January 2008 Local Meeting
From SP Boston
The Socialist Party of Boston met at noon on Sunday, 27 January 2007 in the Lucy Parsons Center. We addressed several upcoming events, including the fundraising concert, a benefit for the Boston Workers Alliance, labor issues at the Harvest Co-op Markets, the upcoming state convention, and the presidential campaign. For more information, check out the full minutes below.
[edit] Agenda
- Introductions and agenda approval
- Upcoming events and actions
- Harvest Board of Directors meeting Monday afternoon -- solidarity contingent for workers?
- Rescheduling fundraising concert -- sounds like we need a new date and venue (note ABNA concert, Saturday, 1 March)
- SP-Mass State Convention in Worcester, 16 February -- organize carpools, consider business worth raising, discuss schedule
- BWA benefit in Dorchester (2/17) -- table?
- International Women's Day (8 March)
- Spring antiwar actions (fifth anniversary of 2003 invasion in March) -- demonstrations, Winter Soldier
- Presidential campaign
- On ballot in VT, through Liberty Union Party
- Look into RI and Mass ballot access
- Fundraising issues
- Candidate tours in summer or fall?
- Organizing educational events -- speakers or film screenings
- Mass Alliance campaign manager training, 22-23 February
- New members -- JB, MS, campaign volunteer
- Contacted by email by DS, no responses.
- Structure for getting new members involved, oriented, and active (comes to my mind from reading Calling All Radicals)?
- Elect new Local Executive Committee
- Currently composed of a Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer, the LEC takes primary responsibility for dealing with the day-to-day business of operating the SP Boston -- responding to queries, contacting new members, managing the bank account and Web site, and so on. The LEC can also make preliminary decisions on approving new members and expenditures, particularly in time-sensitive situations, subject to review by the membership.
- Can consider changing the composition -- adding members at large, organizer, or Web manager positions, etc.
- The Socialist subscription has expired
- Discuss renewal, and how many copies to get
- A related issue is how best to manage the copies we do get
[edit] Minutes
- Introductions and agenda approval
- The meeting was attended by Matt A., Chas H., and David S. Ben and Miriam attended to check out the SP. Chris F. sent regrets due to his work schedule. Poor weather was blamed for the low turnout.
- Upcoming events and actions
- Matt reported on the situation at the Harvest Co-op, where a pro-union employee has just been terminated on a transparent pretense. He asked those who could to attend the Harvest Board of Directors meeting on Monday evening, 29 January, to support the workers as they demanded the Board take action to investigate and correct the situation.
- Chris P. was not available to give a full update on the status of the fundraising concert. Working on the assumption that the Democracy Center will not work as a venue, Matt will get back in touch with the Middle East, to see what times would be available in coming weeks. Chas reported that Welfare Records in Haverhill would cost as much as the Middle East, without the benefit of a central location. Chas also suggested that his brother's band "Killer Mold" might be interested in performing.
- David announced the State Convention in Worcester on 16 February, the Mass Alliance campaign manager training, and recent ballot access news from the presidential campaign.
- David and Matt discussed potential campaigns for other offices in New England, including Todd Vachon's congressional candidacy in Connecticut.
- David will contact the Boston Workers Alliance to get details about tabling at their benefit in Dorchester or 17 February.
- Planning for International Women's Day was tabled due to lack of quorum. It will need to be addressed before the next local meeting on 24 February if plans are to be made.
- Ben brought up the case of Amber Abreu, in danger of seven years in prison for "attempted abortion", and shared some material of the Internationalist Group on the issue. Matt raised the idea of tying in the case with International Women's Day events.
- In view of the low turnout for this meeting, we decided to hold an informal get-together very quickly, at noon on Saturday, 2 February, in Java Jo's (3710 Washington St. in Jamaica Plain, near the Forest Hills station). We expect to have updates on the Harvest situation, more information about our own concert as well as the BWA benefit, and an opportunity to plan for International Women's Day.
- New members -- JB, MS, campaign volunteer
- Contacted by email by David, no responses.
- Matt will phone JB and MS when he has a chance
- The LEC election was postponed due to lack of quorum.
- February/March bulletin and mailing
- David distributed a very incomplete draft of the February/March SP Boston Bulletin.
- Matt will provide a summary of the situation at the Harvest for the bulletin.
- In addition to the bulletin, David will include copies of the SP's International Women's Day flyer and an invitation (with maps and directions) to the state convention with the bulletin. The invitation and directions have yet to be written.
- Ideally the mailing will be sent off around the end of the coming week.
- The high point of the meeting came when David showed off the incredibly awesome mailing labels he had been able to create. Nobody else seemed much impressed, but then nobody else has had to send out dozens of mailings every other month.
- Matt will send in a check drawn on the SP Boston account for a 50-issue bulk subscription to The Socialist (starting with the 2008 International Women's Day issue) to the National Office.