Below are our General Membership Branch Bylaws. We also encourage you to read the preamble of our union's constitution. It is here.
Santa Barbara General Membership Branch, IWW, Bylaws, Adopted 1 September 2001
These bylaws apply to the Santa Barbara General Membership Branch (GMB) of the Industrial Workers of the World. They comply with the Constitution of the IWW.
Statement of Purpose
1a) The Santa Barbara IWW constitutes a General Membership Branch with all the rights and responsibilities entitled by the IWW Constitution.
b) Membership shall be by voluntary association of IWW members in good standing.
c) The name "Santa Barbara IWW" shall be inter-changeable with the name "Isla Vista IWW" and "Goleta IWW" until additional IWW General Membership Branches or differentiated Industrial Union Branches form in the area. The Santa Barbara GMB shall encourage new branches wherever and whenever possible.
d) A copy of these bylaws shall be made available to all Santa Barbara IWW members, and any other IWW members upon request.
Meetings and Officers
2a) The Santa Barbara IWW shall meet on the second Thursday of every month at 423 West Victoria Street, Santa Barbara, California. Special meetings may be called by notifying every GMB member by face to face contact, phone call, or email.
b) Meetings shall be open to all workers, though non-members can be excluded from any meeting by a majority vote of members in good standing.
c) All decisions shall be made by majority vote.
3a) The Santa Barbara IWW shall elect a GMB Secretary Treasurer.
b) The Secretary Treasurer shall have all the responsibilities of a branch secretary-treasurer as spelled out in the IWW constitution, be responsible for producing monthly branch reports, collecting monthly delegate reports, distributing branch funds, submitting reports to General Headquarters, and submitting financial reports to the branch membership.
3c) The Secretary Treasurer shall retain the ability to sign checks and allocate money as spelled by the IWW Constitution.
d) The Santa Barbara IWW may create and elect any other officers by proposal and vote, and each additional officer shall be subject to the provisions of this article.
e) All officers shall serve six month terms to begin on October 1st (or whenever elected by special election) and April 1st. All office terms shall end at 12pm on the day before the next term begins.
f) Any elected officer may resign at any time. A verbal announcement made by the resigning official at GMB meeting or a written statement signed by that officer and one other IWW member in good standing shall be required to constitute an official resignation.
g) If any officer resigns or is recalled, nominations to replace that officer shall take place at the next meeting and elections will take place at the following meeting. In the case of a special election, the newly elected officer's term shall begin immediately following their election.
Elections
4a) Nominations for officers shall take place one business meeting before the actual election. All members shall be notified of nominees by the GMB Secretary or Branch Administration Committee by face to face contact, phone call, or email four weeks before the election of any officer.
b) All elections will be by secret ballot at a GMB regular or special meeting. Each member in good standing has one vote. Members can also vote in absentia by submitting a ballot to a delegate or officer in a sealed envelope.
Delegates, Committees, and Finances
5a) All delegates elected by the Santa Barbara IWW shall be reelected every year at the January Meeting.
b) Delegates may spend no more than 25% of all minimum, regular, and maximum dues collected or $50, whichever is the least amount, on personal organizing expenses per month. Organizing expenses include: transportation, literature production costs, postage for Santa Barbara IWW approved mailings, and food and usage fees for organizing meetings.
c) If a branch secretary or branch treasurer is also a delegate, he or she may spend no more than 25% of all minimum, regular, and maximum dues collected or $50, whichever is the least amount.
d) All expenses incurred as outlined in (4b) and (4c) must be reported on the delegate's monthly report in the form of receipts and a line item description of all expenses. The Secretary Treasurer shall report on all expenses incurred in this manner. Delegates shall also be encouraged to give verbal or written updates.
e) After these expenses are submitted, the GMB may still vote to require each individual delegate to pay these expenses out of their own pocket.
6a) No financial proposal allocating one-time grants exceeding $50 or involving ongoing expenditures of any amount shall be adopted by the Santa Barbara GMB unless it is submitted in writing with a detailed, line item description of each cost involved in the proposal.
b) Any and all voluntary assessments collected by the Santa Barbara IWW shall be promptly allocated to the projects for which they were intended, unless the committees responsible for such projects are found to be acting in a manner contradictory to the IWW Constitution or these bylaws.
c) The Santa Barbara IWW may establish committees, and these committees may establish their own bylaws provided that these do not contradict the GMB bylaws or the IWW Constitution.
