I was going through some email list archives and came across this policy. Apparently it was passed union-wide by the GEB in September 2006.
Edmonton IWW GMB Anti-Harassment Policy
Preamble:
The Edmonton IWW General Membership Branch, in keeping with the
principles and beliefs of our organization, is committed to a just
world. Justice includes the ability of all individuals to feel safe
and protected while in the company of IWW members. We have developed a
policy intended to prevent harassment of any type and to deal quickly
and effectively with any incident that might occur.
Harassment of IWW members can occur any place where more than
one member is gathered. This includes branch meetings, and formal and
informal social events. Harassment is not limited to members'
inappropriate behavior to other members; it also includes members'
behavior towards non-members.
From the point of branch adoption of this policy forward, there
will be no statute of limitations on harassment complaints.
Harassment occurs when an individual is subjected to unwelcome
verbal or physical conduct because of reasons including but not
limited to race, religious beliefs, colour, place of origin, gender
identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical ability, age,
ancestry, marital status, and/or family status.
Examples of harassment which will not be tolerated are: verbal
or physical abuse, threats, bullying, derogatory remarks, malicious
jokes, innuendo or taunts about any member's appearance, religious
beliefs, colour, place of origin, sexual orientation, mental or
physical abilities, ancestry, marital status, family status, or gender
identity. The Edmonton IWW also will not tolerate the display of
pornographic, racist or offensive signs or images; malicious practical
jokes that result in awkwardness or embarrassment; or unwelcome
invitations or requests, whether indirect or explicit.
All harassment is offensive and in many cases it intimidates
others. Harassment will not be tolerated by the Edmonton IWW.
Definition of Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is a violation of this policy. Unwanted sexual
advances, unwanted requests for sexual favours, and other unwanted
verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual
harassment whether such conduct is made either explicitly or
implicitly.
Sexual harassment can include such things as pinching, patting,
rubbing or leering, "dirty" jokes, pictures or pornographic materials,
comments, suggestions, innuendoes, requests or demands of a sexual
nature. The behaviour need not be intentional in order to be
considered sexual harassment.
Policy:
1. Tell the harasser his/her behaviour is unwelcome and ask him/her to
stop. If you do not feel comfortable speaking to your harasser about
the incident, report the incident to a branch Delegate, a member of
the Conflict Mediation Committee (CMC), or the Branch Secretary
(hereafter referred to as the Officer) as soon as possible. S/he will
facilitate the completion of an official complaint form that will be
kept as documentation of the incident for reference during the course
of the investigation, but the report will be destroyed at the end of
either conflict mediation or charges.
2. The Officer will arrange a confidential meeting with the
complainant in which they will decide whether or not to follow the
charges procedure under Article III of the constitution or the
Conflict Mediation Procedure under Article XIV of the constitution.
The Officer will also provide information on Victims services. If the
Conflict Mediation Procedure is chosen, and the complainant desires
anonymity, members of the CMC shall meet with the accused without
identifying the complainant.
3. If Conflict Mediation is pursued and the accused refuses to attend
the meeting, or conciliation is not reached through bad faith on the
part of the accused this process can move to Charges as outlined under
Article III of the Constitution.
The Portland GMB recently passed a safer space policy, the text of which is below. In
the coming month, branch members will be voting in a referendum to include the policy
in our by-laws.
A safer space policy in and of itself is no instant guarantee that racism, sexism, etc. will
be eliminated from our union’s culture. Instead, Portland Wobs recognize that confronting
oppressive behavior in the union is an ongoing process, and that it often takes
a lot of courage to call someone out on it. The IWW must adopt methods to accommodate
workers with children, for example, who statistically tend to be wage-earning
women. If we aren’t always assessing our level of inclusiveness amongst all segments
of the working class, the majority composite of our active membership will continue to
exist in stasis as is; white men.
Portland Wobs hope that other branches will read our safer space policy and begin
holding discussions about developing such a policy for their group. If you have any
questions, or would like to speak with some of the women who developed the safer
space policy, please contact the Portland branch: http://pdx.iww.org.
In solidarity,
Ryan G.
Portland GMB
Portland IWW GMB, Safer Space Policy
The IWW is a union committed to the emancipation of the working class. The
working class is diverse and as a union we realize that oppression is many
layered. As such, we strive to keep our common places free from oppressive
action, behavior, and language.
