Chapter Secretary

Chapter Secretary Job Description

Responsible to:

• Chapter president
• Chapter members
• Oregon School Employees Association

Job Description:

1. Records the minutes of OSEA chapter and executive board meetings
   1. Discussions should not be recorded — only actions
   2. Records the date, place and time of the meeting
   3. Records whether it is a regular or special meeting
   4. Records the names of the person presiding, secretary and — in small meetings — the names of those present
   5. Records main motions and whether they are adopted or rejected; names of people making and seconding the motion need not be recorded
   6. At chapter meetings, records committee chair reports
2. Reads all communications
3. Answers all correspondence requiring an answer
4. Establishes a secretary’s book so minutes become a permanent record
5. Transcribes minutes and forwards a copy to the president before the next meeting
6. Voting member of the executive board
7. Performs other duties as assigned

Time Required

The time required will vary from chapter to chapter and from month to month based on the chapter size and duties to be performed.

Inservice Training

Training provided by OSEA staff for officers as requested.

Qualifications

1. Very responsible person
2. Ability to record minutes accurately
3. Commitment to OSEA

Comments

Accurate minutes of business sessions are very important especially if questions or challenges arise. The secretary must be able to sift through information to determine what is necessary for the permanent record.

Length of Service

As determined by chapter constitution/bylaws

What to Do First

The chapter secretary is an important member of the leadership team. By performing the duties of your office effectively, you enable your chapter to better serve its members.

As chapter secretary, you are considered by the members to be a knowledgeable leader with ready answers to questions. You should learn about OSEA structure, services and assistance available to members. You are not expected to know answers to representational questions, but you should be able to direct coworkers to the worksite organizer, steward, officer or someone who can assist them. Always follow up to make sure they received help.

Your agreement to hold an office in your local chapter indicates you are proud of OSEA and want to help your chapter remain strong and active. You are an important part of your leadership team and your active and enthusiastic participation is needed.

Chapter Secretary Duties

Some secretarial duties depend upon the chapter size, the number in the bargaining unit and duties assigned by the chapter constitution/bylaws. Additional duties may be assigned by the chapter members through adoption of standing rules or duties may be delegated by the president or executive board. Larger chapters may have a correspondence secretary who receives communications and responds to them on behalf of the executive board and the chapter.

Most chapter secretaries:

• Actively participate in the decision-making functions of the executive board
• Meet with the executive board to prepare agendas for general meetings and executive board meetings
• Notify members in writing of time, date and place of general and special chapter meetings. Include the agenda for each meeting.
• Record the minutes of the executive board, general and special chapter meetings
• With the president, sign official minutes after the members approve them
• Receive and route OSEA bulletins, notices and letters to the chapter
• Keep the records and files of the chapter, including an inventory of the chapter’s equipment or furniture
• Follow the OSEA Constitution, Board Policy and Standing Rules as well as the chapter’s constitution/bylaws, policies, standing rules and parliamentary procedure
• Become knowledgeable about OSEA’s structure and services available to OSEA members and the chapter
• Attend applicable OSEA trainings
• Read communications at chapter meetings
• Respond to communications on behalf of the chapter under the direction of the executive board, president and membership

Meeting Attendance

It is important that you attend all chapter and executive board meetings. Much of the chapter’s day- to-day business is handled at executive board meetings. Items considered at those meetings generally come before the membership at future chapter meetings. Your opinions should be voiced at the executive board meeting where officers solve problems and address concerns.

Meeting Agenda

All chapter members must be notified in writing of the time, date and place of each meeting and the business to be considered. Meet with the other members of the executive board to prepare the agenda for the chapter meeting. The executive board determines whether agendas and meeting notices are distributed directly to members or published in the chapter’s newsletter.

A standard format for agendas may be developed to make sure the agenda for each meeting follows the order of business designated by the chapter constitution/bylaws or standing rules. Then officers, committee chairs and members will know what to expect and are prepared for each meeting. Click here for a chapter meeting agenda template.

To allow time for you to participate in the meeting, you can record notes on a form that follows the meeting agenda. Your form should be designed to eliminate as much routine writing as possible and to allow you to fill in the blanks with names, places, times, dates, etc. Copies of the form may be distributed at the meeting for the convenience of the members.

