Membership | Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights (POWER, Maine)

join/renew membership | annual dues | why join? | mission | principles of membership

How to become a POWER member
or renew your annual membership:

POWER is open to people from ALL WALKS OF LIFE & ALL INCOME LEVELS who care about ending poverty & want to do something about it. By becoming a member of POWER, you're becoming a part of a growing local movement to end poverty led by poor & low-income people!

Membership in POWER is open to all those who:

Support P.O.W.E.R.'s Mission;
Agree to P.O.W.E.R.'s Principles of Membership;
Fill out & return a current P.O.W.E.R. Membership Card;
Pay suggested Annual Membership Dues*.

Help us build a local movement to end poverty:
BECOME A POWER MEMBER TODAY!

Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights
On-line Membership Card
Please fill out & submit this form to join POWER
or renew your annual membership.

*Indicates a required field.

* YES!! I hereby declare that I fully agree with & support
POWER's mission & Principles of Membership, and
as such I intend to:

Join P.O.W.E.R.
Renew my P.O.W.E.R. Membership.
*Please click one of the above

*First name: *Last name:

Email:

Phone: (home) (work)
(cell) (other phone)

Address: Apt#:
Town / city: State: Zipcode:

*If you have special instructions (like a 'care-of' name) please indicate:

*The best way to reach me is:
Other:
To select multiple options, hold down the
option key while making your selection.

Annual Member Dues
P.O.W.E.R.'s annual member dues are suggested according to income level. Please contribute what dues you feel you can afford. Dues can be paid by check, money order, or online via PayPal/credit card. For more information see: how to pay your membership dues (below).

*Please select the income level that best describes your economic situation &
enter the amount you will contribute in annual member dues.

I am Very Low-Income: Yearly income: under $11,000**

Suggested dues: $0 - $10 | My dues: $

I am Low-Income: Yearly income: $11,000 - $22,000**

Suggested dues: $10 - $35 | My dues: $

I am NOT Low-Income: Yearly income: $22,000 - $75,000**

Suggested dues: $35 - $100 | My dues: $

I am Upper-Income: Yearly income: over $75,000**

Suggested dues: $100 - $250 | My dues: $

I'd like to make an additional contribution: $

**Represents annual income for a 1-person household. For larger households & families, add an additional $3,740 per family member that this income supports.

Membership dues can be paid by mailing in a check or money order, or by paying online via PayPal or credit card. For more information please see: how to pay your membership dues (below).

SUBMIT MEMBERSHIP CARD

To clear card & start over:

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P.O.W.E.R.'s Mission & Principles of Membership

Mission Statement

Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights [P.O.W.E.R.] is a grass-roots anti-poverty action group led by poor & low-income people. United with all those who align themselves with this mission, together we’re building a local movement to win economic rights for all, end economic oppression, & abolish poverty.

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Principles of Membership

I declare that I fully & truly support POWER’s mission of low-income leadership, winning economic rights, ending economic oppression, & abolishing poverty.
I agree that all people are entitled to a decent, dignified standard of living sufficient to ensure their health & well-being, including:

The right to adequate food & nutrition;
The right adequate housing that is safe, decent, & accessible;
The right to quality healthcare that is free, universal,& accessible;
The right to living wage jobs with good benefits & the freedom to unionize
The right to adequate government benefits for all who lack income;
The right to accessible quality education at all levels;
The right to communicate, including interpreting & translation;

I pledge solidarity with POWER & all fellow members,regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, class, gender, age, (dis)ability, sexual orientation, receipt of government benefits, national origin, political affiliation, or immigration status.

I understand that since membership in POWER is renewed on an annual basis, in order to remain a POWER member in good standing I need to renew my membership & dues annually.

I understand that POWER's annual dues are suggested according to income; and while no one is ever denied membership because of an inability to pay suggested member dues, I understand that I am expected to contribute what dues I honestly & truly feel I can afford.

I understand that while membership is open to all regardless of income level, in keeping with POWER's mission of low-income leadership, the rights to cast deciding votes & hold positions on POWER's Leadership Council are respectfully reserved for self-declared low-income POWER members.

I understand that in joining POWER I am declaring that I support POWER's mission, goals, & values, and the organization as a whole, and that I intend to support, uphold, & adhere to POWER's mission & Principles of Membership honestly and in good faith for the duration of my membership. I also understand that any failure to do so may result the loss of my membership and/or being barred from POWER meetings & activities.*

