ARTICLE XVIII.

Committees, Delegates and Stewards 

Section 1.

Committees

Except as limited by these By-Laws or by the Constitution of our International Union, the Executive Board shall be empowered to establish or provide for the establishment of committees, the members thereof to be appointed by the President; but all committees must be established for purposes consistent with the objects and purposes of this organization.

Section 2.

Delegates

Provided that he/she shall have been elected to his/her office by secret ballot, each member of the Executive Board shall, by virtue of his/her office and said election, be a delegate to the Joint Council and Area Conference to which this Local Union is affiliated pursuant to Article VI, Section 47 herein.  Business Representatives who are not members of the Executive Board, and appointed members of the Executive Board, or those who have not been elected by secret ballot, shall have the duty to attend and participate in the deliberations of such Joint Council or Area Conference, at the Local Union's expense, except as limited by the International Constitution, the Joint Council or applicable Regional By-Laws, or by statute.

Section 3.

Delegates to central bodies, and to all conventions of labor, including trade, craft, regional or other types of conferences, as well as to any other local, state or national body, other than the convention of the International Union, shall be appointed by the Secretary-Treasurer pursuant to Article VI, Section 47 herein.  Any member of this Local Union who meets the qualifications imposed upon officers by these By-Laws shall be eligible for appointment as such delegate.

Section 4.

All officers elected in accordance with Article XV hereof shall by virtue of such election be delegates to any International Constitution Convention which may take place during their term of office pursuant to Article VI, Section 47 herein.  If at the time of the receipt of the Convention call it shall appear that such number of elected officers is less than the number of delegates to which this Local Union will be entitled at an International Convention, then arrangements shall be made for nomination and secret ballot election of an additional number of eligible members as Convention delegates.  The Executive Board shall determine in all instances how many alternate delegates shall be designated.  If the total number of officers in this Local Union is greater than the number of delegates which this Local Union is permitted to send to the convention, the principal officer of this Local Union shall have first priority as a delegate.  After the principal officer, the remaining delegates shall be selected pursuant to Article VI, Section 47 herein.  Where the election of additional delegates and/or alternates is required in the application of this section, said additional delegates and/or alternates shall be held in accordance with provisions of the International Constitution applicable thereto, and Article XVIII, Section 5 of these By-Laws.

Section 5.

The nomination and election of the delegates and alternates mentioned in Article XVIII, Section 4 shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth in Articles XIII, XIV and XV of these By-Laws relating to the nomination and election of officers.  Any member of this Local Union who meets the qualifications imposed by these By-Laws for the nomination and election of officers shall be eligible for nomination and election as a delegate or alternate.

Section 6.

The Secretary-Treasurer, together with the President, shall execute all credentials covering the delegates and alternates to the International Convention, affixing to said credentials the seal of the Local Union, and shall forward them to the General Secretary-Treasurer of the International at least thirty days prior to the opening of the Convention.

Section 7.

All delegates of this Local Union, both those appointed and those elected, shall perform the duties imposed upon them by these By-Laws, and the Constitution and/or By-Laws of the body to which they are delegates, and all of their actions made in accordance therewith shall be deemed to have been made for the best interests of this Union and its members.

Section 8.

 Stewards

Stewards shall be elected and removed in such manner as the Executive Board may determine, and shall have such duties as may be assigned to them by the Executive Board.  Stewards are neither officers nor agents of this Union.