Galaxe Pride At Work Charter
Revised January 1, 2003
Mission Statement
Galaxe Pride At Work is a formal organization for Xerox employees who are or who
support gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered persons. Galaxe Pride At Work's
mission is to offer support and visibility within Xerox and beyond to its members,
and to provide an official point of contact between its membership and Xerox Corporation,
as well as with other gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender organizations external
to Xerox.
Founding Principles
- Open Membership: Galaxe Pride At Work is open to all Xerox employees, without
regard to employment status, handicap, race, color, religious belief, sex,
age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation,
gender identity, or veteran's status.
- Structural Concept: Galaxe Pride At Work is a vehicle for communication
of the opinions and concerns of its members, not a traditional “governing
body.”
- Self-Direction: Galaxe Pride At Work is a democratic organization. The
membership of Galaxe Pride At Work hold the sole authority to determine its
direction, to choose its representatives and liaisons, and to determine its
position on social, political, or employee issues.
Goals
- To provide a support network for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
people at Xerox.
- To serve as a liaison between the Galaxe Pride At Work membership and Xerox
Corporation, and other organizations outside of Xerox.
- To work with Xerox Corporation to recognize and address the needs and concerns
of its bisexual, gay, and lesbian employees, and to support the development
and implementation of Xerox policies and procedures pertaining to the value
of a diverse work force.
Membership
Individuals can register themselves as members of Galaxe Pride At Work (necessary
for voting) by contacting the Membership Chair through electronic or hardcopy
mail. There are two levels of membership, Full Member and Associate Member:
Full Members are Xerox Corporation employees and retirees in good standing
with the corporation, with voting privileges.
Associate are non-Xerox employees and honorary members of subsidiaries
and partners or other groups, with no voting privileges, cannot hold board
positions or nominate in election process and no dues required.
Service Board
Galaxe Pride At Work is administered and facilitated by a Service Board, consisting
of:
- Two Co-Chairs, one male and one female
- A Membership Chair
- A Communications Chair
- An Education Chair
- A Conference and Events Chair
- A Facilitator
- A Secretary
- A Treasurer
- Any Full Member may be elected to a Service Board Position. The Service
Board is elected by the full members of Galaxe Pride At to represent Galaxe
Pride At Work and its official positions.
- Service Board terms are two years in length. Positions may be staggered
at the discretion of the service board.
- Members of the Service Board are accountable to the Galaxe Pride At Work
membership for their activities and communications. If the Galaxe Pride At
Work membership feels that any member of the Service Board has failed to perform
satisfactorily, that member may be removed from office by a no confidence
vote of 3/5-majority of the membership.
Roles:
- Co-Chairs
- Act as the corporate liaison;
- Facilitate the well-being and continued growth of the organization;
- Initiate special elections that may be required in the event an officeholder
is unable to complete his or her term.
- Membership Chair
- Maintain member relations, grow the membership, and maintain accurate
membership records.
- Conduct membership polls and elections to the Service Board
- Every January the Membership Chair will confirm that the membership listing
is current.
- Maintain membership Distribution List
- Communications Chair
- Increase the awareness of Galaxe Pride At Work members through various
media such as the newsletter and the website;
- Communicate the positions of Galaxe Pride At Work in media releases,
public contacts, and diversity awareness activities;
- Work to increase the awareness of the organization, both inside and outside
of Xerox;
- Education Chair
- Increase Xerox and external communities' understanding of the needs and
concerns of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees (e.g. diversity
training);
- Enhance professional development and mentoring of the membership;
- Serve as a contact for Galaxe Pride At Work members seeking information
and clarification on Xerox Corporation's Non-Discrimination Policies regarding
sexual orientation.
- Conference and Events Chair
- Coordinate all aspects of national Galaxe Pride At Work conferences;
- Encourage and facilitate events bringing Galaxe Pride At Work members
together.
- Facilitator
- Select an appropriate voting process for polling the membership and reaching
group consensus.
- Ensure compliance with Xerox Internet/E-mail Policy
- Facilitate group interaction using the Leadership Through Quality tools
and to ensure the appropriate and professional comportment of all participants,
including in electronic communications.
- Special Requirements:
- Facilitators must remain neutral and objective. They may not defend
any particular position in their role as facilitator, nor influence any
group decision through their facilitation.
- Secretary
- Maintain accurate records of Galaxe Pride At Work activities, policies,
and decisions;
- Conduct correspondence with external gay, lesbian, and bisexual organizations;
- Maintain archives of Galaxe Pride At Work correspondence and activities,
both internal and external;
- Record, and distribute to the Galaxe Pride At Work membership, minutes
of Galaxe Pride At Work Service Board meetings;
- Ensure recording and distribution of minutes from ad hoc committee meetings.
- Treasurer
- Develop annual budget for the organization, and coordinate requests for
funds from Xerox Corporation;
- Collect, pay out, and be responsible for any Galaxe Pride At Work moneys
as directed by the Service Board;
- Maintain accurate records of Galaxe Pride At Work finances.
Conducting Business
Any Galaxe Pride At Work member may introduce a proposal, subject to a vote of
approval of the membership, which empowers a Service Board member or other member
to conduct Galaxe Pride At Work business. This may include, but is not limited
to, the deciding of Galaxe Pride At Work policies or official positions, the selection
of special committees, instructions to Spokespersons, the election or removal
of Service Board members, and any financial affairs the membership may deem necessary.
Special Committees
Ad Hoc committees, answering to the Galaxe Pride At Work membership, may be formed
to work on specific projects, such as developing proposals for membership vote,
or organizing special membership activities. Ad Hoc committees are subject to
all normal provisions of the Charter, including communications and conducting
business.
Chapters
Galaxe Pride At Work members are empowered, and encouraged, to create local organizations
within the boundaries of the Galaxe Pride At Work charter.
Voting
Voting privileges are accorded all full members. For an election of Service Board
members, the Facilitator will distribute and tally ballots. For routine polling
of the membership (e.g. voting on Galaxe Pride At Work platform issues), the Facilitators
will select and administer the most appropriate method to reach consensus or majority
opinion. If an electorate is running unopposed, the Secretary may cast one vote,
substituting a full tally of all full members.
Election of Service Board Members
Nominees: Any member may run for any office of Galaxe Pride At Work.
Election:
Nominating period will last 2 weeks prior to election period.
In the case of a “tie” (equal number of votes for two
or more candidates) a 'runoff' election will be held immediately following
between the tied candidates.
Amendments
Any member, committee, or chapter may propose amendments to this Charter. The
Galaxe Pride At Work Facilitator will conduct a vote on such amendment proposals.
A simple majority is sufficient for adoption.
Revised January 1, 2003:
- Clarified “members”, full (voting) and associated (non-voting).
Associates may not vote or hold office due to Xerox Corporation stipulation
for employee resource groups.
- Added voting clause to include one vote by secretary for unopposed electorate.
This will simplify future elections if candidates are running unopposed.
- Various small changes in wording.
- Board positions terms are 2 years in length, all elections will be held
this year, 2002.
Changes made for June 16, 1999:
- By membership vote, name changed from 'GALAXe' to 'Galaxe Pride At Work'
- By membership vote, Service Board terms changed from August-July to January-December.
In order to accommodate this change, Service Board members elected in August
1999 will serve from August 1999 to December 2000.
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