rjt.ca

M.U.M.S. GENERAL SYSTEM OF OPERATIONS
[ June 1985 - Robert Tarrant ]
_____________________________________________

INTRO
M.U.M.S. is a new form of worker owned business. It's
purpose is to establish a more flexible, rewarding and enjoyable
working conditions than would normally be found in an equivalent
occupation in the society at large.
This task will require involvement and creativity by those
who choose to become members, and especially those who decide to
take roles of greater responsibility.
Some of the principles already agreed upon are:
- equal oportunity for all members
- all important and long term decisions made by workers
at regular general meetings
- profit sharing
 
 
MEMBERSHIP
We are looking for people who would like to participate in
the development of this experiment. Work skills are important
but not as important as the ability to empathise and work with
others. Constructive criticism is welcomed as well as any other
constructive ideas especially when the responsibility for change
is undertaken by the critic.
There is very little posibility of becoming rich as a
member, but you will have the oportunity to influence the
direction of the business and share any profits that may be
realised. You will also have a much greater flexibility to work
when you want to and, as more divisions of M.U.M.S. open up,
doing the type of work you prefer.
Anyone who would like to persue another type of work under
M.U.M.S. is encoraged to talk to one of the directors about how
s/he can open up a new division.
To become a member you must have already worked 35hrs. or
more. The next step is to talk with someone on the membership
committee about making an appointment for an interview. You can
get this info by calling the office and asking the co-ordinator.
There is no cost for becoming a member except a fee of one cent
for a share which is refunded on leaving.
 
AGREEMENTS
On becoming a member you agree to abide by the Articles of
Incorporation so read them (They're not too difficult and explain
a lot about the structure of M.U.M.S.).
In addition to this we have several other agreements as follows:
- WAGES As of this writing the wages are;
- Job Managers $ 6.10/hr
- General Workers $ 5.20/hr
- Odd Jobs and unskilled office work $ 4.00/hr.
- Learning is 1/2 rate if not immediatly productive
In some situations workers get other rates but
this is the exception.
- COMMISSION This is paid to the person who puts out a
proposal or an estimate to do a job if, and only
if the proposal is accepted. Otherwise, no
payment. The commission is 10% of the total cost
of the job inc. materials.
- FINDERS FEE If anyone (member or not) finds us a job,
then they are paid 5% of the total cost of the job.
- DAMAGE AGREEMENT This is a small document which is
signed by the member establishing the understanding
that, should the member be responsible for a damage
or cause M.U.M.S. a financial loss, they will pay for
1/2 of the cost up to a total of $ 25.00 for each
occurence.
 
 
______________________________________
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JOB DESCRIPTIONS
 
The following descriptions for job roles are mainly to be
used as a guideline and you are encoraged to make improvements
and changes to suite the characters and needs of the people
involved in these roles wherever you think they are necessary.
 
 
GENERAL
Although we are an outwardly competative company in order to
operate in this economic system, we are inwardly co-operative.
This is because the credit system (described in chapter ? in
M.U.M.S. ARTICLES OF INCORPERATION) allows each member to be a
part owner in relation to the amount of time s/he puts in as a
worker, independant of which job role s/he takes. The amount of
time worked is dependant on:
- the amount of work available,
- the abilities of the member as judged by others
members, and
- the choise of the individual member concerned.
This system was designed to short-circut the typical
polerization of the company into the owners and the employees
with their opposing interests. We, the employees, ARE the
owners and so escape the exploitation prevalent in most
companies. But as part owners, we cannot avoid all the risks
that owners take. So we must learn to support and trust each
others abilities and decision making and the only way we can earn
that trust and support by taking full responsibility in our
chosen job roles. Here they are...
_________________________
GENERAL WORKER
The main responsibilities of a regular M.U.M.S. worker is to;

- be honest
- be considerate of other workers
- do the best job you can as it reflects on all of us
- think of ways to make M.U.M.S. a better place to work

You have the freedom to turn down any job(s) offered to you
without it effecting you chances of future employment BUT, if you
say you will undertake a job at a certain time, you MUST be
there at that time OR give 24 hrs. notice. To work as a team we
have to be able to rely on each other.
__________________________
 
JOB MANAGER (or the Driver on a moving job)
The Job Manager generally receives 10% of the job cost as
commission for the work done estimating the job. On the job
s/he is paid for the number of hours s/he estimated s/he will
have to work, whereas the other workers are paid the ACTUAL hours
worked. This means that the job manager could get paid for less
hours than actually worked of the job went overestimate and more
if the job went underestimate. (see a Director or Co-ordinator
for a fuller explanation)
TIME
As required by the job.
QUALIFICATIONS
The ability to realistically extimate:
- Time and cost of labour for job in question
- Materials required and their cost
and be able to put together the crew most likely to get on well
together and do a good job.
Enough experience in the field to see that the whole job
gets done properly.
Be able to organize people and equipment.
Understand and be able to put into practice the principles
and values of M.U.M.S.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Work and conduct of the crew.
General safety.
Care of equipment.
Billing of customer.
To leave the customer and the workers satisfied that a good
job has been done by all.
DUTIES
Estimate job
Line up and price materials.
Schedule workers and materials.
Oversee entire job.
See that jobsite and equipment and left clean and tidy.
Billing customer.
Be the leason between customer and M.U.M.S.
P.R. work where necessary and promotion where possible.
Teach other interested workers all aspects of the job.

