Volunteer orientations are held the third Sunday of each month. It is a good idea to read through this page before attending. Let us know if you are planning to attend: volunteer@maydaybooks.net

May Day Goals
• To provide the best possible selection of materials that are of use, value, and importance to the struggles of working people.
• To support local (and non-local, when possible) radical artists and authors by consigning their wares or purchasing them outright, and by displaying their work.
• To provide an example to the community of an experiment in radical participatory democracy, and of how a worker-run collective can be successfully accomplished and sustained.
• To provide a free library with as large and extensive a selection as possible for all those living in the community-at-large, who respect and abide by the rules of the library.
• To be a safe, comfortable, and non-discriminatory clearinghouse for activists to share resources.
• To organize educational events (films, book readings, forums, etc) for the general public.
• To operate as a not-for-profit center, where all money made goes back into replenishing our stock and serving the community.
• To give support and solidarity to groups and persons who share common values, as well as those working for the rights of working people in our community and around the globe.

Current Operational Structure for May Day

The following applies to all collective members and volunteers of May Day Books and Infoshop; and shall be made available to all new volunteers, to any member upon request, and put in an easily accessible location within the store.
Summary: May Day Books will be operated by unpaid staff. A core collective has final decision-making power on all matters pertaining to the store’s operational viability. A body of volunteers who have chosen to have a lesser level of involvement than the collective members are encouraged to attend and participate in discussion at meetings. The majority of the day-to-day operational decisions will be made and carried out by the various working groups, provided that they abide by the consensed-upon bylaws of the organization and decisions made by the collective.
Decision Making
• Decisions at the general meetings shall be made by simple majority unless the use of consensus minus one is agreed to by the majority present in any given meeting. To vote you must be a collective member.
Meetings
• Minutes of all meetings shall be kept in an easily accessible location within the store. The minutes shall be a record of all decisions made in the meetings.
• Monthly meetings will be the time at which collective members’ dues are taken and recorded. Members who cannot attend a meeting but wish to pay dues must consult with a member of the finance working group.
• Meeting announcements will be sent out on the list serve at least 3 days prior to meetings, with at least 2 days notice for emergency meetings. No meetings will be held on January 1, May 1, Thanksgiving, or December 24, 25, or 31st. Meeting times and locations shall be published on the infoshop shift calendar and web site.
• A quorum of 3 collective members is necessary for decisions to be ratified. Official business may be conducted at a non-general meeting that makes quorum, but decisions MUST BE REVIEWED AND APPROVED at the next monthly general meeting that makes quorum.

The Collective
To be considered part of the collective, a member must fulfill the necessary responsibilities outlined below on an ongoing basis.
The requirements for being considered for collective membership shall be as follows:
• at least 4 months of continuous involvement, fulfilling the following requirements (except for dues payments)
• active participation in at least 2 working groups
• regular attendance at both working group and general meetings
• holding a regular weekly shift, defined as 75%, or 39 out of 52, weeks per year. Collective members must also demonstrate responsibility in having folks cover shifts when they can’t make it.
• willingness to abide by both the agreed-upon decision-making structure of the group, and the decisions made via this process
• doing the equivalent of at least 4 hours a month in actual labor at the Theater. This can include: construction projects, general cleaning, maintenance/improvement of structures, helping with office work, etc.
• demonstrating a sense of responsibility, initiative, and maturity in your dealings with the many intricacies, problems, and complexities of the store
• Situations where collective members’ status is called into question (e.g., if someone has lapsed in terms of fulfilling the requirements), shall be considered on a case-by-case basis by the members of the collective, upon the initiative of any one collective member. Decisions made regarding this issue will require a (no less than) 70% majority vote.
Prospective collective members must be voted in by the current collective. It is necessary that the collective be a group of people who are able to work together as a group. For volunteers applying to join the collective, a 4 month period of fulfilling the above requirements will begin when the volunteer declares their intention to be a collective member at a general meeting. Their acceptence within the collective will then be consensed on at the next general meeting following a 4 month period.
• The volunteers and collective members will meet at least once a month at a ‘general meeting’. Quorum for all decisions requires that at least 3 collective members be present. All decisions will be made voted on by the collective — but only after hearing input from both volunteers in an open meeting. It is possible for volunteers to overturn decisions made by the collective. For rules concerning the overturning of the collective’s decisions, see "volunteers", below.

