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Bylaws

This is the most recent draft of the bylaws. As the Indie Sellers Guild continues to grow they will be updated as needed. Once we have elected Councilmembers, the Council will vote to ratify the final version of the bylaws.

Currently the ISG is run by an interim Council of six and four interim Officers from our volunteers. Some of the protocol here have not yet been implemented.

Article 1

Name and Structure

  1. The name of this union is the Indie Sellers Guild.
  2. We are a non-profit with articles of incorporation filed in the state of Rhode Island, United States.
  3. The Indie Sellers Guild is not affiliated with Etsy in any way.

Mission Statement

  1. The Indie Sellers Guild exists to promote the interests and improve the working conditions of online sellers of handmade, unique, vintage and craft goods all over the world. The ISG seeks to harness the power inherent in our numbers, to grow it and to put it to work for all independent online sellers.
  2. To accomplish our mission, we work to:
    1. Organize indie sellers to advocate collectively for fair and transparent policies in online marketplaces, including but not limited to Etsy
    2. Speak with one democratic voice for the interests of indie sellers to the media, legislators, and the general public.
    3. Support the creation of co-operative alternative marketplaces to empower artists and sellers, not enrich CEOs and shareholders.
    4. Collect and provide resources, shared information, education, and best practices to lift up all indie sellers

Article 2

Membership

  1. Seller Membership in the Indie Sellers Guild is open to online small-business sellers of handmade, vintage, or craft goods on any platform.
  2. Our criteria for membership is based on Etsy’s Terms of Use.
    1. Handmade Sellers
      1. Products must be handmade or designed by the seller, and may be both.
      2. This includes digital items.
      3. Sellers will be creating something unique that would not exist without their creativity and skill.
      4. If a handmade seller also sells products not handmade or designed by them, those products must be clearly marked as such and not represent a majority of the business of the shop.
        1. If these products are sold in an Etsy shop they must meet the other Terms of Service for items sold on Etsy.
      5. Sellers who use third-party production partners to assist in creating products are permitted as long as the seller designed the items themselves.
    2. Vintage Sellers
      1. Products must be over 20 years old to be considered vintage
      2. Sellers will be curating a unique selection of items that would not exist without their creativity and skill.
    3. Craft Supplies
      1. Sellers must curate a unique selection of craft supplies, and not only resell items found in large retailers.
      2. Sellers must curate supplies for a specific goal, market or selection.
    4. All seller members must sell online, on any platform, and have at minimum one sale within 365 days of applying for membership.
    5. Industry Specific Criteria
      1. DIY kits where the seller created the instructions are accepted, as the product was designed by the seller.
      2. Shops that sell services in addition to items are allowed, if the items sold meet ISG criteria and represent a majority of the business of the shop.
  3. All seller members in good standing will have full voting rights and be able to run for the Council or officer position, attend meetings, be on committees, and propose or second a motion for guild business.
  4. Ally membership in the Indie Sellers Guild is open to anyone who wants to support indie sellers.
    1. Ally membership does not require a verification.
    2. Ally members have access to all member only guild materials, and can participate in guild meetings, committees, and other events. However, ally members cannot vote or run for Council positions.
    3. Ally members may not have a listing in the seller membership directory.

Membership Application

  1. Seller membership requires an application to be verified by the Membership Verification Committee.
  2. Applications must include the following information:
    1. First and Last Name
      1. This does not have to be a member’s legal name, but the preferred name they use with their business.
    2. Username – This will be the shop name in the member directory.
    3. Email Address
      1. This email will be the primary communication method for the union, including for votes.
    4. Password
    5. “How did you hear about us?”
      1. Information gathered to aid in organizing new members.
    6. “I require accommodations in order to complete this application.”
      1. If this box is checked, someone from the member verification committee will reach out to the applicant in order to ensure the ISG application process is as accessible as possible.
    7. Business Name
    8. Category
    9. Shop Website
    10. “Are you an Etsy seller?”
      1. To have an accurate count of the number of Etsy sellers we represent.
    11. Etsy Shop Name
    12. City, State/Province, Zip Code, and Country
    13. Active Seller Verification Photo
      1. To verify that the applicant meets the active seller requirement with a sale within the last 365 days.
    14. Behind the Scenes Photo 1-3
      1. To verify that the items sold in the shop are created or curated by the shop owner.
      2. Applicants must submit one photo and may submit up to three. Additional photos may speed the application process.
  3. Ally membership only requires items a-e.
  4. All applicants and their businesses must comply with the ISG Anti-harassment and Hate Speech policy (see Article X) in order to be accepted.
  5. The application will remain private. Business addresses are stored on a private spreadsheet only accessed by the member verification committee and the board, and will not be made public. All verification photos are deleted after the application is accepted.
  6. After an applicant is accepted as a seller member in the ISG, they will have access to the members-only section of the ISG website, where they can access:
    1. Their profile information.
    2. What will be listed in the member directory. This can be edited by the member.
    3. New member onboarding information and ISG member badges.
    4. Meeting minutes from all Council meetings.
    5. Members-only resources.

