Ordinarily the following types of requirements may be considered
reasonable, depending on the circumstances in which they are applied and
the effect of their application:
(a) Period of prior membership. It would ordinarily be reasonable
for a local union to require a candidate to have been a member of the
organization for a reasonable period of time, not exceeding two years,
before the election. However, if a member is involuntarily compelled to
transfer from one local to another, such a requirement would not be
reasonable if he is not given credit for his prior period of membership.
(b) Continuity of good standing. A requirement of continuous good
standing based on punctual payment of dues will be considered a
reasonable qualification only if (1) it provides a reasonable grace
period during which members may make up missed payments without loss of
eligibility for office, \24\ and (2) the period of time involved is
reasonable. What are reasonable periods of time for these purposes will
depend upon the circumstances. Section 401(e) of the Act provides that a
member whose dues have been withheld by the employer for payment to the
labor organization pursuant to his voluntary authorization provided for
in a collective bargaining agreement may not be declared ineligible to
vote or be a candidate for office by reason of alleged delay or default
in the payment of dues. If during the period allowed for payment of dues
in order to remain in good standing, a member on a dues checkoff system
has no earnings from which dues can be withheld, section 401(e) does not
relieve the member of the responsibility of paying his dues in order to
remain in good standing.
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\24\ In Goldberg v. Amarillo General Drivers, Teamsters Local 577,
214 F. Supp. 74 (N.D. Tex. 1963), the disqualification of five nominees
for union office for failure to satisfy a constitutional provision
requiring candidates for office to have maintained continuous good
standing for two years by paying their dues on or before the first
business day of the current month, in advance, was held to be
unreasonable. See also Wirtz v. Local Unions No. 9, 9-A and 9-B,
International Union of Operating Engineers, 254 F. Supp. 980 (D. Colo.
1965), aff'd. 366 F. 2d 911 (CA 10 1966), vacated as moot 387 U.S. 96
(1967).
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