(Orig. 9/08/07)
ADMINISTRATION
NAME
The name of this ‘standing committee’ shall be the ‘OREIA Ethics & Grievance Committee.’
PURPOSE
The purpose of this committee shall be to establish a ‘Code of Ethics,’ ‘Grievance Procedures,’ and an ‘Appeals Process;’ and it shall be charged with the responsibility to oversee compliance with the same and report regularly to the Board of Directors. And further, it shall conduct an annual review of these matters, recommending modifications as deemed appropriate. In the conduct of its business, the members shall employ the highest levels of discretion and confidentiality.
MEMBERS
This committee shall consist of five regular members and one alternate member who shall represent no less than three separate local OREIA member associations. The Chairman shall be appointed by the President and the Members shall be approved by the Board of Directors.
MEETINGS
This committee shall meet at least annually, preferably in the first quarter of the calendar year; and it shall otherwise meet as deemed necessary by the Chairman.
RESPONSIBILITY
This committee shall have the responsibility to address any OREIA matters brought to its attention regarding violations of the ‘Code of Ethics,’ and any subsequent grievances filed or appeals processed as a result of those ethics violations where such violations, grievances or appeals involve any of the following:
- All OREIA Board Directors, as they are elected by their local member associations;
- All OREIA officers;
- Any OREIA committee members or chairpersons;
- Any and all OREIA staff, employees, sub-contractors or commercial affiliates;
- Any local OREIA member associations, but only in matters regarding their OREIA membership agreement compliance; or in such rare instances where a local association, acting as a whole would commit an ethical violation against another local association as a whole, or against OREIA as a whole; and
- Any individual OREIA member whose ethical violations are so egregious in nature that those actions have impacted multiple local associations and/or have impacted the State association; but only after the matter is first referred to the member’s ‘home’ association and that association has either refused to act or has been unable to effect satisfactory resolution in their actions.
Except as noted above, this committee shall not have responsibility over matters concerning individual member actions within a local OREIA member association; nor shall it intervene in any processes within that local association. Additionally, this committee shall not have responsibility over matters that have otherwise been delegated to the Convention Committee; nor shall it intervene in any of those processes unless requested to do so by that committee Chairperson or by the OREIA President.
DUTIES
Deriving its authority from its appointment by the President and its approval by the Board of Directors, and where its authority is not otherwise superseded, this committee shall have the duty to:
- Oversee compliance with the ‘Code of Ethics,’ ‘Grievance Procedures’ and ‘Appeals Process’ as described herein;
- Conduct reasonable and appropriate investigations into properly filed grievances;
- Exercise the right to refuse to conduct investigations into certain grievances filed;
- Make recommendations to the Board of Directors for certain actions to be taken against offending parties;
- Issue written reprimands and letters of censure to the offending parties;
- Require non-monetary measures of restitution of the offending parties;
- Levy immediate, but temporary suspensions upon individuals, including elected or appointed positions, or associations for very egregious offenses, where failure to do so would be detrimental to the welfare of OREIA, pending further investigation. Such temporary suspensions could include, but not go beyond the next immediate quarterly Board meeting without approval of the Board.
- Exact punishment upon an individual or an association in a manner to include but not necessarily be limited to suspension of attendance at or participation in any and/or all OREIA and OREIA sponsored functions to include but not be limited to meetings, retreats, seminars, vendor shows, conventions and mini-conventions. Said suspensions shall not be permitted to exceed one-hundred/twenty (120) days from the date of implementation of such sanction.
- Report its actions to the Board of Directors as deemed necessary or desirable by that Board.
This committee shall not have the authority to cause an individual or an association to be suspended as described above for a period that exceeds one-hundred/twenty (120) days; nor shall it have the authority to cause an individual or an association to be permanently removed from an elected or appointed position; and nor shall it have the authority to expel an individual or an association from OREIA, though it may make such recommendations to the Board of Directors as a result of its investigations.