Local Bylaws

Adopted by Membership: 20 July 2018
Approved by Central Pending

Preamble

The aim of the General Defence Committee (GDC) is to provide defence and solidarity to members of the working class under attack. We provide these through the provision and maintenance of legal and financial support, and through attempts to innovate new forms of defence of the working class as a whole. The GDC publicly promotes the vision of the IWW and the creation of worker-run industry to the entire working class.

Effective worker organizations will face oppression from the master class, and have been effectively shut down and marginalized through lawsuits, imprisonment, and through the institution of neighborhood terror by police, security, and gangs. Some attacks on worker organization involve courts, police, and prisons. We must secure defence against such attacks, but do not imagine that legal and financial defence alone are sufficient.

Some of the most effective weapons of the master class are to divide the working class according to unevenly shared oppressions of race, sex, gender, sexual attraction, religion, nationality, or language. While the IWW organizes against such divisions in the workplace, the GDC both defends workers in legal trouble, and takes action against such oppressions, in ways that attempt to strategically link anti-oppression struggles to worker organization. As such, we see the GDC’s mission partly as defence of active organized workers already in our union, and partly as outreach to currently under-represented members of the working class.

It shall be the purpose of the General Defence Committee to aid those who find themselves persecuted by the powers that be in their struggle for justice and freedom. It shall also be the purpose of the General Defence Committee to publish and distribute literature exposing the false and reactionary propaganda of the master class.

By organizing the many and centralizing their efforts in each instance, labor will be given the protection of the entire working class, thereby making an injury to one the concern of all.

Article I – Name

This organization shall be known as the Two Rivers General Defence Committee (Two Rivers GDC) Local X of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).
Membership shall be a voluntary association of GDC members in the region of Guelph-Wellington

Article II – Members

Membership shall be made up of all GDC members active in the regions of Wellington County, and the City of Guelph. As well, disparate GDC members in Ontario may choose to affiliate with the local if there is no closer GDC local to them.
Members of the GDC who are not in good standing shall not be permitted to vote in business meetings of the local, or in elections or referenda, or to stand for election as officers, or to vote in official meetings of branch committees.

Article III – Officers

Section 1: Officers and duties

The officers of the local shall be the Secretary, the Treasurer, and one or more delegates.

Subsection 1: Secretary

The Secretary shall attend all business meetings of the local whenever possible, and will submit a written report to be read at any meetings they cannot attend. If the Secretary does not attend or submit reports to any business meetings for a period of three (3) months since the last business meeting, they will be considered to have vacated the position and a by-election shall be held at the next business meeting.
Additionally, the outgoing Secretary will be required to mentor the incoming Secretary until the beginning of the second calendar month after the new Secretary takes office, unless the outgoing Secretary has been stripped of their office by the local, or is subject to charges which are related to their conduct as an officer, or unless this would otherwise violate the Constitution of the IWW or the Bylaws of the GDC.
The Secretary shall have signing authority on any bank accounts owned by the local.
If the Secretary resigns, the longest-serving delegate in the local will be designated as acting Secretary and will be required to organize the next business meeting of the local and manage the election of a new Secretary.

Subsection 2: Treasurer

The Treasurer shall attend all business meetings of the local whenever possible, and will submit a written report to be read at any meetings they cannot attend. If the Treasurer does not attend or submit reports to any business meetings for a period of three (3) months since the last business meeting, they will be considered to have vacated the position and a by-election shall be held at the next business meeting.
Additionally, the outgoing Treasurer will be required to mentor the incoming Treasurer until the beginning of the second calendar month after the new Treasurer takes office, unless the outgoing Treasurer has been stripped of their office by the local, or is subject to charges which are related to their conduct as an officer, or unless this would otherwise violate the Constitution of the IWW or the Bylaws of the GDC.
The Treasurer shall have signing authority on any bank accounts owned by the local. They will also be responsible for opening, closing, and maintaining any such accounts.
If the Treasurer resigns, the longest-serving delegate in the local will be designated as acting Treasurer and will be required to organize the next business meeting of the local and manage the election of a new Treasurer.

