assessment fee

[Greg]

Recently our Union voted to add a 3.00 assessment fee to our monthly dues to be used for the cost of negotiations. This month the assessment has started.

Now our negotiations have been pushed back one year so some members want to rescind the 3.00 assessment fee until a later time. I want to make that motion but I know our President will do all possible to declare my motion out of order or improper without giving a reason why, even if pressed to do so at the time,

he will NOT give a reason (based on previous history) So therefore I need to make the motion as bullet proof as possible.

Because the assessment fee has now started, can the President use that fact to declare a motion out of order or improper?

Our bylaws to not speak to this.

[Rob Elsman]

Recently our Union voted to add a 3.00 assessment fee to our monthly dues to be used for the cost of negotiations. This month the assessment has started.

Now our negotiations have been pushed back one year so some members want to rescind the 3.00 assessment fee until a later time. I want to make that motion but I know our President will do all possible to declare my motion out of order or improper without giving a reason why, even if pressed to do so at the time,

he will NOT give a reason (based on previous history) So therefore I need to make the motion as bullet proof as possible.

Because the assessment fee has now started, can the President use that fact to declare a motion out of order or improper?

Our bylaws to not speak to this.

The rule is that the president must give a brief statement of the reasons for his ruling that a motion is out of order, and the statement is entered on the minutes. Without knowing why he is ruling the way he is, it is hard to answer your question. If you feel that the president has ruled in error, you and any other member can raise an Appeal, which would very likely be debatable. See RONR (10th ed.), p. 243, ll. 6-9; p. 245, ll. 14-17; p. 453, ll. 18-20.