Convention. Such alternate
delegate(s) may seek contributions to defray any or all of their expenses,
provided that such contributions conform to the requirements of Article XI of
the Rules. No Local Union may pay the
expenses of any alternate delegate unless it sends and pays the expenses of its
full complement of delegates.
(c) A Local Union may not send to the
Convention or pay the expenses of any member or guest unless it pays the
expenses of all its alternate delegates, regardless of the terms of the Local
Union Plan.
(d) Local Unions shall pay the actual,
reasonable expenses of the elected delegates, including expenses for travel,
hotel, and per diem expenses. A Local
Union may not discriminate between its treatment of delegates and its treatment
of alternate delegates, except that a Local Union may differentiate between its
delegates and its alternate delegates with respect to expenses provided the
Local Union acts in accordance with its approved Local Union Plan. No Local Union may discriminate among or
between its delegates. No Local Union
may discriminate among or between its alternate delegates. No Local Union shall treat a delegate or
alternate delegate less generously than a member or guest who is not a delegate
or alternate delegate.
4. Delegate Credentials and Seating
(a) No later than thirty (30) days prior to
the opening of the Convention, the General Secretary Treasurer shall review
with the Election Supervisor the records of dues payments of all certified
delegates and alternate delegates.
(b) No later than thirty (30) days prior to
the opening of the Convention, the General Secretary Treasurer shall review
with the Election Supervisor the records of all Local Unions showing the monies
paid, or all arrearages and monies due, to the International Union or to any
subordinate body thereof with which such Local Union is affiliated.
(c) On or about June 1, 2026, the Election
Supervisor shall issue an initial report on delegate and alternate delegate
credentials to the General Secretary Treasurer, the Credentials Committee, the
Local Union Secretary-Treasurers and all certified delegates and alternate
delegates, indicating which certified delegates and alternate delegates are
eligible to be seated. For those
certified delegates whom the Election Supervisor initially determines are not
eligible to be seated the report shall state the reason(s) for such initial
determination.
(d) Challenges to this initial report may be
filed with the Credentials Committee at any time after its issuance. Any such challenger shall provide a copy of
the challenge to the Election Supervisor and to the delegate(s) or alternate
delegate(s) being challenged, simultaneously with the filing with the
Credentials Committee. No such challenge
may be filed over issues or events covered by the protest procedures of Article
XIII of the Rules. Each credentials
challenge shall contain a clear and concise written statement of the basis of
the challenge and shall include the name(s), address(es), telephone number(s)
and Local Union number(s) of the challenger(s).
(e) The Credentials Committee shall make the
initial decision on challenges subject to review by the Election Supervisor,
who retains the authority to amend or overrule any such initial decision. Refusal by a Local Union to pay arrearages or
monies due to the International Union or to any subordinate body thereof with
which such Local Union is affiliated shall not necessarily constitute a basis
for refusing to seat the delegates of such Local Union. Certified delegates from a Local Union that
has been restructured or reorganized after the Local Union's delegate and
alternate delegate election shall be seated where to do otherwise would have
the effect of disenfranchising all or a portion of the electorate.
(f) Immediately prior to the opening of the
Convention, the Election Supervisor shall issue a final report on credentials,
which report shall resolve all challenges and shall list, by Local Union
number, all delegates and alternate delegates eligible to be seated at the
Convention.
(g) The failure of any Local Union to send to
the Convention all delegates to whom it is entitled shall not constitute a
basis for challenging the credentials or seating of those delegates sent or
otherwise attending the Convention so long as the Local Union has complied with
Article II, Section 4(b)(8) and Article III, Section 3(a) of the Rules.
5. Nominations
(a) At the Convention, delegates shall
nominate candidates for General President, General Secretary-Treasurer,
regional Vice Presidents as determined by Article IV, Section 1(b) of the
Constitution, seven (7) at-large Vice Presidents, and three (3) Trustees. The geographical boundaries of the four
United States Area Conferences, as they existed at the time of adoption of the
1991 IBT Constitution, and of Teamsters Canada shall be used to determine the
number of regional Vice Presidents to be elected under Article IV, Section 1(b)
of the Constitution and the number of delegate votes needed to qualify for the
ballot as a candidate for regional Vice President, for the purpose of
satisfying the requirements of Article IV, Section 2(a) of the IBT
Constitution.
(b)
The Election Supervisor shall
supervise the floor nomination process and the secret ballot nomination
vote. The Election Supervisor shall
determine the schedule and procedures for such nominations in consultation with
the International Union with the purpose of completing the nominations
efficiently and cost effectively consistent with the preservation of the rights
guaranteed to the candidates, delegates, and membership by the Rules and
applicable law. The schedule and
procedures shall be embodied in supplemental rules subject to the approval of
the General Executive Board pursuant to the 2026 Election Agreement, and those
supplemental rules shall be published to all declared candidates, IBT
affiliates, delegates and alternate delegates at least sixty (60) days prior to
the opening of the Convention. The
procedures established for the nomination of International Union officers
shall, in any event, be consistent with the provisions of this Article.
