Policies - Experimental Draft
From Bikerowiki
For the present please do not edit these pages unless you are on the Rules Committee, THANKS!
Below, the Rules Committee will start forming policies. We will begin by moving items out of the bylaws which we feel are better suited as policy rather than as bylaws.
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[edit] The BikeRoWave Inventory and Storage Policy
The BikeRoWave accepts no responsibility at anytime for any personal items while at the BikeRoWave. All Items are left there at your own risk. Swim at your own risk, bike at your own risk, leave your personal items at the BikeRoWave your own risk!
All Customers and Volunteers of the appropriate level are allowed storage of one project per person for a maximum of three months at the BikeRoWave provided that:
- There exists available room/space to store it, - The owner has paid for the project & associated parts (if BikeRoWave originated), - The owner has filled-out a completed RED Storage Tag® and received a Head Mechanics’ signature, - The owner has signed the "BikeRoWaiver," - The project is assigned a ‘Bikerowave Inventory Code Number’® or ‘BIC#’ (pronounced ‘bike-number’), - There is documented, continual progress made on the project, with no more than fifteen days between work dates.
All Items in the BRW, intended to be stored there or not, are to be logged into Inventory, and tagged with the appropriate colored Tag. As a courtesy, if anything is ‘found’ at the BRW, for which we cannot determine ownership, the item will receive a Yellow Tag for a period of 15-days, after which it will receive a special ‘BRW Red Tag’ for an additional 15-days before it is considered fully ‘abandoned’ and absorbed into BRW Inventory.
The Color Codes assigned to various projects are used to readily identify their Current Status.
The BRW Color Code System:
GREEN - Item is available for purchase as a BRW immediate sale. Buy it!!!
RED - Item is off-limits, it is a Personal Item that is already paid for. It is OFF-LIMITS! All Personal property and property on loan to BRW must have a RED Tag.
YELLOW - Item is in danger of lapsing into the status of 'Abandonment', or is 'lost'/'unclaimed'.
BLUE - Item is official BRW property, either purchased or received as a donation and is in most cases, not for sale.
Green tags: “For-Sale!” The information on the tag should contain a detailed description of the item and any corresponding parts and pricing.
Red Tags: “Red Means Stop!” The standard Red Tags are for individual ‘projects,’ and items on Loan to the BRW. The ‘Special’ BRW-Red Tags are for items which have been ‘Abandoned.’ Both kinds of Red tagged items are off-limits to all.
The Yellow Tag is intended as a ‘warning’ tag, and indicates that no progress has been made on a project for a period of 15 or more days. People are contacted and informed of their absence at this time. If you see a Yellow tag, on a friend’s project, use the opportunity to deride them and point out their slacker-nature! Yellow Tags are also used to mark 'lost' or 'unclaimed' items found at BRW. Pay attention to Yellow!
The Blue Tag is used to distinguish ‘BikeRoWave-Owned Property’ from items which might be otherwise confused with personal property & projects.(ie: we won’t be ‘blue-tagging’ every tool, stand, or chair, etc.) Normally these items are not for sale, however where applicable, (eg: Shop-Bikes, Trailer, Portable-Stand, etc.) they may be loaned, rented or utilized for BRW sanctioned purposes. (eg: committee usage, rental bikes, movie-night, community outreach, etc.)
Procedure:
All bikes, frames, wheels, accessories, bike related projects at any stage of completion, and any other practicable items saleable by BikeRoWave, either donated to BRW or purchased thereby, must be:
- Entered into the Inventory Log Book. - Assigned and attached a BikeRoWave Inventory Code Number® (aka ‘BIC #,’ pronounced ‘bike number’). *Might not be on smaller items - Assigned and attached a Green Tag®. *Might not be on smaller items.
*Smaller items (eg: bearings, ferrules, cable-housing, etc.) are difficult to tag the actual items, therefore such items will be given a ‘stock-UPC code’ which will be available ('scan-able') at the POS.
