(A) AN ACTIVE MEMBER shall be any active umpire who has successfully passed the prescribed annual Baseball Ontario umpires examination (written and on-field), whose annual Association dues are paid in full, and who remains a member "in good standing".

(B) A LIFE MEMBER shall be any former Active Member who has resigned or retired from umpiring after at least five (5) consecutive years as an Active Member with this Association, has attained at least a Level II status, and is accepted by a unanimous vote of the Executive.

(D) ANY ACTIVE, Life or Associate member may attend and participate in Association meetings. Only Active Members may vote on any Association business.

(E) THE EXECUTIVE reserves the right to accept or reject any applicant for membership. Unless otherwise prescribed, such acceptance or rejection shall be by a unanimous vote of the Executive. If rejected, the applicant shall be notified forthwith of the reason(s) for the rejection. No appeal is allowed.

IV. THE EXECUTIVE

THE OFFICERS of the Association shall be:

· President

· Vice-President

· Secretary-Treasurer

· Scheduler

· Past-President

(A) SUCH OFFICERS shall be known as the Executive. Only Active Members in good standing can be elected to the Executive.

(B) ELECTIONS SHALL take place at the Annual General Meeting, and shall be by secret ballot. The nominee attaining the most votes shall be elected to that position. A member can hold only one position on the Executive at a time.

President

- chairs all meetings;

- votes on matters only to break a tie;

- is a member of any committees set up by the Executive or the Association;

- acts as a representative of the Association at PBA functions or any other function as directed by the Executive; and

- performs any other duties as recommended by the Association.

Vice-President

- carries on the duties of the President if the President is unable;

- performs any other duties as recommended by the Executive.

Secretary-Treasurer

- records, and maintains a record of, all Executive and Association meetings; takes attendance at all meetings;

- dispatches all communications unless otherwise directed by the Executive;

- maintains a roster of the membership including their mailing address, telephone number and current card Level. The Secretary shall provide a copy of such roster to all Active Members;

- is responsible for maintaining and accounting for all finances of the Association. He shall prepare and present a financial report at the Annual General Meeting.

Scheduler

- schedules, with whatever assistance he/she requires, all O.B.A., E.O.B.A., P.B.A. or P.R.B.A. sanctioned contests within the jurisdiction of the Association. Such scheduling shall be as fair and equitable as practicable;

- maintains a roster of Active Umpires, including their mailing addresses, telephone numbers and current card level. It is the responsibility of individual umpires to immediately advise the Scheduler of any changes.

Past-President

- serves as a member of the Executive with full voting privileges

(D) THE OFFICERS of the Association shall be responsible for directing the Association activities and have full power to establish and dissolve committees as necessary.

(E) SHOULD VACANCIES occur in an elected position the President, in consultation with the other Officers at a meeting, shall appoint a replacement in following Constitution guidelines for the remainder of the current year.

(F) NO MEMBER of the Association shall be elected to the position of President unless he/she has served a minimum of two (2) years as a member of the Executive.

V. DISCIPLINE

(A) ALL DISCIPLINARY matters shall be heard by the Executive. This committee shall consist of at least 3/4 of the Executive and all decisions involving disciplinary matters shall be decided only by a unanimous vote. If the member who is the subject of a disciplinary matter is a member of the Executive then he/she shall be excluded from the committee. The committee shall act only on written complaints. Any member who is the subject of a complaint shall be notified by the Executive of such complaint and its substance as soon as practicable.

(B) A MEMBER can be disciplined for any misconduct, breach of the Constitution and by-laws, persistent breaches of rules and training, or for other just cause. Discipline includes, but is not limited to, admonishment, probation, demotion in classification, suspension and dismissal. Except for suspension and dismissal, under no circumstances shall a term of discipline exceed one season.

For the purposes of this section:

PROBATION shall mean a period of time during which the umpire's performance, behaviour and attitude is monitored and evaluated on a more frequent basis. The umpire shall be evaluated by a qualified O.B.A. Evaluator. At the conclusion of the member's probation, the Executive shall conduct a review of the member's progress and either fully reinstate the member or take whatever other appropriate action is necessary. While on probation a member shall remain an Active Member.

SUSPENSION shall mean that the umpire will be denied any game bookings at any level for the prescribed period of the suspension. During the period of suspension, he or she will be denied all rights of an Active Member. Once the term of suspension is completed he or she shall be fully reinstated but at one Level lower than his or her previous carded Level.

DISMISSAL shall mean the immediate loss of the umpire's card and privileges for an indefinite period. Dismissal can result for the following reasons:

1. Being under the influence of alcohol or non-medically prescribed drugs while on the playing field in the capacity of an umpire;

2. Initiating a physical confrontation with anyone while acting in the capacity of an umpire;

3. A third "no-show" without valid excuse during the course of the same season;

4. Cheating during any O.B.A. examination or during any contest that that umpire is working; or

5. Doing anything that seriously jeopardises the reputation of the Association, its members or umpiring in general.

The subject member shall have the right to attend any hearing involving his or her discipline. Any reasonable evidence may be presented by such member, the Executive, or any other interested party before a decision is rendered.

The process shall commence as soon as practicable, but not more than seven days after receipt of a written complaint to an Executive member.

