Article V, Section 2: National Conventions shall be the true and legitimate source of all authority and the final court of appeal. No change in the Federation's laws or policies therein adopted or promulgated shall be effected by any officer, committee, or any other body.

 

This is the highest governing authority of the Union. AFGE holds its convention every 3 years, usually in August. Once the Convention makes a decision, that decision stands, and it must be carried out by every single officer and employee of the Union -- at both the local and national levels. Convention action can be changed only by a later Convention or by a referendum of membership.

 

The Convention has the power to:

• Adopt and promulgate laws and policies of AFGE.
• Interpret and amend the Constitution.
• Elect the National President, Secretary-Teasurer and national Vice-President for Women's and Fair Practices.
• Establish per-capita dues to the National.
• Act as a final court of review for members who feel they have not been treated fairly at lower levels of the Union.

 

Delegates to the AFGE Convention are elected by Local Unions with the number of delegates per Local determined by membership strength as specified in the AFGE Constitution. Any chartered national, regional, state or district council is entitled to two delegates.