• IFPTE ACE Council •
Charter Status Updates
Information related to the efforts at the 2024 IFPTE Convention regarding the charter status of the IFPTE ACE Council.
RESTORATION OF THE IFPTE ACE COUNCIL
WHEREAS,
The IFPTE local unions representing US Army Corps of Engineers workers came together in 2000 to form a council within IFPTE; and
WHEREAS,
At the May 2001 meeting of the IFPTE Executive Council, the Federation President recommended, and the Executive Council unanimously approved, granting a charter to the IFPTE National Council of Army Corps of Engineers Locals (informally known as the “Army Corps Council” or the “ACE Council”), as evidenced in the minutes of the meeting; and
WHEREAS,
The ACE Council has bonded its officers as required by law since its chartering, has maintained its own bank account, and the Federation has been collecting dues from member locals for over 20 years on behalf of the ACE Council and has provided most of these dues to the ACE Council; and
WHEREAS,
There was a dormant period where the ACE Council was not meeting or otherwise active, but the financial responsibilities were cared for by one of the most recently elected officers; and
WHEREAS,
In 2021, several local unions sought to reinvigorate the ACE Council, and in 2022 the members of the ACE Council elected new officers and approved amended bylaws which were approved by the Federation; and
WHEREAS,
The restarting of the ACE Council was surrounded by some confusion as to whether the ACE Council was an official subordinate body or an “informal” part of IFPTE, with the Federation stating that the ACE Council was an informal body and the charter status was not investigated at that time; and
WHEREAS,
The ACE Council had not previously filed LM forms with the U.S. Department of Labor, and in a 2022 email the General Counsel of the IFPTE instructed the ACE Council officers not to begin filing these forms; and
WHEREAS,
In August 2023, the Federation President and other officers and staffers met with the ACE Council officers and required them to get permission from the Federation President and Secretary-Treasurer to spend any ACE Council funds; and
WHEREAS,
In January 2024, the Federation was able to locate the Executive Council minutes proving the Council had been chartered; and
WHEREAS,
In February 2024, the ACE Council requested clarification as to the status of the trusteeship (restriction of autonomy) that had been imposed on the ACE Council, now that the charter status was clearer, and offered the Federation President an opportunity to remove the restrictions so that a trusteeship did not exist; and
WHEREAS,
In March 2024, the Executive Council voted to revoke the charter of the ACE Council, and no prior notice was given to the ACE Council that this would be discussed by the Executive Council, and no opportunity was given to know the reasons this action was being considered or for the ACE Council to address the Executive Council; and
WHEREAS,
The locals in the ACE Council still wish to be chartered and to have the full autonomy afforded to any other IFPTE subordinate body, including to set and collect its own dues, spend its funds, etc., and
WHEREAS,
the ACE Council stands ready to fulfill all obligations and responsibilities related to that status, including filing initial and annual reports with the U.S. Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service, bonding its officers, and so on;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
The Federation President shall reissue a charter to the National Council of Army Corps of Engineers Locals at no cost to the ACE Council no later than September 1, 2024, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
That the ACE Council shall be immediately afforded the full autonomy available to all IFPTE subordinate bodies, which shall not be restricted in any way whatsoever by the Federation without full adherence to the trusteeship provisions of Article 17 of the IFPTE Constitution and applicable federal law.
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The ACE Council represents the interests of more than 4,000 federal employees working at district and division offices, and business centers and laboratories of the US Army Corps of Engineers across the country.
All references to the Army Corps of Engineers or other agencies of the Department of Defense and the federal government are for identification purposes only. |