Any discipline shall commence immediately upon the decision of the Executive. The member shall be notified in person or by telephone within 24 hours of the decision, and by letter postmarked no later than 72 hours after the decision.

(D) APPEALS

A member who is the subject of a disciplinary hearing has the right to appeal a decision of the Executive. Such appeal shall be in writing and shall be made within seven (7) days of the Executive's decision.

A member may appeal a decision directly to the E.O.B.A. Executive or to the Association membership. Such member shall remain an Active Member during the appeal period and until a final decision is rendered.

An appeal taken to the Association membership shall be heard at a Special General Meeting called by the Executive. This Special General Meeting shall be held as soon as practicable. The process shall commence not more than seven (7) days after receipt of the member's notification of appeal. A decision at such meeting will be by secret ballot.

The member can appeal a decision of the membership to the E.O.B.A Executive. Such appeal shall be made within seven (7) days of a decision of the membership. The subject member must notify the Executive, in writing, of such appeal. All decisions by the E.O.B.A Executive shall be final.

(E) A MEMBER who has been disciplined shall be fully reinstated upon completion of any terms posed upon him or her, unless otherwise specified.

(F) ALL RECORDS of disciplinary matters, except minutes of meetings, will be destroyed one (1) year after completion of any penalties imposed upon that member.

VI. MEETINGS

(A) An Annual General Meeting and election of Officers shall be held not later that the last Sunday of November;

(B) Business and Executive Meetings shall be held as required;

(D) Other Special Meetings may be called by the order of the President or in response to a written request of three (3) Active Members. Such requests shall indicate the purpose of the proposed meeting, which shall be the sole purpose of the meeting.

VII. QUORUMS

UNLESS OTHERWISE specified in this Constitution,

(A) a majority of the Executive shall constitute a quorum for any regular Executive meeting;

(B) one-third (1/3) of the Active membership, including the Executive, shall constitute a quorum for Association meetings; and

VIII.AMENDMENTS

THE CONSTITUTION and by-laws may be amended, repealed or reworded in whole, or in part, in the following manner:

Recommendations shall be placed before the members at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting called specifically for this purpose. Any such changes shall be accepted when they have been approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members present.

IX. DUES STRUCTURE and FEES

(A) DUES SHALL be $20.00 (amended May 16, 1993) per year per Active Member and must be paid to the Secretary-Treasurer by June 15th of the current year.

(B) SCHEDULING FEES shall be $1.00 per appearance by an umpire for any O.B.A., E.O.B.A, P.B.A., or P.R.B.A. sanctioned contest.

(D) Umpires shall be paid for each extra inning of games which are played beyond the scheduled number of innings at a rate equivalent, to the nearest dollar, of the per-inning rate of that game being officiated.

X. UNIFORMS, DRESS AND EQUIPMENT

THE FOLLOWING APPAREL only shall be acceptable:

(A) Golf style shirt of a colour acceptable by Baseball Ontario standards shall be worn. Navy blue is recommended for house league. Umpires working a 2-man system shall be in the same colour. Base umpires working a 3- or 4-man system shall be in the same colour. The Baseball Ontario logo shall be affixed to the left breast pocket area of the shirt.

(B) Grey slacks with a black belt; black or navy socks.

(C) Dark blue or black umpire's cap. It is recommended that members umpiring at O.B.A., E.O.B.A. or P.R.B.A. levels have the Baseball Ontario logo affixed to the front of their caps when umpiring the bases.

(D) Dark blue or black jacket; dark blue sweater, if required.

(E) Black shoes (plate or base). Some younger members wear their baseball shoes. This is acceptable; however, colours such as red or white are not acceptable.

(F) Black, dark blue or grey ball bag(s)

(G) Protective equipment (except balloon protectors) must be worn on the inside of external clothing.

XI. CLINICS

(A) EVERY UMPIRE must attend an O.B.A. sanctioned umpire’s clinic as required by the O.B.A. and pass the required written and on-field examinations to qualify as an Active Member.

XII. GENERAL

(A) MEMBERS SHALL have due respect for their authority, and conduct themselves in such a manner at all times, so as to command the respect of the players, coaches, managers and spectators.

(B) IT IS THE DUTY of every umpire to know the rules of the Association of which he/she is a member. It is his/her duty to know the rules of the contest he/she is officiating.

(C) UMPIRES SHALL be at the game site at least fifteen (15) minutes before the scheduled game time for any P.B.A. game or thirty (30) minutes for any other contest. Umpires shall familiarise themselves with the current park conditions and shall not be responsible for delaying the start of a game by tardiness.

(D) ASSIGNMENTS FOR GAMES scheduled by the Association shall take precedence over all games from any other source.

(E) NO UMPIRE shall solicit games for him/herself within the jurisdiction of the Association after being scheduled.

(F) ANY ACTIVE umpire shall disclose to the Executive any affiliation he/she might have with any club in a league serviced by the Association.

(G) NO UMPIRE shall be under the influence of any intoxicating beverages or non-medically prescribed drugs during, or immediately before or after an assignment. No umpire shall use any tobacco product while in uniform and in the confines of the park in which he or she is working.

(H) ANY UMPIRE who has been inactive for a year or more, and who resumes umpiring, shall do so at no higher than a Level II.

AS AMENDED August 24, 2004