WHEREAS, on February 13, 1995, the Laborers' International Union of North America ("LIUNA") and the United States entered into an Agreement whereby LIUNA would be given a period of at least 90 days in which to undertake self reform designed to rid LIUNA of any corruption by organized crime and to institute other reforms; and

WHEREAS, the United States has consistently maintained that because of a history of corruption within LIUNA and an absence of contested elections, substantial election reform is a crucial and necessary element of LIUNA's program of internal reform; and

WHEREAS, after substantial negotiations, LIUNA and the United States have agreed on a proposal for election reform necessary to ensure the democratic rights of members of LIUNA and the success of LIUNA's program of internal reform; and

WHEREAS, the General Executive Board of LIUNA has today adopted election reforms,·.agreed to by the United States, that provide, among other things, for the direct rank and file election of the General President and the General Secretary Treasurer; the expansion of the General Executive Board to include thirteen Vice Presidents; the designation of nine of the Vice Presidents as District Vice Presidents accountable to equal electoral districts defined geographically; the modification of the method of election of Convention delegates to ensure that each member has an equal voice in the selection of delegates; reforms to the electoral process, including the selection of an Elections Officer and other reforms to ensure that the nomination and election of delegates to the Convention and members of the GEB are conducted free of corruption or intimidation of any kind; and

WHEREAS, the United States has also urged that, beginning with the election of 2001, all Vice Presidents also be selected by direct rank and file election of nominees for Vice President selected at the Convention; and

WHEREAS, consistent with the GEB's strong preference that constitutional amendments not requiring emergency action and not necessary to conform to or comply with the law be subject to approval by the members through referendum or vote at the Convention, the changes proposed for the 2001 election do not require the GEB to act pursuant to its authority under Article VII, Section 2(b) of the International Constitution; and

WHEREAS, the GEB wishes to give the members of LIUNA the fullest opportunity to decide for themselves whether they wish to change the manner of election of Vice Presidents to provide for direct rank and file elections of individuals nominated at the Convention, for elections beginning with the year 2001; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, pursuant to its authority under Article VIII Section 2(i), the General Executive Board hereby submits to the members of LIUNA, for their consideration pursuant to a referendum, the proposed amendments to Article VII, Sections 5 & 6 of the International Constitution attached hereto, deleting the terms that are struck out and adding those terms shown in shaded text; the referendum shall be conducted in the fall of 1996, in conjunction with the election of the General President and the General Secretary Treasurer, in a manner which shall be determined by the Elections Officer, pursuant to his authority under Article VII, Section 9, of the International Constitution.