The Working Groups
• The many working groups of May Day shall be open to any and all volunteers who may wish to join. Each working group shall have at least one collective member who participates in the group. If there is a problem concerning who is to be considered a member of a specific working group, it shall be determined by the present members of that group, in accordance with the spirit of these bylaws. Only if they seem incapable of making the decision shall it be taken to a general meeting for mediation, on their own initiative.
• The working groups shall each develop their own set of bylaws concerning their operations. These bylaws must include the following information, which shall be posted in an easily-accessible location:
• when, where, and how often meetings take place
• the particular mission of the group
• if necessary a budget for the group approved by the collective
• what is asked/required of those participating in the group in order to be considered a member
• the requirements and responsibilities asked of the particular delegate of the group, and a description of the process by which the delegates are to be chosen and maintained.
• It shall be understood that the working groups shall operate as the main forces behind the day-to-day functioning of the store, and that they must be both organized and empowered to this end. As such, it shall be understood that the working groups shall be the main route for new volunteers to become plugged-in to the bookstore in an important and empowering way.
• Any working group that does not appear to be functioning properly, or is believed to be making decisions above and beyond what is thought of as appropriate by a collective member, is subject to review by the collective; who will then decide what will be done to remedy the situation.
• All working groups shall have at least one designated delegate whose responsibility it is to make a monthly report of the group’s past and future activities at monthly meetings, and to submit to the group any idea/proposal for which the working group has decided they need collective approval/support. Working groups who do not fulfill this function regularly for meetings shall have their status as a group reviewed by the collective, and appropriate steps shall be taken to remedy whatever problems are causing the failure of the group to communicate with the larger body.
• Only collective members of the Finance Working Group shall have the authority to sign checks and allocate money from the infoshop financial accounts.

List of working groups
• merchandise ordering
• volunteer orientation
• maintenance/construction
• consignment
• finance
• fundraising/grant-writing
• archives
• lending library
• publicity/outreach
• tabling
• computer/website

Overturning Decisions of the Collective
Special volunteer votes to overturn decisions made by the collective, expel a collective member, or expel a volunteer; shall require a quorum of 10 volunteers who have performed a weekly shift for 13 out of 15 consecutive weeks (4 months). In addition, any votes for expulsion must include at least 2 collective members. The volunteers shall make their decision based on either consensus-minus-one, or a 70% majority vote, whichever they decide to use.

Our Relationship With the Theater
• It shall be understood that from the beginning, our agreement with the Theater has been such that we are expected to contribute volunteer labor at the Theater in exchange for their keeping our rent affordable, and allowing us to occupy the space.
• Although the Theater does not necessarily always operate according to our particular standards of democratic and worker-controlled organizing, we nonetheless believe that our two organizations can exist together in a shared space and keep the spirit of mutual aid alive.
• The attitude that because we pay rent to the Theater, we can use the space of the lobby however any one volunteer sees fit and on their whim, shall not be tolerated by the Theater or the collective.
• It shall be understood that all volunteers shall treat our fellow workers at the Theater with respect and dignity, and it is highly suggested that all volunteers attempt to forge working relationships with those folks.
• Volunteers should familiarize themselves with the events at the Theater, so as to help any theater-patrons that have questions.
• Other ways to help maintain cordial relations with the Theater:
• Don’t take up lots of space in the lobby with paperwork, etc. Theater folks often use it, as the rest of the lobby is actually TNC space, not bookstore space.
• Make sure that the store, front lobby, and sidewalk areas are kept clean and free of debris.
• Help to keep folks in the store and lobby quiet while there are shows going on.
• Acknowledge the existence of the Theater workers; say hi, introduce yourself!
• Good hygiene is important to both the Theater and the Bookstore; both for patrons and for our fellow workers! You are engaging the general public.
• Let the collective folks and the Theater know if you have any special skills with which you’d like to help the Theater out.
• Take responsibility for folks who you know aren’t Theater-patrons that hang out in the space. We need to help each other with security, because the Theater and the bookstore both have problems with folks abusing the space (eg, graffiti, theft, noise, garbage, etc). You should be prepared to explain the situation to anyone who occupies the space in the lobby for more than an hour. If you’re unsure about a situation, call a collective member or find a Theater worker to help you!