About

The name of the Local shall be the Greater Baltimore Democratic Socialists of America, herein referred to as “the Local.”

Section 1.

The Greater Baltimore Local of the Democratic Socialists of America seeks to eliminate capitalism, a system that thrives on inequality and stark segregation, in favor of economic democracy and the promotion of human dignity. We advocate a socialist economy, in which the means and resources of production are reclaimed by the people and democratically controlled.

Section 2.

The Local prioritizes life over profit. Our priority is to empower the working class and communities of color in the region, encouraging a sense of efficacy and ownership of local communities.

Section 3.

We seek to build solidarity with other leftist allies in the region, engaging in effective grassroots organizing and educating the public on the tenets of our vision of democratic socialism.

Section 4.

Our vision of democratic socialism is based on the principle of equitable distribution of resources and opportunities, economic planning, and popular control of capital.

Section 5.

We also acknowledge the unique obstacles at the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, and class, and we condemn systemic, institutional discrimination and violence.

Section 1.

All members in good standing with the national Democratic Socialists of America who reside in the greater Baltimore area, as defined by the territory specified in the charter granted by the national DSA, shall be members of the Local.

Section 2.

All members in good standing as defined in the previous section shall have a vote on the election of Local delegates to national DSA bodies, and of Local officers.

Section 3.

All members may stand for Local office.

Section 1. General Assemblies.

Subsection a.

The Local shall hold a minimum of one General Assembly annually, and all members of the Local shall receive three weeks written or electronic notice and an agenda of the General Assembly.

Subsection b.

The General Assembly shall elect Local officers.

Subsection c.

When possible, the General Assembly shall elect Local Delegates to DSA bodies.

Subsection d.

The General Assembly may adopt an annual budget for the Local. 

Subsection e.

The General Assembly is the highest legislative body of the Local.

Section 2. Regular Meetings

Subsection a.

The Local shall hold regular meetings at least four times annually, with fourteen days’ written or electronic notice to all members, or on a regular schedule established with the same notice.

Subsection b.

The regular meetings will set Local policy and work priorities.

Subsection c.

Regular meetings may feature educational programming. To respect members’ and guests’ time, when regular meetings feature programming for the public (e.g., guest speakers, panels), other Local business should be kept to a minimum (e.g., the approval of minutes, previous notice of business when required by the Local’s parliamentary authority).

Subsection d.

The Steering Committee shall set the agenda for regular meetings.

Subsection e.

In general, regular meetings are the operating legislative body of the Local. 

Subsection f. Emergency Meetings.

The Steering Committee may call emergency meetings with five days’ notice to all members.

Subsection g. Quorum.

Fifteen members shall constitute a quorum required to conduct Local business.

Section 1.

The officers of the Local shall be as follows: the Secretary, Treasurer, two Harassment and Grievance Officers (HGOs), Public Communications Officer, Tech Officer, two Outreach and Engagement Officers, Emergency Workplace Organizing Officer, Librarian, Historian, and the Events and Logistics Officer.  Officers shall perform the duties specified in these Bylaws and in the Local’s parliamentary authority.

Section 3. Secretary.

Subsection a.

The Secretary shall be responsible for answering all correspondence and queries of the Local, maintaining its membership list, and administering effective communication between Local officers and the national DSA.

Subsection b.

The Secretary shall record minutes of all general meetings and Steering Committee meetings, and shall have custody of these minutes, resolutions, reports and other official records of the Local. They shall transfer official records in good condition to their successor. Subsection 3c – Official records shall include meeting minutes and member lists.

Subsection c.

The Secretary shall draft agendas for all general and Steering Committee meetings.

Section 4. Treasurer.

Subsection a.

The Treasurer shall be responsible for the funds and financial records of the Local. All funds collected by the Local will be turned over to the Treasurer.

Subsection b.

In coordination with the Secretary, the Treasurer will be responsible for ensuring that membership dues are paid up-­to-­date.

Subsection c.

The Treasurer shall prepare an annual budget for the Local.

Subsection d.

The Treasurer shall deliver a report regarding the finances of the Local to the General Assembly, as well as periodic reports as requested at regular or Steering Committee meetings.

Section 5. Harassment and Grievance Officers (HGOs).

Subsection a.

Two HGOs shall be responsible for managing the harassment procedure established by the national DSA.

Subsection b.

The HGOs must maintain an email address for the reporting of harassment and other grievances and shall follow the procedures enumerated in the national Harassment Policy and the Local’s Grievance Procedure, if any.

Section 6. Events and Logistics Officer

Subsection a.

The Events and Logistics Officer shall coordinate space procurement and event scheduling. 

