DSA Resolutions for the 2019 Convention

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

DSA Resolutions for the 2019 Convention DSA Resolutions for the 2019 Convention Introduction from the Resolutions & Amendments Committee This document contains resolutions for debate at the 2019 DSA Convention. Each resolution is divided into several parts, including: • Title & Authors • Budget Analysis from DSA’s Staff • A cost estimate prepared by the author(s) • The Resolve (the portion of the resolution that gets debated at the Convention) • Background Information (or “whereas clauses) that give context on the resolution Shortly following this document’s release, our committee will begin accepting amendments to these proposals through a Google form posted at www.dsausa.org/national-convention. The deadline to submit amendments is July 9th. In early July, we will also release a series of straw polls to all of the Convention delegates which we will use to prioritize the order of proposals for the final Convention program. We will not accept amendments to the background information (aka the whereas) section of resolutions since these sections are not debated at the Convention or published following the Convention. Finally, you may notice as you read that in a few areas the number assigned to each proposal jumps. Do not panic! We received many proposals on similar topics and in some cases, authors of separate proposals were willing to merge their documents, which has caused a few gaps in our numbers. Happy reading! Introduction to DSA Budget Office Analysis 2019 will be the largest convention in DSA history, as our membership is the largest ever. Unsurprisingly, this year we also see the largest number of proposals, whether resolutions or proposed changes to the constitution and bylaws, for delegates to debate. Taken on their own, many of these resolutions are thoughtfully written and the large number of resolutions indicates high engagement in our organization and our democratic process. Some resolutions are statements of our political positions. But many are realistically actionable (either implicitly or explicitly) only by either shifting how staff spend time from one thing to something new, or spending on new staff or direct costs. Furthermore, the structure of how we will make these decisions requires you to consider each resolution on its own, yet it would be impossible to do everything. Much like in participatory budgeting, there is a set pool of resources that must be allocated, and hard choices have to be made through group discussion and voting, but unlike through that process, this one does not proceed in a holistic way. If so many proposals pass that they are not possible with the budget, the new NPC will be required to make decisions about which ones to prioritize within our existing staff capacity and national budget. This is what happened after the last convention, when for example a bail fund was passed by delegates but we lacked staff capacity to set it up and manage it. This is why when a resolution passes, it is not always possible to follow it to the letter. In effect, the more the convention body can focus on passing a few priorities, the more powerful that body will be. To provide you information to help you discuss in your chapters and then at convention how to allocate our resources going forward, staff and the Budget and Finance committee prepared a “DSA Budget Office” analysis of each proposal before us. This is the first time we are attempting a project of this magnitude in the condensed pre-convention timeline, so we apologize for any mistakes and generalizations, and hope you find it helpful! Staff Capacity - Simplified Staff Areas of Work Below is a chart of our current staff. Some resolutions seek to address problems which we have already started to address with our increased staff this spring, but which have not yet been felt by chapters and members (for example, additional Member Services). Other resolutions would introduce the need to make a decision between cutting existing staff work and reallocating their time, or not carrying out the resolution. It is important for members to understand the work of staff in order to make these broad mandates, though ultimately day to day staffing work is assigned by the national director. This spring we finally felt we could afford to expand staff, so we began hiring. Our staffing now stands at 16 full time and 1 part time, with 5 more positions projected and in the hiring process. Once that hiring is complete we will have 23 full time and 1 part time staff - still small for an organization of our size, but almost double what we were a year ago. For comparison, during the 2017 national convention we had a staff of 7 full time and 1 part time workers. Name Title Notes Maria Svart National Director Reports to the National Political Committee. Heidi Chua Assistant to the Supervised by National Director. National Director, Heidi and her team process payroll for our growing staff, will be able fiscal officer to more quickly process expenses and reimbursements for staff and members as we do more and more complex projects, pay our bills and enter them into our books, coordinate and process dues sharing, analyze expenses and income to understand our financial health and help with fiscal planning. Heidi also helps manage the National Director’s calendar and supports the NPC administratively. Fatou part time Finance Supervised by Assistant to the National Director. Camara Manager Fatou keeps our financial books updated. In process of NEW: Finance Supervised by Assistant to the National Director hiring Coordinator Kristina Operations Director Supervised by National Director Sepulveda Kristina and her team ensure the foundations of the organization are sound by improving efficiency