Approved and adopted by vote of the NSLU membership on 10/13/2022.
Amended by by the Membership on 02/21/2024.
Amended by the Steering Committee on 07/18/2024
Amended by the Membership on 10/30/2024
Our organization is dedicated to the ideal that all workers deserve fairness, respect, and dignity in their occupation, in their industry, and in their community. As long as the pursuit of these ideals is vibrant and active, the members of this organization are worthy of the name Union. Our Union is composed of a diverse body of workers. We acknowledge that our industry includes the unorganized both internally and externally. Our community begins with the family members of our members and extends to any organization of workers struggling for a just and equitable existence. May our Union both welcome and champion all who identify themselves in this way. We recognize the challenges of the times we live in and the obstructions we face in pursuing these ideals. Nevertheless, we pursue these ideals with compassion towards all, and malice towards none. We stand for these values as the members of New Seasons Labor Union.
The name of the Union is New Seasons Labor Union, and it will be referred to hereafter as NSLU.
Through our unity we aim:
Section 1:
To organize and unite in this Union all non-supervisory employees at New Seasons Market.
Section 2:
To win economic, social, and political rights for all workers without regard to criteria such as: race, religious beliefs or associations, citizenship status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender expression, ability, criminal record, social status, political status, economic status, language differences, and/or national origin.
Section 3:
To wrest from the employer improvements to our wages, hours of labor, working conditions, and all other matters that affect our welfare.
Section 4:
To engage in community activities that will advance the interests of this organization and its members in the community, directly or indirectly.
Section 5:
To receive, manage, expend or otherwise use the funds and property of this organization to carry out the duties and to achieve the objectives set forth in these Bylaws.
We shall pursue our purposes guided by the following general principles:
Section 1:
The solidarity and unity of all workers within one local unit is central to this effort. NSLU affirms that it shall aim to promote the organizing of any eligible New Seasons Market workers into the same union.
Section 2:
NSLU shall oppose racism, sexism, classism, ableism, ageism, and all other forms of discrimination and divisiveness in the pursuit of these goals.
Section 3:
The unity of all workers is necessary to achieve the goal of social and economic justice. To that end, NSLU is committed to organizing the unorganized and is also committed to working with the rest of the labor movement to accomplish our goals.
Section 4:
NSLU will employ the use of the democratic process throughout our organization and in our decision making.
Section 5:
The membership shall be regularly informed of all activities of the Steering Committee and all official bodies.
Section 6:
The structure of NSLU and its methods of operation shall be such as to facilitate and stimulate the broadest possible voluntary participation by the membership and in the execution of all of its activities.
Section 7:
The Steering Committee shall reflect the diversity of the membership.
Section 8:
The members are the highest authority in the Union.
As a labor organization, NSLU may seek to strengthen its effectiveness in fighting for the well-being of its membership by securing alliances, associations, and partnerships with other organizations which share similar objectives and political perspectives, with the purpose of advancing the power of the working class and our own shops in determining the ways in which our communities are governed.
For the purposes of establishing formal alliances & associations, NSLU shall establish a Solidarity & Education Committee.
Section 1: Definition
Membership shall be open to any non-supervisory employee of New Seasons Market. All workers represented by NSLU shall be automatically enrolled as members. Any person joining NSLU who is not represented by NSLU must enroll themselves as members.
Section 2: Standing
Any member who has been current on the payment of dues at any point within the most recent calendar month shall be in good standing. Only members in good standing shall have the right to vote.
Section 3: Former Members
Former members shall retain the right to a voice and to appeal decisions in the union for a year after leaving NSLU.
Section 1: Composition:
The Steering Committee (SC) shall comprise two (2) chapter representatives per represented work site and four (4) officers at large. The officers at large shall be two (2) co-chairs, secretary, and treasurer.
Section 2: Duties and functions of SC members:
The Steering Committee shall carry out all decisions of the membership, and take such action necessary to conduct the business of NSLU between membership meetings.