These oppressive actions and words include, but are not limited to: racism;
sexism, homophobia; and any expression of disrespect and/or intolerance of
size, gender identity, physical ability, education level, cultural background, or
political ideology (as long as such ideology does not conflict with the IWW
Constitution). We want to learn from and educate each other. We will each be
responsible for addressing these issues in ourselves and others. This policy
is not about censorship, but rather opening a dialog in a respectful way.
If a member feels like this policy is in violation, and is uncomfortable bringing
this up personally, they are encouraged to seek an ally of their choosing to
advocate for them. In a meeting, a person can ask for a point of personal
privilege to take a break and discuss this with necessary parties. The chair
should be conscious of this policy, and address issues as they arise. Further,
space shall be defined as any meeting, event, or listserve that is IWW sponsored.
The CUPE 3903 membership at the October 17, 2006 GMM, approved an Anti-Harassment Procedure to deal with member-to-member complaints.
Please note -- if you are experiencing harassment in the workplace (even if it's by another union member) please refer to your Collective Agreement and/or contact the office.
Interim Anti-Harassment Procedure for CUPE 3903
Approved by: Executive Committee, October 11, 2006
Approved by: General Membership: October 17, 2006
Preamble:
1. This Procedure will apply to members of CUPE 3903, for member-to-member complaints of harassment that take place within a union and not a workplace context, until the union establishes comprehensive, member-approved Equity and Anti-Harassment Policies.
2. Definitions of Harassment will be as per Article 4.02 of CUPE 3903 Collective Agreements. The below procedure will also cover as grounds for a harassment complaint the following:
2.1 All prohibited sources of discrimination, as per Article 4.01 of CUPE 3903 Collective Agreements;
2.2 Personal Harassment, defined as a pattern of derogatory remarks or actions about an individual’s intelligence, competence, physical appearance or other characteristics which create a negative psychological and emotional environment for the member and/or in the union. Personal harassment is demeaning, offensive, intimidating, embarrassing and hurtful.
3. All steps in the process will be confidential to all parties involved.
4. Communications carried out through the procedure that deal with complaint content will be in person, by phone, or hard copy documents in writing.
Procedure:
1. The member may choose to ask the other party to stop the offensive behaviour.
2. The member may contact the Equity Officer to confidentially discuss a complaint of offensive behaviour. The member may choose to make either an informal or formal complaint.
3. If the member pursues an informal complaint, the informal methods will be:
3.1 A facilitated meeting of both parties at which they will discuss the complaint and the other party’s response to it. The main focus of the meeting will be: a) the impact of the reported action, behaviour or incident on the member-complainant, and; b) reaching an agreement on a restorative resolution of the complaint. The facilitator may be the EO or such other person agreeable to both parties.
3.2 If the member-complainant is not comfortable with a face-to-face meeting and/or the other party is not agreeable to such a meeting:
3.2.1 The EO will discuss with the other party, the reported action, behaviour or incident of harassment, and the member-complainant’s proposed resolution to the complaint.
3.2.2 The EO will report back to the member-complainant the other party’s response to the complaint, their agreement to the proposed resolution and/or other suggestions the other party may have for resolution.
3.2.3 If the member-complainant wishes to respond, steps 3.2.1 and 3.2.2 may be repeated once.
3.3 Another informal method that is proposed by either party and is agreeable to both parties may also be used.
3.4 If the other party fails to accept any informal method, the member-complainant may choose to go to step 4 to pursue a formal complaint.
3.5 Resolutions of all informal methods may include: withdrawal of the complaint, an apology, and/or a separation of the parties.
3.6 No records will be kept of informal complaints.
4. If the complaint is not resolved by one of the informal methods or if the member-complainant wishes to pursue the complaint formally, then the following steps will occur:
4.1 The EO will review with the member-complainant the procedures for addressing it the complaint:
4.1.1 The CUPE 3903 procedure that follows below;
4.1.2 A CUPE constitutional charge, as per CUPE 3903 article 16 and the CUPE National Constitution, Article B.V1.
4.2 If the member-complainant chooses the CUPE 3903 procedure, they will submit in writing to the EO a detailed, signed letter of complaint that describes what took place, when it took place, and the date and time at which occurred. It will also include the names of any witnesses to the event/incident. It will also include suggestions for Caucus, Committee or Working Group representation (as per 4.6 below) as well as the resolution the member-complainant is seeking.
4.3 The EO will review the complaint with the other party and the CUPE 3903 procedure for addressing it. The other party will be asked to respond in writing within 10 days. If the other party does not respond, Complaint Review Committee that will be struck to address the complaint will find in favour of the member -complainant.