Membership Verification

  1. The membership verification committee reviews and verifies all applications. 
  2. After an application is received, one of the committee members will review the application using the verification form.
    1. If the application demonstrates all the required criteria and no causes for review, the application is accepted. 
    2. If the application is incomplete, the committee member will reach out to the applicant for further information.
    3. If the committee member found causes for review, the application will be flagged for review by the committee chair.
    4. If the application does not meet the required criteria and has causes for review, the application will be rejected.
      1. ISG will endeavor to give specific reasons for each rejection, as possible given workload on our volunteers.
  3. Applicants may:
    1. Request accommodations in the application process for any accessibility needs.
    2. Request a phone or video interview.
    3. Request further explanation of membership criteria.
    4. Appeal an application rejection (see item 7 below).
    5. The contact email for member verification is [email protected].
    6. Though ISG will endeavor to answer all these requests, they may result in a substantial delay in application verification. ISG is entirely run by volunteers.
  4. If an application is flagged for review, the committee chair will review it and then contact the applicant to provide further information in order to accept their application.
    1. If the requested information is not provided the application will be rejected.
  5. If an application is flagged for review because it is not clear if the type of shop meets ISG requirements, not due to a lack of evidence or cause for review, then the application will be sent to the Council.
    1. The Council will review if the application meets the current ISG requirements as well as the spirit of ISG membership.
    2. The Council will vote on whether to accept or reject the application.
    3. Based on the results of that vote, the Council will formally propose an amendment to the membership criteria to be used for future applications and set up a vote of all seller members on that amendment.
  6. Verification forms for applications are saved for 1 year.
    1. Every quarter for the first year of ISG and annually for every year following, the membership verification committee; the accessibility committee; and the diversity, equity and inclusion committee will audit all applications that were flagged for review or rejected. This is done in order to make sure the ISG application process is not unintentionally reviewing or rejecting sellers of a specific demographic or creating any other undue barriers to access for specific groups of people.
  7. If an applicant wishes to appeal a rejection, they may do so by:
    1. Contacting ISG at [email protected] with a written statement as to why they believe they meet ISG membership criteria.
      1. The applicant must appeal within 1 year of the original application.
      2. The applicant may send additional proof or request a phone or video interview.
      3. The applicant may ask for additional explanation of membership criteria.
    2. Applicants are also encouraged to reapply if and when they make any changes to their shop that then qualifies them for membership.

Article 3

Council Positions

  1. The ISG Council, holding the same position as a Board of Directors, consists of nine members.
    1. Council Position 1 Handmade represents handmade sellers and is only voted for by sellers in the handmade category.
    2. Council Position 2 Vintage represents vintage sellers and is only voted for by sellers in the vintage category.
    3. Council Position 3 Craft Supplies represents craft supply sellers and is only voted for by sellers in the craft supply category.
    4. Council Position 4 USA represents United States sellers and is only voted for by sellers with businesses located in the United States of America.
    5. Council Position 5 International represents international sellers and is only voted for by sellers with businesses located outside of the United State of America.
    6. Council Position 6 at large represents all sellers and is voted for by all sellers.
    7. Council Position 7 at large represents all sellers and is voted for by all sellers.
    8. Council Position 8 at large represents all sellers and is voted for by all sellers.
    9. Council Position 9 at large represents all sellers and is voted for by all sellers.
  2. Any voting member in good standing can be nominated for and elected to a Council position. (See Article VII for more details on voting)
  3. Councilmembers hold office for 2 years. 
  4. The membership can vote to add Council positions, particularly based on geographical areas, depending on the needs of the membership.
  5. If member-specific representation positions are added to the Council, at large positions must be added as well.
    1. The number of at large positions must be equal to or one fewer than the number of specific representation positions. 
    2. The Council must always have an odd number of positions.

