Branch By-Laws

I. Structure:

  1. The name of this branch of the Industrial Workers of the World shall be the West Virginia General Membership Branch (GMB).

  2. Dues shall be assessed at the General Union constitutional standards.

  3. These bylaws shall be made available to every West Virginia IWW member as soon as possible upon initiation and/or request.

II. Membership:

  1. Members are subject to all constitutional provisions set forth in the constitution most recently ratified and amended by the membership of the Industrial Workers of the World.

  2. Membership in the GMB shall be open to all IWW members not represented by other GMBs. Ability to participate in meetings, including the right to vote, will be determined by the dues status of a member.

  3. IWW members from other Industrial Union Branches or other GMBs may be allowed to voice their concerns in the affairs of the GMB, if they are approved by a majority of GMB membership at a regularly scheduled business meeting. Non-members from the West Virginia IWW jurisdiction may also be allowed voice at a meeting if approved by a majority of members at the meeting.

III. Jurisdiction:

  1. The West Virginia GMB shall have jurisdiction over all members throughout the state of West Virginia, including Jefferson, Belmont, Monroe, Guernsey counties in Ohio, and Garrett, Allegany, and Washington counties in Maryland.

  2. If another GMB of the IWW should form within the boundaries described in Section 1 of this Article, then this article of these bylaws shall be modified by mutual agreement of both branches. Such an agreement shall be accepted by a simple majority vote at a regular or special meeting of the West Virginia GMB, as well as the rules of the other branch. An Agreement, once ratified by both branches, shall automatically amend this Article to come into compliance with the agreed upon terms.

  3. Regular rules of amending the West Virginia GMB bylaws shall not apply in circumstances described in Section 2 of this Article. All amendments to this Article outside of circumstances described in Section 2 shall follow the regular Amendments process so described within these bylaws.

IV. Meetings:

  1. The West Virginia GMB shall meet on a date, time, and place to be determined by the membership by a majority vote, attempting to finish all Branch business within 1.5 hours. Meeting time may be extended by means of a two-thirds vote by the membership for the specified meeting. Special meetings may be called by notifying GMB members by face to face contact, phone call, or email. Additional GMB meetings may be rescheduled by a majority reaching a quorum of no less than 5 members.

  2. All decisions of the West Virginia GMB must be made by a majority vote, unless otherwise specified in the by-laws or within the IWW Constitution.

  3. During the New Business section of each monthly business meeting, present members in good standing shall nominate and elect a Chair and Minute Taker for the following month’s business meeting by a majority vote.

V. Elections

  1. The branch shall elect a Branch Secretary, Branch Treasurer, and Delegates. The West Virginia GMB may create and elect any other officers by proposal and vote, and each additional officer shall be subject to the provisions of this article.

  2. All officers and delegates must be members in good standing of the West Virginia GMB. If any officer falls more than two months behind on their dues, they shall be given the option of catching up or being replaced.

  3. Elections for branch officer positions will be held annually. Elections will be conducted by regular vote at a regular scheduled branch meeting. Elections will be announced at the branch meeting two months prior to the election and at the branch meeting one month prior to the election. This announcement will be included in the minutes of those meetings. Announcements of the election will be e-mailed to each eligible voter, at least one month prior to the election.

  4. Eligible voters shall include all members in good standing of the West Virginia GMB. Voter eligibility is determined by the records of the Branch Secretary. Members in good standing who are not able to attend the business meeting when the election is to be held shall have the right to vote by proxy or through an online poll for any eligible candidate, provided they give their vote in writing on paper or e-mail to the Branch Secretary the day before the election.

  5. Any member in good standing can nominate an IWW member, including one’s self, to GMB officer positions at any business meeting. Nominations require a second but do not require a vote. All members with seconded nominations shall be considered in the election.

VI. Officers

  1. Officers elected on an annual basis shall serve 13 months from the date of their election. The final month of their term shall therefore follow the election of their successors. During this month, they will continue as authorized officers of the branch, with the primary duty to train in their replacements.

  2. There shall be no limit to the number of terms served. However, consecutive terms will not be allowed for the position of Branch Secretary and Branch Treasurer.

  3. Unfilled positions may be assigned to willing volunteers at a regular scheduled branch meeting. Special elections, referenda, ratifications, and recall elections may be called for by any eligible voter willing to give proper notice to all eligible voters.

  4. All elected roles are accountable to the membership and subject to its guidance, democratically decided instructions, and progressive discipline up to and including recall.

  5. Branch Secretary: Maintains a record of meeting minutes including a written record of meeting decisions and proposals. Helps draft communication with members, potential members, and supporters. As spelled out in the IWW Constitution, the Secretary is responsible for producing monthly branch reports. Also responsible for checking the email accounts. Attends monthly meetings of the West Virginia GMB where possible. They will also have control over the social media platforms that are currently in use.

  6. Branch Treasurer: Collects monthly delegate reports, distributes branch funds, and submits financial reports to GHQ and the branch membership. Attends monthly meetings of the West Virginia GMB where possible. They will also have control over the social media platforms that are currently in use.

  7. Delegates: (See the IWW Delegate Manual, too) Signs up new members, takes dues, maintains regular contact with members and other fellow workers, and attends monthly meetings of Delegates Committee. Listens for and, when appropriate, helps solve problems, sometimes by means of a grievance process, sometimes by more informal means. Submits reports and dues to the Branch Secretary monthly - preferably at the Delegates Committee meeting or the meeting of the GMB. As many delegates are elected as needed (preferably one delegate per 10 members). Attends monthly meetings of the West Virginia GMB whenever possible as well as all special meetings. They will also have control over the social media platforms that are currently in use.

  8. All IWW organizing campaigns that wish to use the GMB credit union accounts to manage their finances shall be permitted to do so, provided that the co-signer from the campaign is an officer of the GMB in good standing.

VII. Finances

  1. Voluntary payments, donations, and assessments are welcome and must be accounted for, as must any other funds.

  2. Branch accounts shall be available for inspection and audit by any branch members within one week of request.

  3. The fiscal year shall be from July 1 to June 30.

  4. In May there shall be an audit and report of the branch treasury for the previous fiscal year. Three members invited by the branch shall conduct the audit.

  5. The Branch Treasurer will be authorized to disburse funds less than $30.00 at her or his discretion, which will always be set aside as petty cash. These disbursements must be included in the Treasurer’s monthly financial report.

  6. Irregular disbursements in excess of $30.00 must be approved by a majority of branch members at a regular scheduled or publicized special meeting.

  7. Itemized list of pre-approved purchases and funds can be reimbursed if the pre-approval amount has been set at a previous monthly meeting. Funds will be disbursed by the Branch Treasurer to that individual after receiving an original copy of the itemized receipts.

VIII. Amendments to Bylaws and Policies:

  1. The branch can create and amend branch policies other than bylaws by the simple majority of the branch at any regular monthly business meeting. The Branch Secretary shall keep an up to date branch policy document containing all current branch policies. This document shall be given to any member in good standing on request.

  2. Any change to the bylaws must be proposed at a regular monthly business meeting. Such changes are automatically tabled until the next regularly scheduled branch meeting, at which point the proposals can be passed by a simple majority of branch members in good standing.