Proposal to Increase Executive Board Diversity
Questions and Answers
1. Will the four at-large diversity board members be Vice Presidents?
No. The at-large diversity board members will not be Vice Presidents. At-large diversity board members will not be full-time. They will be paid for expenses and lost wages for attending Board meetings and performing other Executive Board responsibilities.
2. Can someone run for more than one at-large diversity seat?
No, a member can only be nominated and run for one at-large diversity seat. In addition, they can only run in the geographic region in which they hold their membership.
3. Will at-large diversity board members be elected?
Yes, the proposal calls for elections at the 2008 Convention. At-large diversity Board members would be elected every three years just like other CWA Board members.
4. Will convention delegates get to vote for the four at-large diversity candidates?
Yes, each convention delegate will vote for one candidate from each geographic region, a total of four. There are four geographic regions that were drawn based on roughly equivalent membership within CWA.
5. Who can run for the at-large diversity seats?
The intent of the proposal is to increase Board diversity by adding women and persons of color. The proposal recommends that of the four at-large diversity board members, at least three should be persons of color and at least two should be women.
While it is not legally possible to compel such a result since the law governing officer elections (the LMRDA) permits any union member in good standing to run for union office (subject to limited exceptions), the intent is to have women and persons of color in these seats, thus increasing the diversity on the Board and creating a governing body that more closely matches the diversity of our membership.
The proposal does not permit full-time employees to hold at-large diversity seats. This prohibition is one which is specifically allowed by the LMRDA because of the potential conflicts of interest that would occur if full-time employees held these positions. The focus of this proposal is to diversify the Board and bring Local input and points of view to the Board's deliberative process.
6. How will you guarantee that women and persons of color get elected to these at-large diversity board seats?
The National union cannot "guarantee" the results of any election. It is hoped that in adopting this proposal, the delegates understand the intent of the at-large diversity board positions and will elect women and persons of color.
7. Will there be appointments prior to the 2008 elections?
Yes. The proposal would require the Executive Board to appoint one at-large diversity Board member from each geographic region following the 2007 Convention from nominations submitted by the National Committee on Equity, the National Women's Committee, and the Minority Caucus. Nominations must be submitted by September 1, 2007. The Executive Board is required to act on the nominations at its first scheduled Board meeting following the convention. Elections for the at-large diversity Board members will be held at the 2008 Convention and every 3 years afterward.
8. How were the four geographic regions determined?
The geographic regions were constructed so that they would represent approximately the same number of members. The northeast region has 154,000; southeast region 120,000; central region 147,000; and the western region 115,000.
9. What will be the role of the at-large diversity Board members?
At-large diversity Board members will attend all Executive Board meetings and serve on Executive Board Committees. They will have a voice and a vote at Executive Board meetings. They will participate in Board deliberations and discussions. In addition, an Executive Board diversity committee will be established and the four at-large diversity members, as well as other Board members, will serve on this committee. The Executive Board Diversity Committee will interact and obtain input from the National Committee on Equity and National Women's Committee and will review a broad range of issues relating to diversity concerns.
10. Will the at-large diversity Board members have the same responsibilities as the Vice Presidents?
No. The at-large diversity Board members are not Vice Presidents and will not have the responsibilities that come with the full-time position of Vice President. As noted above, they will have an equal voice and vote on the Board and will participate in various Board committees. They will not have an office or staff or the administrative or budgetary responsibilities or other full-time obligations that go along with the position of full-time elected Vice President.
11. Why should we add at-large diversity seats to the CWA Executive Board?
The AFL-CIO resolution "A Diverse Movement Calls for a Diverse Leadership" adopted at the AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention July 2005 perhaps says it best, "Despite decades of progress, the union movement acknowledges we have not met our goals: that unions must reflect the diversity of our communities and union movement leadership must reflect the diversity of our members. In too many cases, women and people of color still are underrepresented among union leadership. ……We must go beyond acknowledging where we fall short and move into full and committed action. We cannot ask more of broader society than we are willing and able to do ourselves." The AFL-CIO resolution goes on to ask each affiliate union to sign on to a set of diversity principles and report annually on the representation of women and people of color in staff and elected leadership positions.
12. How many women and persons of color are currently on the CWA Executive Board?
The CWA Executive Board is composed of 3 principal officers and 16 District/Sector Vice Presidents, for a total of 19. Of the 19, four are women and one is a person of color. Said another way, 21% are women and 5% are persons of color.
In 2004, a random survey of CWA members conducted by a professional survey group found that our membership demographics were as follows: 43% female, 57% male, 76% White, 11% Black, 8% Hispanic, 1% Native American, and 1% Asian. Although we believe these numbers could be off by several percentage points, they offer the best snapshot we have.
13. The Ready for the Future resolution refers to the right sizing of the Board by 2011. How does adding four at-large diversity Board members square with that?
The Ready for the Future resolution refers to full-time elected vice presidents who have specific responsibilities and structures which include offices, assistants, support staff and staff. The at-large diversity Board members will not be full-time elected vice presidents and do not present the cost and structural issues being addressed in the Ready for the Future resolution.
14. What is the estimated cost of adding four at- large diversity Board members?
The at large members will be paid for expenses and lost wages for attending Board meetings and performing other Executive Board responsibilities. The Executive Board usually meets in person 3-4 times a year and by conference call monthly. Executive Board committee meetings are usually held at the same time as Board meetings by conference calls in between meetings. Assuming the maximum of four face-to-face Executive Board meetings, we estimate the total cost for the four at-large diversity positions to be approximately $25,000 each year.
15. Do the convention delegates have to adopt the proposal in order for it to be implemented?
Yes, the proposals require changes to the CWA Constitution and convention delegates must adopt those changes.