Meeting Minutes

When the minutes are recorded and adopted, they are the official records of the chapter. They show the actions taken by the members and serve as evidence that the chapter adhered to the state and chapter constitution/bylaws, policies and standing rules. The minutes should give an accurate picture of chapter activity and show decisions were made through a democratic process. Minutes should include at least the following:

• Date and place of the meeting
• Time the meeting was called to order
• Chapter name and number
• Name of the person presiding (the chair)
• Names of elected officers present and those absent
• A record of all motions and whether they were adopted or rejected. Withdrawn motions are not recorded
• Points of order and appeals, and whether they were sustained or lost
• Items of consensus
• Reports given
• Secretary’s name and date at the end of the minutes

Minutes should include enough information to indicate clearly the relevance of motions to the actions taken. Click here for sample meeting minutes.

Highly controversial matters can be recorded in detail. Notes taken during the discussion may be attached to the file copy of the minutes in case they are needed later. Such notes are retained for reference only and are not included in the minutes distributed to the general membership.

Your minutes should be transcribed promptly, accurately and completely. Copies of chapter minutes can be made and distributed before the next meeting and may be printed in the chapter’s newsletter only if they are clearly marked ‘unapproved copy’.

Minutes of the previous meeting should be distributed at the chapter meeting. Be sure to note on the copies that they are unapproved minutes of the previous meeting. You then read the unapproved minutes, and members may correct them before approving them. After they are approved and signed by the president and secretary, they become official minutes. The official minutes are then filed with the minutes of previous meetings.

Special Chapter Activities

In addition to chapter meeting notices and agendas, many chapter secretaries prepare notices, bulletins and announcements of special chapter activities. These communications may be prepared by the chapter reporter or by the secretary and reporter together.

Correspondence

Letters of invitation to speakers, guests, retirees, scholarship recipients and others are often prepared by the secretary on behalf of the chapter. Official chapter communications to the employer, personnel and school board are often prepared by the secretary.

General Information

OSEA often sends general information to the chapter secretary. After the information is announced and the suggested action taken, the information should be filed with the chapter records. All general information contains instructions regarding required action.

Recognition and Remembrances

You may also be asked to send appropriate cards to members, although in some chapters a sunshine or social committee sends cards.

Chapter Records

Every chapter should maintain a central file for records and should include at least the following:

• Copies of the bargaining unit contract
• Minutes of negotiations
• Grievance records and their resolution
• All other records of representational matters
• Correspondence
• Chapter meeting minutes
• OSEA Constitution, Board Policy and Standing Rules as well as the chapter’s constitution/bylaws, policies and standing rules
• State information
• Education and training manuals
• Copies of the employer’s rules, policies and regulations
• A copy of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised should be in the file and available at each meeting

Chapter Files

Filing systems

Many chapters literally work out of cardboard boxes and car trunks, and as a result, vital information and records are often lost or unavailable when they are needed. Unfortunately, there is no filing system. Often, even chapters that have a simple filing system have no plan for transferring information or disposing of inactive records. Remember, some materials have only immediate value, some are needed for one to five years and others (such as your chapter charter, chapter minutes and negotiation notes) have a permanent value and should never be destroyed.

The president or executive board should decide who will receive, route to appropriate officers and committee members and file chapter mail. In some chapters, this would be the chapter secretary, while in others, duties may be split between the chapter secretary and a correspondence secretary. Some chapter presidents may receive the mail and then direct it to the secretary for routing and filing.

Regardless of the distribution system in your chapter, each document and piece of correspondence should be evaluated by asking: 1) What purpose does this serve? and 2) How long should it be kept to serve that purpose? If items are carefully analyzed and coded before being filed, you should be able to eliminate the outdated material.

Equipment

To organize chapter files, the chapter should invest in several three-ring binders, a file cabinet and file folders. If the chapter cannot afford a metal file cabinet, heavy duty cardboard file boxes are available at a reasonable price.

What to keep

OSEA information is generally received by the chapter president and secretary. The information outlines the action to take and any deadlines. OSEA information should also be routed to members of the executive board.

Although OSEA information is not necessarily permanent, we suggest it should be kept for two years. Before destroying information that may be outdated, review and, if it is of continuing value, transfer it to an appropriate file folder or binder.

Other material, documents, correspondence, handbooks, manuals, pamphlets, etc., should be filed in folders or three-ring binders and kept in one place after being routed to the appropriate people in the chapter.

Filing Categories

The following categories should provide the beginning of a good basic filing system. Note the duration items should be maintained.

Permanent Records

Notes and documents relating to bargaining unit recognition and certification, unit modification or decertification activity are permanent records and should never be destroyed. Notes and documents relating to negotiations and grievances are also permanent records and should never be destroyed.