Section 3: Co-chairs and their duties:
A. Have general supervision over the affairs of NSLU;
B. Coordinate the activities of the SC in carrying out the decisions of the membership;
C. Represent NSLU in its dealings with other organizations and any public bodies;
D. Participate in SC meetings and vote on necessary items;
E. Be a co-signer on all accounts along with the Treasurer.
Section 4: Treasurer and their duties:
A. Participate in SC meetings and vote on necessary items;
B. Supervise the collection of dues, initiation fees, assessments, and all monies due to NSLU; provide official receipts, including issuing receipts to companies or organizations with checkoff agreements in place; deposit all monies collected into approved NSLU accounts;
C. Make payments from NSLU accounts for proper bills and expenses of NSLU, when evidenced by satisfactory statements or vouchers;
D. Be a Co-signer on NSLU accounts along with at least one SC Co-chair;
E. Maintain records based on a January 1st – December 31st fiscal year;
F. Turn over all monies, books, financial records, and other documents and property of NSLU in their possession to the successor of the office.
Section 5: Secretary and their duties:
A. Participate in all SC meetings, participate as a voting member, and keep a correct record of all meeting proceedings;
B. Be responsible for the maintenance of the recorded proceedings of all NSLU meetings and all records, files, and correspondence of NSLU;
C. In consultation with the Treasurer, supervise the maintenance of such membership lists as may be required by NSLU;
D. Turn over all records, contracts, membership lists, and other documents and property of NSLU in their custody to the successor of the office;
E. Read all documents and conduct general correspondence of NSLU that does not pertain directly to the duties of other officers, and keep these on file for future reference. Bring to the attention of the membership any correspondence upon which membership action is required.
Section 6: Chapter Representatives (2 people per store) and their duties:
A. Must be elected by the membership of their unit/chapter via secret ballot election;
B. Represent their respective chapter/unit’s needs and interests to the larger membership and shares information from SC meetings back to their respective stores;
C. Participate in SC meetings and vote on necessary items.
D. Become trained as and act as a shop steward.
Section 7: Term of Office:
The term of each steering committee office shall commence on January 1st , and shall end on December 31st of the same year.
Section 8: Term Limits
Nobody shall serve more than seven (7) total years on the Steering Committee.
Section 9: Removal:
A. If the SC determines a committee member is failing to adequately represent the membership or fails to meet the minimum responsibilities of office ( for example: bylaws violations, fiduciary breaches or acts clearly detrimental to the union) they can remove said officer or committee member from office with a ⅔ majority vote of the SC and all union members present at the meeting.
B. After serving ninety days in office, every officer and committee member, including appointed offices, shall be subject to a recall by a majority vote upon a showing of interest by the union membership. A showing of interest shall consist of a petition alleging bylaws violations, fiduciary breaches or acts clearly detrimental to the union, signed by fifteen percent of members in good standing being submitted to the SC. For removing Chapter Representatives, a showing of interest petition must instead be signed by thirty percent of members in good standing within the Chapter Representative’s bargaining unit. Signatures on a showing of interest petition shall be valid for thirty days from the day of signing. The committee member subject to recall and any SC member signing the petition shall not vote on the question of a recall election. If a majority of the SC approves a recall election, the Election Committee shall supervise the recall election. Recall election will be decided by a simple majority vote of the membership.
Section 1: Formation
1.1 Workers Councils shall serve as the parliamentary body of NSLU at the shop level. As a result of this, Workers Councils shall include all members of an NSLU represented shop.
1.2 A Workers Council may be formed when the members of any represented NSLU store share with the Steering Committee their intent to form a Workers Council at their shop. Any NSLU represented shop may have no more than a single Workers Council representing its membership.
1.3 When notifying the Steering Committee of their intent to form a Workers Council, workers shall choose a name for their Workers Council.
Section 2: Workers Council Decision Making
2.1 Workers Councils must function in a democratic nature; empowering and uplifting the voices of all workers at their shop. Workers Councils may determine the exact method by which their democratic processes occur, but they must operate in a manner which does not intentionally exclude fellow shop workers.
2.2 Workers Councils shall operate as direct democracies, allowing workers direct decision-making abilities in their union. No worker at a shop may be barred from participating in the democratic processes of the Workers Council.
2.3 In the event that a member of a Workers Council cannot be present for a meeting, they may delegate another individual to represent them in any decisions that occur at said meeting. Should an individual wish to do this, they must notify the Workers Council prior to the meeting.
Section 3: Duties and Functions of the Workers Councils
3.1 Workers Councils shall serve as the primary body through which the workers take cooperative action at the shop level. Workers Councils shall hold primary responsibility over organizing campaigns, collective action, and communications which occur at the shop-level.
