N.Y. Benevolent Orders Law § 8: Trustees

§ 8. Trustees. The persons executing such certificate and named

therein, shall be the board of trustees of such corporation. If but two

bodies unite to form such corporation, its by-laws may prescribe the

terms of office of the trustees. If more than two bodies so unite, the

trustees shall divide themselves by lot into three classes, not

including, however, the president, vice-president, secretary and

treasurer, if such officer shall have been elected as provided in

section seven hereof, who shall be one year trustees, so that the term

of office of the first class shall expire in one year; the term of

office of the second class, in two years; and the term of office of the

third class, in three years; provided, however, that no trustee shall

continue as such after he has ceased to be a representative.

On a vacancy occurring in the office of a trustee of such corporation,

the body which he represented shall fill such vacancy, provided the

bodies uniting to form such corporation do not exceed thirty in number,

and the person so chosen shall hold office for three years, if chosen on

the expiration of the term of his predecessor, and otherwise, until the

expiration of the original term.

But if the bodies uniting to form such corporation exceed thirty in

number, then any vacancy occurring by reason of the expiration of a term

or by failure of any trustee to be re-elected as a representative, shall

be filled for three years or for the balance of the unexpired term, as

the case may be, by the representatives in annual session; and any

vacancy occurring otherwise than as above specified, shall be filled

until the next annual meeting of the representatives by the body that

has lost representation by reason of the vacancy, when it shall be

filled by said representatives for the remainder of the unexpired term.

If the bodies uniting to form such corporation exceed thirty in number,

then the representatives, but if less than thirty in number then the

board of trustees, may admit or prescribe rules and regulations for the

admission as members of such corporation of other bodies chartered or

instituted by the same general governing body as any of the bodies named

in such certificate, or by any superior or higher jurisdiction or

governing body of the order to which any of such bodies belong, and may

prescribe rules and regulations for the withdrawal, expulsion or

suspension of any body or bodies having membership in such corporation.

Where the bodies uniting to form such corporation do not exceed thirty

in number, the board of trustees shall fix the term of office of such

trustees elected to represent new members of such corporation at one,

two or three years, and shall so apportion such new trustees that as

nearly as possible the terms of office of one-third of the trustees of

such corporation shall expire annually.

Where the organizations so united are trades unions, trades

assemblies, trades associations or labor organizations, the board of

trustees may, from time to time, admit as members of such corporation

and of such board of trustees the representatives of any other labor or

trade organization or association whether or not the same be chartered

or instituted by the same general governing body as any of the bodies

named in such certificate, or by any superior or higher jurisdiction or

governing body of the order to which such bodies belong. The board of

trustees admitting such members shall file in the county clerk's office

a certificate showing such action, and the terms of the representatives

so admitted shall be fixed as above provided in the case of other

organizations.

Every corporation formed under this chapter must file annually

immediately after its annual meeting, in the clerk's office of the

county where such building is or is to be located, a certificate giving

the names and addresses of the principal officers of the corporation and

the names and addresses of the members of the board of trustees, and the

names and location of all bodies admitted to or withdrawn or expelled

from membership since the filing of the last preceding certificate. And

the several bodies comprising such corporation may by a two-thirds vote

of all the members present at any regular or special meeting, notice

whereof has been duly given according to the constitution, rules and

regulations of such body, adopt by-laws, rules and regulations for the

management and government of such hall, temple, or other building not

inconsistent with the laws of the state or the constitution, general

rules or laws of the grand lodge or other governing body to which it is

subordinate and may therein provide for the disposition of the revenues

arising therefrom and may in such by-laws, rules and regulations limit

and define the purposes and uses to which the net revenue from said

hall, temple or other building shall be applied, and when the same shall

be concurred in by all of said bodies, they shall be binding on said

corporation and thereafter said net income shall not be devoted or

applied to any other purpose.