Subsection b.

The Events and Logistics Officer shall book and coordinate with venues for all chapter­-wide meetings, including physical security.

Subsection c.

The Events and Logistics Officer shall manage non-tech related logistics and event support.

Subsection d.

The Events and Logistics Officer, in coordination with the rest of the Steering Committee, shall maintain a list of best practices for in person safety.

Section 7. Public Communications Officer

The Public Communications Officer shall be responsible for managing and assisting with graphic design, photos and videos, social media, and press releases.

Section 8. Tech Officer

The Tech Officer shall be responsible for managing and assisting with online safety, database management, hybrid event, A/V, and tech related logistics, as well as Discord moderation.

Section 9. Outreach Officers

Subsection a.

The chapter shall have two Outreach Officers.

Subsection b.

The Outreach Officers shall be responsible for facilitating New Member Orientations, creating surveys and polls for active members, coordinating phone banking and text banking drives, and assisting working groups to drive member attendance to events.

Section 10. Emergency Workplace Organizing Officer

The Emergency Workplace Organizing Officer leads the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee and is tasked with facilitating the functional group responsible for providing support and education for workplace organizing in Baltimore.

Section 11. Librarian

The Librarian is responsible for coordinating reading groups and training seminars, political discussions, and multi-media events, maintaining and preserving chapter literature and educational materials, and guiding chapter member’s political education through curated reading guides, newsletters, pamphlets, and other media.

Section 12. Historian

Subsection a.

The Historian is responsible for archiving photos, pamphlets, merchandise, public messages, and meeting minutes for historic preservation.

Subsection b.

The Historian is responsible for archiving previously used materials.

Subsection c.

The Historian shall curate historical literature and materials for chapter member’s historical evaluation.

Subsection d.

The Historian shall preserve and educate the membership about our chapter’s unique history

Section 1. Nomination and Elections of Officers and Steering Committee Members.

Subsection a.

Any member of The Local in good standing may nominate any other member of The Local in good standing, including themselves, at a regular meeting prior to the General Assembly, or by written or electronic notice to the Secretary no fewer than fourteen days before the General Assembly.

Subsection b.

Nominees must formally accept the nomination and provide a brief candidate statement to the Secretary no fewer than 7 days before the General Assembly to be distributed to The Local electronically.

Subsection c.

Officers and Steering Committee Members serve terms no longer than one year or until their successors are elected, and their term of office shall begin at the close of the General Assembly at which they are elected.

Subsection d.

No member shall be eligible to serve for more than four consecutive terms in the same office.

Subsection e.

No member shall hold more than one officer or Steering Committee position at the same time.

Subsection f.

Officers and Steering Committee members may be removed from office at the pleasure of the membership as provided in the Local’s parliamentary authority.

Section 2. Nomination and Election of Local Delegates to DSA Bodies.

Subsection a.

Local delegates and alternates to the National Convention are elected by members of the Local.

Subsection b.

Elections for the National Convention delegation are held on the schedule announced by the national DSA.

Subsection c.

When possible, Delegates and Officers should be nominated and elected at the same time, at the General Assembly. When this is not possible, a Nominating Committee of four members may be formed at a regular meeting, and elections for Delegates held at the next regular meeting.

Section 3.

Officers, Steering Committee Members, and Delegates shall be elected by ballot using Scottish Single Transferable Vote. If an Officer or Delegate position is uncontested, the nominee is declared elected by acclamation.

Section 1.

The Steering Committee is composed of two Co-Chairs, four at-large Steering members, and one YDSA representative. All officers are designated as ex-officio nonmembers of the Steering Committee.

Section 2.

The Steering Committee is the regular executive body of the Local, and both the Committee and its decisions are subordinate to the Local’s legislative bodies, the General Assembly and regular meetings.

Section 3. Chapter Co­-Chairs.

Subsection a.

The Local shall have two Chapter Co-Chairs.

Subsection b.

A Chapter Co-Chair shall preside over meetings, or appoint a substitute to assume the powers and duties of the Presiding Officer, as specified in the Local’s parliamentary authority. If the Chapter Co-Chairs are unable to appoint a substitute one shall be chosen amongst the Steering Committee to preside.

Subsection c.

The Chapter Co-Chairs shall be the official public spokespersons for the Local.

Subsection d.

The Chapter Co-Chairs shall delegate tasks to appropriate persons or groups when responsibility is not dictated by these Bylaws, the Parliamentary Authority, or by chapter­-wide vote.

Subsection e.

