New Membership

New Membership shall include all newly hired employees of the Commerce City Police Department or all Prospective Members whose application has been approved for membership, in accordance with Section 3 of this Article. There shall be four (4) classes of Membership: 1) Active Collective Bargaining Unit Member, 2) Active Non-Collective Bargaining Unit Member, 3) Associate Member, and 4) Retired, as described below:

Active Collective Bargaining Unit Member

All new employees hired for full-time employment at the Commerce City Police Department, and qualify for Active Membership in accordance with Section 3(A), Article IV of the Constitution, do not require sponsorship and will be invited to join the Lodge by an Officer of the Executive Board during orientation of their hiring process; or he shall be contacted in person by the Vice-President within thirty (30) days following their date of hire. Invitation to join the Lodge shall include, but not be limited to: an explanation of all membership benefits of the Lodge, the State Lodge, the Grand Lodge, the Labor Council, Legal Defense Fund, Section 21 of the City Charter, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and Fair Share, as well as an explanation of the purpose of the Lodge Constitution & Bylaws. These Members shall enjoy all the benefits of the Lodge membership.

(i) Active Members, as part of their orientation, shall acknowledge that they understand that, in accordance with Section 21.20(a) of the City Charter, all members of the Bargaining Unit shall be subject to a one (1) year probationary period and, after the one (1) probationary period has expired, they may not be disciplined or discharged except for just cause.

Active Non-Collective Bargaining Unit Member

All new employees hired for full-time employment at the Commerce City Police Department, and qualify for Active Membership in accordance with Section 3(A), Article IV of the Constitution, do not require sponsorship and will be invited to join the Lodge by an Officer of the Executive Board during orientation of their hiring process; or he shall be contacted in person by the Vice-President within thirty (30) days following their date of hire. Invitation to join the Lodge shall include, but not be limited to: an explanation of all membership benefits of the Lodge, the State Lodge, the Grand Lodge, the Labor Council, Legal Defense Fund, Section 21 of the City Charter, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and Fair Share, as well as an explanation of the purpose of the Lodge Constitution & Bylaws. These Members shall enjoy all the benefits of the Lodge membership; however, they shall be excluded Members of the Bargaining Unit and, as such, shall not participate in or be subject to any matters regarding the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Associate Members

All new employees hired for any employment position at the Commerce City Police Department and qualify for Associate Membership in accordance with Section 3(B), Article IV of the Constitution, do not require sponsorship and will be invited to join the Lodge by an Officer of the Executive Board during orientation of their hiring process; or he shall be contacted in person by the Vice-President within thirty (30) days following their date of hire.

1. (i)  Invitation to join the Lodge shall include, but not be limited to: an explanation of all membership benefits of the Lodge, the State Lodge, the Grand Lodge, and the Legal Defense Fund, as well as an explanation of the purpose of the Lodge Constitution & Bylaws.
2. (ii)  Associate Members, as part of their orientation, shall acknowledge that they understand that their membership in the Lodge does not grant them any rights under the Collective Bargaining Agreement; and, as such, they have no rights to participate in any Bargaining Unit business of the Lodge.

Retired Members

All persons approved, in accordance with Section 3 of this Article, and qualified for membership as a Retired Member, in accordance with Section 3(C), Article IV of the Constitution, will be invited to join the Lodge by an Officer of the Executive Board or he shall be contacted in person by the Vice-President within thirty (30) days following the date of their application approval. Invitation to join the Lodge shall include, but not be limited to an explanation of membership dues and benefits of the Lodge, as well as an explanation of the purpose of the Lodge Constitution & Bylaws.

1. (i)  Retired Members, as part of their orientation, shall acknowledge that they understand that their membership in the Lodge does not grant them any rights under the Collective Bargaining Agreement; and, as such, they have no rights to participate in any Bargaining Unit business of the Lodge.
2. (ii)  These Members, once accepted, shall enjoy all the benefits of the Lodge membership, excluding Legal Defense Fund (LDF) coverage.

Resigned Member

Any Member who resigns their membership from the Lodge shall give up all rights to participate in any Lodge activity, Lodge vote, eligibility for a position on the Executive Board, and any Bargaining Unit business, as well as receive any LDF or FOP benefits.

1. (A)  Any Member who desires to resign their membership from the Lodge shall provide timely written notice of their desire to resign to the President, Secretary or Treasurer. Upon receipt of such notice, the request for withdrawal shall be made known to the Executive Board and the Treasurer shall begin the process of removal.
2. (B)  The Treasurer will provide the Member with written notice of the date the withdrawal will become effective based on any delinquency in dues owed to the Lodge. Withdrawal will not be effective until all debts are paid in full. The Member shall be responsible for all dues and fees associated with membership and shall be entitled to all benefits associated with membership until the effective date of their withdrawal.
3. (C)  Under no circumstances shall a Member be entitled to a refund of any dues or any other monies or considerations upon his resignation.
4. (D)  If the Member is an Active Member and resigns from the Lodge, but remains employed in the same position, or a position that is included in the Bargaining Unit, the Member shall continue to pay their Fair Share dues, as directed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement and Section 1 of Article I of these Bylaws.
   (i) If the Member chooses not to pay their Fair Share, or becomes delinquent in paying their Fair Share, the Executive Board may start proceedings to have the Member dismissed or exiled.
5. (E)  The Resigned Member shall be eligible for reinstatement after one (1) year from the date the resignation is effective and in accordance with Section 3 of this Article.

Suspended Member

Any Member who is suspended from the Lodge shall give up all rights to participate in any Lodge activity, Lodge vote, eligibility for a position on the Executive Board, and any Bargaining Unit business, as well as receive any LDF or FOP benefits.

Adopted: May 7, 1987; Amended: July 8, 2020

1. (A)  Any Member who has not paid their dues or fees for more than ninety (90) days may be suspended at the discretion of the President.
2. (B)  If the Member is an Active Member, and remains employed in the same position, or a position that is included in the Bargaining Unit, the Member shall continue to pay their Fair Share, as directed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement and Section 1 of Article I of these Bylaws.
3. (C)  If the Member chooses not to pay their Fair Share, or becomes delinquent in paying their Fair Share, the Executive Board may start proceedings to have the Member dismissed or exiled, in accordance with Article IX of the Constitution. Under no circumstances shall a Member be entitled to a refund of any dues or any other monies or considerations upon his suspension.
4. (D)  If a Member was suspended from membership only as a direct cause of his failure to pay dues, the President may, by Presidential privilege, waive any portion of the dues in arrears to assist the Suspended Member to return to Voting Member status.

Exiled Member

Any Member of the Lodge may be exiled from the Lodge for Breach of Oath. Any Member that has been dismissed from the Lodge or exiled for Breach of Oath shall not be allowed membership in the Lodge at any time following his dismissal.

1. (A)  A Member may also be exiled, at the discretion of the Executive Board, for failing to comply with paying their Fair Share dues, in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement and Section 1, Article I of these Bylaws.
2. (B)  Any Member who is dismissed or exiled from the Lodge shall give up all rights to participate in any Lodge activity, Lodge vote, eligibility for a position on the Executive Board, and any Bargaining Unit business as well as receive any LDF or FOP benefits.
3. (C)  Under no circumstances shall a Member be entitled to a refund of any dues or any other monies or considerations upon being dismissed or exiled.