I got an email from my local chapter voting on seceding from the national org. In part it reads:

BACKGROUND

On 1/22/2022 the President of the SRA, posted a letter to all members indicating that, in summation, our (now former) Financial Director failed in their duties to the organization. Weeks of auditing the SRA finances revealed massive overspending and improper allocation of chapter dues. In addition, it was revealed the SRA owes the IRS approximately $15k in back taxes and that dispersal of dues to chapters would be suspended given the current financial crisis. The SRA now owes chapters over $50k.

In the following days, said Financial Director canceled their dues, effectively resigning, without ever making a statement to the membership. On 2/2/2022 the Organizing Committee unanimously voted to formally remove the Financial Director from their post.

The SRAWU, the union representing paid and volunteer staff of the SRA, formed in 2021 under the assumption the organization was solvent enough to afford full-time staff, and with the purpose of developing fairer working conditions. In the multiple committee and assembly meetings since January 22nd, budget proposals have amounted to either laying off staff or massively reducing hours, which no negotiating party has been satisfied with for a variety of reasons. No proposal has properly accounted for every factor of this budget crisis, and they all leave the SRA deeply in the red at the end of the year.

On 3/21/2022, the SRA Organizing Committee vetoed the budget passed at the March Assembly Meeting on grounds that it violated the SRA Bylaws. On the same day, a topic entitled “We Are Doomed: The Organization Chose Death” was posted to the forum, which stirred a lot of debate surrounding the future of the organization. A [Local] member formerly served as the Web & Script Developer of the SRA and developed a reputation of being a trustworthy staff member. She posted in the “We Are Doomed” topic requesting that members stop contacting her for opinions on the state of the organization. That message was flagged by a forum moderator, who then told her she was acting “uncomradely” and proceeded to insult both her and other members of the [Local] who defended her. The moderator then suspended her account for “combative behavior.” This led to a [Local] member posting a topic calling for an apology and accountability from the moderator, which was not received, and the topic was closed by the Secretary of the SRA.

The Assembly Committee on Administrative Affairs, Organizing Committee, and representatives of the SRAWU met on 3/22/2022. A joint letter was released affirming their intent to work together toward a “better future for the Organization,” while stating nothing of substance, providing no inklings of a plan. On the same day, Gray_Colored_Glasses, Treasurer of the SRA, resigned for health reasons. The Organizing Committee has since pushed a fundraiser, asking for more money from members to help solve this crisis, when chapters are currently receiving zero funding.

This financial crisis has now been going on for 4 months and not one single concrete measure toward resolution has been accomplished.

CURRENT STATE OF THE SRA

The situation can be summarized as follows:

-The SRA has proven itself to be a toxic and abusive workspace, necessitating unionizing, which did not resolve the issues facing staff.

-The Financial Director failed at their job, left the SRA, and there is still no path toward replacement.

-The Treasurer has resigned, and there is no clear replacement.

-There is no clear path toward financial solvency; getting “in the black” could take years, and would involve drastically restructuring staffing and dues.

-The organization has failed to prioritize local chapters and on the ground organizing for the sake of prioritizing administrative overhead and bureaucracy.