and reliability of all operations functions, whether member services, chapter logistical support, or staff administration. Lisa Flores Administrative and Supervised by Operations Director. Office Coordinator NEW: Lisa is providing additional chapter support in addition to the Chapter Pipeline, such as around incorporation questions and maintaining a more updated chapter contact list at the national office. She also ensures our national office is functioning and remote staff have the technical and other support they need to do their work. Lawrence Program Associate Supervised by Operations Director. Dreyfuss Lawrence provides operations support around many national programs and events as well as external comms coordination. He also runs the swag store which we will continue to expand and eventually open up as a throughway for chapter swag fulfillment. Zachariah NEW: Full time Supervised by Operations Director. Boyer temporary Program NEW: Zachariah answers [email protected] almost all day Associate every day, but also will support other projects such as incorporation question, until the end of August. In process of NEW: Compliance Supervised by Operations Director. hiring Manager NEW: The Compliance team will support chapters doing local, state, or federal election work to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, through creating how-to guides, leading trainings, and assisting with local research as needed, as well as doing all direct reporting to the Federal Election Commission. When there are lulls between elections the team will assist with incorporation questions from chapters. Projected to NEW: Compliance Supervised by the Compliance Manager. hire Associate Michael NEW Conventions and Supervised by Operations Director. Grochowski Conferences NEW: Michael starts July 8 and will bottom line event planning for all Coordinator national and regional gatherings from conventions to trainings, while Field Organizers will continue to work with chapters on content but will be freed up to spend more time with chapters in person or on the phone. Rebecca NEW: Tech and Data Supervised by Operations Director. Ruechel Manager NEW: Rebecca starts July 8. She and Eileen will work with the Tech Team on projects such as creating a member portal for membership info and direct chapter access to the membership database, our rollout of tech organizing tools ActionNetwork, Spoke and VAN, and improved use of data to support organizing. Eileen Database Coordinator Supervised by Tech and Data Manager. Casterline Eileen maintains the national database with the constant updating with member information and financial contributions as well as cutting lists for chapters and all other work such as managing the delegate allocation and registration process for convention. Alison Development Director Supervised by National Director. Baldree Alison runs all fundraising projects from constant renewals reminders to expiring members and postal and online fundraising to major donor asks, as well as training chapters in capacity building through grassroots fundraising. Elizabeth NEW: Membership Supervised by Development Director. Yoo Services Associate NEW: Elizabeth is taking the role of answering member inquiries, freeing up Lisa and Claudia to focus on chapter support and internal comms, respectively. Alison and Elizabeth will expand our existing renewals program of mailing, email and phone call reminders to expiring members, improve the automation of member notifications about expired credit cards which will increase our income, and respond more quickly to member inquiries as Elizabeth will be able to devote more time to it. Elizabeth will also support the national working groups going forward to free up Lawrence’s time. Claudia Internal Supervised by National Director. Cahill Communications and Claudia manages our national social media accounts
Recommended publications
  • Economic Democracy at Work: Why (And How) Workers Should Be Represented on US Corporate Boards
    Lenore Palladino, University of Massachusetts, Amherst∗ Economic Democracy at Work: Why (and How) Workers Should be Represented on US Corporate Boards Abstract: Workers should have representation on corporate boards of directors in the United States. Employees are key stakeholders whose contribution is necessary for the success of innovative enterprises. In contrast to the “shareholder primacy” theory of corporate governance, which claims that only shareholders should have decision-making authority, the argument made here is that also granting employees a voice on the corporate board will have positive effects for employees and the company as a whole. Yet implementing such a reform in the twenty-first-century US context is not simply a matter of importing a European model. Effective policy design requires consideration of the US workforce structure and the important prohibition on employer-dominated organizations in US labor law, and developing appropriate mechanisms for worker-director election, representation, and worker organization. Worker representation on boards will not be effective in a vacuum, but is an important component of overall reform efforts to strengthen the US economy. Keywords: Boards of directors; corporate governance; stakeholders; worker representation on corporate boards I. Introduction For the past four decades, US corporate governance has followed a “shareholder primacy” model (Lazonick and O’Sullivan 2000; van der Zwan 2014). The Law and Economics theory of shareholder primacy claims that the shareholder is the sole corporate stakeholder who makes a risky investment; therefore, the maximization of shareholder value is defended as the sole goal of corporations, and management “agents” owe allegiance only to the shareholder “principals” (Jensen and Meckling 1976).