Council Meetings

  1. Council Meetings must occur once per month. The Council may decide to add additional meetings to meet the needs of the guild.
  2. A quorum consisting of 7 (out of 9) or over 70% of the Councilmembers must be present to be able to hold a Council meeting.
  3. One of the Secretary-Treasurer Officers must also attend the meeting to take minutes.
  4. Minutes are posted in the members only section of the ISG website.
  5. A newsletter summary of the meeting is also posted and emailed to members within a week after the meeting.
  6. Council procedure follows Robert’s Rules of Order.
  7. Council meetings are virtual and currently take place on Discord..

Council Responsibilities

  1. The Council passes or approves motions with a simple majority in favor.
  2. Council votes are public information and recorded in the minutes.
  3. The Council can perform the following responsibilities without a vote by the membership
    1. Approve or reject proposals for spending ISG funds.
    2. Approve or reject member reimbursement forms.
    3. Create or dissolve committees.
    4. Approve or reject appointed committee chairheads.
    5. Review membership applications sent by the membership verification committee to determine if they meet the current ISG requirements as well as the spirit of ISG membership (see Article II).
    6. Process complaints and vote on disciplinary action against members (see Article XI).
    7. Negotiate new contracts with other parties, such as marketplaces or suppliers, or designate a negotiation team.
      1. The contract must then be approved by a vote from the membership
    8. Sign up other parties, such as marketplaces or suppliers, to an existing contract.
  4. The Council can perform the following responsibilities before sending the motion to the membership for a vote. The motion must be approved by the Council before a vote from the membership is held. The motion must then be approved by a majority of the membership who voted in order to be enacted. The Council, or a simple majority thereof, is empowered to propose measures to be voted on by the full voting membership, including
    1. Ratification of a new contract
    2. Collective action such as strikes.
    3. Amendments to the Bylaws.
      1. Including membership criteria

Article 4

Officer Positions

  1. The officers of the ISG consist of a President, a Vice President, and two Secretary-Treasurers.
  2. Any member, including ally members, can be nominated for and elected to an Officer position. (See Article VII for more details on voting)
  3. Officers hold office for two years, and elections occur in alternate years from Council elections.
  4. Officers may not also hold the position of Councilmember.

Duties of the President and the Vice President

  1. The President shall be responsible for appointing committee chairs to be approved by the Council.
  2. The President and Vice President shall share the responsibilities of:
    1. Keeping track of the activities of the different committees.
    2. Coordinating between the committees as needed.
    3. Answering questions from and assisting the committee chairs.
    4. Centering the ISG Mission Statement, as well as other goals set forth by the Council and membership, in all ISG activities.
    5. Submitting a written report to the Council prior to the monthly meeting.

Duties of the Secretary-Treasurers

  1. The Secretary-Treasurers shall each review the ISG financial accounts monthly.
  2. One of the Secretary-Treasurers must be present at each Council meeting and is responsible for taking the Meeting Minutes and posting them afterwards.
  3. The Secretary-Treasurers’ other responsibilities include:
    1. Maintaining the ISG bank account.
    2. Pay any ISG charges or reimbursements approved by the Council.

Article 5

Committees

  1. The work of the union is done by the various committees.
  2. The committees report to the President and Vice President. 
  3. The President appoints committee chairs. 
  4. Committee chairs may also appoint an assistant to help them run the committee.
  5. Committee chairs or assistants are responsible for:
    1. Submitting written summaries of any official meeting to the Council and to be posted for the membership to read.
    2. Submitting a written proposal for any motion formed by the committee to the Council prior to the next meeting.
      1. Motions that involve spending money or coordination with other committees require a written proposal.
    3. Keeping the President and Vice President informed of the work of the committee and any other committees that need to be coordinated with.
    4. Keeping all committee members informed and on task with the actions of the committee.
    5. Redirecting members to the appropriate committee if the motion they propose does not fall under the purview of the current committee
  6. Committee chairs and assistants must be approved by the Council after they are appointed.
  7. Committees can propose to form subcommittees as needed to execute their work. The written proposal must be sent to the Council for approval.
  8. Ally members can serve on committees and committee chairs and assistants.
  9. As of June, 2022, the current committees exist on the ISG discord server.
    1. Each committee has one or more channels that serve as a running meeting for the committee.
    2. Different channels serve different functions and each channel has a description listed for its purpose.
    3. Any member of ISG can join the committees through the server.
    4. Written proposals for the Council can be submitted through the proposal submission channel.
  10. The committees may change to a new platform as decided by the membership to meet the needs of ISG.