All bikes, frames, wheels, accessories, bike related projects at any stage of completion, real or imagined, including parts and/or accessories, and any other items of any kind claimed or owned by customers or volunteers of the appropriate level MUST BE PAID FOR IN-FULL PRIOR TO BEING ASSIGNED A RED TAG. The Red Tag® shall contain, but not be limited to, the following available information and conditions:
- Projects must be logged into the PROJECT LOG BOOK - Assigned a BIC # (a BikeRoWave Inventory Code Number®) - Given the Date entered into inventory - Type of item .(i.e., derailleur, road-bike, wheel, etc.) - Description: brand, model, serial #, size, color, whether new/used, components present. - BikeRoWave Suggested Retail Price. (ask a H.M. if you’re not sure) - Individuals MUST have signed the ‘BikeRoWaiver.’® (comprehensive waiver) (combined liability/personal property) - Individuals MUST provide a First and Last name. - Individuals MUST provide a Phone number. (e-mail address requested, but optional) - Individuals MUST provide a Date item is expected to leave BikeRoWave Storage. - Once completely filled-out, Individuals MUST get a Head Mechanic's Signature.
All 'special-orders' received by Inventory for projects outside of the BRW will be posted to the forum upon their arrival, and must be picked-up within a week. If more time is needed, special arrangements must be made with the Inventory Committee. It is against BRW policy to store any other personal property at the Bikerowave at any time. Exempt items include those used for general Shop-use and Committee-use, depending on available space. If for any reason, personal items are left in the BikeRoWave, they must be removed before the end of the next open-hours shift.
On a regular basis, the Inventory Committee will review the Project Logbook and note the status of the current Projects. As long as there is some continued level of progress being made, the project may remain in storage at BRW for a maximum of three months.
If any project has not shown documented, continual progress for a period of 15 days or more, the Inventory Committee will attempt to contact the individual to inform them of their 'slacker-nature,' and the potential of losing their items! The project then receives the highly-embarrassing Yellow Tag® of warning. If the individual begins showing progress again within the following two weeks the Yellow Tag® is removed and all is well.
If such a project remains dormant for another 15 days (now 1-month of no progress), another attempt will be made to contact the individual to inform them that their project has now fallen into ‘Abandoned’ status. The project then receives a 'Special' BRW Red Tag®. As a courtesy, all Abandoned items will be held in 'limbo' for a period of an extra 15 days with a 'Special' Red Tag® (now 1-1/2 months of no progress) before being reabsorbed into the BRW Inventory and made available for sale.
If within the first week following getting Red Tagged®, the individual shows a respectable effort to regain the project, they may do so in most cases by paying BRW a token $5 'storage-fee'. If the individual has shown repeated 'slacker-like' behavior, or shows up in the second week following getting Red Tagged®, they must pay BRW a $15 'storage-fee' in order to retrieve the project from Abandonment. If no response is received, the item finally gets a Green Tag® and becomes available for sale.
If an appropriate level volunteer cannot meet these requirements, they may request special-permission from the Inventory committee, which if granted will allow an extension. (Frequent use of this exception must be discouraged based upon the limits of our available space!)
Ultimately, the BikeRoWave is a place for you to work on your projects, not your spare garage. Storing your project at the BikeRoWave should be seen as a privilege and not as an absolute right.
BikeRoWave Inventory Committee Revised April 12, 2008©
[edit] Initially populating the board
During the first election the all board seats will be completely populated. The five members receiving the fewest votes will have their seats up for re-election in six months. The other seats will be up for re-election after one year. Subsequent elections will follow the alternating policy contained in the bylaws.
[edit] Consensus Seeking Policy
Bikerowave uses a consensus seeking procedure for decision making. On any decision the group first uses consensus procedures to seek unanimous support for a solution. If the consensus procedure becomes deadlocked with objectors who will not concede, then the decision making process can either move to a super majority vote or be set aside for later discussion.
In those cases where consensus cannot be achieved, there are two supported courses of action. In cases where the deadlocked entity is a committee or the board then the decision is referred to the next highest body, in this case the board or general body, respectively. In cases where the volunteer body is deadlocked, or the issue is not thought worthy of referral to a higher body, then the "neutral" decision of "no action" is taken. This allows the topic to continue to be discussed in the hope that a consensus will be achieved later.
In those cases where all efforts to resolve the conflicts surrounding an issue have failed, then decisions can be made through majority rule. However, since the Bikerowave makes every attempt to be a Concensus-Oriented organization, frequent use of this Policy is strongly discouraged.
