Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line

Documents of the Second Party Congress of the Communist Labor Party of the United States of North America


CONSTITUTION

Membership

1. Membership in the Party is open to any person in the USNA who does not exploit the labor of others, who implements the Party Program and Party Constitution, joins a Party organization and works actively in it, upholds democratic centralism and pays membership dues.
2. Applicants must be eighteen years old.
3. Applicants must undergo the procedure of admission individually.
4. Applicants must be recommended by two full Party members. The applicants must give their history, background and an honest explanation of their present ties and beliefs. Application is subject to approval by the next highest body.
5. Upon acceptance, the applicant must be assigned to a Party organization and have the constitution reviewed by a Party member.
6. Party members are free to withdraw from the Party. The Party organization to which the member belongs will decide the conditions for withdrawal and this will be reviewed by the next higher body.
7. When a Party member is cited for an infraction of any part of the Party Constitution, he is to be given a list of his offenses, and criticized through the highest body that he is a member of. Breaches of Party discipline by individual members may be disciplined by: 1) censure, 2) public censure, 3) removal from committees, 4) removal from all responsible work, or 5) expulsion from the Party.

Duties and Rights of Membership

The basis of the Party is democratic centralism.

All Party members have the following rights and duties:

1. To participate in the free and practical discussion at the Party meetings or in the Party press (internal) on theoretical and practical questions relating to Party policy.
2. To make proposals regarding the Party’s work and give full play to their creative ability in their work.
3. To elect and be elected within the Party.
4. To criticize any Party organization or any member in the appropriate collective.
5. To attend in person when a Party organization makes an appraisal of their work or decides to take disciplinary action against them.
6. Whenever possible to attend meetings in person regarding their organizational assignments.
7. To reserve their opinions or submit them through channels when they disagree with any Party decision, which in the meanwhile, they must carry out unconditionally.
8. To address any statement, appeal or complaint to any Party organization up to and including the Central Committee.
9. To receive a consistent and thorough Marxist-Leninist education.

Organizational Aspects of Democratic Centralism

1. The Congress, the highest body of the Party, elects the Central Committee, and the Central Committee organizes the Party and directs its work between the Party Congresses.
2. Every candidate to any elected office must be voted on separately.
3. Every Party member has the right to object to a candidate and criticize a candidate.
4. The voting for all candidates is done by secret ballot.
5. Decisions of the higher bodies are binding on the lower bodies.
6. Reports from leading bodies are made periodically to the membership.
7. Congresses or organizational membership meetings will be called when needed to decide the direction of the organization according to major developments in the class struggle.
8. Plenary sessions or sessions of elected officials and leading cadre will be held to discuss major political developments.
9. Lower Party organizations must present periodical reports on their work to the next higher Party organization.
10. The Party acts by strict discipline and subordination of the minority to the majority.