3.2 Should they wish to do so, a Workers Council may vote to pass a resolution upward to the Steering Committee through a majority vote in favor of the resolution. Any such resolution may then be adopted by the broader union, should it be passed by a majority vote in the Steering Committee or through a majority of Workers Councils approving the same resolution.
Section 1: Steering Committee Meetings
1.1 The Steering Committee shall meet no less than once per calendar month. The time and place of such meetings shall be determined by the Steering Committee and immediately published to the membership.
1.2 All votes taken on main motions by the Steering Committee shall be taken via roll call. The minutes and voting records from all Steering Committee meetings shall be released to the membership.
1.3 All members of the Steering Committee holding multiple offices shall hold only one vote.
1.4 Members of the Steering Committee may vote by proxy. The proxy must be a member of the SC. No member of the Steering Committee shall act as proxy for more than one other member. Proxy votes held do not count for the purpose of meeting quorum.
Section 2: Membership Meetings
2.1 A membership meeting shall be convened no less than quarterly. The time and place of such meetings shall be determined by the membership and published immediately. Each member in good standing shall have the right to speak and to one vote in all matters of the meeting.
2.2 A member who becomes unruly may be excluded from such meeting by the vote of 2/3rds of the members present or by decision of the chair subject to the appeal of 1/3rd of the members present.
2.3 The Steering Committee may call extraordinary membership meetings in addition to those times and places determined by the membership. The time, place, and business of such meetings shall be published immediately to the entire membership.
Section 3: Open Meetings:
Meetings of all bodies of NSLU shall be open to any member in good standing.
Section 4: Closed Meetings:
Any NSLU body may decide to go into closed session by a 75% vote of those present and voting, a quorum being present. Under such circumstances, they may exclude any person except their own members.
Section 5: Parliamentary Authority
Questions of a parliamentary nature shall be decided by the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.
Section 1:
The regular monthly membership dues of NSLU shall be ………. percent of the members’ gross straight-time hourly pay earned under any collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the union.
Section 2:
Five (5) percent of dues received shall be deposited in a solidarity and hardship fund to assist members facing financial hardship.
Section 3:
No less than ten (10) percent of dues received shall be deposited in the strike fund. Such funds shall be drawn only for the purposes of supporting a strike.
Section 1:
These Bylaws shall be deemed ratified upon majority vote of those voting in an election called for that purpose by members.
Section 2. Amendments
Amendments to the bylaws shall be made by the simple majority of members voting in an election called for such a purpose. Amendments shall be brought to election by either the petition of 5% of the members, or by a motion at a membership or steering committee meeting.
Bylaws elections shall be conducted by digital secret ballot. The full text of the amendment proposed shall be circulated in advance of the election. The Union shall conduct the election within two (2) weeks and it shall be open for two (2) weeks. Unless otherwise submitted, amendments shall be effective immediately.
Section 3. Powers of Authority
3.1 The powers of authority shall be ranked in order as follows: First and greatest, acts made by the membership by referendum or election; Second, acts made by the membership in membership meetings; Third, in acts ratified by the majority of worker’s councils; Fourth in the Steering Committee of the Union; Fifth, in the Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee; Sixth, in the Standing Committees; and Seventh and least, in the Co-Chairs of the Standing Committees.
3.2 No lower authority shall violate the decision of a higher authority.
3.3 The following decisions shall be reserved for the membership:
A. The approval or amendment of initial bargaining demands, where the membership voting may be subdivided to reflect the members who would work under the agreement.
B. The decision, by referendum, to sanction a strike. Nevertheless the exact details of the strike may be decided by a lower authority and the membership voting may be subdivided to reflect the appropriate unit for the strike.
C. The ratification of all agreements with employers, where the membership voting may be subdivided to reflect the members who would work under the agreement.
D. The decision, by referendum, to join or affiliate with outside organizations.
E. The approval or amendment of an operating budget.
F. The sanctioning of political policy and candidates.
Section 4. Quorum:
4.1 For the membership meetings of NSLU, 30 members must be present for the meeting to act.
4.2 For the steering committee, 50% of the committee’s members must be present for the meeting to act.
4.3 Workers Council quorum shall be set by the Workers Council membership, but must be no less than 5% of the represented body.
