You’re the Boss!

A company that I was associated with was mandated to receive ISO 9000 certification to show that it met the standards of quality demanded by its customers. They got help from a consultant to do this who helped them change some practices and procedures and prepare for an inspection. We were warned by the consultant that the inspectors mighty ask a trick question, “Who’s responsible for quality around here?” We were told there’s only one correct answer, “I am!”

Concept One makes it clear that each and every AA member is afforded the opportunity to oversee AA’s services. We do this via representation. When your group elects a General Service Representative (GSR), and hopefully also an alternate, it starts the link to this oversight. Your group is part of a district.

Our area (Area 54—NE Ohio) has about 60 of these, dividing up all the about 10,000 square miles and over 1,200 groups of Area 54 into more manageable size and number of groups. Many of these have district meetings, or multi-district meetings where they discuss problems and solutions and elect a District Committee Member (DCM), and again hopefully also an alternate. Ohio has 4 relatively small areas.

Our southern border states (Kentucky and West Virginia) have only one. Their entire state is the area. Larger areas typically have Area Committee Meetings where the DCMs meet with the area officers to discuss and handle area-wide problems. We only have Area Assemblies where GSRs are also expected to attend. We have about 6 each year.

Every even year in October we elect to 2-year terms our area officers and our area delegate—the person we send to the annual week-long General Service Conference where they approve literature changes and sundry other changes. The AA Service Manual, in print at our central office or online, explains this in greater detail.

What about Central Offices. They vary area by area. Area 54 has 8: Cleveland, Akron, and 6 smaller ones. West Virginia has zero, nada, none in the entire state. They set their own rules but most follow AA’s principles. They set their own territory.

Cleveland claims 3 counties, Akron 5, and there are at least a couple of counties in NE Ohio seemingly claimed by none of the 8. Cleveland asks that each group elect an inter-group representative (IgR) to attend their quarterly Advisory Committee Meetings. Since the secretary already gets the mailings, they’re a likely candidate.

Do groups elect either or both a GSR and IgR? No. Tradition 4 states that “each group is autonomous.” But there’s a caveat, “except in matters affecting other groups or AA as a whole.” Low attendance of GSRs at area assemblies and IgRs at Advisory Committee Meetings are doing that! Groups, please give this outreach the attention it needs to give your group members a voice and a vote in AA World Services.

By Bob M.