WHEREAS only four current members of our Steering Committee are planning to run for re-election at our upcoming Annual Meeting leaving us with seven potential vacancies. We presently have vacancies in all of our “Vice” positions, which were established to create a training program for new leaders to develop, and
WHEREAS our long term vision for UAWD is focused on Local Chapter development, with an emphasis on shop-floor activity and organizing, which has resulted in less priority given to national efforts. Historically, national efforts are what drew member interest to national leadership positions. These positions previously were more administrative in function, and many responsibilities for political development were gradually ceded to our unelected staff positions, an approach that UAWD in the last year has actively worked to reverse, and
WHEREAS supporters who joined UAWD after our adoption of a class struggle platform and the implementation of our membership pledge process may have a different political engagement with our organization than members who had been a part of UAWD when it primarily functioned as a national activist effort focused on union reform. This is especially true of supporters who engage with our organization first through their Local Chapter. These contesting political views have come to the surface in the past, for example, during the debate surrounding the resolution “A Program for Building Local UAWD Chapters Grounded in Shop Floor Struggle” that was held earlier this year, and
WHEREAS our goal for national leadership, on the Steering Committee and Editorial Board, is for these positions to be held by UAWD members who have emerged from Local Chapter work, retaining a connection to shop-floor struggles and the daily organizing needs of class struggle activity with their fellow workers, while being able to give their time to the regular political development of our organization, and
WHEREAS, this vision has a timescale that does not match our current needs and vacancies. The elections in October for the next year of SC positions are approaching quickly, and we only have four Local Chapters, each in various levels of political development and organizing activity, and
WHEREAS, the clearly defined membership requirements outlined in our Member Commitments are not presently thoroughly enforced. There are members of our organization who do not participate in Local Chapter building or contribute to one of our standing committees, and
WHEREAS, leadership development does not happen automatically or by a simple function of time spent in an organization. The Steering Committee should shoulder responsibility for the development of future leadership, to ensure that there is a sustainable replenishment of organizers dedicated to UAWD’s future and the realization of our platform.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT,
- The Steering Committee will invite Local Chapter leaders to SC meetings in the period leading up to the Annual Meeting. All SC meetings are already open to UAWD members, but it is extremely rare that any attend. This will be an experiment and a practice that does not have to be extended past the Annual Meeting.
- The Steering Committee will present a resolution at the Annual Membership Meeting affirming the organizational needs for various leadership positions and the ways we will ensure they are filled, along with a timeline for filling them. UAWD members and supporters will be engaged during the drafting process for ideas and feedback prior to the submission deadline for the proposal.
- This resolution must speak in some way to a potential timeline for enforcement of our Member Commitments. Our current membership process is shared here for reference:
To become a member, a supporter must complete the following items: 1) attend at least one UAWD membership meeting, 2) agree to our ‘UAWD Member Platform,’ and 3) agree to our ‘UAWD Member Participation Commitments.’ The Steering Committee or membership shall establish any process required to educate and onboard supporters who are interested in completing these items and becoming members.