Current Committees and Descriptions (June, 2022)

  1. Research: A team to help ISG with fact checking and finding information for both their own projects and by the request of other committees.
  2. Accessibility: This committee provides feedback on the accessibility of ISG, ISG platforms, and ISG materials. 
  3. Union Bylaws: A temporary committee for drafting and receiving feedback on the bylaws that will govern ISG.
  4. Membership Verification: This committee handles the membership verification process. Its responsibilities include:
    1. Defining membership criteria (this must also be approved by the Council).
    2. Creating the application for members (this must also be approved by the Council).
    3. Determining the proof required for membership application (this must also be approved by the Council).
    4. Processing membership applications to verify new seller members.
    5. Requesting more information as needed for membership applications.
    6. Processing appeals from rejected applications.
    7. Performing regular reviews of the applications along with the Accessibility committee and future DEI committee to check for any systematic discrimination against a group.
    8. Submit to the Council any applications that represent a challenge to the current ISG membership criteria and propose updates to that criteria.
    9. Informing applicants of approval, sending out membership cards and new member materials.
  5. Blog Committee: This committee handles the blog posts both for the ISG blog and the Creators Rising Blog. Its responsibilities include:
    1. Coordinating volunteers to write posts.
    2. Drafting posts for the blog.
    3. Editing posts submitted by volunteers.
    4. Coordinating with the Social Media committee to make sure all posts are shared across platforms.
    5. Coordinating with the Public Relations committee to make sure all posts meet ISG standards.
  6. Organizer Committee: This committee’s purpose is to recruit new members to the ISG. Its responsibilities include:
    1. Creating a recruitment plan.
    2. Creating recruitment materials  to be approved by PR and accessibility committees.
    3. Training organizers.
    4. Maintaining records of who and what organizations have been contacted for recruitment and what the response was.
  7. Social Media: This committee creates posts and publishes them to official ISG accounts. Its responsibilities include:
    1. Creating posts, images, and captions for social media accounts.
      1.  Content should follow the guidelines set by the accessibility committee.
    2. Responding to comments on social media posts according to the social media policy.
    3. Having posts approved by PR.
    4. Asking accessibility for the necessary alt text for images and ensuring the alt text is posted.
    5. Researching and using appropriate hashtags with posts.
    6. Coordinating with the other committees to promote ISG actions and events.
    7. Reviewing and posting content submitted by other ISG committees.
    8. Reviewing member-submitted content for use in posts.
  8. Web Design: This committee is in charge of the maintenance, security and content of the website. Its responsibilities include:
    1. Writing, editing, and posting new content to the website as needed. Primarily in the
      1. Frequently Asked Questions page
      2. Media page
      3. Members-only pages
    2. Maintaining the membership directory.
    3. Resolving any technical issues with the use of the website, membership login, application, or directory.
      1. If a technical issue is beyond the skill of the committee, they can submit a proposal to the Council to hire outside help.
      2. If the issue is urgent, the committee can request an emergency Council meeting to expedite the issue.
    4. Resolving any security issues with the use of the website, membership login, application, or directory.
      1. If a technical issue is beyond the skill of the committee, they can submit a proposal to the Council to hire outside help
      2. If the issue is urgent, the committee can request an emergency Council meeting to expedite the issue.
  9. Public Relations: This committee reviews and maintains the ISG mission in all official communications. Its responsibilities include:
    1. Reviewing all official ISG content created by other committees to ensure anything published under the ISG name meets ISG standards, values, and mission.
    2. Write and review ISG press releases.
    3. Maintain a database of media contacts
    4. Respond to media requests for interviews.
    5. Train members to do interviews as ISG representatives. 