If decision makers act in bad faith they can easily tie up and cripple a consensus oriented system. Therefore, it is imperative that volunteers set-aside their personal feelings and act with the best interests of the organization as a whole, and make a genuine effort to seek consensus.
[edit] Becoming a volunteer
In order to become a volunteer the candidate should first contact the Scheduling & Training Committee. If the candidate is able and willing to contribute in an acceptable way to Bikerowave they will be granted provisional volunteer status. The committee will then direct the volunteer toward whatever tasks work best for Bikerowave and the candidate.
A volunteer remains a provisional volunteer for at least four weeks. After four weeks S&T can give the volunteer a chance to advance from provisional volunteer. If the S&T committee does not agree to their advancement they may appeal to the board. If S&T gives their consent then the volunteers will be considered for full fledged volunteer status, either non-voting or voting depending on (time) commitment, at the next meeting of the general body of volunteers. If the general body achieves a rough consensus approving the volunteers advancement they are immediately granted the new status.
If a provisional volunteer thrice fails to get a rough consensus approving their advancement to full volunteer status then they lose volunteer status.
Non-voting volunteers and voting volunteers may switch between those two statuses at anytime with the consent of the S&T committee. If they would like to switch and their switch is not approved they may appeal to the board.
[edit] Meeting the time commitment requirement
There are various ways volunteers can meet the time commitment required to maintain their volunteer status. They may work a scheduled shift during Bikerowave's open shop hours as dictated by the Scheduling and Training Committee or they may do work on behalf of another committee. If a volunteer wishes to fulfill their commitment in a way not covered by an existing committee, they may seek the approval of the Scheduling & Training Committee. Scheduling & Training monitors fulfillment of volunteer time commitments.
[edit] Policies, Setting & Amending
Policies may be proposed and/or amended by the Board with a consensus or super majority. Policies may be proposed and/or amended by volunteer petition with a consensus or super majority at a regularly scheduled volunteer meeting. Any proposals for changes shall be reasonably noticed to the volunteer body prior to their consideration.
[edit] Policies, Annual Review
An annual review of Policies shall be completed by the Board prior to the Annual Meeting. Any proposals for changes shall be reasonably noticed to the volunteer body prior to their consideration.
[edit] Volunteer Procedures--stolen from Bike Kitchen Bylaws
I cribbed this from Chuck’s boilerplate for new volunteers. It is a start. I added, changed a few things.TG VOLUNTEER RESPONSIBILITIES: 0. Responsibilities - client safety - financial integrity - reliability with regards to shift appearance etc. 1. Education and Empowerment - Explain parts and procedures clearly and patiently - Show them, don’t do it for them - Provide tips/methods they can use at home and “in the field” 2. Community and Inclusiveness - Be welcoming and open to working with any “type” of person - Avoid language or actions which might be offensive, discriminatory or exclusionary - Encourage a dialogue with/among clients about urban riding and the LA cycling community 3. Participation - engage in the ongoing dialogue on the email list, forum and wiki contributing your views and respecting those of others - attend and participate in quarterly cooks meetings - engage in committee work and outreach activities 4. Sustainability - Try to recycle parts before resorting to new parts - Keep our space as “green” as possible, by recycling materials, limiting energy use and properly disposing of hazardous waste. - Lead by example! Avoid driving your car to the Kitchen. I think the above text needs some thorough review for completeness and priorities I put my old forum comment here, since I still think it has some value. TG I would split that into maybe three groups: - duties/responsibilities = requirements to be a cook - expectations = expected from a “good” cook - hopes = would be really appreciated, but it’s ok if you don’t 1. could be things like how to run the POS. whenever you start a project, you need to enter into the system. etc. (not so many, but extremely important) 2. could be: help cleaning up the space after a shift. check email and forum regularly (not necessarily frequently). attend meeting. (many, but not totally catastrophic if not in compliance) 3. could be: committee work. well, someone has to do it. volunteering extremely appreciated. (plenty, no consequences for not engaging)
with all respect to the unknown poet I allowed myself to delete a poem from here. TG A cook shall not interrupt another cook when the second cook is engaged with a client. Interrupting is disruptive! Interrupting breaks the rapport your trying to build with a client.
Don’t let the clients run the space.