Members approved two additional amendments to the PROTEC17 Constitution after votes were tallied on Dec. 10. 

Revisions to the guiding document for our union began in 2019 when the Regional Executive Committee (REC) – the governing body of PROTEC17 – approved forming a committee to make many needed updates. From housekeeping items, like the reference to our new name ‘PROTEC17’ (formerly PTE17), to policy revisions, it has been important to ensure this document is up-to-date and reflects best practices for  union governance.

The first revision was voted on in March, approving the use of electronic ballots for voting, which saves PROTEC17 a substantial amount of money on the printing and mailing of paper ballots. 

Over the summer, Amendments 2 and 3 were approved, containing housekeeping elements and another revision which firmed up the policy for designating alternates to the REC. 

Now Amendments 4 and 5 have been approved. Amendment 4 establishes a process to remove the Executive Director or an Executive Board member for misconduct, and Amendment 5 changes the designation of Board seats to ensure more balanced representation.

The committee will continue to bring additional changes to members in 2021.