Subsection 3: Delegates

Delegates shall submit quarterly reports to the Secretary and Treasurer. Delegates shall also complete the annual clearance forms issued by GDC Central, and adhere to all other rules and responsibilities specified in the Bylaws of the GDC. Delegates who do not complete clearance in a timely fashion will be treated as if they are members of the local in bad standing until such time as they complete the appropriate clearance forms. If there are no items to report (e.g. no dues taken in or activity undertaken as a delegate), delegates shall nevertheless notify the Secretary that no activity was undertaken.

Subsection 4: Communications Officer

The Communications Officer shall attend all business meetings of the local whenever possible, and will submit a written report to be read at any meetings they cannot attend. If the Communications Officer does not attend or submit reports to any business meetings for a period of one (1) month since the last business meeting, they will be considered to have vacated the position and a by-election shall be held at the next business meeting.
The Communications Officer shall have the option of striking a Communications Committee to advise them and support them in their responsibilities.
If the Communications Officer resigns or is incapacitated, the longest-serving member of the Communications Committee will be designated as acting Communications Officer until a replacement can be elected.
The responsibilities of the Communications Officer shall be to manage issuing of press releases; to oversee Local X social media pages, accounts, and forums; to coordinate with the IWW Press Officer and CanROC Communications Committee; to support creation of promotional materials for events; and to operate and maintain internal communications infrastructure.

Section 2: Elections and Parameters of Office

Nominations for officer positions shall occur before or during the December business meeting of the local. They shall be made in person at the meeting, or may be submitted in writing before the meeting. Elections shall take place at the December meeting.
Officers shall serve one-year terms beginning on January 1.
Any officer may be subject to recall from their position by a petition signed by five (5) or more members of the local in good standing, or five percent (5%) of the membership in good standing of the local, whichever is larger. Petitions shall be presented either to the Secretary or at a business meeting of the local, at least twenty (20) days before the meeting where a vote to recall an officer would be held. Votes to recall an officer may be conducted in a regular business meeting or a special meeting scheduled for that purpose, as dictated by the recall petition. If the recall petition does not specify that a special meeting will be scheduled, the vote will be held at the next regular business meeting.
Any officer may resign from their position at any time. A statement may be made by the officer at the next business meeting, or supplied to the Secretary in writing before the meeting. If no statement is made, the Secretary will announce the resignation. If the Secretary resigns, the announcement will be made by the longest-serving delegate in the local, who will also temporarily adopt their duties (see Article I Section 1).

Article IV – Meetings

Regular business meetings of the local will be held at least once every month at a time democratically determined by the membership. The branch may vote to reschedule meetings as needed, such as to avoid holidays or conflicts with other important events.
Quorum for business meetings shall be five (5) members of the local in good standing.
Meetings will be run according to Rusty’s Rules of Order.

Article V – Committees

The local may establish ad-hoc or standing committees. Committees shall have a specific mandate. Membership in a committee shall be open to any member in good standing, and communications of committees shall be transparent and accessible to members of the local, except for committees and items of business where this would endanger the security or privacy of members or of the local, or impede the local in achieving its aims.
Chairs of committees shall be elected whenever necessary at regular business meetings of the local. Every committee shall make a report at each regular business meeting. Reporting low activity or no activity shall constitute a valid report.
If a committee does not make a report for two (2) consecutive business meetings, chairship of the committee shall be passed to another willing member. Only if no member shall be found to do so shall be put under the receivership of the Secretary.
1. All property of the local held by the committee, as well as all documents (both paper and electronic), shall be reassigned to the new chairperson(s) or, if in the latter case, to the Secretary. Additionally, the new chairperson(s) or the Secretary shall be given access to all accounts, such as bank accounts or email accounts, which are held by the committee as a part of its mandate.
2. Failure to promptly transfer all materials and make access to accounts available to the new chairperson(s) or the Secretary shall lead to the members of the committee to be considered to be in contempt of the local and they shall be treated as if they are members in bad standing.

