Standing Rules

Society of American Archivists
Labor Archives Section

STANDING RULES

I                  NAME.  The name of the section shall be the Labor Archives Section.

II                MISSION.  The mission of the section is to promote communication among archivists, labor organizations, researchers, and institutions concerned with records in the field of labor, to advocate for the preservation of and access to labor records, and to develop and advance cooperative strategies and guidelines for ensuring comprehensive documentation of the labor movement. The business meeting at the annual SAA conference is the main forum for section members to discuss how to fulfill their mission.

III             MEMBERS.  Membership in the section shall be determined according to the guidelines established in Section IX. of the SAA Governance Manual.

IV              GOVERNANCE. 

A Bylaws and Standing Rules

 These standing rules of the Labor Archives Section shall serve as a supplement to the SAA Section Bylaws, which govern all SAA sections. Please refer to Section IX. Sections of the SAA Governance Manual for information on membership, section election procedures, reporting requirements, and more. 

B       Officers. 

The Co-Chairs serve as joint officers of the Section. Only individual members of SAA and the Labor Archives Section may hold these positions.

The Co-Chairs direct and report the activities of the Section, organize and conduct the annual meeting of the Section, hold elections, act as liaisons for the Roundtable to other bodies, appoint Section committees as needed, and handle administrative matters, including, but not limited to, annual reports to the SAA.

As officers, Co-Chairs serve two-year terms and, if re-elected, may serve as Co-Chair for a total of four years. Each is expected to attend the annual meeting.  Their terms are to be staggered such that no year will bring in two brand-new Co-Chairs (e.g., 2011-2013 and  2012-2014), so that an experienced Co-Chair will share leadership if at all possible at all times. If two new chairs are required, one will be designated as completing an unfinished term, and the other will begin a full two-year term.

C      Duties of Officers.  Officers shall fulfill those responsibilities specified in Section X. of the SAA Governance Manual.

D      Nominations.  The senior Co-Chair shall issue a call for nominations, including self-nominations, for the position of junior Co-Chair every June to all Section members via the section’s official email discussion list and website. A slate of candidates shall be established by the senior Co-Chair and announced to section members no later than June 15.

E      Elections.  Elections shall be conducted online with the assistance of the SAA staff and in accordance with guidelines for section elections as specified in Section IX. Sections of the SAA Governance Manual. Availability of the online ballot and deadline for voting shall be announced by the Chair to all section members via the section’s official email discussion list and website.

F     Appointments.  Section members may be appointed to leadership positions by the Co-Chairs.  Positions will be filled based on discussions by the section members at the annual meeting and/or via the section discussion list.

V                MEETINGS.  The section shall hold a meeting in conjunction with the SAA Annual Meeting and may meet at other times as deemed appropriate by the officers. The time and agenda shall be communicated in advance via the section’s official email discussion list and website.

VI              ACTIVITIES. The Section may undertake various projects to fulfill its mission. Activities will be approved by a majority vote by the membership at the annual meeting or via email, and implementation of projects will be overseen by the Co-Chairs with assistance by the membership.

VII            AMENDMENTS.  Amendments to these standing rules shall be determined by a majority vote of section members in a referendum held in conjunction with the section’s annual election. 

To ensure alignment with SAA’s governance documents, any amendments to the section’s standing rules should be reviewed by the executive director (or her/his designee) and the section’s Council liaison by May 1, before they are put forward in a referendum for vote by the section membership. Proposed amendments to the section’s standing rules will appear on the section’s annual election ballot for a final approval by a simple majority of the section’s membership. Any adopted amendments should be posted promptly to the section’s official microsite and be noted in the section’s next annual report to the Council. Any revisions to the section’s name or mission/description must be submitted to the Council for final approval. For more information on amendment procedures, see Section IX. Sections of the SAA Governance Manual.

Adopted by the Labor Archives Section membership on 07/17/13; approved by the SAA Council on 9/30/13. Updated per the member affinity group transition approved by the Council, August 2016.