MASSACHUSETTS NURSE NEWSLETTER :: March 2008

1. Nomination process & notification of nominees

Revised policy

A. All candidates for office, submitting papers to the Nominations & Elections Committee, shall be notified in writing upon receipt of materials by the MNA staff person assigned to the Nominations & Elections committee. The letter of acknowledgement will identify the office sought. All notifications will be sent by MNA no later than June 15 of each year. If no acknowledgment has been received within 7 days of sending the consent to serve form, it is the nominees’ responsibility to contact MNA regarding the status of their nomination.

B. All candidates must be an MNA member or a Labor Program member in good standing at the time of nomination and election.

C. A statement from each candidate, if provided, will be printed in the Massachusetts Nurse. Such statements should be limited to no more than 250 words.

2. Publication of ballot

A. Preliminary Ballot: All candidates who are members in good standing shall have their names printed on the ballot provided the nomination papers have been received by the Nominations & Elections Committee or designee by the deadline date established by the committee and communicated in the Massachusetts Nurse. The order names are listed on the ballot is determined by random selection.

B. Final Ballot: All candidates who are members in good standing, shall have their names printed on the ballot provided the nomination papers have been received by the Nominations & Elections Committee by the deadline date established by the committee and communicated in the Massachusetts Nurse.

The order names are listed on the ballot is determined by random selection by the Nominations & Elections Committee or their designee.

All candidates will receive a draft copy of the Final Ballot prior to the Election Mailing for verification purposes. Confirmation/ request for corrections to the ballot should be made in writing to the Nominations and Elections Committee or their designee postmarked within seven days of receipt of the draft ballot.

For uncontested positions the Nominations & Elections Committee may solicit candidates, accept late applications, and add to the ballot after the final ballot deadline with approval of the majority of members of the Nominations & Elections Committee present and voting.

C. Ballot Information: All inquiries related to deadlines, status, policies, eligibility to vote and receipt of ballots are to be addressed to the staff person to the Nominations & Elections Committee or a designee.

3. Publication of policies/procedures/campaign practice

All policies, procedures and campaign practices related to the MNA elections shall be distributed to candidates upon receipt of their nomination papers. Notice to all members of availability shall be published in the Massachusetts Nurse annually.

4. Campaign practices

A) All candidates shall have access to the following: membership lists/labels; structural unit rosters; bargaining unit rosters; and MNA on-site mailboxes. Candidates may also have access to campaign space in the Massachusetts Nurse and may request time on structural unit and bargaining unit agendas.

The following conditions must be met.

	1.	Request for labels/lists/rosters must be in writing and signed by the candidates. All requests will be honored provided they comply with the MNA information/label request policies..
	2.	Requests from the candidate for time on structural unit or bargaining unit agendas must be in writing and directed to the appropriate chair. The staff person for the group must also be notified of the request. All candidates for a specific office must be provided with equal access and time.
	3.	Structural units and bargaining units may invite candidates to speak at a meeting. All requests must be in writing with a cc to staff. All candidates for a specific office must be provided with equal access and time.
	4.	All costs for labels/space in the Massachusetts Nurse, and mailing shall be the responsibility of the candidates. Labels will be provided at cost. Ad space in the Massachusetts Nurse will be at a specific advertising rate.
	5.	Records of requests received, the date of the request, as well as distribution of materials shall be kept by the Membership Department.
	6.	All campaign mailings utilizing MNA membership labels shall be sent through a mailing house designated by the MNA. Mailing utilizing rosters may be done directly by the candidates.
	7.	The membership list shall be available for review/inspection, by appointment with the Membership Department. Lists or records must remain on the premises.

B. All candidates must follow acceptable practices in the acceptance of goods, services and contributions.

This includes

	1.	Employers shall not provide money, supplies, refreshments or publication of and “endorsement” on behalf of a candidate.
	2.	Candidates may not use MNA, Region or employer stationary to promote their candidacy.
	3.	Candidates may not use postage paid for by MNA, Region or an employer to mail literature to promote their candidacy.
	4.	Neither MNA its structural units or bargaining units may use dues money for a function to promote the candidacy of a particular candidate. MNA may sponsor a function at which all candidates for a particular office are invited and no candidate is shown preference over another.
	5.
		Individual members may make voluntary contributions of money, goods or services to a candidate.
	6.	The amount that a candidate may expend in campaigning is not limited by MNA.
	7.	MNA elected and appointed officials may endorse candidates. In the event that the endorsement is to appear in the Massachusetts Nurse, then and only then, the endorsements must be verified on the official MNA Campaign Endorsement Form and must accompany ad copy. However, no endorsements may carry identification as to the MNA office held by the endorser (see attachment A).
	8.	MNA staff shall not wear promotional materials of any candidate or in any manner promote the candidacy of any individual.
	9.	Candidates shall not use the MNA corporate logo on campaign materials.
	10.	Campaigning or campaign materials are not allowed on MNA premises with the following exceptions:
		• When invited to a MNA structural unit or bargaining unit meeting. • Meeting attendees may wear promotional material.

