
By-laws of the San Francisco Bike Messenger Association
Article
I: Name
The
name of this organization is the San Francisco Bike Messenger Association.
Article
II: Objective
We,
the Messengers and Allied Workers of the San Francisco Bay Area
messenger industry, incorporate as the San Francisco Bicycle Messenger
Association (SFBMA) under the laws of the State of California and
the United States of America, and under the following principles
freely adopted by our members.
Our
first and foremost goals are to increase our incomes, receive employer
paid health insurance, implement work safety programs, and establish
a pension for retired workers. These and other rights and benefits,
which we have more than earned throughout our collective careers,
are due to us from our employers, but it is our responsibility to
take action to obtain due payment.
In
the past, we have often responded to challenges and adversities
beyond the call of duty, from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and
multiple police "crackdowns" to the 1996 Cycle Messenger
World Championships and the Bay Area's heaviest rainfall this century;
now it is high time the industry rose to the occasion itself.
We
seek to:
-
Advance the economic and working conditions of bicycle messengers
and other messenger industry workers;
- Continue
to enhance the image of our profession and its tradespeople and
to strive to honor our profession as part of cycling's proud history;
-
Advance the cause of alternative transportation as a means of
solving ecological and social problems;
-
Increase our already notable community activities;
-
Ally ourselves with workers in other industries under the principle
that "an injury to one is an injury to all."
To
achieve these goals, the SFBMA must be a democratic and inclusive
organization, open to all messenger industry workers and their opinions.
Our officers will serve without pay until the membership decides
democratically and constitutionally to authorize salaries. We state
that our officers serve effectively only when they are acting on
the express wishes of the membership.
We
pledge to honor these principles for the sake of ourselves, our
retired colleagues, the honored memory of our departed sisters and
brothers, and the education and advancement of our children.
Article
III: Membership
Traditionally,
anybody who was or is a S.F. bike messenger is a member of the SFBMA,
in general terms. However, the rights, rules and responsibilities
described herein apply only to members whose dues are current to
within 60 days of the present.
Article
IV: Quorum
In
order for a vote to count, the persons voting must comprise at least
51% of the current dues-paying membership.
Article
V: Voting
All
votes, unless otherwise specified, shall be decided by a margin
of greater than 50%. All elections shall happen once a year at the
General Meeting closest to April 1st, except in the case of a suddenly
vacated office, or sudden emergency matters. Notice of any election
or voting concerning general policy must be posted in a conspicuous
location at least 2 weeks prior to the vote taking place.
Article
VI: Officers
In
order to fill any of these positions, the person has to have been
employed as a S.F. messenger, order taker, or dispatcher within
the last year [amended 2000]. All officers are required
to give 2 weeks notice of resignation, except in the case of an
unforeseeable emergency. Such notice must be posted in a conspicuous
location. To remove an officer before the yearly election, a petition
to do so must first be signed by 50 members, and then voted upon
at the next General Meeting.
President:
The President shall represent the best interests
of the membership to the general public. If there are responsibilities
to be delegated, it is the President's job to do so, as well as
to organize and submit necessary budgets to the Board of Directors
for approval.
Treasurer:
The Treasurer is responsible for collecting and accounting for dues
and other funds, and shall report these records at each General
Meeting, as well as make these records available to any member with
reasonable notice.
Secretary:
The Secretary shall keep minutes of every
General Meeting, make them available to any member with reasonable
notice, and periodically post them in a conspicuous location.
Facilitator: [Amended
2007]
The Facilitator is required to fill in for
any of the above offices with reasonable notice. The Facilitator
is the "Principal Officer."
Article
VII: Board of Directors
In
order to be on the Board, the person has to have been employed as
a S.F. messenger, order taker, or dispatcher within the last
year [amended 2000]. To remove a Board member, a petition to
do so must first be signed by 50 members, and then voted upon at
the next General Meeting. Our Board shall consist of either 5, 7
or 9 people. It is the Board's responsibility to approve or disapprove
budgets and committees. Board members are required to give at least
2 weeks notice of resignation, except in the case of an unforeseeable
emergency. Such notice must be posted in a conspicuous location.
Article
VIII: Staff
There
shall be no paid staff of the SFBMA, with the exception of outside,
contracted workers needed to perform tasks which could not be reasonably
performed by an SFBMA member for free.
Article
IX: Meetings
General
Meetings shall happen at least 10 times a year, and Board Meetings
shall happen at least 4 times a year.
Article
X: Publications
The
SFBMA shall produce and distribute a publication at least 4 times
a year. It shall consist of information on current SFBMA issues,
and a calendar of upcoming events. It shall also have examples of
bike messenger culture, such as poetry, art, music reviews, etc.
Article
XI: Affiliations
Any
affiliations with outside organizations must first be approved by
the Board with a 2/3 or greater vote, and then may be voted upon
at the next General Meeting.
Article
XII: Changes to these By-laws
If
an SFBMA member wishes to propose an alteration or addition to these
by-laws, she or he must propose the motion at an SFBMA general meeting.
Those SFBMA members present at that general meeting will then decide
by a simple majority vote whether the proposed change is minor enough
to be voted upon at the same meeting or whether the proposal presents
a sufficiently significant change that the motion be tabled until
the next general meeting after the proposal been well-publicized
and provided to the membership. The proposal would then be decided
by a simple majority vote of those SFBMA members present at that
subsequent meeting [amended 2006].
Biker
Bash flyer by Ace Backwords, 1985
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