Future Committees

  1. Future committees can be proposed by any committee or any two members in an official proposal. 
  2. Proposed committees will be voted on and then, if approved, created by the Council.
  3. The ISG currently expects to have several other committees in the future, once we have the time and volunteers for them. These expected committees include:
    1. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
    2. Political Action Committee
    3. Committees for different types of sellers or different regions of sellers.

Article 6

Meetings

  1. Monthly meetings are the first Monday of the month at 4:30 pm EDT. The meetings are currently held on Discord.
  2. Members who want to volunteer can join a committee (see Article V)
  3. Members can connect with other members on our various online platforms. These platforms are intended to both share expertise and create a sense of community between members. These platforms include:
    1. Discord
    2. Reddit
    3. Facebook Group
  4. We intend to have regular meetings for new members. Those meetings will be held on Discord on the last Thursday of every month at 6 pm EDT.. 
  5. A quorum of 5 members of the ISG must be present in order to conduct an official meeting.
  6. While motions can be made and seconded during a meeting, voting will not occur during the meeting, but will instead occur via email or on a designated digital platform (see Article VII).
  7. All ISG meetings and platforms must follow the ISG Anti-harassment and Hate Speech policy (see Article X). 

Article 7

Voting

  1. As of June 2022, voting will be conducted via email.
  2. Emails with votes will be sent to the email members used to sign up.
  3. Members can vote directly in the email. More detail on the voting procedure will be updated later.
  4. If the Council establishes the vote, an approval vote of more than half the members in good standing who voted is required to pass a proposal.
  5. Any member in good standing can propose a motion to be voted on directly to the membership.
    1. The motion must be seconded by another member in good standing.
    2. The motion then goes to a vote by the membership using the same method as votes established by the Council.
    3. An approval vote of more than half the members in good standing in the ISG is required to pass a proposal not established by the Council.
  6. ISG may move voting to another platform in order to make voting easier for members and allow for other features, such as ranked choice voting.

Article 8

Finances

  1. The ISG shall maintain a bank account in its own name for the purpose of union and organizational expenses. 
  2. The ISG Secretary-Treasurers shall keep a balanced ledger of this account and act as a liaison between ISG and the bank.
  3. The ISG Secretary-Treasurers shall use the account to pay for expenses or reimbursements approved by the Council.
  4. Both ISG Secretary-Treasurers shall review the account and ledger monthly.
  5. The ISG Secretary-Treasurers shall make financial records available for inspection within a week upon request by any ISG member or member of the Council.
  6. ISG fiscal year shall be January 1st to December 31st.
  7. The ISG shall perform a yearly fiscal audit in January.
    1. The audit committee shall be made up of three ISG members who are not elected officers or Councilmembers. 
  8. As of June 2022, the primary purpose of the bank account is to meet the financial needs of running the website, membership registration and directory, and email list.
    1. The Interim President can temporarily access the account in order to pay these expenses as they are running the website and email list.

Donations

  1. The ISG does not currently charge dues. Any decision to charge dues will have to be approved by a vote of the membership.
  2. The ISG collects donations to cover its expenses. We collect donations on the following platforms:
    1. Paypal
  3. All collected donations are deposited in the ISG account and only used for approved ISG expenses.

Article 9

Anti-Discrimation Policy

  1. The ISG does not accept or maintain members whose business discriminates against people based on the following personal attributes (protected groups):
    1. Race
    2. Color
    3. Ethnicity
    4. National origin
    5. Language
    6. Religion
    7. Gender
    8. Sex
    9. Gender identity or expression
    10. Sexual orientation
    11. Disability
    12. Health condition
    13. Body type
    14. Age
    15. Parental status
    16. Any other characteristic protected under applicable law
  2. The ISG does not accept or maintain members whose business indicates or threatens violence against people in a protected group.
  3. The ISG does not accept or maintain members who are members of or participate in hate groups, or whose business sells merchandise for or otherwise supports hate groups.
  4. A member’s business includes:
    1. The products or services
    2. Any descriptions of the products, business, or business personnel 
    3. Posts on business social media accounts
  5. Any business found to be in violation of this policy will not be accepted for membership to the ISG.
  6. No member of ISG may use ISG platforms or services to discriminate against people in a protected group.
  7. If a member of ISG is found to be in violation of this policy, they will be subject to the censure, disciplinary action and expulsion policy set forth in Article XI.
  8. If you believe a member of ISG, or ISG itself, has violated this policy, you can file a complaint on the website (coming soon).