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Annual Member Dues P.O.W.E.R.'s annual member dues are suggested according to income level. Please contribute what dues you feel you can afford.
How to pay member dues: Personal checks or money orders: Please make your check or money order payable to POWER & send by mail to POWER, Po box 4281, Portland, Maine 04101 Cash: if possible, please contact us to let us know before you send cash, and/or hand deliver it if possible. PayPal / credit card payments: To pay your membership dues securely on-line using a credit card, debit card, or PayPal account, please click on the "Donate" button below:
Income Level	Suggested Annual Dues
I am VERY LOW-INCOME / POOR: My yearly income* is $0 - $11,000 ($0 - $916 per month).	$0 - $10
I am LOW-INCOME: My yearly income* is $11,000 - $22,000 ($917 - $1,833 per month).	$10 - $35
I am NOT LOW-INCOME:** My yearly income* is $22,000 -$75,000 ($1,834 - $6,250 per month).	$35 - $100
I am UPPER-INCOME:** My yearly income* is higher than $75,000. ($6,251 or more per month)	$100 - $200 or more
ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBER*** Dues are based on organization's budget - for details see POWER's organizational membership form.	Dues are $50-$500
Annual income for a 1-person household. Add $3,740 per additional family member. Please note: While membership is open to all regardless of income level, in keeping with POWER's mission of low-income leadership, the rights to cast deciding votes & hold positions on POWER's Leadership Council are respectfully reserved for self-declared low-income POWER members. **Unlike individual member dues, dues for organizational members are based on the organization's budget and are NOT suggested (call us for exceptions).
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Why Join P.O.W.E.R.?

Are you someone who believes in winning economic rights, ending economic oppression, and abolishing poverty? Do you believe that access to health care is a basic human right? Does it bother you that 52% of the bankruptcies in this country are the direct result of health costs? Are you sick and tired of hearing about how great the economy is doing while your family, or the family of someone you care about, is struggling more than ever before just to put bread on the table? Does it disgust you that - here in the wealthiest nation in all of human history - millions of American families are forced to suffer in poverty, while the richest of the rich get billions in tax cuts? These are just a few of the reasons that you should consider joining POWER.

If you answered yes to any of these questions, and you feel it's time to do something about all this, your future fellow POWER members are ready and waiting for you to join us.

POWER membership is open to ALL those who align themselves with our mission and principles of membership. Maybe you're someone without a whole lot of extra time (extra time? what's that?) - you can still show your solidarity and support by becoming a member and contributing much needed dues to help support the work of your fellow members. Or, maybe you're looking for a way to get more active and confront these challenges along side fellow members of your community - in which case, the sky is the limit and we can't wait to hear from you!

Together we CAN end poverty! Together we WILL end poverty!
WHEN WE UNITE TO CLAIM OUR RIGHTS TOGETHER WE HAVE
POWER!

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Members in good standing: All those who’ve filled out & signed this year’s annual POWER member card & suggested dues* are considered POWER members in good standing. In addition, members in good standing have duly upheld their member card pledges in good faith. Anyone who hasn’t done this yet can become a member or update their membership anytime (see above). *Annual dues are suggested according to income. While no one is ever turned away for lack of dues, members are highly encouraged to contribute what they truly feel they can afford.

Low-Income Leadership: While membership is open to ALL regardless of income-level, in keeping with POWER's mission of low-income leadership, positions on POWER's Leadership Council are reserved for self-declared low-income members. Also, deciding votes at general monthly meetings are reserved for low-income members. For more information, please refer to our Levels of Involvement page.

What does 'low-income' mean? "Low-income" refers to anyone with income that is twice the Federal Poverty Level or less. In 2009, an individual is considered low-income if their income is at or below $21,660 a year ($1,805 a month). For larger households, add $7,480 in annual income ($624 a month) per additional family member. Remember: these figures are for TWICE the poverty level (which is utterly & unrealistically low!). Click here to see the current 2009 federal poverty guidelines. Since the government's measurement of poverty is woefully (and intentionally) inadequate, we'll make exceptions to allow those struggling to meet basic economic needs, despite having somewhat of a higher income level (within reason!), to self-declare as low-income. For example, a mom with one child makes $35,000, but because of her student loan payments she is still struggling to pay for basic housing, childcare childcare, and transportation, etc.

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Economic Human Rights
Conditions of poverty represent violations of our economic human rights. As part of the struggle to end poverty, we're working to document these violations wherever they occur. Economic human rights are guaranteed to all human beings; they are outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed by the United States & all other UN member nations in 1948. Some examples of economic human rights include:

Article 23
Right to LIVING WAGE JOBS, to safe working conditions, and to form and join unions.

Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for him/herself and his/her family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his/her interests.

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Article 25
Right to well-being of a person and their family, including: HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, & FOOD, CHILDCARE, & SECURITY for all those who are unemployed, unable to work, &/or working at home raising children &/or care-taking.

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of him/herself and of his/her family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his/her control.
Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

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Article 26
Right to EDUCATION, including higher education & training.

Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

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For the full text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights CLICK HERE!

*Disclaimer:
Let it be known that POWER reserves the right to revoke or deny membership at its own discretion, including the membership of any person believed to have violated any of POWER's Principles of Membership, misrepresented themselves or their intentions, or acted (and/or intended to act) in such a way as to undermine, disrupt, interfere with, or otherwise cause harm to the organization, and/or any of its members, and/or any of its activities in any way. In addition, POWER reserves the right to prohibit such individuals from participating in any of the organization's meetings and/or activities, at its sole discretion.

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Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights = POWER!
Contact POWER

Winning our economic rights;
Putting poverty on trial;
Building a Maine that truly is the way life should be - for ALL of us!!!

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