    [Show full text]
  • Cynthia Begin Forwarded Message: From: Will Meeks <Will Meeks@Fws
    From: Cynthia Martinez To: D M Ashe; [email protected]; Jim Kurth; Betsy Hildebrandt; Matt Huggler; [email protected] Subject: Fwd: Complete turnover of the National Bison Range to a special interest group and in violation of every federal law that started and protects the National Wildlife Refuge System. Date: Sunday, February 07, 2016 4:51:08 PM Cynthia Begin forwarded message: From: Will Meeks <[email protected]> Date: February 7, 2016 at 4:46:13 PM EST To: Anna Munoz <[email protected]>, Cynthia Martinez <[email protected]> Subject: Fwd: Complete turnover of the National Bison Range to a special interest group and in violation of every federal law that started and protects the National Wildlife Refuge System. Will Meeks U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mountain-Prairie Region Assistant Regional Director National Wildlife Refuge System 303-236-4303(w) 720-541-0319 (c) Begin forwarded message: From: Jeff King <[email protected]> Date: February 7, 2016 at 2:04:49 PM MST To: Noreen Walsh <[email protected]>, Will Meeks <[email protected]>, Mike Blenden <[email protected]>, Matt Hogan <[email protected]> Subject: Fwd: Complete turnover of the National Bison Range to a special interest group and in violation of every federal law that started and protects the National Wildlife Refuge System. Thanks jk Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: Susan Reneau <[email protected]> Date: February 7, 2016 at 1:56:59 PM MST To: <[email protected]> Subject: Complete turnover of the National Bison Range to a special interest group and in violation of every federal law that started and protects the National Wildlife Refuge System.
    [Show full text]
  • Democracy in America at Work: the History of Labor's Vote in Corporate
    Democracy in America at Work: The History of Labor’s Vote in Corporate Governance Ewan McGaughey* ABSTRACT Can there be democracy in America at work? The historical division between democracy in politics and hierarchy in the economy is under strain. Hierarchical interests in the economy are shifting their model of power into politics, and yet a commitment to revive the law is resurgent. Central examples are the proposed Accountable Capitalism Act, Reward Work Act, Workplace Democracy Acts, and Employees’ Pension Security Acts. They would create a right for employees to elect 40% of directors on $1 billion company boards, a right for employees to elect one-third of directors on other listed company boards and require one-half employee representation on single-employer pension plans. All challenge long held myths: that labor’s involvement in corporate governance is foreign to American tradition, that when codified in law, labor voice is economically inefficient; that the legitimate way to have voice in the economy is by buying stocks; or that labor voice faces insurmountable legal obstacles. This Article shows these myths are mistaken, by exploring the history and evidence from 1861. The United States has one of the world’s strongest traditions of democracy at work. Economic democracy has not been more widespread primarily because it was suppressed by law. Americans favor voice at work, while asset managers who monopolize shareholder votes with “other people’s money” enjoy no legitimacy at all. This Article concludes that, even without the federal government, and by recreating themselves as laboratories of democracy and enterprise, states can adapt the current proposals and rebuild a living law.