_________________________________
 
DISPATCHER [ Suggest 4 trained people ]
TIME
Times can be varied for individuals dispatchers as long as
agreements can be made between dispatchers to ensure that one
dispatcher (and preferably only one) is available to answer the
phones during the following times:-
During the quieter times at the beginning of each month...
8:45am - 5:00pm MONDAY thru SATURDAY.
10:00am - 4:00pm SUNDAY.
At month end and for the preceeding week (or two maybe)...
8:00am - 8:00pm MONDAY thru SATURDAY.
9:00am - 6:00pm SUNDAYS.
These are general guidlines. When the month-end action
really gets under way there should be a dispatcher on duty
whenever a truck is out in order to keep things running smoothly
and help handle any emergencies.
QUALIFICATIONS
In order to take on the role of dispatcher you will need to
have leaned the procedure as outlined in the DISPATCH MANUAL.
This is very important information and the rest of the workers
need to have confidence that the dispatcher is getting and giving
out the correct information on the phones.
In addition to this you should be;
- Good at comunication skills.
- Empathetic to the situations of others.
- Interested in taking the time to talk to people on the
phone and be able to chat as well as just dispence and aquire
information. - Courtious, helpful and optomistic about us doing
their job for them (but not be afraid to encorage them to phone
elsewhere if they seem like a difficult customer).
- Be almost irritatingly maticulous when getting information
from customer or when passing on information to workers. This
can avoid terrible misunderstandings by checking info and making
sure it's all there and that its correct.
- Able to work under pressure at times.
RESPONSIBILITIES
All communications of an immediate nature.
All aspects of information handling so that all jobs and
workers can be scheduled properly.
Customer relations.
DUTIES
Answer all phones.
Call people who have left messages on the answering machine.
Dispence information to enquiring costomers.
Dispence full information to workers.
Give moving estimates using the computer.
Secure all relevant information from customers who want us
to do work for them.
Keep workstation tidy and all information up to date.
Encorage people to become our customers without pressure.
To schedule jobs and trucks, and secure all necessary workers.
__________________________________
BOOKKEEPER [ Suggest 2 trained people ]
TIME
Anytime as long as the books are kept reasonable up to date,
and the payrole for the month is out by the 5th. of the next
month, and all payments are made on time.
Probably best done during the quietest times at M.U.M.S..
QUALIFICATIONS
Understand and apply the necessary bookkeeping skills in
order to take care of all aspects of the finances of M.U.M.S..
Be scupulously meticulous.
RESPONSIBILITIES
To keep M.U.M.S. books in order and up to date.
To provide financial statments to the members at every
quarterly general meeting.
To prepare year end financial statments or make sure some
other qualified person prepares them.

DUTIES
To take care of the following;
Journal
Keep and file all recepts
Ledger
Payroll and Government remittances
Bank statments
Billing and Accounts Receivable records
All dealings with C.C.E.C. Credit Union inc. Loans and Deposits
Creat financial statments for quarterly M.U.M.S. meetings and for
the government at the year end inc. the Income and Expence
Statments and the Ballance Sheets.
_____________________________________
 
GOFOR [ Suggest 1 person ]
TIME
Self scheduled regular times either a few hours a day or
every other day. With a means of advertising to the office
staff when to expect the Gofor to be in so that they can unload
all the odd jobs that seem to accumulate onto the Gofers list and
feel confident they will get done by a certain time.
QUALIFICATIONS
A means of indipendant transport eg. a car or bicyle.
Know the various skills of the M.U.M.S. members and other workers.
Be able to efficiently plan jobs and organize people.
Good communincation skills and be able to direct and work
with others.
Know when to delegate.
Be dependable.
Like a varied day with lots of different and sometimes
unexpected tasks to manage.