4.4 The Executive Committee will be informed of the existence of a complaint and the need to strike a confidential Complaint Review Committee (CRC) at the next meeting after the EO receives the complaint. If no meeting is scheduled, a meeting will be called within 10 days of the complaint receipt.
4.5 No details of the complaint will be shared with the Executive, unless either party in the complaint is an Executive Committee member. In that case, they must declare themselves in conflict of interest for the striking of the CRC and leave the room while it is done. If they fail to make this declaration, the EO will inform the Chair of this conflict. In the event it is the Chair that is in a conflict of interest, the EO will inform another Executive Committee member.
4.6 The CRC will consist of one member of the Executive Committee, one member of a relevant Caucus, Committee or Working Group, one member-at-large, and the EO. In the event that there are no relevant Caucuses, Committees or Working Groups, there will be two Executive Committee members. The EO will sit on the committee as a non-voting member.
4.7 The CRC will meet to review the written complaint, the other party’s response to it, and contact any and all witnesses named in the complaint and the response. The CRC may choose to talk with the member - complainant and/or the other party. The time between the striking of the CRC and the resolution being reported to the member-complainant and the other party will not exceed 14 days.
4.8 The EO will be available during the process to discuss the progress of the complaint resolution process with the member-complainant and the other party.
4.9 Once the CRC has reviewed the matter, they will agree on a proposed resolution. The resolution may be a dismissal of the complaint if the CRC deems no harassment occurred. If the CRC finds harassment did occur, resolutions may include: an apology by the harasser, counseling, loss of member-in-good standing status, anti-oppression training, and/or other education; and/or a separation of the parties.
5. The CRC will contact the member-complainant with their conclusions prior to informing the other party.
6. If the recommended resolution(s) fail to resolve the complaint to the member-complainant’s satisfaction or the harassment is repeated, the member-complainant will be referred to step 4.2.2 above.
7. The CRC will report the conclusion of the matter to the Executive Committee, at the next meeting after the parties are contacted. No identifying details or content of the CRC review will be shared.
8. The CRC, through the EO, will ensure that any documents related to the complaint are filed with the letter of complaint in a locked drawer set aside for that purpose.
Tor, 01/03/2008 - 5:17pm
I was going through some email list archives and came across this policy. Apparently it was passed union-wide by the GEB in September 2006.
Edmonton IWW GMB Anti-Harassment Policy
Preamble:
The Edmonton IWW General Membership Branch, in keeping with the
principles and beliefs of our organization, is committed to a just
world. Justice includes the ability of all individuals to feel safe
and protected while in the company of IWW members. We have developed a
policy intended to prevent harassment of any type and to deal quickly
and effectively with any incident that might occur.
Harassment of IWW members can occur any place where more than
one member is gathered. This includes branch meetings, and formal and
informal social events. Harassment is not limited to members'
inappropriate behavior to other members; it also includes members'
behavior towards non-members.
From the point of branch adoption of this policy forward, there
will be no statute of limitations on harassment complaints.
Harassment occurs when an individual is subjected to unwelcome
verbal or physical conduct because of reasons including but not
limited to race, religious beliefs, colour, place of origin, gender
identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical ability, age,
ancestry, marital status, and/or family status.
Examples of harassment which will not be tolerated are: verbal
or physical abuse, threats, bullying, derogatory remarks, malicious
jokes, innuendo or taunts about any member's appearance, religious
beliefs, colour, place of origin, sexual orientation, mental or
physical abilities, ancestry, marital status, family status, or gender
identity. The Edmonton IWW also will not tolerate the display of
pornographic, racist or offensive signs or images; malicious practical
jokes that result in awkwardness or embarrassment; or unwelcome
invitations or requests, whether indirect or explicit.
All harassment is offensive and in many cases it intimidates
others. Harassment will not be tolerated by the Edmonton IWW.
Definition of Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is a violation of this policy. Unwanted sexual
advances, unwanted requests for sexual favours, and other unwanted
verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual
harassment whether such conduct is made either explicitly or
implicitly.
Sexual harassment can include such things as pinching, patting,
rubbing or leering, "dirty" jokes, pictures or pornographic materials,
comments, suggestions, innuendoes, requests or demands of a sexual
nature. The behaviour need not be intentional in order to be
considered sexual harassment.
Policy:
1. Tell the harasser his/her behaviour is unwelcome and ask him/her to
stop. If you do not feel comfortable speaking to your harasser about
the incident, report the incident to a branch Delegate, a member of
the Conflict Mediation Committee (CMC), or the Branch Secretary
(hereafter referred to as the Officer) as soon as possible. S/he will
facilitate the completion of an official complaint form that will be
kept as documentation of the incident for reference during the course
of the investigation, but the report will be destroyed at the end of
either conflict mediation or charges.