    [Show full text]
  • Mcgaughey Democracy in America at Work
    King’s Research Portal Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication record in King's Research Portal Citation for published version (APA): McGaughey, E. (2019). Democracy in America at Work: The History of Labor’s Vote in Corporate Governance . Seattle University Law Review, 42(2), 697-753. [18]. https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sulr/vol42/iss2/18/ Citing this paper Please note that where the full-text provided on King's Research Portal is the Author Accepted Manuscript or Post-Print version this may differ from the final Published version. If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination, volume/issue, and date of publication details. And where the final published version is provided on the Research Portal, if citing you are again advised to check the publisher's website for any subsequent corrections. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the Research Portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognize and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. •Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the Research Portal for the purpose of private study or research. •You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain •You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the Research Portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
    [Show full text]
  • Alex Padilla (D) (Incumbent) 25 Ruben Major (D) 26 Mark P
    Page 1 Introduction! Hello, and welcome to the DSA-LA Electoral Politics committee’s voter guide to the elections on June 5, 2018. There’s a lot to vote for this year, so we decided to do the research on every contested race on the ballot so you could know who and what you’re voting for when you mark those little dots in the polling booth. Given the huge number of races pertinent to LA county, we decided to create a cheat sheet with our recommendations—many of which represent “lesser evil” calculations. Only Gayle McLaughlin for Lieutenant Governor and Steve Dunwoody for Assembly District 54 have been endorsed by DSA-LA as a whole, so please don’t take these suggestions as the recommendation of the entire chapter—these are just what a few dedicated DSA members in the Electoral Politics committee came up with after hours of researching the races through a pragmatic leftist lens. If you scroll down to a particular race, you’ll see that the information provided varies slightly between races—this was a long and communal effort, but we decided to share as much information as seemed useful for you to make a considered choice. Often, we omitted Republican or Libertarian candidates—if you’re reading this, we don’t imagine you’d vote for them anyway—and occasionally we limited our research to the candidates with a decent chance of winning. Table of Contents Page 2 You might also notice that many of these races are either literally or practically uncontested, or that most of the candidates seem bland, hazily defined, and mildly corrupt.
    [Show full text]
  • The Communicator July and August
    Communications Workers of Watch your friends on YouTube: 4501 CWA July/August 2018 “Like” us on Facebook Join us at https://unionhall.cwalocals.org/cwa-local-4501 27 Euclid Avenue, -Columbus, Ohio 43201 Phone: (614) 294-5265 Fax: (614) 294-6562 OSU MAIN CAMPUS, WOOSTER, LIMA, MANSFIELD, NEWARK, MARION, PUT-IN BAY, FACULTY CLUB, SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE, PICKAWAY COUNTY JOBS AND FAMILY SERVICES, FRANKLIN COUNTY VETERAN’S COMMISSION Third World Country This wraps up poor American mothers must one reason the U.S. has the highest the article choose between raising their chil- tuition costs of any OECD country. first printed in dren and keeping their jobs. The Rolling Stone U.S. education system is plagued 5. Inequality Magazine. with structural racial biases, like the By almost every measure the U.S. In sharing this fact that schools are funded at the tops out OECD countries in terms article with local, rather than national level. of income inequality, largely be- President Kee you I do not That means that schools attended by cause America has the stingiest wel- intend to criti- poor black people get far less fund- fare state of any developed country. cize the fun- ing than the schools attended by This inequality has deep and pro- damental principles our country is wealthier students. The Department found effects on American society. built on but to point out how far I of Education has confirmed that For instance, although the U.S. jus- feel we have strayed from those schools with high concentrations of tifies its rampant inequality on the principles and what we have lost.
