[omni-consensus] Application to Become a Member Collective: TANC (fwd) - sudo-discuss

6 Jul 2023

Hi Sudoroom,

this proposal came in today.  I haven't read much of it but it looks ok to me
so I would be inclined to vote in favor of the proposal on behalf of sudoroom.

As our delegate to the Omni Commons meetings, I represent our collective will
about issues like this.  If Sudoroom discusses this then I can forward and
represent whatever we agree on according to our own bylaws.

I would love for someone else to step up and act as sudoroom delegate instead
of me!  I am not available to make all the meetings anyway so if we want
representation someone else will have to step in in august at least.

-jake

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2023 13:58:18 -0700
From: Daniel Tutt &lt;daniel.g.tutt(a)gmail.com&gt;
To: consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org, discuss(a)omnicommons.org
Subject: [omni-consensus] Application to Become a Member Collective: TANC

Hi all,

Been at the last couple delegate meetings and talking with some of you, but
here's the official application for TANC (the tenant union,
https://baytanc.com/) to become a member collective at the Omni! This is
also going up for a vote at the TANC assembly in later July, so it would
have to be tentative until then, but my sense is there is broad support! We
could move in as early as August, though perhaps September is more
realistic.

Also, TANC is a 509a2 organization, which is under the 501c3 umbrella.

Thank you,
Dani
TANC Onboarding Coordinator

*1. What do you do that makes a difference in the world?*

TANC is a tenant union, so we are tenants getting organized to fight back
against the landlord class. From our website:

We are a group of Bay Area tenants who are fed up with rising rents,
evictions, and harassment at the hands of landlords. We are fed up with our
neighbors having no option but to live unsheltered and at constant risk of
police harassment. We want to stop landlords, developers, and cops from
looting our communities.
Capitalism is what connects all of these housing issues. Profit has been
prioritized over our quality of life. There is only one way to push against
a system that exploits our need for housing: we have to get organized.
Together we can take collective action, and begin to force overdue rent
reductions across the Bay Area.

If you or someone you know wants to organize for lower rents, timely
maintenance, end landlord harassment, or focus on any other housing
issue—reach out to us.

*2. **Briefly recap your history as an organization.*

TANC was founded in 2018, and has grown since then, splitting into multiple
union locals and approving an official constitution. We now have about 800
dues paying members and are actively organizing multiple buildings at any
time.

*3. How do you make decisions? How many people are involved?*

TANC has various ways of making decisions, detailed here
<https://baytanc.com/constitution/>. Organization-wide decisions are made
at monthly assemblies or yearly conventions by vote of the membership. At
least 20 people must vote to make a quorum for any decision, and it's
currently rare to have more than 60 people vote.

*4. Please include links to any organizing documents you may have: bylaws,
mission statement, etc.*

Same link as above, here <https://baytanc.com/constitution/>.

*5. State your goals for becoming an Omni member collective. How would your
presence in the Omni contribute to its purpose and Statement of Solidarity?*

TANC organizes working class tenants, generally aligns with the statement
of solidarity, and also puts a lot of effort into language justice. The
union also has many members and should be able to contribute consistently
to the culture and operations of the Omni.

*6. What dedicated space do you need? What will you do in it? (For example:
office, work space, etc)*

TANC would be looking to move our office to the Omni. We use the office for
union work, meetings, some storage, and weekly office hours.

*7. What shared space do you need? What will you do with it?*

TANC already uses the Omni shared space for our North-West local meetings
and our conventions and other large events. We plan to continue doing so,
and would pay similar rates while the OMNI is in financial difficulty.

*8. Will you need to modify the building? (Include floor plans if that
makes your proposal clearer.)*

We've looked at an office space upstairs, currently being rented unused by
the Chiapas Support Committee and the Global Woman's Strike groups, with
the understanding that they would be happy to hand over the space. No
modifications necessary!

*9. How much are you able to pay?*

TANC can pay $700 per month for the office space.