2. The Officer will arrange a confidential meeting with the
complainant in which they will decide whether or not to follow the
charges procedure under Article III of the constitution or the
Conflict Mediation Procedure under Article XIV of the constitution.
The Officer will also provide information on Victims services. If the
Conflict Mediation Procedure is chosen, and the complainant desires
anonymity, members of the CMC shall meet with the accused without
identifying the complainant.
3. If Conflict Mediation is pursued and the accused refuses to attend
the meeting, or conciliation is not reached through bad faith on the
part of the accused this process can move to Charges as outlined under
Article III of the Constitution.
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»Søn, 01/06/2008 - 6:58pm
double post
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»Søn, 01/06/2008 - 6:57pm
Here's the Portland IWW Safer Spaces Policy.
A Union That Will Respect ALL its Members . . .
The Portland GMB recently passed a safer space policy, the text of which is below. In
the coming month, branch members will be voting in a referendum to include the policy
in our by-laws.
A safer space policy in and of itself is no instant guarantee that racism, sexism, etc. will
be eliminated from our union’s culture. Instead, Portland Wobs recognize that confronting
oppressive behavior in the union is an ongoing process, and that it often takes
a lot of courage to call someone out on it. The IWW must adopt methods to accommodate
workers with children, for example, who statistically tend to be wage-earning
women. If we aren’t always assessing our level of inclusiveness amongst all segments
of the working class, the majority composite of our active membership will continue to
exist in stasis as is; white men.
Portland Wobs hope that other branches will read our safer space policy and begin
holding discussions about developing such a policy for their group. If you have any
questions, or would like to speak with some of the women who developed the safer
space policy, please contact the Portland branch: http://pdx.iww.org.
In solidarity,
Ryan G.
Portland GMB
Portland IWW GMB, Safer Space Policy
The IWW is a union committed to the emancipation of the working class. The
working class is diverse and as a union we realize that oppression is many
layered. As such, we strive to keep our common places free from oppressive
action, behavior, and language.
These oppressive actions and words include, but are not limited to: racism;
sexism, homophobia; and any expression of disrespect and/or intolerance of
size, gender identity, physical ability, education level, cultural background, or
political ideology (as long as such ideology does not conflict with the IWW
Constitution). We want to learn from and educate each other. We will each be
responsible for addressing these issues in ourselves and others. This policy
is not about censorship, but rather opening a dialog in a respectful way.
If a member feels like this policy is in violation, and is uncomfortable bringing
this up personally, they are encouraged to seek an ally of their choosing to
advocate for them. In a meeting, a person can ask for a point of personal
privilege to take a break and discuss this with necessary parties. The chair
should be conscious of this policy, and address issues as they arise. Further,
space shall be defined as any meeting, event, or listserve that is IWW sponsored.
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»Søn, 11/09/2008 - 3:18am
Also, as a point of reference, here's the Anti-Harassment procedure from CUPE 3903 (York University workers).
------------------------
Anti-harassment procedure
The CUPE 3903 membership at the October 17, 2006 GMM, approved an Anti-Harassment Procedure to deal with member-to-member complaints.
Please note -- if you are experiencing harassment in the workplace (even if it's by another union member) please refer to your Collective Agreement and/or contact the office.
Interim Anti-Harassment Procedure for CUPE 3903
Approved by: Executive Committee, October 11, 2006
Approved by: General Membership: October 17, 2006
Preamble:
1. This Procedure will apply to members of CUPE 3903, for member-to-member complaints of harassment that take place within a union and not a workplace context, until the union establishes comprehensive, member-approved Equity and Anti-Harassment Policies.
2. Definitions of Harassment will be as per Article 4.02 of CUPE 3903 Collective Agreements. The below procedure will also cover as grounds for a harassment complaint the following:
2.1 All prohibited sources of discrimination, as per Article 4.01 of CUPE 3903 Collective Agreements;
2.2 Personal Harassment, defined as a pattern of derogatory remarks or actions about an individual’s intelligence, competence, physical appearance or other characteristics which create a negative psychological and emotional environment for the member and/or in the union. Personal harassment is demeaning, offensive, intimidating, embarrassing and hurtful.
3. All steps in the process will be confidential to all parties involved.
4. Communications carried out through the procedure that deal with complaint content will be in person, by phone, or hard copy documents in writing.