Article VI – Working Groups

The local may establish Working Groups which are distinct from committees. Working Groups shall be distinguished from committees insofar ar committees shall be primarily mandated with activities that support the internal organization of the local, while Working Groups shall be mandated to pursue specific campaigns, to engage in struggle against particular enemies of our union, or to target particular ways in which members are oppressed. Working Groups which address the oppression of a specific sector of the working class may be restricted to those members who are a part of this oppressed group. This restriction must be specified in the motion striking the Working Group, or this change in eligibility must be decided upon at a business meeting of the local.
Working Groups shall make a report at every regular business meeting of the local. The process for a Working Group going into receivership shall be identical to that of a regular committee. Working Groups shall elect their own chair whenever possible, but if necessary chairs may be elected at regular business meetings of the local.
Working Groups must adopt a specific, written mission statement within two (2) months of their creation. This mission statement will be considered the governing principles of the Working Group.
If a working group does not make a report for two (2) consecutive business meetings, facilitation of the working group shall be passed to another willing member. Only if no member shall be found to do so shall be put under the receivership of the Secretary.
1. All property of the local held by the working group, as well as all documents (both paper and electronic), shall be reassigned to the new chairperson(s) or, if in the latter case, to the Secretary. Additionally, the new facilitator or the Secretary shall be given access to all accounts, such as bank accounts or email accounts, which are held by the committee as a part of its mandate.
2. Failure to promptly transfer all materials and make access to accounts available to the new facilitator or the Secretary shall lead to the members of the committee to be considered to be in contempt of the local and they shall be treated as if they are members in bad standing.

Article VII – Amendments to Bylaws

Amendments to bylaws of the local shall be proposed through a motion by simple majority at a business meeting of the local. The motion shall be carried through to the next business meeting of the local, where it must pass by a two-thirds majority in order to be valid.

Article VIII – Finances

The local shall maintain a bank account under the control of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall make a report at every regular business meeting of the local detailing the financial activity of the local.
1. Standing committees shall be given their own budget lines and discretion to decide on expenditures directly; however, financial activity must be incorporated into those committees’ regular reports at business meetings.
2. The Secretary and Treasurer shall have signing authority for the local’s bank account; the designated delegate shall be nominated and elected for this capacity at a regular business meeting.
The local shall have an annual budget, which shall be created by the Treasurer and passed by simple majority at a regular business meeting of the local.
1. The local’s financial year (FY) shall be July 1 to June 30.
2. Optionally, the local may elect a Budget Committee to create the annual budget if the Treasurer submits notice that they will be unable to do so.
3. The local will also elect an Audit Committee to conduct a financial audit on an annual basis.

Article IX – Communication

The official communications platform for the local shall be an agreed upon secure digital platform which will be determined by the local’s membership and communicated internally.
1. The owner and/or administrator of the platform shall be the Secretary of the local. Additionally, the Secretary shall maintain a contact list of members’ email addresses and notify members by email of important announcements and notice of upcoming official meetings.
2. Members who are unable to access or fully participate in the chosen digital platform shall notify the Secretary promptly and accommodation will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
Committees and Working Groups of the local shall conduct their business whenever possible on the chosen secure digital platform; however, they may establish their own agreed-upon communications platforms if necessary for reasons of privacy, security, or high traffic on existing communications platforms.

Article X – Accessibility for Meetings

Members who are unable to regularly attend business meetings of the local shall be permitted to participate via phone or by conference calling software, as negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
Members may also submit statements on motions in writing before meetings, independent of any vote being registered or held in proxy, which shall be read either by the chair of the meeting or by a member chosen by the member who has submitted the statement.

Article XI – Land Acknowledgement and Safer Spaces Policy

An agreed upon land acknowledgement, as suggested by indigenous members of the local and broader community, shall be read aloud by a volunteer at every official meeting of the local and occupy a space in the agenda immediately before the reading of the Safer Spaces Policy.
The Safer Spaces Policy, as included in the Constitution of the IWW, shall be read aloud by a volunteer at every official meeting of the local and occupy a space in the agenda immediately before the reading of officer reports.

Article XII – Interpretation of Bylaws

The Constitution of the IWW shall be considered the highest authority in the administration of the local and the interpretation of its bylaws, followed by the Bylaws of the GDC. If the bylaws or policies of the local fall into conflict with either of these documents, they shall be considered to override those of the local.