Our ByLaws

Adopted May 9, 2019  

Membership

  • Members agree with our Points of Unity, have been invited to join by the Coordinating Committee, and pay dues or have sponsorship from a current member.
  • Members who have attended 8 or more of our last 12 weekly meetings are considered active members. Members who have attended fewer than 8 of the last 12 meetings are considered inactive and temporarily lack voting rights pending an increase in attendance. Members who have not attended any of the last 12 meetings are no longer considered members and need to reapply.
  • Expected dues are $5 per member per month, or a sponsorship from a member in good standing. Dues will be spent towards literature, strike support, organizing, event planning, and other activities as approved by the group.
  • Members are expected to make a good faith effort to participate in organizing with the Denver Communists.
  • The Denver Communists acknowledge that revolutionary action must be guided by a strong set of principles. In that spirit, members are encouraged to participate in the continuous development of their politics and the theoretical basis thereof.
  • Members are required to adhere to our Code of Conduct, subject to expulsion based on review by the coordinating committee and members at large.
  • Members are encouraged to participate in our campaigns and coalitions, including those which involve direct action and more in-depth organizational planning.
  • Where and when possible, members are encouraged to join or help facilitate the creation of a union in their place of work.
  • Members are prohibited from membership in the DSA or other political organizations that contradict our politics.

 

Routines and procedures

  • Any decisions affecting or utilizing resources of the Denver Communists require a participating quorum. Quorum is defined as half plus one of active members.
  • A proposal will include a reasonable time period in which members not present for initial discussion can provide feedback; that time period shall be decided at the time of the proposal, based upon the circumstances and context of the campaign at hand.
  • All elected positions have a term of one year, and may be held consecutively based upon re-election.
  • All active members in good standing have full democratic rights.
  • All positions are subject to recall, with a quorum and a 50% + 1 vote.
  • Disciplinary issues are handled by an arbitration committee, the process for convening which is detailed in the Code of Conduct. We believe survivors and are guided by trusting those who come forward.
  • Meetings will be held weekly, with a monthly publicly-promoted meeting. Meetings will end with a call for volunteers to convene next week’s meeting, and a vote of approval for next week’s convener and monthly public topic. The convener will share a draft of the week’s agenda by Sunday, and take additional agenda items at that time.

 

Roles and Responsibilities

The Coordinating Committee consists of the Contact Coordinator, Treasurer and Propaganda Coordinator. This group facilitates and involves comrades in routines, meeting monthly and when decisions need to be made about events which cannot wait for a quorum or meeting. Coordinating committee meetings will be announced and open to all members; minutes will be published as they’re collected, summaries will be sent out where minutes are deemed unnecessary.

ROLES:

Political development of all members and interested parties should be collectively pursued by the group, facilitated by the following positions:

1. Membership/Contact Coordinator. Maintains relationships with long-standing and new members or delegates those connections; organizes one-on-ones/two-on-ones; manages contact/outreach work, and works closely with the Propaganda Coordinator to produce a pipeline from social media to organizing.

2. Treasurer & Lit Organizer. Manages money, collects branch dues, organizes fundraising, manages tabling supplies, keeps track of member statuses, and will explore relationships with leftist publishers to make suggestions on the group’s educational readings.

3. Propaganda Coordinator. Creates Facebook and Meetup events, sends MailChimp emails, organizes the creation of flyers, signs, memes/graphics, and other physical and digital propaganda, proposes slogans and messaging and reaches out to other members for ideas and guidance thereon.