    [Show full text]
  • July-Aug.-Sept. 2018 in Memoriam
    FEATURES As I See It / George Tedeschi ......... 2 Outlook / James Hoffa ............... 2 Managing Editor’s Note / Fred Bruning .... 3 Commentary / Jim Hightower ......... 3 Point of View / Robert Reich.......... 6 Bottom Line / Jerry Morgan .......... 7 Guest Spot / Meers-Williams .......... 7 Volume 36 Number 3 The Newspaper of the Graphic Communications Conference / IBT ❘ www.gciu.org ❘ July-Aug.-Sept. 2018 In Memoriam ................... 16 ‘Outrageous’ Sanders Act Montgomery Court Ruling Calls For Rights Museum Undercuts Workplace Confronts U.S. Labor Rights Democracy Racial History PAGE 4 PAGE 5 PAGE 14 EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE TOP STORY Red State Uprising: Is the New Activism A Plus for Unions? By Zachary Dowdy Special to the Communicator GAGE SKIDMORE GCC/IBT LEADERS ARE CLOSELY WATCHING STATEWIDE STRIKES BY TEACHERS Carolina, all “red states,” and Colorado, which tends to vote Democrat. Teachers have in traditionally Republican states and say the action may represent growing disil- walked out and demonstrated en masse, wearing red T-shirts and carrying banners that lusionment with anti-labor GOP policies and another sign that organized labor is said “Red for Ed.” poised for a rebound. Teachers want better pay – often so low they need second jobs to get by – but also They said the new militancy in at least six states since February – all but one of a commitment from states to provide better materials and equipment for students which went for President Donald Trump in the 2016 election – could be good news and overall per-pupil spending. for unionized workers everywhere. The pay issue is a powerful motivator. Analysts at the Economic Policy Institute “I haven’t seen such a positive development for some time,” said Ralph Meers, president said that, on average, teachers in the United States earn 77 percent of what other college emeritus and secretary-treasurer of Atlanta-based Local 527-S.
    [Show full text]
  • Progressive Cabinet Project: Shaping a Progressive Administration
    Progressive Cabinet Project: Shaping a Progressive Administration Aidan Smith Progressive Cabinet Project Lead Researcher INPUT PROVIDED BY: Billy Fleming, Julian Brave NoiseCat, Nikhil Goyal, Sean McElwee, David Segal, Jeff Hauser, Elizabeth Beavers, Leah Hunt-Hendrix, Austin Frerick, Marcela Mulholland, Tarak Shah, Emily Chatterjee, and Bob Kopp WHAT’S INSIDE Introduction Secretary of Homeland Security Secretary of State EPA Administrator Secretary of Defense Ambassador to the United Nations Attorney General C hair of the Council of Economic Advisors Secretary of the Treasury Trade Representative Secretary of the Interior SBA Administrator Secretary of Agriculture Director of the Office of Secretary of Commerce Management & Budget Secretary of Labor CIA Director/Director Secretary of Health & Human Services of National Intelligence Secretary of Housing & National Security Advisor Urban Development Director of the Consumer Financial Secretary of Transportation Protection Bureau Secretary of Energy Director of the National Economic Council Secretary of Education Director of the Domestic Policy Council Secretary of Veterans Affairs CoverPROGRESSIVE photo: Andy CABINET Feliciotti/Unsplash PROJECT: SHAPING A PROGRESSIVE ADMINISTRATION 2 INTRODUCTION For the first time in generations, the American Left has a real chance at winning power. Since the election of Donald Trump, progressive, grassroots-funded candidates have seen success in elections at every level of government. Should Trump be defeated in November, progressives should be prepared for the task of working with Joe Biden’s team to curate the most progressive administration in history. This will be a challenge given that progressives have long been excluded from high positions in government, think tanks, and elsewhere in civil society. This document will try to ease the challenge by providing an in-depth analysis of what qualifies an individual to hold a particular cabinet office as well as a list of suitable names for them who align with the progressive movement on matters of policy.
    [Show full text]
  • Bill Would Dramatically Expand Definitions of 'Employee' and 'Joint
    Bill Would Dramatically Expand Definitions of ‘Employee’ and ‘Joint Employer’ For Purposes of NLRA The terms “employee” and “joint employer” for purposes of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (“NLRA”) would be given new – and more expansive – definitions by the Workplace Democracy Act, introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives on May 9, 2018, as S. 2810 and H.R. 5728, respectively. The lead sponsors of the bill are Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI), but many other Democrat Members joined as initial cosponsors.1 The bill has no Republican cosponsors. The principal effect of the bill’s proposed new definition of “employee” would be to expand coverage under the NLRA to independent contractors who either (i) provide a type of service that is within the “usual course of business” of the client company, or (ii) cannot demonstrate that they are customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, profession, or business of the same nature as that involved in the service performed (which typically requires that the individual provide services for multiple clients or provide evidence of the types of “old economy” marketing efforts that “new economy” independent contractors seldom use, such as Yellow Page advertisements and business cards). Another effect of the proposed new definition would be to exacerbate the current patchwork of different definitions of the term “employee” for purposes of federal statutes, by increasing the number of different tests to four. This would add to the uncertainty that legitimate independent contractors and their clients currently face in seeking to structure business relationships that satisfy all applicable tests, and would further impede efforts by government agencies to work collaboratively to ensure proper worker classification.