5. Ballot/voting instructions

A. Ballot will be mailed at least 15 days prior to the date which it must be mailed back (postmarked).

B. Complete area (as per instructions on form) next to the name of the candidate of your choice. You may vote for any candidate from any Region.

C. Do not mark the ballot outside of the identified area.

D. Write-in votes shall not be considered valid and will not be counted.

E. Enclose the correct and completed voting ballot in an envelope (marked Ballot Return Envelope), which does not identify the voter in anyway, in order to assure secret ballot voting. ONLY ONE BALLOT MAY BE PLACED IN THE ENVELOPE.

All mailing envelopes will be separated from the inner envelope containing the ballot before the ballots are removed, to assure that a ballot can in no way be identified with an individual voter. (At the discretion of the Nominations & Elections Committee, mailing envelopes containing the voter’s name and address may be checked off on a master membership list. This process may be of the total membership list, or randomly selected envelopes.)

If the mailing envelope has been misplaced, another envelope can be substituted. This envelope must be addressed to: MNA Secretary, c/o Contracted Election Administrator (address)

In the upper left-hand corner of this envelope you must:

	a.	Block print your name
	b.	Sign your name (Signature required)
	c.	Write your address & Zip

If this information is not on the mailing envelope, the secret ballot inside is invalid.

F. The ballot must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Aug. 22, 2008 in order to be counted.

G. The ballots must be mailed to:
MNA Secretary,
c/o Contracted Election Administrator, LHS Associates
13 Branch St.,
Methuen, MA 01844

6. Observation

A. Each candidate or their designee who is a current MNA and/or Labor Relations Program member is to be permitted to be present on the day(s) of the opening and counting of the ballots. Notification of intent to have an observer present must be received in writing or electronic message from the candidate 5 working days prior to the ballot counting date.

B. Each observer must contact the MNA staff person assigned to the Nominations & Elections Committee 5 working days prior to the day in question for space allocation purposes only.

C. The observer must provide current MNA membership identification to election officials and authorization from the candidate.

D. No observer shall be allowed to touch or handle any ballot or ballot envelope.

E. During all phases of the election process, the single copy of the voter eligibility list will be present for inspection.

F. All observers and candidates will keep election results confidential for 72 hours after the ballot procedure is completed and certified.

7. Candidate notification

A. Results of the MNA Election will be made available to candidates (or their designee) within 72 hours after completion of the ballot counting. Only the names of those elected will be posted on the MNA website when all candidates have been notified after the ballot procedure is completed and certified. Hard copies of the election results shall be sent to each candidate.

B. Results of the MNA election will be kept confidential until all candidates are notified. Notification of all candidates will occur within 72 hours of certification of the election.

C. Results will include the following:

	•	Number of total ballots cast for the office in question
	•	Number of ballots cast for the candidate.
	•	The election status of the candidate (elected/not elected)

D. Any MNA member may access these numbers by written request.

E. Election results will be posted at the annual meeting.

8. Storage of election materials

A. Pre Election: All nomination forms and all correspondence related to nominations shall be stored in a locked cabinet at MNA headquarters. The Nominations & Elections Committee and staff to the committee shall have sole access to the cabinet and its contents.

B. Post Election: All election materials including ballots (used, unused and challenged), envelopes used to return marked ballots, and voter eligibility lists shall be stored in a locked cabinet at MNA headquarters for one year. The Nominations & Elections Committee Chairperson and staff to the committee shall have sole access to the cabinet and its contents.

9. Post-election press release

The Department of Public Communications shall check the information on file/CV data for accuracy/currency with the elected candidate prior to issuing a press release.

*Member List—a computer listing of the total MNA membership eligible to vote, including name, address, billing information, etc.

*Membership Labels—computer-generated labels of the total MNA membership eligible to vote, provided in keeping with MNA Label Sales Policies.

*Rosters—computer-generated list of the Board of Directors of MNA and all MNA structural units. List includes names and addresses.

