The following excerpts from Article XI of the ILWU International Constitution are reprinted here for reference.
SECTION 1. A Convention of the International shall be held every three (3) years beginning at 10 a.m. on the second Monday following Easter Sunday. However, the International Executive Board may authorize a different Convention location and starting date which shall be no earlier than March 1st nor later than June 30th of the year in which the Convention is to be held...
held... SECTION 2. In Order to be entitled to send delegates to the Convention and receive voice and vote, a local must have its International per capita, together with assessments and any overdue indebtedness to the International paid up one month prior to the Convention.
SECTION 3. Representation at the International Convention shall be as follows: each local shall be entitled to one vote regardless of membership up to one hundred (100) members, and one vote for each additional one hundred (100) members or major fraction thereof of its paid membership averaged for the one (1) year period immediately prior to the year in which the Convention is held
SECTION 4. Delegates to the International Convention shall be elected either by secret referendum ballot of the entire membership or by ballot at a regular meeting of the local, or where for geographical reasons meetings of the entire membership are not practical, by ballot at regular meetings of its subdivisions. Nominating procedures shall be established by the local. The credentials of delegates elected shall be signed by the president and secretary of the local, must bear the seal of the local, and certify that the delegate was elected as provided herein...
SECTION 4a. Locals within any geographical subdivision with a combined membership of 500 members or less may consolidate for the purposes of nominating and electing a Convention delegate. Any method of nominating and electing said delegate should be worked out by the said locals involved, providing other provisions of the International Constitution are adhered to. The delegate elected shall cast the full voting strength of the locals he/ she represents in Convention. No proxy vote will be allowed. The delegate’s wages and expenses, travel and transportation shall be borne equally by members of the locals the delegate represents.
SECTION 5. All credentials must be in the International office thirty (30) days prior to the Convention. The President may appoint a preConvention committee to consist of that number of delegates to the Convention that he/she deems necessary to carry out the functions of the committee, to be selected by him/her with due regard to proportionate representation so far as possible from all areas, with the International Officers to act as exofficio members of the committee. All work of the pre- Convention committee shall be subject to the approval of the Convention...
SECTION 6. During each Convention, at times and places designated by the International President, each occupational group or geographic area within the International may hold a caucus for the purpose of discussing its specific problems with full authority to set up such machinery as it may deem necessary and appropriate to deal with its collective bargaining problems...
SECTION 7. The Titled Officers and Coast Committee-men who are not elected delegates from their respective locals shall have a voice and vote in the Convention, except on roll call votes.
SECTION 8. Executive Board members who are not elected delegates from their respective locals shall have voice and vote in the Convention, except on roll call votes.
SECTION 9. Pensioners designated by their pension clubs shall be fraternal delegates at Conventions with voice, but no vote, on all matters before the Convention.
SECTION 10. Auxiliary members designated by their auxiliaries shall be fraternal delegates at Conventions.
SECTION 11. Each District Council shall be entitled to send one fraternal delegate to the Convention with voice, but no vote, on all matters before the Convention. The delegate costs shall be borne by the individual District Councils.
Special Virtual Convention Requirements
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 Convention will take place in a virtual setting. The ILWU Titled Offi cers are taking the following measures so that all delegates have a fair and equal opportunity to participate:
1. Convention delegates, observers, and guests will be able to view Convention proceedings and committees via a webinar-style platform operated in conjunction with the Hilton San Francisco. Full delegates and fraternals will have the ability to speak at the virtual podium. All other observers and guests will not have access to speak.
2. All full delegates with voice and vote will be able to cast votes on resolutions and other matters on the virtual convention fl oor and in their selected committees using Election Buddy, an online voting platform. Fraternal delegates, who have a voice but no vote, will not have access to Election Buddy.
Requirements for Virtual Convention Participation
1. Internet access. You must have a minimum of 5MBPS (megabytes per second speed) to participate in the online platform.
2. All full delegates will need a personal email account. If you do not have one, you can obtain a free one from Google, Yahoo, Outlook or other providers.
3. The ILWU International will provide tablets to all delegates, including fraternal delegates, that will be pre-loaded with all the software needed to participate in the Convention. Tablets will be sent directly to the locals for distribution to delegates.
a. Full delegates will need to confi gure the ILWU-provided tablet to access your personal email so that you receive voting credentials from Election Buddy. You may also use your own personal computer, tablet, or smart phone. All voting delegates will receive voting credentials via email.
4. Delegates may use their own tablet, computer, or smart phone provided they meet the following requirements:
a. Computers must be Windows 7 or higher or Mac OS 10.9 or higher. b. Tablets must be either iOS 13 or higher or Android 5.0 or higher.
5. All delegates are strongly encouraged to attend a virtual training to learn how to use the convention portal and voting software.
Trainings
We will be holding trainings to ensure that all delegates understand how to log into the Convention platform, participate in the virtual setting, and utilize online voting. Trainings are strongly encouraged for all Convention delegates. We are offering trainings on the following days/times:
• Saturday, June 5, 2021: 10:00 am and 12:00 pm
• Monday, June 7, 2021: 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm
• Wednesday, June 9, 2021: 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm
Please register for the Convention at the ILWU Convention Registration link: https://www.ilwu.org/2021Convention.