Procedure:
1. The member may choose to ask the other party to stop the offensive behaviour.
2. The member may contact the Equity Officer to confidentially discuss a complaint of offensive behaviour. The member may choose to make either an informal or formal complaint.
3. If the member pursues an informal complaint, the informal methods will be:
3.1 A facilitated meeting of both parties at which they will discuss the complaint and the other party’s response to it. The main focus of the meeting will be: a) the impact of the reported action, behaviour or incident on the member-complainant, and; b) reaching an agreement on a restorative resolution of the complaint. The facilitator may be the EO or such other person agreeable to both parties.
3.2 If the member-complainant is not comfortable with a face-to-face meeting and/or the other party is not agreeable to such a meeting:
3.2.1 The EO will discuss with the other party, the reported action, behaviour or incident of harassment, and the member-complainant’s proposed resolution to the complaint.
3.2.2 The EO will report back to the member-complainant the other party’s response to the complaint, their agreement to the proposed resolution and/or other suggestions the other party may have for resolution.
3.2.3 If the member-complainant wishes to respond, steps 3.2.1 and 3.2.2 may be repeated once.
3.3 Another informal method that is proposed by either party and is agreeable to both parties may also be used.
3.4 If the other party fails to accept any informal method, the member-complainant may choose to go to step 4 to pursue a formal complaint.
3.5 Resolutions of all informal methods may include: withdrawal of the complaint, an apology, and/or a separation of the parties.
3.6 No records will be kept of informal complaints.
4. If the complaint is not resolved by one of the informal methods or if the member-complainant wishes to pursue the complaint formally, then the following steps will occur:
4.1 The EO will review with the member-complainant the procedures for addressing it the complaint:
4.1.1 The CUPE 3903 procedure that follows below;
4.1.2 A CUPE constitutional charge, as per CUPE 3903 article 16 and the CUPE National Constitution, Article B.V1.
4.2 If the member-complainant chooses the CUPE 3903 procedure, they will submit in writing to the EO a detailed, signed letter of complaint that describes what took place, when it took place, and the date and time at which occurred. It will also include the names of any witnesses to the event/incident. It will also include suggestions for Caucus, Committee or Working Group representation (as per 4.6 below) as well as the resolution the member-complainant is seeking.
4.3 The EO will review the complaint with the other party and the CUPE 3903 procedure for addressing it. The other party will be asked to respond in writing within 10 days. If the other party does not respond, Complaint Review Committee that will be struck to address the complaint will find in favour of the member -complainant.
4.4 The Executive Committee will be informed of the existence of a complaint and the need to strike a confidential Complaint Review Committee (CRC) at the next meeting after the EO receives the complaint. If no meeting is scheduled, a meeting will be called within 10 days of the complaint receipt.
4.5 No details of the complaint will be shared with the Executive, unless either party in the complaint is an Executive Committee member. In that case, they must declare themselves in conflict of interest for the striking of the CRC and leave the room while it is done. If they fail to make this declaration, the EO will inform the Chair of this conflict. In the event it is the Chair that is in a conflict of interest, the EO will inform another Executive Committee member.
4.6 The CRC will consist of one member of the Executive Committee, one member of a relevant Caucus, Committee or Working Group, one member-at-large, and the EO. In the event that there are no relevant Caucuses, Committees or Working Groups, there will be two Executive Committee members. The EO will sit on the committee as a non-voting member.
4.7 The CRC will meet to review the written complaint, the other party’s response to it, and contact any and all witnesses named in the complaint and the response. The CRC may choose to talk with the member - complainant and/or the other party. The time between the striking of the CRC and the resolution being reported to the member-complainant and the other party will not exceed 14 days.
4.8 The EO will be available during the process to discuss the progress of the complaint resolution process with the member-complainant and the other party.
4.9 Once the CRC has reviewed the matter, they will agree on a proposed resolution. The resolution may be a dismissal of the complaint if the CRC deems no harassment occurred. If the CRC finds harassment did occur, resolutions may include: an apology by the harasser, counseling, loss of member-in-good standing status, anti-oppression training, and/or other education; and/or a separation of the parties.
5. The CRC will contact the member-complainant with their conclusions prior to informing the other party.
6. If the recommended resolution(s) fail to resolve the complaint to the member-complainant’s satisfaction or the harassment is repeated, the member-complainant will be referred to step 4.2.2 above.
7. The CRC will report the conclusion of the matter to the Executive Committee, at the next meeting after the parties are contacted. No identifying details or content of the CRC review will be shared.
8. The CRC, through the EO, will ensure that any documents related to the complaint are filed with the letter of complaint in a locked drawer set aside for that purpose.
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