Approved by Board of Directors: 5/16/02, 8/21/03, 3/17/05

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Position descriptions for MNA elected offices

Running for and winning election to MNA offices is one of the most important ways for you to have an impact on your profession.

An orientation is given to each elected member prior to assuming positions. An MNA staff person is assigned to each group to assist members in their work. Travel reimbursement to the MNA headquarters for elected members is provided. As stated in the MNA bylaws, absence, except when excused in advance by the chairperson, from more than two meetings within each period of twelve months from the date of assuming an elected or appointed position of the Board of Directors or a structural unit of the MNA shall result in forfeiture of the right to continue to serve and shall create a vacancy to be filled.

Board of Directors

The specific responsibilities and functions of the Board of Directors are to:

1. Conduct the business of the Association between annual meetings;
   
   
2. Establish major administrative policies governing the affairs of the MNA and devise and promote the measures for its progress;
   
   
3. Employ and evaluate the executive director;
   
   
4. The Board of Directors shall have full authority and responsibility for the Labor Program;
   
   
5. Adopt and monitor the association’s operating budget, financial development plan, and monthly financial statements;
   
   
6. Assess the needs of the membership;
   
   
7. Develop financial strategies for achieving goals;
   
   
8. Monitor and evaluate the achievement of goals and objectives of the total Association;
   
   
9. Meet its legal responsibilities;
   
   
10. Protect the assets of the association;
    
    
11. Form appropriate linkages with other organizations; and
    
    
12. Interpret the association to nurses and to the public.

Meets 10 times per year, usually a full day meeting held on the third Thursday of the month. Board members are expected to attend the annual business meeting held during the MNA Convention in the fall.

Center for Nursing Ethics

The Center for Ethics and Human Rights focuses on developing the moral competence of MNA membership through assessment, education and evaluation. It monitors ethical issues in practice; reviews policy proposals and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors; serves as a resource in ethics to MNA members, districts and the larger nursing community; works with MNA groups to prepare position papers, policies and documents as needed; and establishes a communication structure for nurses within Massachusetts and with other state and national organizations. Meets eight to 10 times per year at MNA for two to three hours.

Congress on Health and Safety

The Congress on Health and Safety identifies issues and develops strategies to effectively deal with the health and safety issues of the nurses and health care professionals. Meets eight to 10 times per year at MNA for two to three hours.

Congress on Health Policy and Legislation

The Congress on Health Policy and Legislation develops policies for the implementation of a program of governmental affairs appropriate to the MNA’s involvement in legislative and regulatory matters influencing nursing practice, health and safety, and health care in the commonwealth. Meets eight to 10 times per year at MNA or MNA’s District 2 office in West Boylston for two to three hours.

Congress on Nursing Practice

The Congress on Nursing Practice identifies practice and safety issues impacting the nursing community, which need to be addressed through education, policy, legislation or position statements. Meets eight to 10 times per year at MNA for two to three hours.

Bylaws Committee

The Bylaws Committee receives or initiates proposed amendments to the bylaws and reports its recommendations to the Board of Directors and the voting body at the annual business meeting; reviews all new, revised, or amended bylaws of constituent districts for approval of conformity; reviews all MNA policies for congruency with existing bylaws; interprets these bylaws. Meets eight to 10 times per year at MNA for two to three hours.

Nominations and Elections Committee

The Nominations and Elections Committee establishes and publicizes the deadline for submission of nominations and consent-to-serve form; actively solicits and receives nominations from all constituent regions, Congresses, Standing Committees and individual members; prepares a slate that shall be geographically representative of the state with one or more candidates for each office; implements policies and procedures for elections established by the Board of Directors. Meets two to three times during the year for one to two hours at MNA headquarters. Limited conference call options are available. All updates and correspondence from the committee are conducted by email whenever possible.

Regional Council (added on 7/3/08)

The specific responsibilities and functions of the Regional Councils are to:

a. Assure that the actions of the Regional Council have the greatest potential effectiveness and consistency with the overall goals of the membership and such efforts shall be consistent with the goals of the MNA;

b. Support the MNA structural units and Massachusetts Nurses Foundation to promote the primary functions of education, political organizing, member involvement and support for collective bargaining;

c. Promote education for professional activities, regional coalitions of MNA bargaining units and general members interested in advocacy.

d. The Regional Councils shall be responsible for establishing and maintaining regional council offices and office managers. Those regions unable to support themselves will receive support from the Board of Directors, in accordance with the Policy adopted by the Board for their offices and staff.