(c) The order of floor nomination of
candidates for the same position shall be determined by a lot drawing conducted
by the Election Supervisor. No candidate
shall make or second his/her own nomination.
Candidates shall be limited to a single nominator and a single
seconder. The Election Supervisor shall
determine the amount of time to be allocated for nominating and seconding
speeches for candidates for each position.
A member nominating a candidate for International office, or seconding
the nomination of a candidate for International office, may state that the
candidate is being nominated, or the candidate's nomination is being seconded,
as a member of a slate and further may identify such slate by name.
(d) Eligibility of a candidate nominated from
the floor for any International Officer position shall be determined in
accordance with Article VI of the Rules.
(e) The placement of candidates on the ballot
shall be determined by lot drawing conducted by the Election Supervisor.
(f) A candidate must accept floor nomination
in person at the time made, unless he/she is absent and has previously
submitted a written acceptance of nomination to the Election Supervisor. A candidate must accept nomination resulting
from the secret ballot nomination vote in person prior to the start of the
regular business of the morning session of the fifth day of the Convention,
unless he/she has previously submitted a written acceptance of nomination to
the Election Supervisor. Should all
candidates nominated by the secret ballot nomination vote for a particular
office decline nomination, or an insufficient number accept nomination, a new
nomination for that office shall be conducted.
(g)
In order to be nominated to run in
the direct secret ballot rank-and-file election for General President, for
General Secretary-Treasurer, for any of the seven (7) at-large Vice President
positions or for any of the three (3) Trustee positions, candidates nominated
from the floor must receive at least five percent (5%) of the delegate votes
cast in the secret ballot nomination vote.
In order to be nominated to run in the direct secret ballot
rank-and-file election for the position of regional Vice President, candidates
nominated from the floor must receive at least five percent (5%) of the
delegate votes cast from the relevant delegate pool. In calculating the number of votes necessary
in the secret ballot nomination vote, any fraction shall be rounded to the next
larger whole number.
(h) No member may accept a floor nomination
or appear on the nomination ballot as a candidate for both General President
and General Secretary-Treasurer.
(i) No member may accept a floor nomination
or appear on the nomination ballot as a candidate for more than one (1) Vice
President position.
(j) No member may accept nomination to run
in the secret ballot direct rank-and-file election for more than one (1)
International Officer position.
(k) Where the number of floor nominations
does not exceed the number of positions open for election, there shall be no
necessity for any further nomination or election with respect for such floor
nominee(s), and such nominee(s) shall be declared duly elected. Where the number of nominations resulting
from the secret ballot nomination vote does not exceed the number of positions
open for election, there shall be no necessity for the election of such
nominee(s) and such nominee(s) shall be declared duly elected.
(l) Following International Officer
nominations, the Election Supervisor shall immediately verify the nomination
results. All results shall be announced
to the Convention by the Convention Chair.
(m) Candidates duly nominated for General
President and General Secretary-Treasurer by virtue of receiving five percent
(5%) of the ballots cast in the secret ballot nomination vote may address the
Convention with an acceptance speech, the length and time of which shall be
determined by the Election Supervisor.
Aligned candidates for the position of General President and General
Secretary-Treasurer may pool their acceptance speech times.
(n) Any protest with respect to the
eligibility of a person nominated from the floor as a candidate for
International office must be filed within one (1) hour of the close of floor
nominations for that office. Any other
protest with respect to the nomination or election at the Convention of a
candidate for International office where the remedy sought is disqualification
of the candidate must be filed no later than one (1) hour after announcement of
the results of the secret ballot nomination vote for that office. These time limitations shall not be construed
so as to extend the time for filing a protest which would otherwise be governed
by Article XIII of the Rules.
Any appeal
from the decision of the Election Supervisor on a protest within the preceding
paragraph must be filed with the Election Appeals Master within two (2) hours
of the receipt of the decision. Such an
appeal shall be heard and decided by the Election Appeals Master prior to the
conclusion of the Convention.
(o) The
Convention shall not adjourn prior to verification of the nomination of at
least one (1) candidate for each and every International Officer position.
(p) If
any member who has accepted nomination to International office at the
International Convention should die before the election, his or her name shall
nevertheless appear on the ballot. In
the event the name of the deceased nominee shall receive the requisite number
of votes to be elected, the position shall then be filled in the same manner as
vacancies are filled when they occur during a term of office.
(q) After a candidate has accepted
nomination, he/she may not, under any circumstance, revoke acceptance once the
ballots are printed.