    [Show full text]
  • Clean Slate for Worker Power: Building a Just Economy and Democracy Clean Slate for Worker Power
    Clean Slate for Worker Power: Building a Just Economy and Democracy clean slate for worker power clean slate for worker power CLEAN SLATE FOR WORKER POWER: BUILDING A JUST ECONOMY AND DEMOCRACY A report by Sharon Block and Benjamin Sachs A project of the Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................... 1 SECTION 1 .................................................................................................................................................................. 9 INTRODUCTION SECTION 2 ...............................................................................................................................................................16 SYSTEMIC RACIAL AND GENDER OPPRESSION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO LABOR LAW The History of Labor Law .......................................................................................................................................16 The Potential of Labor Law ....................................................................................................................................18 The Future of Labor Law ........................................................................................................................................20 TERRENCE WISE'S STORY .............................................................................................................................21 SECTION 3 ......................................................................................................................................................22
    [Show full text]
  • Labor Issues Legislative Update
    Labor Issues Legislative Update 114th Congress, Second Session The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Labor, Immigration and Employee Benefits Division is monitoring the following labor legislative issues. Issues are not presented in any specific order. Union and Organizing Issues National Right to Work Act On January 28, 2015, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) introduced H.R. 612, the “National Right- to-Work Act.” The bill would amend the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal the provisions in these Acts that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that contains a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment, and require the payment of union dues or fees as a condition of employment. On February 5, 2015, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the companion bill in the Senate, S. 391. Salting On April 13, 2015, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) introduced H.R. 1746, the “Truth in Employment Act of 2015.” The bill would amend the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) so an employer is not required “to employ any person who seeks or has sought employment with the employer in furtherance of other employment or agency status.” This bill would prevent the practice of “salting,” where union employees apply for jobs with a specific intent to organize or cause disruption in the workplace. The bill would overturn a Supreme Court decision that found this to be protected activity. Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2015 On January 22, 2015, Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN) introduced H.R.
    [Show full text]
  • Democracy in America at Work: the History of Labor's Vote in Corporate
    Democracy in America at work: the history of labor’s vote in corporate governance Ewan McGaughey* Abstract Can there be democracy in America at work? The historical division between democracy in politics and hierarchy in the economy is under strain. Hierarchical interests in the economy are shifting their model of power into politics, and yet a commitment to revive the law is resurgent. Central examples are the proposed Accountable Capitalism Act, Reward Work Act, Workplace Democracy Acts, and Employees’ Pension Security Acts. They would create a right for employees to elect 40% of directors on $1 billion company boards, a right for employees to elect one-third of directors on other listed company boards, and require one-half employee representation on single-employer pension plans. All challenge long held myths: that labor’s involvement in corporate governance is foreign to American tradition, that when codified in law labor voice is economically inefficient, that the legitimate way to have voice in the economy is by buying stocks, or that labor voice faces insurmountable legal obstacles. This article shows these myths are mistaken by exploring the history and evidence from 1861. The United States has one of the world’s strongest traditions of democracy at work. Economic democracy has not been more widespread primarily because it was suppressed by law. Americans favor voice at work, while asset managers who monopolize shareholder votes with ‘other people’s money’ enjoy no legitimacy at all. The article concludes that, even without federal government, and by recreating themselves as laboratories of democracy and enterprise, states can adapt the current proposals and rebuild a living law.
    [Show full text]