4.4 The quorum for all other union committees may be set from time to time by the membership, otherwise the quorum shall be 50% of the committee’s members.
Section 5. Appeals of Decisions
Any member, regardless of standing, aggrieved by any action or inaction of the Union shall have the right to appeal the decision of any body of the Union to any higher authority, except that decisions of membership meetings shall not be appealed to a referendum.
Any member aggrieved by the decision not to escalate a grievance to arbitration or otherwise execute or enforce the member’s perceived contractual or legal rights shall appeal first to the Co-Chairs of the Union.
Section 1: Purpose
The purpose of Honoraria or Stipends for a union that is worker run and worker led is to remove potential barriers to participation in leadership.
Section 2: Setting of Honoraria and Stipends
All decisions regarding honoraria or stipends must be ratified by the membership by secret ballot to be in effect.
Section 3: Partmaximum
In no circumstance may the total honoraria, stipends, or wages paid to a union officer, staff member, or appointee be more than twice the lowest hourly rate paid under a collective bargaining agreement of NSLU.
Section 4: Lost Time
Union designees shall be entitled to actual lost time away from work at their straight-time rate of pay for time spent in service of NSLU, should the overall financial position of the union so allow.
Section 1: Bargaining Committee Structure
1.1 The Bargaining Committee shall be elected by general membership by secret ballot. The Bargaining Committee shall comprise at minimum a number of representatives equal to the number of stores currently organized by the Union, with at least one representative per store.
1.2 The Bargaining Committee will consist only of members in good standing.
1.3 The Bargaining Committee shall appoint a Chief Negotiator from among its members.
1.4 The Steering Committee Co-Chairs shall be ex-officio members of the Bargaining Committee.
This section shall come into effect following the ratification of the first contract.
Section 2: Bargaining Committee Duties
2.1 The duties of the Bargaining Committee shall be:
A. To allow membership to determine the priorities of contract negotiations,
B. To keep membership informed of the status and progress of contract negotiations,
C. To submit a tentative agreement to the members of the bargaining unit for ratification of the contract.
2.2 The Bargaining Committee shall collaborate with the standing committee on Organization to establish a plan of action to win the members’ demands.
Section 3: Contract Negotiations
3.1 The Bargaining Committee shall bargain with the company until a tentative agreement is reached.
3.2 The Bargaining Committee shall present the tentative agreement to membership for review and ratification via secret ballot.
Section 1:
If any provision of these by-laws is found to be unlawful or void, the remaining shall not be affected.
Section 1:
The Union shall establish the standing committees named in the following sections. Each committee shall have two (2) co-chairs who shall be elected by the membership to a term of July 1st to June 30th of the next year, and who shall be principally responsible for the functioning of the committee. The union may establish from time to time rules governing these committees and defining their membership.
Section 2. Grievances
The Grievances committee shall be responsible for the enforcement of collective bargaining agreements and the training, appointment, and removal of shop stewards.
Section 3: Organization
The Organization Committee shall be responsible for the internal and external organization of workers. It shall oversee contract campaigns, job action campaigns and the organization of new units of workers into NSLU.
Section 4: Communications
The Communications Committee shall be responsible for the Union’s member communications, newsletters, printed matter, social media, and press.
Section 5: Research
The Research Committee shall be responsible for conducting corporate and economic research, and shall report their findings to the appropriate committees.
Section 6: Rules and Elections
The Rules and Elections committee shall be responsible for conducting all secret ballot elections and reviewing the bylaws and actions of NSLU. No member of the rules and elections committee may hold office in the steering committee, or any other committee.
The Rules and Elections committee shall conduct, no less than annually, an audit of the Union’s books and shall report their findings to the steering committee and the membership.
Section 7: Solidarity and Education
The Solidarity and Education committee shall maintain the Union’s coalition and solidarity relationships with other organizations; shall attend to member education generally.
Section 1: Nominations
1.1 All members in good standing shall have the exclusive right to nominate and run for office.
1.2 Nominations to the steering committee shall be opened on November 1st of each year and closed on November 30th.
1.3 Nominations to standing committees shall be opened on May 1st and close on May 31st.
1.4 Nominations may be given from the floor at membership meetings or submitted in writing to the Union.
Section 2: Elections
Elections shall be conducted by digital secret ballot using ranked-choice voting.
Section 3: Vacancies
All vacancies shall be filled by special election.