RESPONSIBILITIES
To take manage all the smallish jobs that often get in the
way of the smooth running of the office and other large projects.
To be available for running errands or getting or doing things.
Regular maintenance of the facilities and equipment at M.U.M.S..
To delegate these jobs to others when applicable yet still
remaining responsible the proper completion of the job.
DUTIES
Some of the duties are listed below but this is really just
to give an idea of the sorts of things that would be under the
gofor's jurisdiction.
Buying office and related materials - posting letters -
going to the bank or printer or hardware stores etc. - postering
the collages - cleaning the office and washrooms etc. - tidying
the garage - water the plant(s) - folding blankets - finding out
what is needed in the trucks and every week check them to see
that they are properly equiped. - get any broken equipment fixed
- get trucks cleaned and washed once a month - schedule any
necessary mechanical work needed - have a number of small, easy
jobs up your sleave to keep workers busy who are waiting to go
out on late jobs such as;...stapling and cutting posters -
filling and labelling any envelopes - making up new A/R cards -
cleaning sidewalk and sweeping pebbls out front - tidying trucks,
office, blankets, garage etc. - helping you in any job you may be
involved in.
__________________________________
 
CO - ORDINATOR [ Suggest at least 2 trained peole ]
TIME
9:00am - 5:00pm MONDAY thru SATURDAY generally, but
during busy times there should be a co - ordinator in the office
most of the time.
QUALIFICATIONS
Good practical business skills.
Have experience, and be competant in all jobs about which
decisions are made inc. bookkeeping, dispatch, gofor, job
manager, and general worker.
Have a good understanding as to how these various jobs fit
together and what people's roles are.
Be able to teach and delegate.
Be clear and definite with explanations and directions.
Be able to work well with people and not expect anyone to do a
task which you, as a co - ordinator, would not be prepared to do
under the same circumstances.
Understand and apply the princibles and guide lines
developed at the general meetings.
RESPONSIBILITIES
To be the main overseer and decision maker on a day to day
basis to make sure that M.U.M.S. runs smoothly.
To co - ordinate all activities from the perspective of what's
best for the whole.
To listen to suggestions from others especially those who
will be effected by you decision(s).
DUTIES
Make all non-routine decisions.
Deal with emergencies and complaints.
Arrange all necessary meetings it ensure that people know
what their responsibilities are and that all jobs get done that
need to be done.
Trouble shoot problems inc. breakages, injuries, overdue
A/R, etc.
Be a scorce of information and direction, help and teach
people who are not as experienced as youself so that they can
take on more responsibility.
Take steps to avoid burnout because when your really needed,
you have to be there.
Deal with other business areas such as Advertising,
Insurance, Public relations, etc.
Develope, and find others to help you develope, easier and
more efficient ways of handling tasks whether they involve office
proceedure or researching better places to rent equipment from etc.

_________________________________
 
DIRECTOR
TIME
No specific times need be scheduled but must be available to
deal with any big emergencies and immportant decisions.
QUALIFICATIONS
Be elected to the board of directors at a general meeting.
Be able to work well with others and make decisions as part
of a group.
Be familiar with the M.U.M.S. ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION and all the
manuals regarding the formal aspects M.U.M.S. structure and operations.
Have a good understanding of the purpose(s) of M.U.M.S. and stay up
to date on all decisions made at general meetings.
Be experienced with the practical day to day running of the
business (inc.co - ordination, bookkeeping, job management etc.)
and also a broader general understanding of the way business is,
and can be conducted in B.C..
Be self motivated and be able and willing to take on and
oversee projects or research to advance and develope M.U.M.S..

RESPONSIBILITIES
To make sure that M.U.M.S. survives as a workers owned and
democratically run business.
To make use of any oportunity considered acceptable to the
membership to promote and enhance the growth and health of the
business.
To research, consider and develope ways to promote happier
and less stressfull working conditions.

DUTIES
To make decisions and act on behalf of the general
membership between meetings.
To make sure all important and relevent topics and brought
up for discussion at general meetings inc preparing the meeting agendas.
To make all large financial decisions between meetings.
To always consult with the other directors and make all
decisions as a group whenever possible.
To be open to other members for discussion and ideas and to
seek out qualified people to assist in dicision making where necessary.
To attend and help run all general meetings.

________________________________
 
 
 
 
THE POWER FLOW AT M.U.M.S.
--------------------------
 
 
 
WORKERS IN GENERAL MEETING
 
 
DIRECTORS
 
 
CO - ORDINATOR
 
 
BOOKKEEPER DISPATCHER GOFOR JOB MANAGER
 
 
WORKER WORKER WORKER
 
 
In this diagram, the power flows downwards with each
position being answerable to that above it and the ultimate
authority being the top position.
As you can see, the general worker is at both the top and
the bottom of this power chart. As individuals they often have
to be directed by the decisions of others [above them on the
chart] who have greater skill in a particular work area. But
together, as part of a group, the workers create the policies of
the business and decide all major actions to be taken regardless
of specific work skills. They also elect the directors, who's
job it is to understand these policies and make sure they are
carried out.
Unlike the oportunity to work, which is often dictated by
the workers skills and what work may be available, there is a
full and equal oportunity to participate in M.U.M.S. policies and decisions.
In order for the worker to exercise his/her power as an
owner, s/he must participate in the general meetings. S/he has
power, not as an individual, but as part of a group. To realize
our goal as a democratically run business, we must make it as
easy as possible for the members to participate in meetings; and
it is easy. Even so not all will want to come, but those who do
will run the company.