GB Concept V. Throughout our service structure, a traditional "Right of Appeal" ought to prevail, thus assuring us that minority opinion will be heard and that petitions for the redress of personal grievances will be carefully considered.
World Service Long Form V. Throughout our world service structure, a traditional "Right of Appeal" ought to prevail, thus assuring us that minority opinion will be heard and that petitions for the redress of personal grievances will be carefully considered.
World Service Short Form V. Throughout our structure, a traditional "Right of Appeal" ought to prevail, so that minority opinion will be heard and personal grievances receive careful consideration.
Application in AA
- There are two main forms of Right of Appeal
- The filing of a minority report ('Appeal')
- The filing of a personal grievance ('Petition')
- The term 'Right of Appeal' covers both
- Minority reports
- These are written and submitted when a minority believes a mistake has been made
- They are written by the minority
- They are submitted to the body that it is believed made the mistake
- Where something affects the fellowship as a whole, it is submitted to Conference
- In that case, the Right of Appeal is also a Duty of Appeal
- In group conscience meetings:
- When a vote achieves a two-thirds majority, ask if the minority would like to express a view
- Let it do so
- Discuss
- Ask if anyone has changed their vote based on what they have heard
- Revote
- Repeat until no further movement is taking place
- Redress of personal grievance through petition
- Applies to paid employees and unpaid trusted servants
- Address initially to the body at fault
- Escalation is possible all the way through to the General Service Board
- There should be no fear of reprisal
- The receiving body processes the grievance in two stages:
- Stage 1: Determine whether there is a 'case to answer'
- Sometimes grievances are vexatious or ill-founded
- They can be returned, asking the individual
- To base the accusation of wrongdoing more tightly on the Traditions, the Concepts, or other guidelines and procedures
- To provide more substantial evidence
- Do not allow vexatious or sloppy grievances to proceed but do help the individual to produce a more rigorous grievance
- Stage 2: Hear the grievance either in a small group of selected officers or in a plenary session
- Presume innocence
- Give an equal hearing to both sides
- Third legacy procedure
- If a majority candidate cannot poll a two-thirds majority, the winner of an election is chosen by lot
- Minority candidates can thus win
- Discussion, vote, and substantial unanimity
- Even when a two-thirds majority can be secured, continue to seek greater unanimity
- Seek to avoid decisions leaving behind a disgruntled minority
- The relationship between the Conference and the Board
- The Board is bound by two-thirds majority votes only
- It may veto simple majority votes
- This triggers further discussion
- The benefits of Right of Appeal
- Even when the minority is wrong, the ensuing debate is healthy
- Protection against the tyranny of an uninformed, misinformed, hasty, or angry majority
- Knowledge of the availability of the process stops abuses of power before they happen
- Deference to the minority in the third legacy procedure redresses the imbalance of power created by small majorities
- Small majorities represent just over half the voice
- But they effectively wield all the power
- Is the group conscience always right?
- The group conscience is always right
- But what is expressed by a group is not always its conscience
- It could be ego
- Servants do for the group what the group cannot do for itself
- Sometimes, therefore, the individual must be the group's conscience
- A note of caution
- Sometimes a minority can tyrannise
- Bad decisions are sometimes made because the majority bows to a noisy minority
- Poor motivations for bowing to a minority:
- To speed up the process
- To avoid further discussion
- Fear of leaving anyone behind
- Fear of the minority's emotional response, reprisal, or intransigence
Application in life
- General principles
- The Right of Appeal embodies the Tradition I idea of personal welfare coming a close second to common welfare
- Speaking up
- Speak up!
- To do so is not just a right but a duty
- Do not fear others' reactions
- Do not fear loss of approval
- Don't collude with what you sincerely believe is wrong
- Obey the inner conscience, not (necessarily) the outer majority
- Listening
- In any group of two or more people, listen to others' points of view
- Be tolerant of others' differing views
- Encourage others to voice their disagreement or grievances
- Listen calmly and soberly and respond guided by God
- Disagree without being disagreeable
- Democracy
- Do not (seek to) dominate, either as (part of) a majority or as (part of) a minority
- Right of Appeal as a response to addiction or defects
- When addictions or defects are active
- ... the ego is in the 'majority'
- ... my spirit is in the 'minority'
- To exercise Right of Appeal is to appeal to a Higher Authority (God), against my ego
- Right of Petition as a response to lack or limitation
- When I feel lack or limitation, I may petition God
- I allow God to remove from or bring into my life whatever He wishes
- I do not outline
- Practising the Third Legacy Procedure
- When I am in a group of two or more and cannot secure agreement, yield to the minority
- If there are two people only, yield to the other person
- Being a minority within AA
- Sometimes working a strong programme can place a person in a minority in AA
- Continue to carry the message
- But do this without:
- Self-righteousness, superiority, or cockiness
- Criticising or fault-finding
- Attempting to dominate the majority
- Resolving majority–minority differences
- After the appeal or grievance has been heard, a decision has to be made
- If the majority has not shifted, it might have to remain firm ...
- ... but should exercise that power kindly, not punitively