Cogs Information

COGS is a rank-and-file union. That means the members run the union, not paid union bosses. COGS officers are members who have been elected to volunteer their time as leaders of COGS, but most decisions are still made by general membership vote. Democratic decision-making is a fundamental principle of rank-and-file unionism, and it requires an active membership. That's why COGS WANTS YOU at the membership meetings! "But I have work/class/my kids at that time! At the first meeting of every semester we discuss timing of the meetings. By keeping the time constant but varying the day of the week, members have tried to accommodate busy schedules. If you have a suggestion about good meeting times, make it at a meeting (or e-mail it to COGS if you can't be at the meeting!). "But meetings take too long! Officers try to keep their reports short, sometimes more successfully than others-they want to make sure to let everyone know what they've been doing as well as what is coming up, plus invite discussion! A lot of COGS business accumulates every month, and because we believe in making decisions through democratic membership vote, there are often many things to discuss and vote on. Without the members there to vote, however, no decisions get made! If you can't come for the whole meeting, come for as much as you can and add your voice! "But it doesn't matter if I go to meetings or not. COGS is only as strong as its level of rank-and-file member activism.