Upon election, the Chapter Co-Chairs shall submit in writing to the Steering Committee a brief document outlining the division of labor between them. Recognizing that this list cannot be exhaustive, the Chapter Co-Chairs shall make an effort to include all essential functions of their positions. The Steering Committee can amend this list at any time.

Section 4. Steering Committee’s Duties and Powers.

Subsection a.

The Steering Committee shall prepare the agenda for all regular meetings and General Assemblies, administer the affairs of the Local, oversee the implementation of the decisions of the General Assemblies and regular meetings, and advise all committees and receive their reports.

Subsection b.

The Steering Committee may act and speak on behalf of the Local.

Subsection c.

The Steering Committee shall have regular communication with the national DSA.

Section 5. Steering Committee Meetings.

Subsection a.

The Steering Committee shall meet at the call of the Chapter Co­-Chairs.

Subsection b.

All members of the Steering Committee shall be given four days’ oral or written notice of Steering Committee meetings. A 24 ­hour notice may be given under special emergency circumstances.

Subsection c.

Two ­thirds of the voting members of the Steering Committee shall constitute a quorum.

Subsection d.

With the exception of the Secretary and Treasurer, officers would not be expected to attend Steering Committee meetings.

Subsection e.

Officers would be called on to vote in the advent of a tie amongst the regularly voting members of the Steering Committee. If a tie persists, then the matter will move to the general body.

Section 1.

The definitive list of all Working Groups, Functional Groups, Discussion Groups, and Rapid Response Teams and their chairs shall be maintained in a document publicly viewable to the membership, and provided in regular meeting and General Assembly minutes.

Section 2. Functional Groups

Subsection a.

Functional Groups shall operate at the direction of chapter Officers and focus on conducting essential chapter functions. 

Subsection b.

Functional Groups may be created or dissolved by chapter Officers, requiring approval of the Steering Committee.

Subsection c.

Officers are responsible for the selection, training, and delegation of duties for their respective Functional Groups.

Section 3. Working Groups.

Subsection a.

Working Groups are bodies that shall have a focus on a single issue, topic, project, or event. Working groups must have a clearly defined goal and/or objective, and must have a plan to accomplish said objective. 

Subsection b.

Working Groups shall be formed by interested chapter members by first selecting a Working Group acting chair, they must then present a proposal regarding the objective of the working group and a proposed timeline, and then shall be approved by a vote of the Steering Committee.

Subsection c.

Voting members of the Steering Committee may not serve as Working Group Chairs (or Co-Chairs).

Subsection d.

Once recognized, the Working Group will be expected to report monthly progress reports on the activity ahead of every Steering meeting to chapter co-chairs and report on upcoming events ahead of the New Member Orientation meeting to Outreach Officers and before General Body Meetings to the Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee.

Subsection e.

Working Group Chairs (or Co-Chairs) shall be elected by a simple majority vote of the founding committee and serve until the Working Group is dissolved or annually, whichever is shorter.

Subsection f.

Once recognized, working groups will be able to have built-in announcement time at Steering Committee Meetings and General Body Meetings, as long as prior notice is given ahead to Steering Meetings, access to placing events on the Chapter Calendar and use of the Active Projects channel on the chapter Discord Server, and permission to coordinate directly with all officers and other working group chairs for any communication, logistical, and organizing needs.

Section 4. Discussion Groups

Subsection a.

Discussion Groups function to educate members and allow for discussion around specific topics. They shall hold regular meetings such as readings, discussion circles, training seminars, and guest speaker sections.

Subsection b.

Discussion Groups shall be hosted and coordinated by the Chapter Librarian and Historian.

Subsection c.

Discussion Groups are created when five or more members register their Discussion Group with the Librarian.

Subsection d.

Discussion Groups must hold at least one virtual event and at least one in-person event per month.

Subsection e.

Members may form informal discussion groups, but to be included on the official calendar and with the support of the Librarian they must formally create their group via the steps above.

Section 5. Rapid Response Teams

Subsection a.

Rapid Response Teams may be created by a vote of the Steering Committee if it is deemed that a rapid response is needed to ongoing events. Rapid Response Teams shall consist of the Communications Team, a member of the Steering Committee, and other relevant members deemed by the Steering Committee.

Subsection b.

The Rapid Response Team shall draft a comms narrative, communicate between chapter bodies, work to present a united front, and other duties as deemed necessary. The Rapid Response Team shall give regular timely updates to the Steering Committee.

Section 1.

The Local shall not engage in any activity prohibited by resolutions adopted by DSA’s National Convention or DSA’s National Political Committee.

Section 2.

Any action taken by an officer or member of the Local in contravention of these Bylaws is null and void.

These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting or General Assembly of the Local by a two thirds vote, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing at the previous regular meeting or General Assembly.