Anti-Harassment and Hate Speech Policy

  1. The ISG is committed to the support and success of all indie sellers. We understand that indie sellers are diverse and as a union we recognize that oppression is layered and complicated. We hope that members can engage with each other in the spirit of community and we want members to be able to learn from and educate each other. However, we also want all members to feel welcome and safe to participate in all ISG spaces. Therefore, the following policy will be enforced.
  2. The ISG does not allow harassment or hate speech in the use of our services, accounts, platforms, meetings, or forums.
  3. We define hate speech as abusive, derogatory, threatening, or violent communication directed against a particular group, including those based on personal attributes such as the protected groups listed in our discrimination policy.
  4. We define harassment as abusive, derogatory, threatening or violent communication directed at any other member, especially behavior that is repeated.
  5. The ISG strictly prohibits the publishing of member’s personal information without their consent.
  6. The ISG is not liable for nor able to police what members do or say outside of ISG spaces. However, if you believe a member’s behavior on a non-ISG platform indicates they are in violation of these policies and incompatible with ISG membership you can file a complaint on the website (coming soon).

Article 10

Liability

  1. The ISG is not liable for any statements, actions, or decisions made by its members.
  2. The ISG is not liable for changes in performance or profitability, or legal issues related to members’ businesses.
  3. The ISG is not liable for what members do with their business, nor does ISG have the capacity to police members’ businesses, including:
    1. The products or services offered
    2. Any descriptions of the products, business, or business personale 
    3. Posts on business social media accounts
  4. The ISG is not liable for and cannot enforce IP infringement of members’ businesses.
    1. If you believe a member of the ISG has inappropriately used your IP and therefore does not meet our membership criteria as an indie seller (see Article II), you can submit a complaint on the website (coming soon) and we will review the situation.
    2. If you believe that ISG itself, such as an ISG account, service or platform has inappropriately used your IP, you can notify us on the website (coming soon)..

Article 11

Complaint Against an ISG Member

  1. Members may be censured, suspended, or expelled from the ISG for the following reasons.
    1. Making false statements or withholding material information when applying for membership.
    2. Failure to maintain the membership criteria.
    3. Failure to submit the proper information for membership renewal.
    4. Wilfully violating the bylaws of the ISG, including the anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, or hate speech policies.
    5. Disobeying or willfully failing to comply with any lawful decision of the Guild.
    6. Misappropriating money or property of ISG and its members.
    7. For such other offenses, equally serious, which tend to bring the Union or Local thereof into disrepute.
  2. No member of the Union shall be immune from penalty for committing any of the offenses set forth in this Article by reason of the position or office the member may hold in the ISG.
  3. Censure can include suspension or expulsion from ISG spaces, including ISG meetings, committees, social media accounts or groups, blog comments, and forums.
  4. Suspension is the temporary termination of membership, including all membership rights, for up to a year.
  5. Expulsion is the permanent termination of a member from the ISG.

Filing a Complaint

  1. If you wish to file a complaint against an ISG member, you may do so in writing on the website (coming soon). You must:
    1. Include an allegation of the facts on which the complaint is based, including applicable dates.
      1. You may also include applicable screenshots of online interaction as evidence.
    2. Specify the nature of relief sought.
    3. State that the complaint is filed in good faith.

Processing a Complaint

  1. After a complaint is filed, it will be sent to the Council. The Councilmembers can then:
    1. Ask the person who filed the complaint to provide additional information or attend an interview.
    2. Ask witnesses or any other people involved in the situation to attend an interview.
    3. Ask the accused member to attend an interview.
  2. After gathering all necessary information, the Council will then vote on what, if any, disciplinary action to pass against the accused member..
  3. Decisions about disciplinary action require a ⅔ vote. In our current Council, six of nine Councilmembers must vote in agreement with the decision for it to pass.
  4. If the Council finds that the person who filed the complaint did so fraudulently or with malicious intent, they can vote on disciplinary action against the filer with the same ⅔ vote.
  5. The accused has the right to know the details of the complaint and argue in their own defense.

Complaints Against Officers or Councilmembers

  1. Complaints against an Officer or Councilmember follow the same procedures and rules as those against members.
  2. However, the accused Officer(s) or Councilmember(s) must recuse themselves from all proceedings surrounding the complaint.