Chapter Delegates Convene

Chapter delegates convened for a Chapter Convention on November 12 prior to the formal opening of the First Constitutional Convention.

Bill Shortell of the Connecticut chapter was unanimously voted chair of the Chapter Convention. Shortell read attendance and introduced Labor Party National Organizer Tony Mazzocchi, who announced that as of Nov. 11, 1207 delegates had registered, and there were so far 197 chapter delegates from 36 delegations.

Sean Sweeney of the New York Metro Chapter, a chapter representative on the Interim National Council (INC) and a member of the resolutions committee, pointed out that of the 113 resolutions submitted for the convention, "90 percent came from chapters. We are the political driving force of the Labor Party, trying to move ideas and campaigns forward. But if a chapter sends 10 or 15 resolutions, then we also have an obligation to recruit members."

Each chapter delegation then gave a brief report on their chapter’s activities to date. Some chapters reported significant activity and growth, others told of membership stagnation or decline. Many chapters experienced a surge of activity and membership before and after the founding convention, then lost steam and members after the Labor Party required an affirmative statement for chapter membership. Most of the chapters represented took the 28th Amendment Campaign door to door. Almost all reported that they had gotten a high percentage of people to sign the petition, but few if any new members through the Campaign. Most said they had trouble sustaining the door-to-door work, but were enthusiastic about focusing on the Just Healthcare campaign.

Delegates then debated and voted on the rules for selecting chapter representatives to the INC. They voted to retain the same five regions: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic; Plains; Western states; and South. Elections were then held, including runoffs for the Mid-Atlantic and Western regions. Results are: Northeast (Region 1): Sean Sweeney of NY Metro. Mid-Atlantic (Region 2): Lisa Frank of Pittsburgh. Plains (Region 3): Dan McCarthy of Detroit. West (Region 4): Gary Holloway of Los Angeles. South (Region 5): Mark Dimondstein of North Carolina.

After discussion, delegates amended and unanimously adopted a motion made by David Walters of the Golden Gate Chapter. The resolution, intended as a sense of the body to be communicated to the full convention, states that the Labor Party will endeavor to organize all members into local LP bodies, be they chapters, organizing committees or union-based chapters and clubs. To help do this, all these LP bodies should be provided with a listing of all members within their jurisdictions. Also, each issue of the Labor Party Press should include a listing of the chapters. Delegates agreed that INC chapter reps should decide jurisdictional disputes among chapters in their regions, and that the chapters should compile themselves an accurate listing of active chapters for publication in the Press.

Day One Summary | Day Two Summary
Day Three Summary | Summary Index

More Information About the Labor Party

Summaries Produced by Peter Gilmore, Michael Kaufman, and Laura McClure.

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