MARXIST CENTER AFFILIATION REQUIREMENTS
Adopted on December 2, 2018
The Marxist Center exists to facilitate the adoption of revolutionary politics by the working class.
In order for an individual or collective to be considered to be affiliated with the network, the following requirements must be met:
1. Individual membership
Individuals are all allowed to join if they meet the following requirements:
A) They must agree with our points of unity
B) They must agree to respect the decisions of elected Arbiters until such time as a full constitution can be drawn up and approved
C) They must be actively involved in a progressive, socialist and/or working class organization at the local level – examples would include a socialist organization, a trade union, a mass organization focusing on a single issue such as police brutality or climate change, etc.
D) Individual dues are $5 a month. Exceptions will of course be made in the case of financial hardship
E) The network reserves the right to reject an individual’s admittance for any reason with justification provided to the individual, as signaled by a majority vote of delegates from recognized affiliate collectives
F) Similarly, the network reserves the right to disaffiliate with any individual, for any reason with justification provided to the individual, as signaled by a majority vote of delegates from recognized affiliate collectives
2. Collective membership
Collectives, organizations, caucuses, individual branches of larger organizations, and/or factions are allowed to affiliate if they meet the following requirements:
A) They must agree to points of unity
B) They must agree to respect the decisions of elected Arbiters until such time as a full constitution can be drawn up and approved
C) They must be actively involved in organizing efforts which broadly align with a socialist base-building strategy
D) Collective dues will be calculated at $1 per person per month. So for instance if an organization has 10 members, they should be contributing $10 a month in total. In the situation that organizations can not pay for members due to financial hardship, they may appeal to the Delegate for solidarity dues.
E) If an individual is a member of an affiliate organization, they are granted full membership rights within the network
F) The network reserves the right to reject a collective’s admittance for any reason with justification provided to the individual or collective, as signaled by a majority vote of delegates from recognized affiliate collectives. This process will be organized by the network’s elected Arbiters, with final oversight by the delegate council (see 3 and 4 below)
G) Similarly, the network reserves the right to disaffiliate with any individual or collective, with adequate due process, for any reason, as signaled by a majority vote of delegates from recognized affiliate collectives. This process will be organized by the network’s elected Arbiters, with final oversight by the delegate council (see 3 and 4 below)
H) Finally, the network reserves the right to request that an individual be removed from a collective in order for the collective to maintain its status as affiliated. This process will be organized by the network’s elected Arbiters, with final oversight by the delegate council (see 3 and 4 below)
3) Delegate Council
A) Until such time as a national organizational constitution can be drawn up, collectives will be considered to be autonomous and self-directed.
B) A delegate council will be convened with at least one representative from each affiliate group which desires to elect one. Affiliate groups are not required to have a delegate on the council. At-large members will be represented by one delegate determined in the manner below (F)
C) The Delegate Council will have final say on matters of affiliation or disaffiliation of individuals and collectives
D) The Delegate Council will be tasked with taking care of the treasury and making financial decisions on behalf of the network in between
E) Affiliated collectives reserve the right to remove and/or replace their own organizational delegate for any reason
F) One representative will be elected to the delegate council by at-large members. The at-large representative will be appointed by the delegate council until the next conference, at which at-large members will elect their representative.
G) Preference in the election of delegates will be given to people representing a marginalized community.
4) Arbiters
A) The network will empower an elected group of Arbiters, totaling no more than six and no less than three, to attempt to resolve interpersonal conflicts, as well as investigate issues which may lead to removal of individual affiliated members or affiliated collectives. The network will also elect two to three alternate arbiters. Each organization is encouraged to have local arbitration and to resolve their issues through local arbitration. Conflicts not resolved locally should be escalated to MC arbitration.
B) Arbiters will investigate any accusation of impropriety and issue a recommendation to the delegate council, who will then vote to accept or reject the recommendation of the Arbiters
C) Arbiters must recuse themselves if they are a member of an organization containing a member with a concern brought to arbitration.
D) An odd number of arbiters will be selected from an arbiter pool to respond to each case.
E) Preference in the election of arbiters will be given to people representing a marginalized community.
F) No member can serve as an arbiter and on the delegate council simultaneously.
5) Annual Congress
A) An annual congress will be convened once per calendar year
B) The congress will function as the highest decision-making body of the network, and its collective vote will override any decision made by Arbiters or the Delegate Council
C) Only affiliated individuals and collectives will be allowed to vote at congress
D) Delegates from affiliated organizations will be selected by their organization and added to the delegate council yearly at the congress
E) Arbiters will be elected by the congress from among at-large individuals as well as individuals who are members of affiliated collectives
F) The Congress has the ability to amend this document, or scrap it completely and replace it with something else, by a simple majority vote
G) The Congress shall ensure that all documents are available in all needed languages and translation resources are provided if possible.