Section 1.

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the Local in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws.

Section 2.

All officers and chairs of standing committees shall be expected to familiarize themselves with the Local’s parliamentary authority.

Section 3.

The Steering Committee may appoint a member as Parliamentarian to assist in the conduct of General Assemblies and meetings.

Section 1. Scope

Subsection a.

As GBDSA has a policy to protect members against harassment based on gender, sexuality, race, age, and other categories, this grievance procedure is intended and designed to address other issues affecting participation in the life of the organization. Such issues may include, but are not limited to, exclusion from committees or working groups without just cause, scheduling meetings or events that lead to de facto exclusion from decision making, and/or other actions that compromise democratic participation of all members.

Subsection b.

This scope is intentionally vaguer than the harassment policy in order to address as wide a range of concerns as possible.

Section 2. Reporting process.

Subsection a.

Initial complaints: GBDSA encourages its members to resolve disputes informally as quickly as possible. If this proves unsuccessful, a complainant should submit a written grievance to a grievance officer within sixty days of the incident, though the grievance officers may accept a written grievance later if they believe there are extenuating circumstances.

Subsection b.

Members serving as Harassment Grievance Officers (HGOs) according to the national harassment policy also serve as General Grievance Officers (GGOs) of GBDSA.

Subsection c.

Upon receipt of a written grievance, the GGO(s) will investigate the grievance and attempt to resolve it through mediation within 14 days, if practical.

Subsection d.

If mediation fails, the GGO(s) will continue investigation and recommend action to the Steering Committee within the following 30 days, if practical.

Subsection e.

The Steering Committee will render its decision, including penalties, within the following 30 days.

Section 3. GGO responsibilities. 

The GGO(s) will:

Subsection a.

Receive, acknowledge receipt of, and archive complainant reports;

Subsection b.

Contact the accused to notify them of the accusations, request an opportunity to mediate the dispute, and failing that, request the accused’s written response, and archive any written response;

Subsection c.

If mediation fails, conduct any necessary investigation of the claim; and

Subsection d.

Present their findings to the Steering Committee with a written report and, if necessary, a recommendation for disciplinary action.

Subsection e.

GGOs will also compile a yearly report that details:

• How many grievances were filed;
• How many were successfully mediated;
• How many disciplinary actions were taken; and
• Any recommended changes for making the reporting system more effective.

Subsection f.

This report will not include personally identifying information of any parties in any dispute.

Section 4. Remedies and penalties

Subsection a. Standard for Determining if a Report is Credible.

GBDSA’s Steering Committee (excluding any of its members who are party to the case) will find the factual allegation in a report is “credible” if in the Steering Committee majority’s opinion it more likely than not occurred.

Subsection b. Remedies and Penalties.

Paragraph i.

If the Steering Committee finds the report to be credible, they are authorized to carry out the following remedies and penalties:

• A formal discussion between the accused and the Steering Committee to develop a plan to change the aggrieved behavior(s);
• Suspension from committee meetings and other chapter organizational events;
• Removal from chapter committee(s);
• Removal from DSA; and/or
• Any and all other relief deemed necessary and just by the Steering Committee.

Paragraph ii.

The appropriate form of relief will be determined by, among other things:

• The request of the accuser;
• The severity of the offense;
• The response of the accused; and
• The accused’s relevant behavioral histories

Subsection c. Appeal Process

Paragraph i.

The grievant and the accused each have 30 days to appeal a decision in writing.

Paragraph ii.

The appeal shall be directed to the Steering Committee, excluding any Steering Committee members who are party to the case.

Paragraph iii.

The Steering Committee shall render its decision on an appeal within 30 days of submission of the appeal.

Paragraph iv.

The grounds for appeal are:

• Either party believes the behavior was not interpreted properly.
• Procedural errors, misconduct, or conflicts of interest affected the fairness of the outcome; and
• The remedy or penalty determined by Steering was grossly disproportionate to the violation committed.

Subsection d. Retaliation.

This policy prohibits retaliation against any member for bringing a complaint pursuant to this policy. This policy also prohibits retaliation against a person who assists someone with a complaint, or participates in any manner in an investigation or resolution of a complaint. Retaliatory behaviors include threats, intimidation, reprisals, and/or adverse actions related to organizing. If any party to the complaint believes there has been retaliation, they may inform the GGO(s) who will determine whether to factor the retaliation into the original complaint, or treat it as a separate incident.

The chapter shall adopt and follow a fiscal policy which entails how funding is approved, how the chapter discretionary fund operates, an annual budgeting process, and other fiscal best practices. The policy shall be re-ratified annually.